JULY 13, 2017
“ELECTRIC STORIES” (WRITERS: SANDY LINZER–MIKE PETRILLO)
ARTIST: THE 4 SEASONS
RELEASED 1968 ON 7” 45
Between 1962 and 1967, The 4 Seasons—Frankie Valli, Nick
Massi, Tommy DeVito, and Bob Gaudio—were among the most popular acts in the
world. Together since the mid-fifties, they made it big in 1962, when “Sherry”
exploded onto the pop scene, hitting #1 on Billboard’s
pop AND R&B charts, pretty amazing stuff for a white act. It helped, of
course, that the records were issued by Vee-Jay, Chicago’s stalwart R&B
label.
The quartet enjoyed three more #1 hits and more than a dozen
top twenty smashes over the next five years, combining good songs, an
identifiable doo-wop/R&B/pop vocal blend, excellent arrangements and
production, and the occasional sonic innovation. A move to the Philips label in
1964 only increased the band’s international reach.
But changing tastes in pop music moored the band in its
place. Following “C’mon Marianne,” a nice chunk of white Motown that climbed to
#9 in Billboard during the summer of
1967, their next three singles were far less successful. The third, “Saturday’s
Father,” didn’t even dent the Hot 100. By this time, Nick Massi was gone, and
Joe Long was the group’s bassist.
The band members, wary of being viewed as somewhat passé, felt
a need to make a coherent contemporary statement. The band spent extensive time
in 1968 recording an album eventually released as Genuine Imitation Life Gazette. Gaudio, who’d co-written most of
their hits, and new collaborator Jake Holmes—yes, Jake Holmes, who wrote “Dazed
and Confused”—penned all the material for the album.
Genuine Imitation Life
Gazette featured some strong songs and performances, such as “Idaho,” “Mrs.
Stately’s Garden,” and “Saturday’s Father,” the failed single. But while the
project was an ambitious attempt to grow, it didn’t sound like the 4 Seasons
and didn’t cohere enough to establish a new identity.
As a result, the ornately-produced, expensively-packaged,
and highly promoted LP, which sported a gatefold jacket and inserts as part of
a strange satirical newspaper, turned into one of the biggest stiffs in rock
music. The group’s older fans were confused, the new rock audience unconvinced,
and unsold albums filled the bargain bins for years.
To keep the group on the market prior to the
soon-to-be-issued Genuine Imitation Life album,
Philips released a non-LP single, “Electric Stories,” in late November 1968. It
was written by Sandy Linzer and Mike Petrillo, both of whom had, separately, penned
big hits for the Seasons like “Let’s Hang On!,” “Tell it to the Rain,” and
“Working My Way Back to You.”
“Electric Stories” was quite a change in sound for the band.
Draped with loud electric guitar, a goofy piano-led rooty-toot tempo that
seemed to speed up and slow down, aggressive drums, and oddly processed backing
vocals, “Electric Stories” actually rocked, though in an off-kilter way that
made for uneasy listening.
Pairing such a setting with provocative lyrics about the games men and
women play to exploit and hurt each other barely made sense even in the late
1960s.
It’s a truly entertaining listen, for sure, albeit one that eventually
did little to improve the perception of the group’s status. It was certainly
telling that the song didn’t even get much airplay in the 4 Seasons’ home turf of
New York City, failing to get heavy play on any of the local stations. (It did do some business in the suburbs and
in Connecticut.)
“Electric Stories” made top five in some middle markets like
Tulsa and Grand Rapids, but only enjoyed big-market success in Los Angeles, San
Diego, and St. Louis. Stations in Detroit, Chicago, the Bay Area, Philadelphia,
Cleveland, etc., never even picked up on it.
Such a performance would seem to reflect its #61 topping out
on the Billboard chart. But the song
performed much better on the Cashbox
chart, reaching #41, while Record World
had it peaking at #38. 23 chart points is an unusual degree of difference.
The methodology for these music charts, never disclosed back
in the day, is still a matter of speculation. Many have accused various
chart-makers of taking payments for higher chart positions, so it’s hard to
really know how much a record sold or
how popular it was.
My theory is that “Electric Stories” sold in numbers out of
proportion to its somewhat limited radio play. This would make sense
considering that the 4 Seasons still were considered a top act in the smaller
markets, but were no longer considered “hip” in the major markets.
Therefore, while for various reasons—most of all, its
longevity—Billboard charts have
become the standard by which pop music success is judged, the evidence points
to “Electric Stories” being a much more popular song than first impressions
would have you believe.
I’ve chosen to present this song in its original, extremely
“hot” mono mix, which is the only way anyone heard it in 1968–69. It was only released
in stereo years later, remaining a sort of “lost” 4 Seasons single in that it
never appeared on an original album.
Hey, I like this a bunch - I never would have guessed who it was, either. It's got a beat that's somehow both bouncy and driving at the same time. The little slower section near the end doesn't work at all for me, but the rest of it is really good. I can hear several trends that they were trying to tap into at that moment in music, and wonder if this would have caught on with another (perhaps unknown) band's name on it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting choice I would have never chosen, even tho I felt the song was "OK." Actually, the band may have entered the era of the "5 Seasons" with the earlier "Watch the Flowers Grow" first. At this time, like Chicagoans, I was enamored with Frankie's orchestrated solo 45s like WLS top 10 "To Give" as well as the 4 Seasons' remake of "Will You Love me Tomorrow" (still a fave of mine).
ReplyDeleteHey Stu, you tell "Electric stories very well!" WLSClark