I liked the music of The 4 Seasons as a teenager. They preceded The Beatles and the British Invasion bands. Their visual appearance seemed old and dated compared to the mod 60s London style. But, I liked the music they created.
That was just my teenage immaturity. Now I realize how great they were.
I knew they were different from The Beach Boys. American Bandstand was an East Coast show. The kid’s appearance on that show was always east coast, Philadelphia, usually.
The 4 Seasons production was well orchestrated. I noticed the strings and added percussion of chimes, bells and tympani. Buddy Saltzman plays drums on this track. He does a Hal Blaine “Be My Baby” kind of drum intro.
In many ways, Buddy Saltzman got a fatter drum sound than Hal and the Wrecking Crew rhythm section. The musicians in The 4 Seasons actually played real instruments, very well.
Bob Crew produced this tune. Bob Crew and Bob Gaudio, of The 4 Seasons wrote and produced the majority of their hits. Sherry was The 4 Seasons first number one song in 1962. The Beach Boys were the only American band to rival The 4 Seasons in record sales.
Dawn (Go Away), by The 4 Seasons was number 25 of 100 in 1964.
Hearing these vocals, I appreciate the true talent of vocalist before technology became the process of making music. Before auto-tune and the rest.