Lay Me Down (Wake Me Up) performed by Four Seasons ()
I have never seen this on a Greatest Hits album or heard it on the radio. It never made the US top 100 (although at this time the Seasons were apparently more popular in the UK).
It's surprisingly long for a Four Seasons song (6:11), and takes its time moving from the slower, "Lay Me Down" sections (with the more typical harmonies) to the more rock-oriented "Wake Me Up" sections. The closing refrains feature the types of harmonies you'd expect from early-80s Chicago. Frankie Valli handles the lead vocals, but stays away from the high-pitched stuff.
If you liked GENUINE IMITATION LIFE GAZETTE, this should be right up your alley. For those most familiar with the early-60s stuff ("Sherry") and their disco hits ("Who Loves You," "December 1963"), the 1969-1970 recordings might make a lot of sense as a bridge between the Four Seasons as a group of singers fronted by Valli in 1962 to a vehicle for some great compositions by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio in the mid-1970s. |