''Closeup'' is an album by Frankie Valli, released in February 1975 on the Private Stock label. It had been seven years since his prior album, and afforded Valli his first of two number-one solo hits in the US (in addition to five as lead singer of The Four Seasons). The LP reached number 51 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' albums chart. The album contains two hit singles: "

My Eyes Adored You "My Eyes Adored You" is a 1974 song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the Motown label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli ...

" (US No. 1) and " Swearin' to God" (US No. 6).''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - It also contains Valli's original version of " I Can't Live a Dream," which became a hit for the

Osmond Brothers The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...

in late 1976.

Reception

In a retrospective review, Joe Viglione of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

recalled that the album "is singer Frankie Valli again finding the magic without his Four Seasons, this time in the '70s with two big hits in two different genres", and called it "an important and forgotten catalog item that needs to be expanded and re-released with bonus tracks and liner notes that give it its proper place in music history." In his August 1975 review for ''

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review''. ...

'' magazine, Peter Reilly remarked that:

Track listing

Side one #"I Got Love for You, Ruby" (

Sandy Linzer Sandy Linzer (born 1941) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Denny Randell and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let ...

) - 3:22 #"Why" ( Bob Gaudio,

Judy Parker Judy Parker is a record producer. She co-wrote The Four Seasons' LP '' Who Loves You'' with her husband, songwriter Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and t ...

) - 2:44 #"He Sure Blessed You" (Bob Gaudio, Judy Parker) - 3:27 #"Waking Up to Love" ( Bob Crewe,

Kenny Nolan Kenny Nolan (born September 30, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. He is best remembered for the 1976–77 song " I Like Dreamin'", which he wrote and performed; it reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 4 on ...

) - 4:30 #" I Can't Live a Dream" (Arnold Capitanelli) - 3:15 Side two #"

" (Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan) - 3:33 #"In My Eyes" (Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan) - 4:21 #" Swearin' to God" (Bob Crewe,

Denny Randell Denny Randell (born 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Sandy Linzer and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let's Hang O ...

) - 10:09

Personnel

*Frankie Valli - vocals * Bob Mann, Cliff Morris,

Elliott Randall Elliott Randall (born June 15, 1947) is an American guitarist best known for being a session musician with popular artists. Randall played the well-known guitar solos from Steely Dan's song "Reelin' in the Years" and Irene Cara's song " Fame". The ...

Eric Weissberg Eric Weissberg (August 16, 1939 – March 22, 2020) was an American singer, banjo player, and multi-instrumentalist, whose most commercially successful recording was his banjo solo in " Dueling Banjos," featured as the theme of the film ''Deliv ...

, Jeff Mironov, Jerry Friedman, Larry Carlton,

Mike Deasy Michael William Deasy (born February 4, 1941) is an American rock and jazz guitarist. As a session musician, he played on numerous hit singles and albums recorded in Los Angeles in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He is sometimes credited as Mike De ...

, Neil LeVang - guitar * Chuck Rainey, Gordon Edwards - bass *Ken Asher,

Michel Rubini Michel Rubini (born December 3, 1942) is an American musician, conductor, arranger, producer, songwriter and composer. A professional classical pianist since early childhood, he was a prolific session musician of the 1960s and '70s, part of a gro ...

- piano *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

Rick Marotta Richard Thomas Marotta (born January 7, 1948) is an American drummer and percussionist. He has appeared on recordings by leading artists such as Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Ste ...

, Ronnie Zito - drums *

Jimmy Maelen Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

- percussion * Miss Bobbye Hall - congas *Carl Caldwell, Carolyn Willis,

Clydie King Clydie Mae King (August 21, 1943 – January 7, 2019) was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single "Loneliness ( ...

, Jackie Ward,

Jo Armstead Josephine Armstead (born October 8, 1944), also known as "Joshie" Jo Armstead, is an American soul singer and songwriter. Armstead began her career singing backing vocals for blues musician Bobby "Blue" Bland before becoming an Ikette in the Ike ...

, Marti McCall, Patti Austin, Tasha Thomas - backing vocals *

Dave Tofani Dave Tofani is an American saxophonist and woodwind player, and composer. As a session musician he has performed on over 500 jazz, pop, and rock recordings such as the clarinet solo on " Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" by Soft Cell.AllMusic Dave Tofani ...

, George Young, Joe Farrell, Robert Keller - saxophone *Lew Del Gatto - baritone saxophone *

Alan Rubin Alan Rubin (February 11, 1943 – June 8, 2011), also known as Mr. Fabulous, was an American musician. He played trumpet, flugelhorn, and piccolo trumpet. Early life and education Rubin was born in Brooklyn. He began attending Juilliard S ...

, Jon Faddis,

Lew Soloff Lewis Michael Soloff (February 20, 1944–March 8, 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and actor. Biography From his birth place of New York City, United States, he studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard Sc ...

- trumpet *Meco Monardo,

Wayne Andre Wayne Andre (November 17, 1931 – August 26, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist, best known for his work as a session musician. Andre's father was a saxophonist, and he took private music lessons from age 15. He played with Charlie Spivak in ...

- trombone *David Taylor - bass trombone *Margaret Ross - harp *George Ricci, Kermit Moore - cello *Charles Veal Jr., Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Henry Roth, Jack Shulman, Jesse Ehrlich, Marshall Sosson, Max Ellen, Max Pollikoff, Peter Dimitriades, Shirley Cornell, William Hymanson - violin * Charlie Calello - arrangements ;Technical *Michael DeLugg, Val Garay - engineer *

Joel Brodsky Joel Lee Brodsky (October 7, 1939 – March 1, 2007) was an American photographer, best known for his photography of musicians, particularly his iconic "Young Lion" photographs of Jim Morrison. In his lifetime, he is credited with photographing o ...

- photography

Charts

References

1975 albums Frankie Valli albums Private Stock Records albums Albums produced by Bob Gaudio Albums produced by Bob Crewe albums arranged by Charles Calello {{1970s-pop-album-stub