Dance anthems that fuelled the disco boom

I WOULD imagine that most readers have seen the musical, if not the film of the Jersey Boys, so there is not much more I can tell you about the band, writes MICHAEL BROOKS. This triple album contains not only the evergreen classics that have enchanted listeners for decades but also includes lesser known jewels that did not always find their way on UK releases. Featuring 54 original recordings, all the Frankie Valli solo releases, including the Northern Soul classic You're Ready Now, the songs December '63 (Oh what a Night), Who Loves You? and Silver Star, were popular dance anthems that fuelled the disco boom of the seventies. For fans of the Jersey Boys this is the defining collection of all their recordings that you could ever hope to find on vinyl. What is also fascinating are the notes that contain little anecdotes, short stories behind the recording of some of the songs; 95 per cent of them are written by lyricist Bob Crewe with composer Bob Gaudio, the latter appeared in the original line up as a member of the band for many years before developing his own musical career while still writing for them while they were on the road touring.

One day, stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of New York, a young street urchin girl stepped out and began washing his car windows hoping for a couple of cents as a tip. He remembered her wearing old worn out tattered clothes, holes in her tights with a little cap on her head. Feeling obliged to give her something, he searched his pockets for small change, to his horror he realised he hadn't any. Just before he drove away he opened his wallet, the smallest note he had was a five dollar bill (five dollars in 1964 was quite an amount). He gave the bill to the girl who stood staring at it in disbelief as she watched him drive away. The image of the girl stayed with him for days, she just looked like a rag doll, and so the roots of what became one of their biggest hits of all time - Rag Doll - began that day.

At 81, Frankie Valli is still performing to big arenas, proving the old adage, rock 'n' rollers never die, they just fade away.