Helicon (Curb, 1977)

[John]

Helicon was the album meant to herald in The Four Seasons as a performing entity without Frankie. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, nobody wanted to hear The Four Seasons without Frankie. Solo spots for others in the band was one thing, but it could not sustain itself without that special "sound" of Frankie Valli.

Much of this album is superb, but the best bits have Frankie on them. Favourite track is the minor hit "Rhapsody" and that is well worth hearing. Live on stage it sounded pretty much the same as the record, which was really quite an achievement.

However, the album did not sell well and took a long time to appear on CD, a sure sign that it is not favoured. Despite its quality I would not choose this one to take to a Desert Island!