Valli is perhaps alone in the parallel success of his group recordings with the 4 Seasons and his solo career. Though both the group and solo success thinned out between the end of the '60s and the middle of the '70s, there were intense periods in 1967 and again in 1975-76 when Valli and his group each lobbed a string of hits into the top-10. Valli's solo career actually predated the formation of the 4 Seasons, starting with a 1954 release of "My Mother's Eyes" that failed to chart. He returned to solo work in 1964 as the 4 Seasons fought with the Beatles for space at the top of the charts, finally breaking through in 1967 with "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."

It was that 1967 single that prompted the release of Valli's first album, "Solo," patched together from earlier singles and a trio of new recordings. Unsurprisingly, the productions are all over the map, from the Motown-styled arrangement of 1966's minor chart success "(You're Gonna) Hurt Yourself" to orchestrated stabs at pop standards like "My Funny Valentine" and "Secret Love." The latter is particularly interesting, with its soulful bass line, big-band horns and Valli's swing-a-ding-ding vocal. Among the previously released singles is a superb early take of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" that anticipates the arrangement of the Walker Brothers later chart hit; Valli's high-range adds a unique element of tension to the vocal. You can hear the producers searching for a hit as they have Valli sing 4 Seasons styled pop ("The Proud One"), '50s-styled R&B ("The Trouble With me"), and Stax soul ("You're Ready Now"), but it was "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" that hit the jackpot. The song's moody horn, bass, vibraphone and hi-hat provide a mesmerizing introduction to Valli's gentle tone on the verses and the explosion of the chorus.

A year later Valli recorded "Timeless," his first true solo album project. Like the song list of "Solo," Valli combined contemporary hits with standards, but unlike "Solo," the arrangements (all but one by Charles Calello) are more consistent in style. Highlights include the terrific, slowly-burning build of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny," and a reading of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" that twice cycles from dreamy interludes to dramatic orchestrations. More radio friendly are "Watch Where You Walk" and the Neil Sedaka-Carol Bayer Sager collaboration "Make the Music Play," neither of which, unfortunately, were released as singles. The album stretches out with the percussion-free string backing of the jazz favorite, "For All We Know," providing Valli a chance to croon ala Chet Baker and June Christy, and the socially aware "Fox in a Bush" is structured like a Broadway show tune with a spoken introduction giving way to an overwrought vocal. Less successful here is an upbeat version of "Eleanor Rigby" whose swinging drums and horns sound like they were arranged for an Austin Powers film.

This pair of albums was previously released in 1994 by the UK Ace label, with three additional non-LP singles. Collectors' Choice omits the bonus tracks but does include full-panel cover art for both albums and new liner notes by James Ritz. Though there are relatively few chart smashes here, the album tracks are hardly throwaways. The sides gathered for "Solo" represent a several year search for an identity that would separate Valli from the 4 Seasons. The recordings for "Timeless" find Valli reaching for a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan audience than with his group. Without his trademark falsetto or backing harmonies of the other three Seasons, the unusual tone of Valli's voice, particularly his high register, still stands out against the orchestrations, showing there was a lot more to his artistry than pop rock 'n' roll. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]