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" (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 in late 1976.
Reception In a retrospective review, Joe Viglione of AllMusic 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 magazine, Peter Reilly allegedly remarked that:
Track listing Side one "I Got Love for You, Ruby" (Sandy Linzer) – 3:22 "Why" (Bob Gaudio, Judy Parker) – 2:44 "He Sure Blessed You" (Bob Gaudio, Judy Parker) – 3:27 "Waking Up to Love" (Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan) – 4:30 "I Can't Live a Dream" (Arnold Capitanelli) – 3:15
Side two "My Eyes Adored You" (Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan) – 3:33 "In My Eyes" (Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan) – 4:21 "Swearin' to God" (Bob Crewe, Denny Randell) – 10:09
Personnel Frankie Valli – vocals Larry Carlton, Mike Deasy, Jerry Friedman, Neil LeVang, Bob Mann, Jeff Mironov, Cliff Morris, Elliott Randall, Eric Weissberg – guitar Gordon Edwards, Chuck Rainey – bass guitar Ken Asher, Michel Rubini – piano Jim Keltner, Rick Marotta, Ronnie Zito – drums Victor Feldman, Jimmy Maelen – percussion Miss Bobbye Hall – congas Carl Caldwell, Carolyn Willis, Clydie King, Jackie Ward, Jo Armstead, Marti McCall, Patti Austin, Tasha Thomas – backing vocals Dave Tofani, George Young, Joe Farrell, Robert Keller – saxophone Lew Del Gatto – baritone saxophone Alan Rubin, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff – trumpet Meco Monardo, Wayne Andre – 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 On "My Eyes Adored You": Joe Long – bass Demetri Callas – guitar Gerry Polci – drums Lee Shapiro – keyboards Nick Massi – vocal arrangements Technical Michael DeLugg, Val Garay – engineer Joel Brodsky – photography
Charts Chart (1975) PositionAustralian Albums (Kent Music Report) 70US Billboard 200 51
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