Thrill of a Lifetime. Yesterday (August 28, 2005) Frank Rovello and I were given the privilege of sitting in the control room during the recording of vocals for the Jersey Boys cast album, which I think will become a historic session produced by Bob Gaudio. I don't know if I will ever have time to write a full account of all I saw and heard on this fantastic day, but I would like to provide a few highlights. The first headline is that John Lloyd Young, the actor who will portray Frankie Valli on Broadway, is amazing. No, he's not the second coming of Frankie, but he's still amazing. I think he's a better singer than David Norona, whom I thought was terrific in the La Jolla production, and most people who have heard both tend to prefer John. John has a lot of rehearsing ahead of him to do as good an acting job as David did, but I feel confident he will meet the challenge. To me the high point of the day was the recording of Rag Doll. To hear that harmony with the original notes recreated live through a studio-quality sound system was an experience I will never forget, and never have again. It will sound good from the stage of the August Wilson Theater, and the final album mix will be more polished on my little Bose speakers at home, but I will never again get quite the same thrill as I did yesterday. I'd have to go back to 1977 and Radio City Music Hall to recall a better Seasons thrill. The second headline is that Bob Gaudio is clearly still at the top of his game as a record producer. He was always demanding but always remained cool and kept his sense of humor, coaxing the best possible work out of the singers without coming down too hard on them. The singers were clearly having fun even as the session moved into its tenth and final hour. (Actually, an hour lunch break separated two five-hour periods of recording.) At least some of the singers must have been in awe that they were being directed by the man who wrote the music. I didn't have a tape recorder going, but here are a couple of amusing moments as they stand in my memory: After the recording of Short Shorts: Gaudio: That's good. You listened to the record. You got it down, accents and everything. Cast member: It's a good record. Gaudio: I wouldn't go that far. During the recording of Walk Like A Man: Gaudio: That ending was kinda rough, and we need to fix it. Of course that's how we recorded the song, with a very rough ending. Cast member: We're just trying to emulate you, Bob. At the end of Sherry, one singer mistakenly sang, "Sherry, won't you come out tonight." Gaudio asked for a redo, saying "I'm the only one here who will know it's wrong, along with a couple of guys sitting in the back of the control room." Then he looked back and grinned at me and Frank. Frank was treated like royalty when people heard that he runs genuine-imitation-life-gazette.com. Several cast members said that they visit the website when they have questions about the Seasons. John Young said that he had listened to Valli interviews on the website to hear how Frankie talks. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was getting to meet and talk with Bob's daughter Danielle, who's a very nice person. The bottom line is that Bob Gaudio knows we fans are out there, and he appreciates us immensely, even if he is understandably shy about direct communication. He has asked me to thank all of you for your support of Jersey Boys. Charles Alexander