The Four Seasons: "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)"

February 22, 1965 (1 week)

Those rare instances in which a cover version manages to outdo the original tend to be the result of huge overhauls. Johnny Cash did so on multiple occasions on his acclaimed American albums — beginning with Glenn Danzig's "Thirteen" on American Recordings, Soudgarden's "Rusty Cage" on Unchained, Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat" on American III: Solitary Man before culminating with the Man in Black's remarkable version of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt" on American IV: The Man Comes Around — while the Pet Shop Boys' dance-pop take on the Elvis Presley/Willie Nelson standard "Always on My Mind" quickly became the definitive version.

There are, however, those rare occasions in which alterations are largely minor but still result in (slightly) stronger covers. "How Deep Is Your Love?" had originally been a hit for the Bee Gees, as a token slushy love song from the otherwise disco-heavy Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why I've never been fully convinced by the Gibb brothers' original since its so out-of-place in both the film and on its accompanying album. Plus, it's a little too soft. Not, mind you, soft in the beta male sense but just in regards to it being so light and fluffy as to be impossible to grasp on to. Take That's version from 1996 (their supposed swansong) isn't hugely different but the production is cleaner and Gary Barlow's lead vocal sounds more committed.

The same goes for The Bay City Rollers and their 1975 UK number one smash "Bye, Bye, Baby". Again, it doesn't differ a great deal from The Four Seasons' original from a decade earlier but the sound is crisper with a little more punch to it. The vocals are largely a wash which is a credit to the Tartan lads since being up to the standard of the Jersey Boys is no mean feat, even if the single in question is by no means one of their finest works. What isn't great in '65 became all right ten years later.

Following a pair of outstanding RPM number ones — "Rag Doll" and Save It for Me" respectively — "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)" is a disappointment. While their run of six number ones to date hasn't been perfect ("Big Girls Don't Cry" is rather irritating, "Walk Like a Man" is solid but not as good as I remember it being), this is the first case of them hitting with something so plain and lifeless and even forgettable. (Once again, credit to The Bay City Rollers for salvaging it somewhat) I almost wish they had failed miserably rather than the sort of thing that I don't even give a shit about.

Honestly, there isn't much to say about this one. The pace is languid and I'm not so sure you even need to be aware of the Bay City Rollers' version to recognize that it needed a kick up the arse. The vocals are just your average by numbers Four Seasons' performance and perhaps one that is too much of a compromise: while Frankie Valli threatens to stretch out into one of his grandiose falsetto fits, his colleagues seem restrained from their remarkable wall of harmony. As a result, no one stands out on what is an uncharacteristically boring single.

Incidentally, the artist credit on the label stamped on the 7" disc reads as 'The Four Seasons featuring the "Sound" of Frankie Valli", a seemingly pointless re-branding. The group would gradually come to be known as 'Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' and this appears to be a first step towards making him the kind of, sort of solo artist in his own band. I'm not a fan of these name changes: I don't care for The Wailers evolving into 'Bob Marley and the Wailers' and I'm not crazy about this one either. But before Valli could take even more of the spotlight, they were about to go with a different name altogether. The Four Seasons were soon to become The Wonder Who? (It didn't take but it was worth a try!)

Score: 4