The Four Seasons - Silver Star (HQ) |TOTP 8-04-1976|

[TheIraRock]

Bob Gaudio held the Seasons 2 gether.

[barney906]

The middle eight in this s just awesome !

[ronfowlermusic]

My dad liked this song, their last hit - but feels strange seeing the 4 Seasons up there without Frankie Valli - and none of them were original members. Imagine Mike Love going out with 4 new guys in 75'76 as the Beach Boys....and then sitting some numbers out completely.

[Sisnepthali]

@ronfowlermusic good point - Bob Gaudio, orig mbr of 4 seasons, wrote most of their music even after he "left" the group. Personally, I am glad Gerry Polci got the opportunity to be in the band b/c he is great, wonderful voice & fantastic drummer. Too bad those 4 guys didn't get to just have their own band & have more Top 40 hits; they are all excellent musicians & didn't need Frankie Valli to make great music

[ronfowlermusic]

@Sisnepthali yeah, they should have just gone out as their own band, new name, because they are obviously very talented guys.

[UBZUKI]

this song is soooo uplifting and that bass player rocks..Great band, great music...

[Sisnepthali]

@UBZUKI Bass player is Don Ciccone who wrote several of his own hit records in the 60s - check him out -google him

[UBZUKI]

@Sisnepthali cheers..will do that.

[ZAPPABLACKDOG]

Vagina Boob!!!

[Nina6955]

Obviously do not have a grasp of the English Language. Reduced to using bad language!!

[lastrada52]

THIS was the BEST late career 4 Seasons track I ever heard. This live one is also great. They had many great early songs but this was different, driving, fresh & proved they were incredible musicians with staying power. The studio version is their masterpiece. Legendary vocalist Frankie Valli's harmony vocals at the end of this live take ARE tracked into the show. You can hear the music, drums & tambourine go off kilter at 3:11 to allow the voices to come in. Shoddy TV show production.

[barryspencer100]

Still got this on vinyl from day one. Side 2 similar with different lyrics but more instrumental. Still great.

Barry Spencer.

[brinkadeira60]

This record reminds me of the Great Drought we had in Britain that year-1976

[gmaccruyff55]

70s were just magic.

[vicsmith5000]

The drummer proves that not everyone had a crap haircut in 76

[linara21]

This is an absolutely outstanding song !

[TheRapmeister]

What a frigging great tune, sung better with Gerry Polci at the helm I think.

[MrGoodway]

Gerry had a great voice and was hell of a drummer

[plasterer69]

cross between si & dlt then.

[Sno1973]

It's thanks to BBC Four's TOTP repeats that I've discovered quality tracks like this.

[Bunty1962]

Nice one

[plasterer69]

Is that simon bates on guitar?

[Bunty1962]

@plasterer69 No I don't think so??? but by the smile on his face he looks like Master Bates. Dave Lee Travis more like

[Jako32]

lol i could totally see why thus flopped in the US but was a top 3 hit in the UK. NOT ata ll something US radio would be down with while Euro radio would be all over it.

[ScenesFromPalacio]

@Jako32 The UK's always loved musical eccentric pop like this -or at least did in the 80s-80s..THe US is much more conservative..In alot of ways THe Four SEasons (like Love ) were more a British kinda band in spirit..A staggeringly great song like'The Night' was a big hit in the UK but not even deemed worthy of release in the US !

[fourseasons74588]

Ugh... I want Frankie Valli. It just doesn't feel right without him.

[Sisnepthali]

@fourseasons74588 Frankie had a great doowop voice, also the old standards sounded good sung by him, but Gerry Polci really can sing, his voice is much more 21st century - he still sings with the Hitmen & he teaches high school in NJ - wouldn't that have been too cool to have a rock star as a teacher ?

[heldyrob]

loved it

[bjb8847656]

Great vocals, fantastic change of pace - superb and lively track - THANKS for sharing. This is a classic and Gerry Polci is brilliant on it.

[ejslurb2007]

Silver Star was one of the Seasons' best, certainly one of the best of the latter-day "Seasons" format. And Valli wasn't even on this single. His record producers should have taught Valli to play another instrument when he wasn't singing lead. But this is great!

[Biabou69]

Can't stop listening to this awesome tune from my youth.

Doesn't Noel Edmonds sound like the voice of David Coleman's Spitting Image puppet?

[ColumRogers]

Thank you to groovy people at BBC4 for repeating these wonderful episodes of TOTP. Silver Star is an awesome tune! x

[one2onefan]

Thanks for sharing this great video.Love the song and the lineup!!!Gerry does a great job on lead and the rest of the Seasons are superb!!This should have been a much bigger hit back in the Summer of 1976!!

[quizman1967]

Gerry Polci had a wonderful voice!

Great song, spoilt only by the Top Of The Pops Orchestra!

[DaveWollenberg]

The Seasons hit #38 in Billboard, 7-10-76. God bless ya, for postin' it. Thanx!

[GriefTourist]

saw this on totp on bbc4 the other night, had never heard it before, what a great tune

[whereitsat309]

What a cunt Noel Edmonds is....

[diiiiiiiinamite]

soooooooooooooo funny, u made my day!

[diiiiiiiinamite]

@whereitsat309 sooooooooooooo funny u made my day..

[whereitsat309]

@diiiiiiiinamite My pleasure...

[nigelloflaveo]

@whereitsat309 Haha - That is exactly what i was just thinking , then scrolled down to see your brief but brilliant comment. Love the dots at the end which kinda invite you to linger on the thought just that bit longer. Utter bell-end that bloke.

[sewitt60]

@whereitsat309 I can't argue with that comment.

[montseret1]

@whereitsat309 We all know that. No need to amplify the point. Go wash out your mouth

[whereitsat309]

@montseret1 Fuck off.

[whereitsat309]

@whereitsat309 Why not, Buckethead?

[lordbucko]

@whereitsat309 why?

[TheSugarbertie]

@whereitsat309 No, Steve Wright is the cunt with his stupid tashe and the stupid comments he makes on Top of the Pops 2!! I must say though, judging by your nasty comment, I think you must be a CUNT!

[whereitsat309]

@TheSugarbertie Yeah, yeah, tell someone who gives a fuck....

[bixy72]

@whereitsat309 Fair enough, but let’ focus on the positives – The Four Seasons are class, and Polci is a great lead singer in the absence of Frankie – OK?

[werdnallesnam]

@whereitsat309 Ye even got hair around his mouth thats why he talks like one.

[pdxphotoman]

IMO, the best track the Four Seasons ever record, and Frankie Valli wasn't the lead singer.

[cbak12sg]

@pdxphotoman Gerry Polci also sang the verses in December 63, although that song (their biggest hit in the UK) had three lead vocalists!

[alijanlondon]

The Top of the Pops orchestra wasn't used for this one - it was it would have sounded a complete mess. This was a mime to the track

[giftednumber10]

@alijanlondon Afraid that it was the ever dreadful TOTP orchestra backing them on this one. Have a listen again to the flugelhorn(?) intro and the terrible fluff just before Gerry Polci starts singing...

[alcockell]

@alijanlondon Ahhh - thanks for telling me. Memory fades a bit from me being 5 when their greatest hits album or Who loves You used to be on the Micro turntable my dad had at the time... fed through an Armstrong 626 receiver...

[RetroCool73]

Good to see the line-up here that was featured on the 1976 K-Tel Double album "40 Greatest Hits" which ironically didn't feature of the groups then current Warner Bros material (the Valli solo stuff on Private Stock was on though) - particularly that bearded owl on the guitar!

[alcockell]

Interesting that this is one that the TOTP orchestra actually *improved* by adding that lovely orchestral fill...

[alcockell]

And this is being broadcast by BBC4 on Thursday... COOL!

[euronick61]

great songs

[ShadyPines7]

Frankie who? Just kidding, Polci looks , sounds, and play's fantastic. Too bad their are so few "Silver Star " clips on here .I love this song!

[ImaniHekima]

Was that Dave Lee Travis moonlighting on the guitar?

[alcockell]

@ImaniHekima Yup. Happened often. Funny how us in our 30s-50s are going to be glued to our TVs or PVRs in the old slot during the coming weeks.

BBC - keep 'em coming. We'll try to stick with you during the initial dry spell with Brotherhood of sodding Man... and Ruby Flipper... you keep bunging them out. after the year - cos that;'s when it gets GOOD.. Fair's fair.

[Springamatul]

like this

[Hirsute63]

great song, haven't heard it for MANY years.. :O) Noel Edmonds tho, eh? A tit then and a tit now...

[stellaviolens]

Loved this song , takes me back to my childhood riding an imaginary horse around the garden :-)

Gerry playing with brushes, everyone had a laugh on TOTP.

Still hate Edmonds, the evil little €£^& !

[MzfiLO55]

Gerry looks so cute with his hair cut(*^_^*）!! YUMMY

[texmexfan1]

I think the Four Seasons,made some beautiful songs in the 70s, maybe there best music,and that is pretty impressive just great music.

[pickbaum4]

a perfect pop song .

[dfarmbrough]

Great song, but Edmonds is a tosspot isn't he? :-)

[truck5050]

@dfarmbrough a bit yeh

[truck5050]

@dfarmbrough a bit, yeh

[JP5466]

Great song. Love the slowed tempo change in the middle. Gerry Polci's vocals are way better than Frankie's

[furfurylmercaptan]

@JP5466

"Gerry Polci's vocals are way better than Frankie's"

That's an interesting comment because I'd assume (maybe wrongly) that appreciators of the 'Seasons value two things above all else: the songs of Bob Gaudio and the voice of Frankie Valli.

After all, Polci was not in the group that long and his excellent vocals were hardly as distinctive and unique as Frankie's are.

[JP5466]

@furfurylmercaptan Yes, Frankie's vocals are distinctive.. I'm not going to argue with that. IMO, Polci has more more overall talent. There are not many people who can sing (and drum) "December '63" without lowering the key. Polci was (and still is) a great drummer.

[vkb1959]

@JP5466 Agree, I like Frankie 's voice too,but there's a difference in being talented and multi-talented. Polci is much easier on the eyes too.

[MrLawman10]

nice mauve suits guys, great song this

[liarsclub75]

@theAceMod1979 I think they did their best music when they were with Motown. I also liked The 4 Seasons sound during the Joe Long era - 1966 Opus 17 and afterward.

[liarsclub75]

@theAceMod1979 That's great and I actually I meant to ask you if you knew the chart positions for Silver Star, Down The Hall and possibly Rhapsody (Don Ciccone lead) the UK, just out of curiosity. When the 4 Seasons were on the MoWest label, "The Night" was a UK top 10 hit, which was ignored in the States.

[liarsclub75]

@theAceMod1979 Not much of a life though. This song (as good as it is) and it's follow up Down The Hall only charted at #38 and #65 respectively. Looks like they did need Frankie, as Who Loves You and December 1963 made it to #3 and #1 on Billboard's pop charts. You can continue to delude yourself about how successful they were without Frankie though. Haters gonna hate.

[pebblethecat]

I loved this when I was a child and I love it still

[middletree]

Sure reminds me of woody harrelson

[bvg83]

i think the drummer is cute

[vailsonagirl]

Gerry Polci was a very good drummer and had such a great voice...he passed the genes on to his daughter- great voice as well! Just saw her in a production singing a song from the Pirate Queen. Very strong voice. I bet Dad must be proud!

[vkb1959]

I'll have to say, if HE taught me anything, I'm sure I'd be proud of it!! OMG

[vkb1959]

@AceWand LOL,

[VinnyA1025]

GO POLCI! 5 times a better singer than Valli.

[bvg83]

@VinnyA1025 i always thought that..

[escrime11]

Hey WaveCrasher96, please tell Mr. Polci how much we enjoy him.

[joyceyman]

Such an unusual track, but a truly superb one. Those shifts in tempo!!!

[Liberal1969]

Gerry Polci does some great drumming on this track. His voice is real sweet as well. (His handsome looks don't hurt, either.) I love this line-up in general.

[leamlane36]

70s heaven

[rolavarga]

Great song.

[cevert9]

Gerry looks quite different than he did when he was younger. You probably wouldn't recognize him.

[fredperry65]

great music thanks

[barney906]

The middle section of this song is just amazing,

[jasonjarvis1988]

polci has a great voice and play drums and sing is very hard. polci's voice = Daryl Hall + Todd Rundgren

[Jeni69September]

Gerry Polci gets me going every morning with these videos. I think he's incredibly SEXY! The smoothest, most beautiful voice I know. Can't get enough! (crushin' on him for 20 years now).

[yester4]

gerry polci is a genius

[furfurylmercaptan]

@yester4

"gerry polci is a genius"

No.

A genius is someone like Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton... not a drummer. Capisce?

[maccagrabme]

@furfurylmercaptan Absolute rubbish and a complete insult to all drummers to say they cannot be a genius. Have you heard drummers like Buddy Rich, Thomas Lang, Jacob Armen, Tony Royster, Dave Weckyl to name but a few exceptional or highly creative and gifted drummers. If you have never picked up a pair of sticks, don't even bother commenting because these guys are up there with the best ever minds in the world. So what about other musicians do you think they can be genius?

[furfurylmercaptan]

@maccagrabme

Einstein observed that the speed of light was invariant (Special Theory), and he realized that gravity and acceleration were equivalent (General Theory): that was genius. Much as I like the Seasons, I cannot put Polci into the genius category - so sue me.

[maccagrabme]

@furfurylmercaptan Its great that Einstein came up relativity but ultimately his good was put to bad use in the atom bomb whereas I don't believe any musician has used their knowledge against mankind. There are plenty of genius musicians past and present, are you honestly saying that their brainpower isn't as advanced as Einstein was in his field? By the way, all respects to Polci who is a great player and teacher but I didn't say he was genius.

[alcockell]

@maccagrabme Umm - want to add Karen Carpenter to that list?

[fulcrum100]

Wow, Gerry Polci has a lisp when he sings.. didnt know that. But nothin wrong with that.. he and the lads do and ace innings on Top of the pops here, and live, too. Superb post, nyrainbow4... thanks.

[lukeydoeslikey]

god, i rember this so much i was about 9yrs old hearing this on the radio.great days.i wish those days could come back.

[louluvscats]

Love it,love it,love it,as Noel Edmunds says!!! Great quality vid once again nyrainbow4.Love the footage you have downloaded.Nice to see so many of the tracks,presenters,dancers, and the audience back then.And nice to see the four seasons on totp! Brill!!! Benja :-)

[liarsclub75]

Musicians list:

Drums and Lead Vocals: Gerry Polci

Guitar: John Pavia

Bass: Don Ciccone

Keyboards" Lee Shapiro

[furfurylmercaptan]

@liarsclub75

Not really the Four Seasons, though, are they?

No Frankie, no Bob (except as co-writer of the song)?

This was an extraordinary and aberrant period of the Group's history.

[liarsclub75]

@furfurylmercaptan It's kind of weird to reply to a year old posting, but I agree with you. Frankie and Bob ARE the 4 Seasons. This is still a great song and the band lineup at this time was exceptional.

[alcockell]

@liarsclub75 Guesting.. the Hairy Cornflake...

[pewmanfustudios]

Awesome video!!

[WaveCrasher96]

Mr. Polci is my band teacher!!!

[Jeni69September]

You are the luckiest person on Earth.I've had a crush on him for 20 Years!

[WaveCrasher96]

Haha uhmmm okay then.......

[Jeni69September]

Ok, I get it, you think I'm crazy. To you he's just a teacher, to me he was an icon growing up (born in '69).  Whatever...he's hot! Is he still married to Frankie's daughter?

[WaveCrasher96]

No I didn't mean to sound rude... But he's changed now... And gives detentions to people and stuff.... and yeah. I don't think he's still married to her but I could be wrong...

[phcube]

@WaveCrasher96 You are correct, they are no longer married! This song was one of my all time favourite 4 Seasons songs. Gerry was a great drummer and singer. There are so few pics of Gerry around that it's good to have this video to look at. It'd still be interesting to see how he turned out! I guess he's in his late 50's now.

[TheCannonator]

@WaveCrasher96

what school is that

[escrime11]

@WaveCrasher96 You band teacher was gorgeous. I hope Mr Polci realizes how many fans hestill has, with his marvelvelous voice.

[vinylgal89]

@WaveCrasher96 really?

[WaveCrasher96]

@vinylgal89 Yup.

[vinylgal89]

@WaveCrasher96 That's awesome!!!

[Merseyrock]

@WaveCrasher96 That's awesome! You should get his autograph for keeps. (Which would not be an impersonal fetish, but personally meaningful to you - since you have a working relationship with him.) You have some neat uploads - you have in your mouth all the synthesizers you need, he he ... Talented fella! Keep going =)

[Sisnepthali]

@WaveCrasher96 don't know if you'll see this since it's 2 yrs later - I commented earlier I think it would be so cool to have a rock star as my teacher !!! & From these vid's u can see he is so talented as both a drummer & a singer, & back in the 70s was absolutely handsome (I was 35 when this song was a hit in UK, so I was swooning over him back then). Again, how cool to have someone like him as your teacher !!! A miraculous blessing!!!

[craig8754]

@Sisnepthali While I always try to post positive comments I just want to say something.I grew up in the same town as Gerry Passaic he was a few years older than me but back then we used to have battle of the bands contests and more times then not whatever band he was in would win. Gerry doesn't like to acknowledge hes from Passaic and ignores friends who try and contact him.I'm sure he's still a great guy and w/o question he is very talented.Just sad that he would shut down people who care 4 him

[streethassled]

@craig8754 Thats what happens when fame hits you with a right hook. He's still the same guy, just needs to handle the glory.