After failing to chart with his albums
Valli (1976) and
Lady Put the Light Out (1977),
Frankie Valli appeared to have squandered the comeback he achieved in 1975, despite having made a formal break with
the Four Seasons to pursue his solo career full-time. Then, a surprising thing happened.
Valli was brought in to sing the newly written theme song for the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease by
Barry Gibb of the red-hot
Bee Gees, and suddenly he was on the top of the heap again, as the single went to number one and was certified platinum. Naturally,
Valli followed up with a new solo album,
Frankie Valli...Is the Word (echoing the chorus of the hit, "Grease is the word"), but it served to demonstrate that "Grease" was more of a phenomenon related to the movie and
the Bee Gees than to
Valli himself. The album, otherwise produced by
Valli's partner,
Bob Gaudio, had some of the dance-pop sound of the single and
the Bee Gees, and
Gibb agreeably provided another tune, "Save Me, Save Me," which made some noise on the easy listening chart. As usual,
Valli worked with the cream of session musicians, including flutist
Hubert Laws, who contributed a lengthy solo to "A Tear Can Tell." But there really wasn't another "Grease" on the disc, and
Valli's latest comeback proved a one-shot event. ~ William Ruhlmann