Cynthia Manley - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You (Remixes)

The Frankie Valli classic has been redone for the dancefloor by singer Cynthia Manley. She was once the lead vocalist for Hi Nrg/Disco act Boys Town Gang in the 1980s. They released a cover of this song as well, but with another vocalist. Paul Goodyear, PnP, and Sinclair & Chatters provide the remixes. Paul Goodyear's classic-sounding straightforward funky house mix retains some of the chords and keys of the original. Phillip Mezzatesta delivers 3 different mixes. The 1015 Folsom mix is a peak hour slice of modern Disco while the Trocadero Delight mix has a harder bassline. The Endup mix has just a small sprinkling of vocals and is mostly instrumental. Sinclair & Chatters' mix has a nice Disco-House flavor. Cynthia does a great job on the vocals giving it a soulful quality.

Grade: A-

Boys Town Gang - Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Originally written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, this song has been covered numerous times. In 1967, Frankie Valli was one of the first artists to record and release this. Since then, Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey, Barry Manilow and Lauryn Hill have just been a few of the other artists to cover this song.

In the early '80s, a Disco/Hi NRG group out of San Francisco called Boys Town Gang was formed by Bill Motley. The first single they released was a medley of Ashford & Simpson's "Remember Me" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." The latter was a hit for Diana Ross as well. Nearly a year later, they covered "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." While this recording of it was not a mainstream hit, it did get played in the clubs.

Listen and watch the original version here.

In late May of this year, some newer mixes were released on a special CD single in Japan.

01. Stonebridge Remix (6:42)
02. Stonebridge Dub (6:26)
03. Rasmus Faber Remix (7:27)
04. Groove That Soul Remix (6:32)
05. Soul Source Production Remix (6:09)
06. Stonebridge Radio Edit (3:52)
07. Original Version (9:33)

Stonebridge's mixes stay true to the original, but they also bring it into the new millennium. His mixes are the best of the bunch. Listen to the Stonebridge mix here.

Grade: A