Tom Jones: Classic or Dud?

Try "This 'N That", "Dr. Love", "Not Responsible" and "I (Who Have Nothing)" to get a grasp on what the world's only stonkin' crooner is truly capable of.

really, it's time for him to have another painfully awkward 'comeback', isn't it? i'd give anything (including my 15 year old, virgin sister) to hear him cover "all lit up" by buck cherry. and maybe sing the chorus on a remix of "is that yo bitch?"

He looks like Josef Fritzel nowadays.

From the days of signing on:

One comment from the employment office in December 1963 states: "He does not want shiftwork but I believe the reason for his not liking shifts is because he is a member of a vocal group which is supposedly an amateur affair.

"From the number of adverts one sees in the local press, however, it seems that this group has a good thing going … from the way he is able to dress, it would seem that Mr Woodward's (his original name) little hobby is highly lucrative and this would also account for his non-enthusiasm in securing employment.

"Consider and submit as soon as possible to anything which wouldn't dirty his fingernails! Nothing on offer at present …"

By March 1964 there is this comment: "No change in employment position but his vocal group is contemplating turning professional within next month or so …"

A month later a civil servant noted: "His group has still not turned professional but they are in close contact with Decca Records and are awaiting notification as to when they will record their next record."

The final entry, written on 3 July 1964, makes interesting reading with the benefit of hindsight: "Claimant showed me a letter from Decca Studios confirming a recording session had been arranged. He has been talking about 'going professional' since April but he is still signing the UR (unemployment register) and not autograph books."

"Help Yourself"

"I (Who Have Nothing Due To Being Unemployed)"

"I Got Your (National Insurance) Number"

"Situation(s Vacant)"

Classic.

Listening to some TJ today, I discovered this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqDEn7uUhFc

And actually, the video ruined the song for me a little. But still, awesome song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UxU8s7Au0A

I'm going to play "What's New, Pussycat?" over the school P.A. later this week. "I'll soon be kissing your sweet little pussycat lips"--I cannot believe he got away with that in 1965. (Though I guess Pussy Galore in 1964 was even more outrageous.)

My review of Tom's 1975 double greatest hits package:

http://nobilliards.blogspot.com/2012/01/tom-jones-20-greatest-hits.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyjeOoYu90A

this is all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kg0v0Er8Ak

I like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqW9v8eKVJw

so in 94 Tom Jones recorded a technofied version of Yazoo's "Situation" and it's...kinda awesome?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f49GhmNO2Fg

Jones’ last three albums - Praise and Blame, Spirit in the Room, and Long Lost Suitcase - are all really, really good. The first one is almost all gospel songs, and the others include versions of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Gillian Welch songs. So, the Johnny Cash trick, but weirder and noisier. Half the songs sound like they were co-produced by Waits and Jack White. Raw garage-blues shit with Jones howling the walls down. I was shocked.

Oh yeah, heard his version of that Gillian Welch song and liked it, will have to check out the rest of that stuff.

This bit never gets old, but if you've never heard it ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1eXkYl7a8U

The obscure Tom Jones cover I remember the most is, inexplicably, "If I Only Knew," but the otherwise unremarkable (iirc) TVT band Rise Robots Rise. Rise Robots Rise seems like one of those bands where, if I looked them up, I'd learn that one or two of their members went on to be super-famous in some other band or as a producer, but I also bet ... not.

Looks like the last three records were all produced by Ethan Johns, which explains both the hip song selection and the sound, probably (Johns plays a lot of stuff himself, but there are some ringers on there, too). But these albums all seem pretty cool, I'll have to listen.