I recently bought the Complete Decca Studio Albums set; like many, I was somewhat surprised by how good it (generally) is ..... perhaps because, like many, I’d never thought of TJ as an album artist. His run from the Debut up to Close Up in 1972 is very strong indeed; listening to these albums, it’s clear that he was a very special kind of singer - one who could’ve sung opera or hard rock with equal conviction (Donna Summer is the only other ‘pop’ vocalist I’ve ever felt could have taken similar paths). But it’s clear that by around 1972, ideas were running dry and he was starting to release the same album every year. TJ’s virtues and flaws were very much those of his manager, Gordon Mills, who was quite brilliant in positioning him for a slightly older marketplace/fanbase, but ultimately ran out of ideas. By the mid-seventies, Jones had become a very high profile cabaret act and it would take him over a decade to re-invent himself. Still, his best stuff is very good indeed and this set has introduced me to the work of some songwriters who hadn’t been properly on my radar.
In recent years he has taken the "Johnny Cash" route e.g. looking at old blues/country mixed up with some of the more fringey, interesting music from the past 20-30 years. His cover of John Lee Hooker's Burning Hell is extreme. Top singer. Always held great respect for Mr. Jones despite the at times overwrought gold-chain-stuck-in-the-rug-of-love kind of image. Never stood in the way for some amazing interpretations of songs; particularly soul music seemed a natural fit. The orchestrated pop hits from the 60's & early 70's still sound great.
This Is Tom Jones contained some amazing performances. Most of its on Youtube and every time I take a look, my mind is blown.
His version of Wichita Lineman is up there with Glen Campbell's. I'm surprised he didn't do more Jimmy Webb, I could only find one other ( looks like a lesser Webb) track in Google. Who are the best songwriters for him you reckon, any recurring names?
He’s a judge on the tv talent show the Voice UK and his voice is still incredible. Puts most people a third of his age to shame.
Les Reed and Barry Mason were his ‘bespoke writers’ in his glory days. They tended to furnish him with very dramatic material that suited the extrovert qualities of his voice. Yes, he probably should’ve done more Webb covers. The cover of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Nothing Rhymed on the Tom album is interesting, but not an ideal fit.
Tom has always delivered the goods. I saw this clip of him doing an acoustic version of It’s Not Unusual a while back and marveled at it (and how good a song that is when you really listen to it).
Gotta love him singing (backed by the Flaming Lips) the TV show theme for 'Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century'.
From 2020. Admittedly, not having to project over a full force orchestra, but no-one’s voice should sound this good at 80:
When I saw him in May, the first two songs were deep, bluesy songs that pondered mortality. The third song was "Sex Bomb." That's Sir Tom in a nutshell.
Yes, Elvis clearly patterned his return to live performing in Vegas after seeing what Jones did there. In 1976 he covered one of Jones's signature songs, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," but by then his voice was unreliable and it was a wasted effort. Incidentally, there's a surprisingly large amount of photos of Elvis and Tom hanging out. My respect for Jones was cemented after seeing him hold his own against his guest stars on TV. The fact that he could duet with folks like Little Richard and Wilson Pickett--and sound just as powerful and soulful as them--was irrefutable evidence of his talent.
Tom Jones is a force of nature. Tom Jones is a world treasure. His voice is thunder and lightning and has the powerful authority of a God. One of those guys like Sinatra who can take a song and make it his own.
Fantastic performance. If only Tom had chosen to record more of this kind of material than some of the pap he did choose to record, then he would have had similar credibility in the late 60s/early 70s to the likes of Cocker and Joplin. I believe he was that good. Unfortunately, Tom chose to record “The Young New Mexican Puppeteer” instead.
Those early 70s Tom Jones albums are pretty good. One side would be rock and r&b and the other ballads and soul. Nothing amazing but a solid listen.