Tom Jones International

Below is an excerpt from an Associated Press story from last week in Brisbane, Australia. We’re posting it simply because it caught our attention. Even though we all know, people are passionate about their music….(And we also know that of course there were other issues….but what a breaking point.)

The headline is:

“Australian woman kills husband in fight over Bruce Springsteen”

Karen Lee “Cooper told police she had become fed up with (Kevin) Waston telling her what to do during their two-year relationship. On the night of the killing, she tried to play a Springsteen CD and he took if off the stereo, triggering a bitter argument.

“‘I mean, who the hell doesn’t like Bruce Springsteen, for God’s sake?’ Cooper told police in a record of interview presented to the court. “I just picked up a knife and I went ‘boom’.'”

(With no priors, being remorseful and pleading guilty, she was sentenced to eight years.)

The reviewer likes clearly likes Tom, but we get the feeling he’s too cool to give into that liking. Gets a song or two wrong (Grandma’s Hands is not a “spiritual” in the original sense. It may sound like one, but it was written by Bill Withers in 1971). Also, when Tom sings He Stopped Loving Her Today it is an unutterably sad song just as it is when the “other Jones boy” sings it. It’s just beautiful. And, for the record, when he does his standards set, Here’s That Rainy Day is, we think, the best and most restrained of the lot. The reviewer omitted mention of She’s A Lady, but we choose to believe that was just wishful thinking. Overall, it’s a good review (although we hate it when they talk about his “bug-eyed mugging.”) It sounded like a good crowd. If you were there, please let us know what you thought. Or, even if you weren’t, what you think of the review.

---

Tom Jones remains an unusually spirited performer

CONCERT REVIEW: Women of all ages adored the Welsh wonder, who rewarded them with heartfelt hits and humor.

By JON BREAM/Star Tribune/March 16, 2008

TOM JONES/When: 7:30 p.m. today/Where: Mystic Lake Casino, Prior Lake/Tickets: $49, $59; 651-989-5151

Tom Jones knows how to work it.

During the stripper classic You Can Leave Your Hat On (his version was heard in The Full Monty), at least eight women danced to the lip of the stage Saturday night at Mystic Lake Casino and flung their panties with style at the feet of the ageless sex symbol.

When one woman held up potato sack-sized whities, Sir Tom feigned embarrassment. Without missing a beat, he tore into Sex Bomb,a playful dance-party romp, and then It’s Not Unusual, his 1965 breakthrough hit that brought seven more panties onstage.

For an encore, the 67-year-old icon worked it even harder. Resurrection Shuffle and I Like the Way, his stabs at disco, were more like low-impact aerobics for the women of all ages (from teens to 80-somethings) who crowded in front of the stage. He then sealed it with Kiss, done with the kind of sassy funk that would have made Prince proud.

Despite the closing disco flurry, the 80-minute performance was really a showcase for Jones’ vocal versatility. Besides his hits from the ’60s and ’70s, he covered everything from standards and blues to country and spirituals — with mixed results.
(more…)

March 18: A fan took our suggestion and emailed Tom’s management last night, saying: “Please post Sir Tom’s schedule for the second half of 2008. Many fans have to make travel plans in advance. Thank you.”

The reply came promptly this morning: “Thanks for your email. All confirmed tour dates are on the website. Best wishes”

So, there you go. Just check tomjones.com

---

Today’s Daily Mail carries an excerpt of an autobiography by Anne Nolan, the oldest of four singing sisters who enjoyed success in the UK and in Japan following the 1978 release of an album with their covers of 20 Giant Hits. Their success ebbed and flowed but some of them, with their daughters are still performing. You can find some of their stuff on youtube.

Meanwhile, she briefly writes about encounters they had with Tom and, then, Engelbert.

---

…We also toured South Africa with Rolf Harris (Moderator’s Note: An Australian entertainer) that year. On a visit to our Cape Town hotel’s sauna we bumped into a near-naked Tom Jones. He was tall, tanned and very sexy: a real man.

We sat and talked music like true professionals, but as he stood to leave his towel accidentally fell to the floor. Stupidly, we averted our eyes.

A singer who shared Tom Jones’s reputation as a ladies’ man was Engelbert Humperdinck, whom we supported for two weeks in New York in 1977.

But, unlike Jones, who was natural, down-to-earth and hadn’t lost his Welsh accent, Engelbert had acquired a mid-Atlantic twang and gave the impression he believed his own publicity.

He didn’t flirt with us, probably because he had enough women throwing themselves at him.

This is from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. We’d be interested to see Tom sing Lust for Life, though. You may quibble at some of the description, but you can’t argue with the conclusion.

---

You’ll laugh with him — and at him. Tom Jones, 67, is a precious timepiece, a campy old-school showman who still has the sex appeal and, more important, the pipes. The Welsh wonder will dust off “Delilah” and It’s Not Unusual and deliver his fresh remakes of Prince’s Kiss, Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life and George Jones’ He Stopped Loving Her Today. Always a treat. (7:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Mystic Lake Casino, Prior Lake, $59 & $69.)

Many of us got a notice from Amazon UK about a “new” CD called The Orange Collection to be released Tuesday.

It is described as “2 CD set in a Slimline Jewel Box with a Luxurious Cardboard Sleeve.” (”luxurious Cardboard?”)

We got several emails asking us about this and checked as fully as we are able. You must know that, first of all, not the new CD that’s been in the works for a year or so. And, second of all, there is no track list. Finally, it’s on an off-brand label (Broadsword? Hmmm.*)

Anyway, we’d suggest a “buyer beware” approach as it might very well be recycled stuff, like all those poor-quality albums from the Canadian TV series.

If we’re wrong, we’ll let you know and provide a link to buy it.

*Sorry, we couldn’t resist. Forgive us.

With the real dearth of newspaper reviews — and even when there are lots of them — we all love to read fan reviews. Of course, fans bring something special to a show and we hope, like Monica did so kindly below, those of you who see Tom in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, will share the experience with us.

---

I just wanted to let you know that I saw Tom at the Family Arena in St. Charles, MO last night. Although I’ve seen him many times before, this show was just as great as all the rest. The Family Arena is a basketball or hockey venue (I’m not certain) and really not my favorite place to see someone like Tom Jones. But he delivered, just like he always does, in an incredible fashion.


The crowd on the floor stood during all his hits and the encore. The setlist was the same or similar to December’s show in Vegas, except for the addition of He Stopped Loving Her Today. What a voice! He knocked that one out of the park! Incredible! I can’t tell you my favorite part of the show. I loved every minute of it. Leave Your Hat On, Git Me Some the “old” standards, Resurrection Shuffle. I just can’t say enough about this man’s incredible voice. My hat’s off to you Sir Tom. Well done. Well done.

— monica j.

It was where John F. Kennedy gave the 1960 speech that outlined the creation of the Peace Corps. It was a major west coast concert venue and, in between, saw a vast variety of entertainment and events. (The variety of entertainment is only hinted at by the photo at left.)

“It” is the famed Cow Palace outside San Francisco. It opened in 1941 as an exposition center and, since then, has welcomed an astonishing range of events — the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Liberace, the Billy Graham Crusade (with attendance of 696,525), John F. Kennedy, Evel Knievel and, in 1964, the Beatles. It was at the Cow Palace that the Grateful Dead unveiled their “wall of sound” on March 23, 1974.

The Cow Palace website says, “The Wall was a wonder to behold, rising up like the skyline of a small city with its towering stacks of speakers (641 in all) and amplifiers (putting out more than 26,000 watts) and it was even more of a joy to hear. Alas, the Wall would also prove to be both physically and financially cumbersome, requiring two (and sometimes three) separate crews to set up the stage, and five trucks to carry 72 tons of equipment. It was a huge drain on the band’s resources, and would only be used by the band for thirty-seven shows spread over seven months, passing into history when the Dead took their two-year hiatus from touring in October of 1974.”
(more…)

Someone sent us this review from a blog and we thought it was terrific. It’s the opinion of one man named Eric who possesses a great deal of honesty, a great sense of humor and perspective. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We’ve posted a lot of reviews but this is one of our favorites — heartfelt and honest. If the language is a bit rough for you, well — we’re sorry. The whole thing is just so right.

---

March 10 — Magnetism….. …. you know, as much as I groused and groaned prior to last night’s concert, it actually was a wonderful, wonderful show….. The Mystique that is Tom Jones is a treasure to behold & it is a piece of history- whether you are a fan or not…. and at 67 years old, he jumped, slid, wiggled, winked, sang, and sniffed panties like I can only wish to be able to do once I hit 67…. in short, the man is a Force….

…. he crooned to us all with equal abandon…. elderly, middle-aged, and the few younger folks who were there….. and by the time he came on for his encore, every seat in The Tennessee Theatre was empty as each of us stood, clapped, and screamed like rabid, lust-laden cheerleaders for a well-hung quarterback…. with the exception of myself and a few other husbands, of course…. we merely stood politely — grinning at the sheer magnetism of The Man — and clapped our hands ….. I saw one 60-ish man mouth the words, “you magnificent, cheesy, wild-dancin’ Welsh bastard… thank you!…. I am SO getting laid tonight..” ….

… hey, I’ll be the first to admit that I was completely blown away by watching how the crowd reacted as Mr. Jones performed…. it was like nothing I have ever seen, folks… you had grown women nearly fainting when he sang She’s A Lady…. you had 3,000 people screaming “WHY, WHY, WHY, DELILAH?” because those were the only lyrics they knew…. you had women with a walking stick in one hand & their panties in their other teetering slowly towards the stage and attempting to do dance like Tom….. and yes, yes…. there were lots and lots of panties…. black thongs, little white cotton bikini ones, and even a pair of granny-panties that you could have built a tent out of….. to him though, it really didn’t matter all that much…..

(more…)

We’ve shown several people these photos of Tom (in 1965) and Jeremy Sisto and they’ve agreed there’s a resemblance. One fan said, “It’s kind of odd — how much they look alike. But they could be twins or, at least, brothers.”

Sisto was in, among many other roles, Six Feet Under, as Rachel Griffiths’ brother, in the terrific 2007 film Waitress and is now on Law & Order.

We just posted this for fun. If you have a suggestion of who else might look like Sir Tom (at any stage), please pass it on.

Below is a review worth rereading (or reading for the very first time). Robert Christgau was at the time he wrote this the music critic for Newsday, the Long Island daily. He has also written books and articles for Rolling Stone, Esquire , was the rock critic for The Village Voice and writes for several other pubs. You can hear him on your local NPR station and can find his work at his website. From the time we came across this a few years ago, it’s been one of our favorite reviews because Christgau knows his stuff and it’s an honest evaluation of Tom Jones in 1972.

In this piece he went to the Westbury Music Fair (now the North Fork Theater at Westbury) on Long Island which, as we’ve said before, seems to be one of Tom’s favorite venues and at which he’s performed fairly regularly since 1971. He’ll be back in November.

When this was written Tom played 13 shows — opening on a Friday, playing two shows a night Friday and Saturday, one each evening Sunday through Thursday and then two a night Friday and Saturday. And, since tickets were about $12, many fans went to all 13 shows for a total of $156. [NOTE: The "Inner Circle" about which he writes was the "club" people who patronized Westbury could join for $5 a year. That gave them access to early announcements and early ticket sales for Westbury shows.]

For these reviews, Christgau — who, as you’ll see, knows his music — took his mom to see Tom in April and Engelbert in May. The photo of Tom is from the next month, May 1972, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The photo right is of Enzo Stuarti, a smooth Italian tenor who had success in the US back in the day.

---

Two Nights at the Westbury Music Fair

1. Tom Jones

There were seven women in Section A, Row F, behind us, and the woman with the aisle seat, right next to where his burly helpers would hustle him on and off the round stage, had earned her prize appropriately, with middle-class virtues. The very night she had received her Inner Circle bulletin, in January, she had ordered her tickets for Tom Jones’s opening night at the Westbury Music Fair. I had my seat by press privilege, and my mother, who accompanied me, had done nothing more strenuous than skip her church group to do so. She was acting very cool about it.

My mother is a sane, intelligent, demure woman with little interest in popular music, but as we eavesdropped on the women behind us, reminiscing about Elvis Presley and complaining about the plethora of uniformed guards, she got worried.

“I know this guy is going to get to me. I’m putting up a big front, but I know. I saw Enzo Stuarti and before it was over I was falling all over him, and you know what he is. It’s the ambiance.”

She was right, but she has nothing to worry about — she succumbed to talent. Jones is very good at what he does. He has one of the best voices in popular music — not one of your failed opera baritones, but a rich, husky ballad instrument with heavy black and country influences and that essential romantic Welsh fillip — and he knows how to use it. Not many singers could do such a wide variety of top-forty material — from Wilson Pickett to Al Green, from Frank Sinatra to Three Dog Night — so credibly. Only once, on Till, did he indulge in the overdramatizing most similar performers feel is obligatory.
(more…)