Fan Fare, What's New, Pussycat?
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NY Times DVD Review: “A Hip Shaker in His Prime, Among Hip Friends”
Saturday, April 12th, 2008The New York Times, the United States’ paper of record has, at last, recognized Sir Tom’s achievements as reflected in the This Is Tom Jones DVD sets. The reviewer is spot on…catching what is sadly missing from the Legendary Performers discs. He’s also right about the duets (Tom and Jerry Lee), about Tom’s solo performances and about his ability. All we can say — most happily — is: it’s about Times!
We agree with the reviewer’s comments on the lack of commentary in the Legendary Performers set, with his opinion of the odd solo performance of Liza Minnelli and the choices of Diahann Carroll and Bob (not Bobby!) Darin for inclusion in the set. And he’s correct about the running time. Never mind the fans, Tom Jones deserves more.
Our favorite quote? “If there’s another singer who could credibly share a stage with the likes of Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder — and come through with dignity intact, as Mr. Jones did more often than not in his 1969-71 television variety show — please contact Simon Cowell ASAP.”
Delivery problems and delays led to us never really asking for your opinions on this set. Please let us know now because we know you have opinions. We’ll share ours: it’s as if by the Legendary Performers set someone on the production end just lost interest. Some of the stuff (Sammy, Jerry Lee, Johnny Cash) is terrific. Some, isn’t. And what’s with the comedians? As we said above, Tom Jones deserves more.
A Hip Shaker in His Prime, Among Hip Friends
Duets with Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Jerry Lee Lewis and Tony Bennett: For one pop star it wasn’t unusual.
By GREG EVANS/Published: April 13, 2008/The New York Times
Part Anthony Newley but even more Otis Redding, the Welsh singer Tom Jones was a musical shape-shifter long before American Idol turned versatility into karaoke posturing. With a voice as husky as it was pretty, Mr. Jones at the peak of his popularity in the late 1960s could slide from soulful rasp to pop croon with a credibility today’s would-be Idols could barely imagine.
If there’s another singer who could credibly share a stage with the likes of Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder — and come through with dignity intact, as Mr. Jones did more often than not in his 1969-71 television variety show — please contact Simon Cowell ASAP.
With episodes (actually partial episodes, even better) now available in several DVD sets, This Is Tom Jones unearths some vintage pop nuggets that, if not as history-making as Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show, at least recall a time when popular music was an infinitely more unruly contest than it’s become in the 21st century. Proof? Take a look at Joe Cocker, in his snarling, disturbing, full-on spastic mode, then watch June Carter Cash, looking and sounding so authentically country that she makes a joke of Reese Witherspoon’s perky portrayal in Walk the Line.
Divided into two three-disc volumes, Rock ’n’ Roll Legends and the more mainstream Legendary Performers (a single-disc Christmas-theme volume is hardly worth mentioning), the episodes have their share of dated production numbers and kitschy mod fashions. (Check out the skin-tight sky-blue spacesuit Mr. Jones wears while singing Fly Me to the Moon.) But music, straight up, is the draw here.
In the solo miniconcerts that end each episode, Mr. Jones, whose popularity among the casino crowd holds strong today, occasionally reduces his mostly female, mostly old-enough-to-know-better audiences to near Beatles-at-Shea hysterics. His sexed-up, hip-shaking performances of his hits (It’s Not Unusual, Delilah, What’s New, Pussycat?) remain vital, Watusi moves notwithstanding.
But it’s the duets that steal the shows, whether comfortable (Mr. Jones with the ever-relaxed Mr. Bennett), compatible (an enraptured Mr. Jones with his idol Jerry Lee Lewis) or downright odd (that would be the sublimely weird Mr. Cocker, sharing Delta Lady with the host). Ms. Joplin gives the most joyous televised performance of her short career (she would be dead within a year), shouting and strutting with Mr. Jones on the soul classic Raise Your Hand.
Each guest also performs without the host, with the brash rockers generally outdoing the more traditional popsters of the Legendary Performers set. The Who, even in a black-and-white kinescope (the only available version of the episode, a shame given the fine color prints of the others), are all adolescent vigor and vinegar slamming through Pinball Wizard, while a radiant Aretha Franklin, soaring on I Say a Little Prayer, and Stevie Wonder, on the threshold of his most innovative work, can break your heart with the depth of their young genius. By comparison a hippiefied Bobby Darin, tame Diahann Carroll and pre-Cabaret Liza Minnelli, all on the Legendary Performers set, come up short.
Speaking of short, the running time on these discs is too often inexcusably skimpy, particularly on Legendary Performers. The original hourlong (including commercials) episodes are whittled down to an average of 30 minutes or so. Fine, since few will miss Minnie Pearl’s routine from the Cash episode, and fewer still would clamor for more comedy from the Ace Trucking Company (a baby-faced Fred Willard and Bill Saluga, that guy who did the “You can call me Ray” bit notwithstanding). But some of these discs contain barely an hour’s worth of material, and extras are few and far between.
At least Mr. Jones, tanned and fit nearly 40 years on, provides new introductions to the Rock ’n’ Roll Legends episodes. (Who doesn’t have time for another “Keith Moon nearly fell off the stage” story?) But he’s absent from the Legendary Performances discs. If Johnny, June and Jerry Lee don’t merit some backstage gossip, who does?
NOTE: Someone wrote and asked about the “Beatles-at-Shea” reference in the article above. During their first US tour the Beatles played Shea Stadium (home of the NY Mets) in New York City on August 15, 1965. It was the first stop on their first US tour and it was ginormous. More than 55,000 people attended and promoters took in $304,000, a huge sum in those days. After the show, a reporter asked, “Does it bother you that you can’t hear what you sing during concerts?” John replied, “No, we don’t mind. We’ve got the records at home.” Thus, “Beatles-at-Shea” is a natural comparative reference in a NY newspaper today.
Photo of Stevie Wonder with Tom Jones on an episode of the 1969-71 variety show This Is Tom Jones from the Everett Collection. Quotation under the article’s title (above in this post) is not online, but it is in the print edition of The New York Times.
April 13th, 2008 at 6:00 am
Good article. I totally agree about the Legends disc not being done as well as the others and of course it could have been. I did love the fact that Tom gave the little introductions to the episodes on the first disc set and I was disappointed that they didn’t have him do them on the Legends disc set. Also, the Christmas disc was “hardly worth mentioning”? I loved it and still play it this time of year…so it’s always Christmas at my house!
April 13th, 2008 at 6:19 am
I agree with Lori. The Legends disc was not quite as good the first one, but Tom’s performances were great. I think the discs should offered more in their entirety. I also liked the introductions and stories that Tom gave in the first set, they added something to it. The article was good as I don’t think Tom gets the credit he deserves for his part in shaping the musical history of this country.
April 13th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
This critic is 100% correct. I hope there are more DVD sets to come and if there are I hope they have interviews, more footage of Tom, no comedians and are better than this. But I am still very happy we have anything at all to see.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Hurrah for The New York Times…someone finally got it right about Tom’s indelible mark on the music world. I can’t comment on the quality of the last DVD, but was pleased with both the Christmas disc and the first release. Admittedly, some of the comic routines would not have been missed, and more valuable time given to Tom’s performances. The likes of Tom’s TV performances/shows would be highly recommended for today’s television audience. It is the type entertainment sorely missed by this generation.
Since reading about Martin Scorcese’s recent movie documentary on the Rolling Stones, Shine A Light, I think he would have a great subject in covering some of Tom’s concerts in a movie documentary.
April 14th, 2008 at 3:55 am
This is a good article. I have the first disc and the Christmas one. As for the first disc, I felt that Tom didn’t appear enough. I was very disappointed with the Christmas one and thought some of the songs he sang were terrible (not that he sings them badly) but they weren’t suitable. Having said that, I’m looking forward to the rest whatever he sings.
April 14th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I have just received the second This Is Tom Jones DVD.it was great to see the other stars, so many of them not with us anymore. I would have liked Tom to talk about the shows as he did in the first set. But saying that I ENJOYED my trip with Tom down memory lane. I didn’t agree about the Christmas DV which I loved. It does deserve to be mentioned.
April 14th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
It’s great to read an insightful, intelligent review of Tom’s work. I hope that as more of better produced DVDs of This Is Tom Jones and hopefully other official DVDs are released, there will be more informed reviews and a greater opportunity to appreciate Tom Jones’ historic contribution to the popular music of the last half century. That said, I want to comment on a few of the author’s observations with which I disagree.
I think it’s usually better to have unedited episodes of vintage shows. In this case, If someone doesn’t care for the performances of The Ace Trucking Company, Minnie Pearl or any other aspect of the show as originally broadcast, they can skip it. Why deprive those who would appreciate these performances, why belittle their taste or encourage showing Tom’s historic performances out of context of the flavor of the times “dated production numbers, kitschy mod fashions” etc.? Tom’s timeless performances and classic style are industrial strength. They stand up to whatever silliness might surround them.
I think the single-disc Christmas-theme volume is definitely “worth mentioning.” Is it worth mentioning Tom’s amazing performance of A Child’s Christmas In Wales or the soulful Brother Can You Spare A Dime? Also supposedly not worth mentioning are excellent performances by Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Collins, Rudolf Nureyev and The Treorchy Male Choir.
In my opinion, as dynamic as the duets are, what steals the shows are always Tom’s incomparable, emotional solo performances. Given a choice, I prefer Tom as undiluted as possible.
Lastly, “Mr. Jones, whose popularity among the casino crowd holds strong today”… seems to imply that the tastes of the “casino crowd” are more suspect than the tastes of some other concert “crowds,” because Tom Jones is not as “popular” as he was at the time of his greatest international popularity. I’ve attended a few shows in casino theaters because they were the most convenient venues in my area of the country. I came for the concerts only, but if I had chosen to gamble or to partake in other activities offered there, I don’t think that should imply that my tastes are any more suspect compared with those of any other concert goer.
April 14th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Maria: As Las Vegans we — for better or worse — see Tom most frequently in a casino setting. While the MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theatre is a really nice venue, we also prefer more clublike venues like the HOB and Irving Plaza. Casino crowds, as you know, are often frowned upon by the Eastern elite establishment. (And who represents those people better than The New York Times?) That said, however, what bothers us about reviews like this (and we agreed heartily with a lot of what he wrote) is that it cheats the potential audience member. People reading this review, or who have only seem Tom back in the day, haven’t a clue about how amazing he and his voice are today. It’s their loss.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
It is indeed their loss……..and it’s so frustrating that reviews like this (much of which is excellent, as has already been pointed out) give no credence to the modern day Tom Jones and his enduring and extraordinary talent.
It’s interesting, this attitude towards playing casinos (and especially Las Vegas). Much like the “Eastern elite” in the US there has always been a very condescending attitude from many members of the music press in the UK in relation to artists who play there. Somehow, if you play Las Vegas for any length of time, your musical credibility is considered to have fallen off a cliff. It’s absurd (and completely wrong) but sadly the “Wayne Newton effect” still holds sway. I think Tom has managed to overcome this more than most but has often been accused of retreating to his “mink-lined coffin” when he plays Vegas. It all comes down to ignorance and misplaced perception of course and it’s very hard to change that. Sorry….gone off-topic slightly but the reviewer brought this point to the fore when he talked about the “casino crowd”.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:58 am
This is Tom Jones. I was an early teen when the series debuted and my first memory of the show was being embarrassed to watch in the living room with my parents because of Tom’s dancing during the concert portions. I would instead go off to my bedroom and sacrifice by watching on my small screen black and white set. Before there was any buzz on any of the websites about TITJ coming out on DVD, I was wishing, hoping, waiting and anticipating for the DVD’s to become a reality. Now that they have I finally have the opportunity to watch the concert portions in color on a big screen. WOW worth the wait. So obviously the concert is what I remembered most from back in the day. Since I am getting in on this review a little late, most of what I have to say has already been covered accurately. These DVD’s certainly have been a trip down memory lane, but at times I must admit I wished I had amnesia.
I know it is a sign of those times, but I can’t believe even then we did not question if Sammy Davis was wearing his pajamas, or why Tom did not just flat out refuse to wear the blue space suit. All that being said, to give my opinion of the quality of the sets, yes Tom’s commentary was greatly missed on Vol.2. When Tom shared the stage with greats like Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jerry Lee and Johnny Cash you could tell how special and significant those performances were.
Why, then, in comparison was the decision made to include such obviously dismal attempts like Bobby Darin and Tom singing Aquarius? It was almost as painful to watch as most of the so-called comedy routines. I personally liked the pre-Cabaret Liza, but questioned why the show did not include a duet with Tom. I would have like to see it if it exists.
My bottom line here is that if the intent of these DVD’s was to show the best of This is Tom Jones series, some of it fell short. If I had a say in what was included, I would have only agreed to the clips that did indeed show Tom and his guests in the best possible light. If more DVD’s are being considered, I would personally like to see a set of the concert series only. I know there are many worthwhile concert performances available (I’ve seen them on youtube) and, from reading all of the fan reviews, they seem to be the most popular. Also, I liked the Christmas DVD for the most part, and would have bought it if it only included Tom singing with the Treorchy Male Choir. Beyond excellent. Perfection in my opinion.
April 16th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Audrey: Thanks for your well-considered review. We thought the first DVD set was good, especially Tom’s interview portions. The Christmas DVD was beautiful, serving as a lovely holiday tradition. The new one? Well, we think it is sadly lacking in so many ways and was a kind of slap-dash job at best. If more sets are going to be produced, they should be done with some care; care that was clearly not a part of the Great Performers production.