Tom Jones International

Please be sure to recheck the bottom of this post, as we are adding comments from — and links to — newspaper articles about the relevant parts of the fight that we believe fans will enjoy. And do check comment #25, in which we find the BBC talking about Tom’s anthem.

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Before what announcer Jim Lampley called a “relatively healthy crowd” (meaning a large but by no means sold-out arena) Welsh fighter Joe Calzaghe defeated American Bernard Hopkins in a split decision to claim the title of Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

The fight, held off the Las Vegas Strip in the Thomas and Mack Center’s new Planet Hollywood Arena at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, may not have been a sellout but the crowd — which included Catherine Zeta-Jones, Whitney Houston, Pete Sampras, Sylvester Stallone and lots of other stars — was enthusiastic and, during Ray J’s somewhat bizarre rendition of Star-Spangled Banner not a “boo” could be heard. Calzaghe entered the ring favored at odds up to 4:1 to win.

To sing “the first of two national anthems,” ring announcer Michael Buffer introduced “a Welshman and a true legend the world over, Sir Tom Jones.” Sporting a daffodil on his lapel over his heart, Tom sang Land of Our Fathers (Hen Wlad fy Nhadau) in Welsh. Click to see Tom singing the Welsh anthem.

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Before the match there was a pre-fight party at Planet Hollywood. Click to read some more about the fight, some commentary on the singing of the anthems and to see the photos from the event and (more…)

Tom recorded Daughter of Darkness at sessions on February 25 and 25 1970* (the year the photo at left was taken). There are a few famous anecdotes about that recording session. One story goes that Tom wasn’t sober when he sang the song. But that story is told with different songs in different years, so who knows if it’s true?

One true fact about that session is that a guy named Reg Dwight was a back-up singer on the record. He stood up to the musicians who wanted to leave because it was after 10 p.m., the normal end of their workday for a recording session. He pointed out to the musician in charge that it wasn’t Tom who had gotten to the studio late, but the musician. The session went on until the recording was complete. At least, that’s the story we’ve heard and, because of that, we’ve always thought Reg Dwight — who changed his name to Elton John — must be an OK guy.

Anyway, Tom recorded Just For You (For US Fans), a brief interview directed at US fan club members. The actual record of the interview is not dated, but we think it was released to radio stations in 1971, as at the end, is a sound bite from Till, which didn’t chart in the US until December, 1971, when it spent seven weeks on the Billboard and peaked at #41. In 1970, Daughter of Darkness eventually hit #5 in the UK and #13 (on June 27) in the USA.

The extremely rare 45 recording of that promo interview occasionally turns up on eBay. But you don’t have to wait until you see it for sale. You can listen to Just for You (For US Fans) right here.

*Tom recorded several songs at that two-day session, including I (Who Have Nothing), Polk Salad Annie, Venus, The Impossible Dream, I Can’t Turn You Loose, Sugar, Sugar, If I Ruled the World, You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, Try A Little Tenderness and several songs that were never released. The latter group included I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face (we’d love to hear that one) and I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good).

We all know that Tom’s management team gets a large volume of email and regular mail from fans and it’s nice to know that they pay attention. Here’s an example:

On February 18, Tom did a show at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. The evening was well-reviewed and our posting of that review elicited 20 comments, including one from a fan named Sandy.

She had seem Tom before and, this time, was disturbed by the sound quality and by the lights and, as we suggested, she contacted both the venue and Tom’s management. She emailed us the other day and noted that, even though several messages to the venue went unanswered, she did receive an email from the other Sandy. That is, Sandy Battaglia, Tom’s road manager.

As we suspected it would, his response showed how much the quality of the show matters to the production crew and, as fans, we are always appreciative. Sandy wrote:

“I am sorry that the experience was not an enjoyable one. As you know from your attendance at other shows this is not the norm. I can assure you the lighting designers and the sound engineers are the best in the business and we have all been with Sir Tom for a number of years. These are the same operators that run the show at all of Sir Tom’s shows including MGM Grand.”

“Sometime we play in venues that are less than suitable for amplified music and have acoustic factors that need to be overcome. This is not an excuse but a challenge. I am sorry that from where you were sitting we did not meet that challenge. We strive to provide a comfortable and entertaining background enhancing Sir Tom’s performance.”

This is an update on the first post about the fight. We posted it as part of our mission to bring you the latest news about Sir Tom. We also hope, if you haven’t already, you’ll take some time to read the New York Times review below and tell us what you think of the DVDs. And there are some interesting comments after the DVD review post you may want to check out.

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ICWales is reporting that Tom will sing Land of Our Fathers, the Welsh anthem (see April 11 post below) at Saturday’s Calzaghe-Hopkins fight.

We found the two interesting things in the article are (1) that Joe Calzaghe says Tom suggested to him “I ought to come out here to make my name in America” and (2) that there is apparently a feeling on the part of some fans in the UK that the fans’ behavior — not Floyd Mayweather, Jr. — caused Ricky Hatton’s loss.

It is nice to see someone again tell us that Sir Tom apparently believes that making one’s name “in America” means actually making it. At this point we’re pretty sure Sir Tom could live anywhere he chooses as that “tax reason” for moving to the USA disappeared long ago. We believe that Tom, in his way, has a true belief in the American Dream. It’s odd to read that some British fight fans are apparently blaming Hatton’s loss on the ref’s anger at the UK fans who booed our anthem. Wonder what Mayweather would say abut that.

Don’t get angry, but we’d still love to hear Delilah and Piano Man.

The 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.

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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.
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Note: After you read this post, check out comment #2 below. Seems the people who wrote the Welsh national anthem were from……..guess where?……..Pontypridd.

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OK, this is kind of a tongue-in-cheek notion but on April 19 Welsh fighter Joe Calzaghe (pictured with Tom in 2006) is set to fight American Bernard Hopkins for the World Light Heavyweight Championship here in Las Vegas at the Thomas and Mack Center’s Planet Hollywood Ring.

Word comes on good authority is that Tom will be among a host of celebrities from both sides of the Atlantic to attend and, we’ve heard, he’ll sing “the” national anthem.

However, we’ve also read that following the disaster that took place when the US anthem was sung at the Hatton-Mayweather bout last year, it was agreed to drop the anthem singing for this match.

So, we’re wondering if instead of God Save the Queen or the official Welsh anthem, Tom will be singing that other Welsh anthem…you know, Delilah. If that is true, is it possible that The Star-Spangled Banner will be dropped in favor of Billy Joel singing the other American anthem, Piano Man? After all, who could boo either of those songs?
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Tom closes tonight at the MGM after two weeks. So many of you were here from so many places literally around the world and it was exciting.

We must say that attendance in Las Vegas at every show is way down. In New York, weekly Broadway attendance figures are published. Here they are not, but the talk and the evidence says ticket sales are hurting.

Spring vacation season in the US is over and the US dollar is worth less than other major currencies. With ticket prices topping $90 (not just for Tom, but for many shows here) it’s becoming more and more difficult for people to afford tickets. It was probably not a good time to raise Tom’s ticket prices from $75 to $92.40.

So, it seems, while the audience from other countries is up, what’s missing from local theaters and showrooms is the US audience. The absence of this audience is wreaking havoc with box office receipts. If you read the local papers in Las Vegas, you’ll see that even the biggest shows are giving locals 50 percent off ticket prices and are still not sold out.

That said, we still have to ask: How was Tom? How were his shows?

We’re thrilled to tell you that Tom looks and sounds great. Audiences loved him and he, as always, loved his audience. Some nights there was lots of interaction. Other nights, none. But it was always fun.

Have to say, too, that Tom not only looks good standing still (and sitting down), but he is really moving beautifully. Our only argument is still with the “better dance now” moves in Kiss. They’re from the 1988 video and could use some updating.

A special bonus for us was meeting fans from around the world. Some were new acquaintances and others friends we were so happy to see. At left is BeBe with Tom. Her story is in the comments below.

We believe that Las Vegas, more than any other place, is where Tom’s fans can come to meet each other. He’s usually here for two weeks and, within that time frame, people have latitude to plan their vacations. We cannot wait to see who will turn up in May (less than one month from now!).

All in all, we thought it a very satisfying sojourn in Las Vegas for Sir Tom and his audience.

What did you think?


Photo (top left) of Tom acknowledging the band taken April 2008, MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Photo (top right) taken April 2008 by Martha at the MGM Grand.

There is one more day to respond to the request we posted from Tom’s management for information about CDs and DVDs made from the Canadian TV series, Coast To Coast. Aside from information about the label and content, they are specifically looking for feedback on the quality of the products.

You can look at the April 3 post below for full details.

Please send your comments about these products by Wednesday, April 9, to Tom’s management’s office.

If you have posted a response to the question here, and didn’t email it the management office, please do so.

Thanks so much!

If you are a regular visitor to this site, it’s a good guess that Tom Jones is your favorite male singer; maybe your favorite of either gender. But this month we’d like to know:

Who is your favorite female singer?

Tom’s management in the UK asked us to post the message below to fans. Please read it and, if you have any of the DVDs or CDs in question, please be sure to respond by next Wednesday, April 9, as they request. Just click the link that says “our office” and your email program will open with the correct address in place ready for you to write. If it doesn’t open, send an email to office@tomjones.com.

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We are asking for the fans’ help in tracking down people who have mistakenly bought the Canadian series DVDs and CDs thinking they were official merchandise and have been disappointed with the results.

If you have been affected we would really appreciate it if you could write us an email outlining what product you bought, the approximate date and your opinions on it.

No fans will get in any trouble for purchasing this unofficial material — we simply want to look at the affect this material has had on fans and to have your thoughts in writing.

The Canadian series has often been repackaged and marketed under different guises and on different labels across the world, including — but not limited to — titles such as Greatest Hits, Live at Las Vegas, etc. Typically the quality is very poor, and is mainly comprised of duets with other artists.

Another way of knowing if a title is from the Canadian TV series is whether it includes It’s Not Unusual. None of the Canadian releases have ever included this song so, if it is on the CD then it is an official item.

Please send your comments to our office by Wednesday 9th April and we will acknowledge receipt. If you know of other fans who might have this material please forward this information to them also.

Thanks from Tom’s management to all the fans for their help with this!

Rosie
TomJones.com