Tom Jones International

We’ve gotten two fan reviews from Vancouver so far (and it’s not even midnight here!). We’re looking for more and for the newspaper reviews. Here’s what we have so far:

From Sherry:

He was amazing. TJ dressed all in black with a red blazer. His voice was better than ever, didn’t miss a note. He’s still got the moves and the ladies were throwing their underpanties in droves.

He returned to do three more songs after singing for over 1 hour and the last three songs of the evening were fast paced rock and rolls songs. You would think he would be exhausted, his black shirt was soaking wet. During the song Sex Bomb, he lifted his shirt to reveal a six-pack, his body looked better than he has in years. He looks like he has been spending time in the gym.

The show was 1 1/2 hours of non-stop singing, some old, some new and some he hadn’t done in years. He sang songs from his TV show and his voice was stronger than ever.

Can’t wait until next time. His performance was Top of the Pops.

And a short one from “G Man,” with, hopefully, another after tomorrow’s show:

Saw him in Vancouver tonight… AMAZING. I’m seeing the show again tomorrow.. 3rd row… cannot wait for more TJ!

Thanks, guys! We love reading about the shows from a fan’s perspective.

Oddly, two versions of this story were published in the same source. The other one says, rightly, “Sir Tom was invited to the unveiling but was unable to attend,” rather than the snide ending here. (We know Tom was performing in Seattle yesterday.) The photo here is of Jo Mills, Gordon’s widow at the unveiling. It’s by Richard Williams, Media Wales. The photo on the left of Tom, Mark and Gordon is from a tourbook tribute in 1987 and, on the right is part of the Life magazine cover from the issue in which the magazine charted Gordon’s success with Tom and Enge. Following the story we’ve added a transcript of a BBC interview in which Tom spoke of Gordon.

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Honour at last for the man who made Tom Jones a star

May 31 2008/by James McCarthy/South Wales Echo

THE man credited with discovering superstar Tom Jones as well as providing him with one of his biggest hits has been remembered with a plaque at his former Valleys home.

The family of Gordon Mills, the man who wrote the global hit It’s Not Unusual, was in Wales yesterday to witness the unveiling of the commemorative plate at 97 Brithweunydd Road, Trealaw, in the Rhondda.

Mills was the Las Vegas regular’s manager and co-songwriter – and family members even said the man who has become known as “The Voice” may not have become the colossus he is today had it not been for their relative. He died in July 1986, aged 51, just three weeks after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

As well as unearthing the talents of Tom Jones he was the man behind Engelbert Humperdinck and piano balladeer Gilbert O’Sullivan.

Mr Mills’ 34-year-old son, also called Gordon, is a songwriter and producer from Weybridge, Surrey. He co-wrote Newton Faulkner’s hit Dream Catch Me.

Speaking outside his dad’s old house he said: “I think they would be doing pretty much what they were doing before he discovered them. If it was just one [singer he discovered] it could have been a fluke, but not for someone to have done it three times with Tom, Engelbert and Gilbert.”

Mr Mills’ widow Jo, 68, a mum of five and grandmother of 13, who also lives in Weybridge, was at the ceremony too.

The Rhodesian-born former Miss South Africa runner-up, who helped Mr Mills with his songwriting, said: “Who knows where they would be? They were each talented but the route was far quicker having met him. I think Tom would have made something of himself sooner or later, but I doubt it would have been by the direct route he had.”

About 30 people gathered for the unveiling of the grey granite stone, which simply read: “Gordon Mills, 1935-1986 lived here. Songwriter and manager of Tom Jones.”

Since there was no actual veil, Mr Mills’ son stood in front of it until Trealaw deputy mayor Rob Smith finished giving a speech.

Mr Smith said: “He was known as Mills the Man of Music and that was quite fitting.”
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In this review of Thursday night’s show in Portland, this reviewer paid attention — to the music, the singer, the band and back-up singers. Sure, she paid attention to the audience, as the audience is always a part of a Tom Jones show. But she took in the whole experience, understanding Tom’s love of performing and, rightly, she said, “…he’s much more than a one-dimensional caricature,” and concluded, “The singer may have performed these songs thousands of times, but last night they felt new. The banter may have been scripted, but it sounded genuine. That might be business as usual for Tom Jones, but it is actually unusual.”

We’re also linking to The Oregonian’s blog site where one of their bloggers saw the Portland show. It was posted What they guy says — and contrary to what has been posted elsewhere, lots of guys write good reviews — is obvious. (We really like Joe Queenan’s writing, but the mention makes this review too esoteric.) In the end, really, in our estimation only two things in it are worth posting:

First: “Tom Jones is an entertainer. He entertained. Score one for Tom Jones.

Second: “Postscript No. 1: If you’re at a concert, and you’re yelling at people to sit down, you’re wrong. This is true always, with a few exceptions: the symphony, the opera, any event where minors are standing on risers and singing really bad songs for parents with camcorders.”

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Versatile Tom Jones plays to adoring crowd at the Schnitzer
Selling songs with lots of sizzle

BY BARBARA MITCHELL/The Portland Tribune/May 30, 2008

There’s no doubt that Tom Jones knows how to deliver a song, but the 67-year-old is also a master of delivering a good line. Reminiscing about his late 60s/early 70s variety show at his performance at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, he remarked that it was a chance for him to work with some of his favorite artists.

“It was also a chance for me to show off my versatility,” he purred. “And I loooooove showing off my versatility.”

Jones might be best known for his sex bomb image (Thursday night’s show still inspired shrieks and knicker-throwing) but he’s much more than a one-dimensional caricature. With a voice that reached to the rafters, the lively Welshman was as much a gospel singer as a slick Vegas showman — a lusty preacher whose church encompasses the sacred as well as the profane.

Dressed all in black except for a bright red blazer, the shockingly young looking Jones romped through an hour and a half’s worth of material with the energy of someone a fraction of his age. The ever-present twinkle in his eye made it seem like it was the first time he was encountering such obvious adoration and not just another stop on a tour.
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Tom’s is not an “oldies” show. He sings his hits but does other stuff, too. This reviewer focused on the over-60 crowd and missed the point — that she had the privilege of watching a master entertainer with an amazing voice fully entertain 2,200 people. If you think it’s worth it, you may want to follow the link just below to the review and, on that page, scroll down and write her. But it’s probably not worth it. And, by the way, we don’t think everyone has to like Tom, or enjoy his show, but to treat his audience as if they’re a bunch of old ladies trying to recapture the past, is outright insulting. It’s just not funny.

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Crooner turns on wayback machine
Saturday, May 31, 2008/KRISTI TURNQUIST/ Oregonian

Sometimes a concert isn’t just a show. It’s a time machine, transporting you back to when life was less complicated, adulthood and its concerns were a distant spot on the horizon, and you could feel so happy it seemed like the sensation would never end.

For about 90 minutes Thursday night, Tom Jones took the crowd at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall expertly by the hand. He flirted. He teased. And he reminded them how it felt the first time they saw the Welsh sex bomb swivel his hips and lustily belt out It’s Not Unusual.

There were a few men in the audience, but it was mainly a sea of women — some young, most older, with their own reasons for turning out to see the veteran showman, who turns 68 on June 7.

Gayla Johnson, 61, has been a fan since the late ’60s. “This is my fifth concert of his,” the Vancouver resident said. “But I haven’t been to one of his shows for 30 years.”

As Johnson was talking, another woman leaned forward to say that her late mother liked Jones so much she carried a picture of the singer in her wallet: “She was a quiet, devout woman, mother of eight — but she loved Tom Jones.”
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SusannePDX was at the show last night in Portland. Her words and photos need no further comment. But we must say we love that marquee.

Tom Jones came to Portland tonight and left us filled with adrenaline. Its has been 2 years since his last show here. Portlanders of all ages were ready. (No merchandise was offered for sale. I’m sure it would have sold. I hope when his CD is out they will at least offer that.)

For fans familiar with the MGM Hollywood Theater, I’ll point out a few differences. The lighting was not as sophisticated. Although a majority of women, there were many many males and couples in the room. The “Schintz” holds 2,200+ seats and it was sold out. At 7:35pm the lights dimmed but there was not the usual video intro just the audio. Tony came out to introduce Sir Tom and the whole place rose to their feet, clapping and screaming. Tom bounced unto the stage to a standing ovation. The crowd went wild and TJ drank in the energy . He was on fire in his red coat. The voice was as fine as ever. His step was very lively–he danced up a storm.

The set was the same but it didn’t matter. Other than the usual comment about “happy to say I’m 200 lbs” there was no banter with the audience but his gestures were more pronounced.. The crowd especially like He Stopped Loving Her Today, 200 lbs, Git Me Some, and the standards went over very well — but when he got to She’s A Lady the whole audience was on their feet again dancing in their seats. Security was heavy, shewing people out of the aisles. People caught taking pictures were pounced upon. By the time the encore rolled around they couldn’t control the audience anymore. Tom stayed longer on stage taking his bows. No one wanted it to end.

It is no wonder this man loves to tour. We loved him and he loved us back.

This preview of Tom’s Seattle show tonight from the Seattle Times goes for humor but, instead, just rehashes a bunch of tired old stuff and is nasty; rude. If this is a music critic then the field is dying. The guy does no interviews for this article (did he try?). He refers to Tom as the “little Welsh Napoleon of Love,” whatever that means. And he goes on to discuss Tom making tasteless jokes. Finally, he calls Tom an “old goat.”

The only factor on the plus side is that Tom is “hip.” But the writer’s still way back in 2004 when Mr. Jones came out. Tom’s done lots of stuff since he worked with Wyclef Jean. Yet, this is the author’s yardstick of “hip.”

So, we apologize for linking to this article. If we had any integrity, we’d skip it. It shouldn’t be posted. But it’s been posted on Tom’s official site with no comment, so we decided it should be acknowledged/commented upon.

You can follow the link just below and, when you finish reading, click on the writer’s email and tell him what you think. Hopefully, he’ll review Tom’s show tonight and get a fresh look at an amazing talent.

Check it out yourself.

OK: the newspapers in Portland were full of previews of Tom’s show there tonight. On the left is a very easy quiz with a nice photo of Tom waving to the crowd after he sang the Welsh anthem last month. On the right is a photo of a Tom Jones bust that we will tell you about when we have time. You can look at more photos and hear a song in this article in the Portland Mercury. The quiz is from The Oregonian.

We hope those of you who saw the show will send in reviews.

Curley Putman wrote Sir Tom’s massive hit Green Green Grass of Home and other songs too numerous to list — including He Stopped Loving Her Today, which is now part of Tom’s set list.

After Curley’s grandson, Sean, passed away at age eight following a six-year battle with cancer, the family started the Sean Putman Scholarship Fund to endow scholarships at a Tennessee university

Through our website we came to meet Troy Putman, Curley’s son and Sean’s father. In gratitude for all the joy brought to Tom’s fans — and so many others — through Curley’s music, we gathered these items — kindly autographed by Tom just for this auction — are listed them on eBay. Included are an autographed This Is Tom Jones: Legendary Performers set, a Decca UK 45 of Green Green Grass of Home from 1966 and autographed Green Green Grass of Home sheet music.

It is a seven-day listing, ending June 5, 11:29 a.m., PDT. Bidding begins at $50.

Shipping is free and every cent raised will go to the charity. Click for a full description of the items and to bid on TOM JONES SIGNED DVD SET, 45, SHEET MUSIC.

Thank you!

Paula, whom you probably know from her posts on this site, came to visit Las Vegas and we doubt she’ll ever be the same. She’d been here before, but not with Tom and not since the city has become what it is. Her story is below and we are honored and thrilled she chose to share it with us. We hope she comes back soon.

I am told that everything in Las Vegas is now deemed an “experience” and having just returned from my eight-day trip I can understand why: I won’t be forgetting mine in a hurry….

The focus of my trip was, of course, seeing Sir Tom and I was privileged to attend the last four shows of his run: May 18th – 21st. And I do mean privileged. The eight-hour time difference, 10 hour flight and inadequate sleep the previous night before my early flight (perhaps I was just a tad excited…) were all starting to take their toll on me by Sunday evening but as soon as Tony came on to do his intro and Tom walked on the stage my exhaustion simply evaporated and the adrenaline kicked in. Tom looked fabulous: tanned, fit and sizzling hot in the red jacket. This is why I had come: to see Tom in the famed Hollywood Theatre at the MGM………and it was simply fantastic to be there.

All four shows were terrific, with hugely enthusiastic audiences and Tom firing on all cylinders. I would find it difficult to pick out a favourite (let’s not forget: I am often accused of being the blind obsessive) since Tom’s voice was simply glorious each night…just ringing out. It’s a thing of wonder, that voice. I had a great seat at all the shows but on Tuesday night I was front and centre at Table 5A (be still my beating heart) and could not have been more thrilled. To someone who has been devoted since childhood the significance of this proximity cannot be exaggerated. Bliss. Tom alternated the red and white jackets (I thought he looked equally gorgeous in both) and his energy levels, considering he was at the end of a 16-day continuous run, were astonishing. The Band was terrific, as always. They are such accomplished musicians and singers who have a terrific rapport with Tom
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We’re posting this article because we’ve found that Tom’s American fans are really interested in Wales and this has some interesting facts about Wales and about some (surprisingly) Welsh-Americans. And, yes, Sir Tom is mentioned briefly on the next page.

The Welsh in America and the world

Wednesday, May 28, 2008/By Marylynne Pitz/Pittsburgh Post Gazette

It’s said that the Welsh excel in occupations that involve talking — acting, preaching, teaching, politics, singing, reciting poetry and storytelling.

There was no end of talking before 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence; of those, at least six were Welsh or had Welsh ancestry, including Thomas Jefferson.

At least two U.S. presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, claimed Welsh ancestry.

Among this year’s presidential contenders, Democratic New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton can claim Welsh ancestry because her father hailed from a long line of Welsh Methodists.

Moviegoers who have seen Goldfinger recognize the distinctive voice of Dame Shirley Bassey, who sang the title song for two other James Bond movies, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker. Queen Elizabeth II honored her with the title of dame in 1999.
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