Tom Jones International

The Pepsi Kona ad (in the March 8 post below) was shot on a soundstage in West LA in 1996 or 97. It was directed by Joe Pytka who started in documentary films and went on to direct more than 5,000 commercials, including “this is your brain on drugs…” (Remember that?) He also directed spots for products including Nike and McDonald’s. To encourage the economic redevelopment of New York City after 9/11, he directed four of the so-called “New York Miracle” ads, including spots with Woody Allen skating, Henry Kissinger sliding into home plate, and Yogi Berra* conducting the Philharmonic. Pytka also directed music videos by many artists including Michael Jackson. Along the way he directed two feature-length films. Let it Ride (1989), with Richard Dreyfuss and Space Jam (1996), with Michael Jordan and others from the NBA. To get the horn sound Pytka wanted in the spot, the TJ band was augmented with a few more musicians.

Shortly after that ad was done, Tom worked on, and released Reload. To promote it he made lots of TV appearance in the UK (CD wasn’t released in the US. (Perhaps it was believed we wouldn’t get it?) At any rate, among the promo appearances was the usual one on the Jools Holland BBC show, Later.

TJ has almost 10 minutes of video from that appearance where, accompanied by the tremendous Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Tom sang solo and with Cerys Matthews, performed Baby, It’s Cold Outside. (The cover of their single is at left, in case you didn’t guess. That is not them in the picture.)

You can watch it in the TJI.com Video Library.

*Yogi Berra, a beloved figure in New York, is a former catcher for the NY Yankees and, after he stopped playing ball, was a broadcast commentator and a manager. He is famous also for his unique turns of phrase. There are many, many examples, including: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” It’s like déjà vu all over again,” When you get to a fork in the road, take it,” “Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.”

These days Herman Matthews is busy playing around LA and, in fact, in many other places. He’s been traveling with Timothy B. Schmit, best known as a member of The Eagles. They’ve played across the US and, in a couple of weeks, head to the UK.

They’ll be at:
• Manchester Academy 2 on Friday, March 26
• Birmingham Glee Club, Sunday, March 28
• Cadogan Hall, London, Tuesday, March 30

For tickets, go to LiveNation’s website (and we’re familiar with that, aren’t we?)

It promises to be a terrific show and, if you can, go….and be sure to say hi to Herman. (Don’t forget to check out his website and, if you wish, try some of his peanut brittle.)

Tom did another Day On the Green show in Launceston, Australia Saturday. There was an almost-sold-out crowd of about 6,000 and, clearly, a good time was had by all. The review below, even if you’d never seen Tom do a show, is really a testament to the fun the audience and Tom have when he performs. And, if you’re a believer, you’ll say, “Of course the skies cleared when it was time for him to perform!”

He’s still got it

GABRIELLE HALL/10 Mar, 2010 10:06 AM/Northern Argus, AU

He might be nearly 70, but Sir Tom Jones proved he has still got ‘it’, wowing a large crowd at a day on the green at Annie’s Lane, Watervale, on Saturday night.

Just under 6000 people flocked to the event and not even cold, wet conditions could dampen the spirits of fans, many of whom donned ponchos, rain jackets and even plastic bags to keep dry.

Amongst intermittent rain showers, Melbourne’s Wolfgramm Sisters kicked off the entertainment, followed by David Campbell who was well-received by the audience and got them in just the right mood for the main event.

Tom Jones arrived by car and was greeted in Watervale and surrounding towns by numerous pairs of knickers strung along various locations — possibly larger in size than those that may have greeted him in his earlier years.

The ‘a day on the green’ signpost outside the Watervale Hotel featured three large white pairs of knickers with “Welcome Tom” lettered on them as a welcome.

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An article about Atlantic City in the Baltimore Sun quoted Jeff Vassar, president of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Bureau, who said: “Ten years ago, you saw the same acts rotating through Atlantic City all the time,” he says. “As much as I like Tom Jones and Don Rickles, they appeal to a much older audience. Now, Atlantic City is taking a much younger approach. We’ve got Carrie Underwood, Nickelback – you wouldn’t see acts like that 10 years ago.”

OK, Mr. Vassar, let’s get honest here. Among the mix of entertainers in AC this year are: Engelbert, Frankie Valli, Dion, Michael Bolton, Neil Sedaka and, the only one who’s sold out thus far is Jeff Beck. Clearly, Mr. Vassar is being less than honest….perhaps the reason is that the casinos aren’t offering as many multi-night engagements and are offering a lot less money. (And, by the way, since when does Michael Bolton appeal to a young crowd?

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On April 15, Mullocks Auctions in Shropshire (UK) will include some TJ memorabilia in it’s auction. Here’s the story and it’s amusing….imagine not wanting to take any old job! …imagine not being absolutely honest with a government official! Note, too, that the spellings (scepticism eg.) are left here as in the original. The story was in several UK papers and I posted the best version. But, honestly, hasn’t enough time elapsed to let it go and just regard it as a quaint curiosity. Hasn’t Tom Woodward proven he’s a hard worker? Jeez! Wouldn’t it be great if Tom could acquire these books (well, of course, he could acquire them) and frame the relevant pages?

Tom Jones jobcentre records reveal staff scepticism
Documents up for auction show 60s civil servants were not too impressed with young singer chasing big break

Steven Morris/Monday 8 March 2010 13.07 GMT/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/mar/08/tom-jones-employment-jobcentre-records”>Guardian

He went on to sell many millions of records across the world, but employment office records suggest the civil servants who dealt with Tom Jones before he made it big were sceptical and perhaps a little jealous.

Found in a skip and now up for auction, the records include pointed remarks that mock him for signing on rather than signing autographs.

The notes also reveal that he preferred not to do shift work because it interfered with his burgeoning pop career and, it would appear, donned dapper outfits when he attended the employment office in his native south Wales.

One comment from the employment office in December 1963 states: “He does not want shiftwork but I believe the reason for his not liking shifts is because he is a member of a vocal group which is supposedly an amateur affair.

“From the number of adverts one sees in the local press, however, it seems that this group has a good thing going … from the way he is able to dress, it would seem that Mr Woodward’s [his original name] little hobby is highly lucrative and this would also account for his non-enthusiasm in securing employment.

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If you missed it yesterday, please scroll down to see the video of Tom and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Several years ago Pepsi briefly marketed a product called Pepsi Kona. As the name tells us, it was a combination of Pepsi and Kona coffee.

The product, produced in a Pepsi plant in the Philadelphia area, was test-marketed in a few places on the east coast. Couldn’t find an exact date but, if this really was a commercial, it looks like the late 1990s or early part of this century.

Pepsi Kona was pulled as, apparently, the consensus was that it tasted terrible. But the commercial is clever and fun.

If anyone knows about this, please email me using the contact link at right so I can post the info where all can see it.

You can watch the commercial here.

As usual, if you cannot play it, drop me a line using that same “Contact TJI” link at the bottom right that I referenced above and I’ll email it to you.

Sorry! I apologize if you tried to see the video earlier and it wasn’t there. It is now! Late night last night and I had done it early in the day and forgot to publish it until this morning.

There can be no argument: Sammy Davis, Jr. was one of the greatest entertainers we were ever fortunate enough to see. Dancing, singing, acting — he did it all. I saw him in person a few times, the first when I was nine years old. I will never forget it.

Las Vegas also, indirectly owes Davis a debt. When the Rat Pack — Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford — played here originally, Davis had to stay on the “West Side,” that part of Las Vegas where black entertainers — who had to go in and out of the casinos through a kitchen door — stayed. They couldn’t stay where they were playing. (At the time, very segregated Las Vegas was known as “The Mississippi of the West.”)

Well, one day around 1960, Frank Sinatra had had enough of that. He told the management at the Sands Hotel, “If Sammy can’t stay, I can’t play.” Thus, for the first time — and always from that day on — a black performer could stay in a hotel on The Strip. Davis — with and without the Rat Pack — continued to play here for another 30 years or so.

That’s why, when Dre sent links to some 1966 video of Tom on the Sammy Davis, Jr. Show, (March 18th) I got caught up in nostalgia and looked for more of them together, found it and put them together in a video.

The first two clips, in black and white, are from 1966, Davis’ TV show. The first song they do is the beautiful Scarlet Ribbons. Check out how Davis sort of imitates Tom while they’re singing. Then they do a unique version of What’s New Pussycat.

The last three clips are from two episodes of the second season of This Is Tom Jones in 1970 (season #2; episode #s 2 and 26). They sing Thanks For the Memories, A Little Help From My Friends, A Boy Named Sue, Oh, Sweet Blindness, My Way, and And When I Die, Next up, from that same show, is the very moving Mr. Bojangles, which is included on one of the TITJ TImeLife DVDs. And, finally, Sammy — dressed in a 1970s-defining jumpsuit, sings one of his maay hits, For Once In My Life.

The clips from Sammy’s show are very old, transferred from a movie camera to video, but I still hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

You can watch it in the TJI.com Video Library.

*Moderator’s Note: If you have a minute, please use it to go to the Bel Air Magazine website and fill out the Oscar survey on the right side of the homepage. If you surf around the site, it’ll become clear why I am asking. Thanks!

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This preview of Tom’s appearance in the Philippines reads as if it’s taken straight from his press kit. Nonetheless, there are errors. For example, the song she calls The New Mexican Puppeteer is really The Young New Mexican Puppeteer and it never got higher than #80 on the Billboard Top 100 Pop Chart. It was not on any country chart. And notice that, here, it’s no longer the 24 Hours tour. It’s Tom Jones Live In Manila! (Love the exclamation point!).

If you’ve never seen the rugby that National Rugby League of Australia advert with Tom singing to the tune of the Salt ‘N’ Pepa song, What A Man,, here it is. It’s called What A Game

As usual, if you cannot play it, drop me a line using the “Contact TJI” link at the bottom right and I’ll email it to you.

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Tom Jones to serenade fans at the Big Dome

By CRISPINA MARTINEZ-BELEN/ March 1, 2010, 3:16pmManila Bulletin

Tom Jones, the international pop sensation who captivated millions with the beauty and charm of his timeless love songs and romantic ditties, will be reunited with his countless Filipino fans when he visits Manila for a concert on March 28 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Titled Tom Jones Live In Manila! the one-night musical event from Ovation Productions is part of the Welsh star’s Asia-Australia tour that also includes New Zealand.

It will showcase a breathtaking array of classic and contemporary hits from one of the most acclaimed and enduring personalities in pop music, such as It’s Not Unusual, Delilah, Green Green Grass Of Home, Help Yourself, Love Me Tonight, I Who Have Nothing, She’s A Lady, Kiss, Sex Bomb, Black Betty and Stoned In Love.

The concert promises an unforgettable treat for music lovers from a singer and entertainer who is endowed with a special appeal and attraction that translate into an indefinable and lasting chemistry with his audience.

With his gorgeous baritone in absolutely perfect form that can reach every corner of the concert hall, Jones turns every performance into an absolutely delightful and entertaining experience.

Known in his native Wales as “Jones the Voice,” he is considered one of the most respected, admired and loved performers in modern popular music because of his unique vocal power, ability and appeal.

Tom Jones started his career in the 1960s and initially acquired a reputation as the front man for a local beat group in his native South Wales, until he was discovered by future manager Gordon Mills, who took him to London and renamed him “Tom Jones.”

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If we did before reading this, we no longer have to wonder why Tom is among many performers who choose not to read their reviews. This is probably the worst review of Tom Jones that I’ve ever read. I apologize for once again bringing up the rules of integrity in journalism but she should have said at beginning that she doesn’t like Tom Jones. That way, the reader knows her point of view. (Perhaps, was turned down for a one-on-one interview?) Could be she’s just nasty, clueless and perpetually cranky? Either way her fury is evident (and very strange). Now, I’m not a big Barry Manilow fan and I mentioned that in a review of his show. But that didn’t mean I had to trash him. In fact — much to the fury of some people on this site — I said that his show is wonderful. Conversely, when I reviewed Tom’s show in 2007, I said at the top that I am a fan so anyone would know that going in. That’s fair. Not to do so is playing dirty and this woman played dirty. After you read it, you may want to click on the email address at the bottom and write let the editor the people who run that paper know how you feel.

It’s not unusual: knickers and a cruise crooner

Reviewed by Rachel Olding/March 5, 2010/Sydney Morning Herald

Entertainment Centre, March 3: THE beard has turned grey, the hips need some oil and the many decades of hanging out at the tanning salon have left Tom Jones looking more leathery than a chesterfield.

It seems unfair to judge a man who has been topping charts since 1964 by today’s pop concert standards. But what yardstick to use? Pairs of underwear? Yes, there were plenty of them. Sexual fervour? There was plenty of that, too. The performance was drenched in it from Sir Tom’s velvet moves to his velvet voice.

Jones’s management have at times tried to tone down his motel-room sex appeal but all attempts to quash that wild libido have been futile. Where ever he goes, bedroom eyes follow. Unfortunately, so too does a blanket of cheapness.

Hits were sung with all the elan of a naked karaoke session. What’s New Pussycat?, She’s a Lady and You Can Leave Your Hat On exploded like fireworks; bam, bam, bam. The undie count rose exponentially and so did the pelvic thrusting. But the hits were delivered in sporadic doses only. Long periods of underwhelming soul, jazz, blues, bossa-nova and country tunes were dreary despite an impeccable voice that still leaps between octaves with ease. Songs from his latest album, 24 Hours, and moving ballads had the crowd stumped — ”This isn’t what I paid for”, they might have been thinking.

Tunes from Jones’s collaborative era in the 1990s, when he realised after two decades of relative mediocrity that he needed to get in bed with Gen Y, were not enough on their own. Kiss needed Prince, Sex Bomb needed Mousse T, Mama Told Me Not to Come needed the Stereophonics.

Some will say he’s still got it, and for fleeting moments he did, but this performance belongs in the piano bar on a cruise ship. Perhaps it was the cheap perfume in the air or perhaps this love boat has sailed.

Want to tell the newspaper what you think of this review? Just click the link to email the editor at The Sydney Morning Herald. And, please let TJI know if you do.

As noted in the March 1, Tom was interviewed by reporter Liam Bartlett for 60 Minutes Sunday in Australia.

The interview, recorded in London, lasts 11:43 and, like the transcript posted Monday, is still kind of rude and intrusive and, like the interview posted yesterday, shows a photo of Tom’s sister and identifies her as his wife. Again, too, he gets Tom’s real name wrong.

The thing is, he got several hours with Tom and wasted the time asking silly and — worst of all — obvious questions. Absolutely nothing is new or revelatory. What is nice, that isn’t in the transcript, are the clips vintage video clips. My favorite was Tom singing with Johnny Cash.

In fairness, Tom is clearly having a good time. I love when he points out the limo’s window and states the obvious — “That’s Buckingham Palace.”

Anyhow, have a look and, join me in thanking Sean for sending it from Down Under.

You can watch it in the TJI.com Video Library.

Don’t forget the TJI Question of the Month, in the post below.

There is video of an interview Tom did the other day with the Australian TV show Today Tonight. The transcript is at the bottom of this post. This interviewer did a better job than that last one. If you follow Tom, you won’t find anything new, but it’s nice — except they mistook a photo of Tom with his sister for a photo of Tom with his wife. (They did that in yesterday’s interview, too.)

To watch the interview, click the thumbnail at left. Then, come back here to read the new interview and, if you wish, the transcript of this video interview.

Tom Jones performing at Sandalford Wines

Sally Browne/PerthNow/March 03, 2010 11:27AM

WHEN Elvis is telling you one thing and Frank Sinatra is telling you another, it’s hard to know who to listen to.

But that’s what it was like for a young Tom Jones when he first made it in America.

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The interview posted below got a lot of people (including your moderator) angry because, among other factors, the questions we very rude, intrusive and too personal.

So, the March TJI Question of the Month is:

If you were given the opportunity to interview Sir Tom, what is the one — only one (it’s a short interview) — question you would ask?

Remember, questions that are intrusive, rude or too personal will be moderated.