Tom Jones International

Another story — surely more to come as the July 10 auction gets closer — about the Christie’s auction of early tapes from a Tom Jones-Senators session (see June 19 post below). If the provenance is exactly what the seller claims, these are, indeed, valuable. We just sense there’s something missing somewhere. We can certainly believe that Tom recorded in the Ponty YMCA with the Senators. And we have no doubt that the acoustics were fine. What we have problems with are, first, the person who owns the tapes, a former recording engineer from Cardiff, telling Christie’s that Tom himself sought him out to manage the recording. Second, we’ve read the Ellis-Sutherland bio again and all it says about the recordings (on page 30 of the book) is:

“…the songs were recorded on a portable eight-track studio in the unlikely setting of the football changin room toilets at the YMCA in Pontypridd. Apparently that was wehre myron and Byron deemed that the acoustics were optimal.

“The resulting tracks included an original Godfrey-Glastonbury instrumental called ‘David’s Theme’ and songs such as ‘Lonely Joe.”

None of the songs mentioned in the book are part of the auction. And the book, containing little or no original research, just a tired rehash of old interviews, gossip and innuendo, doesn’t seem a particularly reliable source. We hope all is on the up-and-up. In truth, Christie’s probably wouldn’t be listing the lot if it weren’t. We just cannot help considering the source. But we love the headline of this story.

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Want to hear young Tom Jones singing in the toilet? You’ll need to be feeling flush




Jun 28 2008 by Robin Turner, Western Mail




AS FAR as Tom Jones recordings go, this one definitely is unusual.




A rare reel-to-reel master-tape recording of Tom in 1962 made in the unlikely setting of the toilets at the YMCA in Pontypridd is about to go under the hammer at London auction house Christie’s.
The unique tape, the earliest known recording of the Welsh star to have survived, is being sold by a one-time “sound man” at former Cardiff based TV firm TWW (Television Wales and West) who actually made the recording.




The recording’s current owner — who wishes to remain anonymous — hopes to gain between £2,000 and £3,000 for it.




Back in 1962 when the tape was made, Z-Cars was making its debut on TV and the charts were dominated by the Tornados (with their hit Telstar) and the likes of Ray Charles, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and Elvis Presley.




Tom Jones – born Thomas Woodward in Pontypridd in June 1940 – was going by the name Tommy Scott at the time and was fronting a rock and roll band, The Senators, who played in South Wales’ lively pub and club scene.




It would be another two years before Jones received global acclaim with his hit single, It’s Not Unusual.




The origins of the recording date back to early in 1962, after a gig in Bedwas, near Caerphilly. Jones and The Senators (later known as The Playboys and The Squires) were approached by two local songwriters, Ray Godfrey and John Glastonbury who had adopted the music management name of
Myron & Byron.

As Jones’s biographers Lucy Ellis and Bryony Sutherland explained yesterday: “Myron & Byron had been advised to present their portfolio in the form of a demonstration disc, recorded with the aid of a group.

“The songs were recorded on a portable eight-track studio in the changing room toilets at the YMCA in Pontypridd.

“Myron & Byron took the tape to London to try their luck with major publishing companies.”
The tape contains four songs performed (in the toilets) by Tom Jones backed by the Senators, Don’t Pretend, Time Alone, What About Me and That’s What Love Will Do.

The toilets no longer exist, having been pulled down in 1997. But despite their less than salubrious surroundings as a recording venue, they were famed for their sound properties.

Liz Williams, president of Pontypridd’s YMCA, said: “At the time, the toilets had the best acoustics in the place.

“Tom used to play here regularly and he was always singing in the toilets so that’s where they decided to do the recording.”

In an interview with the BBC Tom Jones has talked about the days in 1962 when he sang with The Senators.

He said: “I left school when I was 15 and I started to work in a local glove factory, and I started singing at night.

“I was singing in the YMCA Pontypridd on a Friday, and then on a Saturday I was playing in working men’s clubs, all throughout South Wales. And dance halls as well, and sometimes pubs.
“Then I joined a rock group, The Senators, and we played the clubs. I was the rock singer or pop singer, playing guitar and singing.

“When we’d walk into clubs or pubs with the amplifiers and guitars, a lot of the people said, ‘Oh pay them off, we don’t want to listen to this rock’n’roll’.

“So I would get up and say, ‘Look, you know, you’ve heard me sing before and so let’s give the boys a chance.’”

The Tom Jones recording is being sold as part of a Rock and Pop Memorabilia auction at Christie’s in South Kensington, London, on July 10.

Christie’s are reminding buyers it is being offered for sale without copyright, broadcast rights, performers consents, and other reproduction rights.

It is not known if Tom Jones himself will be among the bidders.