Tom Jones International

Sir Tom opens at the MGM Grand Thursday night and, on Thursday, we’ll let you what we think is in store.

Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite “Frequently-In-Las-Vegas-Canadian-Fan” (FILVCF) posted a bit of video from November at the same venue. A bit far away, but still fun.

The photo, by the way, is not from the performance, but it was added as a swell touch at the end. Don’t you like it?

Today napster.com (remember Napster?) said, “Stick in the game long enough, and it’s possible that the wheel will spin back around and hit your number again. Easier said than done, however, and few would have the stamina or the chops more than 40 years later to revisit the field of initial success. Tom Jones still has both though, and proves here that not only is he the spiritual father of Mark Ronson-esque British soul/rock, but he’s still a player to be reckoned with. Smartly accompanied by the production team of Future Cut, and equipped with material that recalls his heyday from Tommy James and the Shondells, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono and The Edge, Tom’s in full, passionate voice. What’s new? Not much, but if it ain’t broke…”

Anyway, here’s the video of Tom Jones singing In Style and Rhythm live on stage.

(Note: This is a RealPlayer file. Please let me know if it’s easier to view than a QuickTime file. Thanks.)

Tomorrow on TJI.com be prepared to see a video of Tom Jones doing something you probably never saw him do before.

Lots of established performers are polite — especially to other performers. And lots of established performers enjoy the work of others, be the others new or established.

When a newer performer, or group of performers, gets even the faintest praise (“I liked your show”) from a star, they smartly capitalize on it. That does not mean that the new performers are not good or that the star doesn’t like them, but sometimes it’s difficult to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

We’ve read just in the last several months that Tom Jones dissed some UK girl group who got really rude about it and capitalized on this supposed rudeness just to get press. We’ve also read that his favorites are the Arctic Monkeys and Elbow and, now, Friendly Fires.

In part, their press release — typo and all — says, “But it wasn’t until the legendary Tom Jones approached the frontman to complement his band’s music – and his moves – that he was truly star struck.

“Ed said: ‘Tom Jones came up to me and asked to join the band because I’d stolen his dance moves.

“‘I said, ‘Well if you can’t beat them, join them,’ and he said ‘Don’t mind if I do!’

“’I was amazed but he said he liked us so we gave him an album – it’s funny to think Tom Jones might have listened to your album.’

“The Welsh crooner isn’t the only living legend to embrace the group’s danceable-yet-ambient sound, as U2 frontman Bono also approached the band after a recent gig.”

Check out Friendly Fires for yourself.

Did you ever see something that made you smile for no reason? Just because they were fun? Well, that’s what these two early TJ clips did to me.

The first — screen shot at left — is a 1967 rendition of I’ll Never Fall In Love Again from The Dusty Springfield Show. On January 7, when I posted the clips of Heaven’s Been A Long Time Coming and The Full Monty medley he sang with Robbie Williams, I asked for requests. Marian wrote….”there is nothing quite like Tom’s early recordings of I’ll Never Fall in Love Again. Sadly, I don’t think he could ever capture the original power of those…” and asked that one be posted. So, here it is. (She also requested one of the most powerful, beautiful songs he ever sang — and that he ever performed — and I’m still looking for just the right clip of that.)

The second — screen shot at right — is prime-time Tom in 1974 performing She’s A Lady. As many people know, the latter is not a song I like, but the energy, enthusiasm and sheer fun makes this a terrific performance.

You can see them both in the TJI.com Video Library.

Before Tom Jones began recording in 1965 (photo) and became the world-famous Tom Jones he worked lots of jobs. So did many of us — and many still are — before settling on a final career.

So, for fun (and possible career guidance?) below is a “Job Predictor” that you can download. It is based on names you fill in.

Just run the cursor over the name of the person that’s in there now and you can type in a new name. When you do, you’ll see the job the person with that name is most equipped to do. The name “Tom Jones” is the default that’s written to begin.Be sure, while you’re trying out all the other names you can think of, to try Thomas Woodward. Lots of people would hire him.

It’s an Excel document that you’ll have to download. It’s great Friday fun. So, hope you have fun.

Job Predictor

(As for predictions, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that you’ll be sending this on to people you regularly email.)

Sorry, forgot to post the information that Tom will be at the MGM Grand from May 7 through May 20. Tickets are on sale now.

And Black Book Magazine, which ran those amazing photos of Tom in 2005, named his the third best show in Las Vegas.

Others are: 1. Ka at the MGM, 2. O at the Bellagio, 4. Cher at Caesars Palace and 5. Phantom at The Venetian.

They said: “3. Tom Jones at MGM Grand (Strip: Central) – Come for the kitsch, stay for the charisma. There’s a reason he’s been doing this for 40 years.”

OK, it’s not quite “Strip: Central,” but I must add that, if you are in Las Vegas, try to see Ka and Phantom. They are both spectacular, offering amazing use of technology. And, also, if you have time, do take in Love. HOWEVER!! It is beyond understanding how Cher gets on these lists. Where’s Bette? And, because Black Book is a NY pub, it’s no reason to eliminate Jersey Boys, the show about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Yes, it’s still a hit on Broadway, but so many people will only have the opportunity to see it in Las Vegas. Oh, well, it’s all subjective.

Stories about the friendship between Tom Jones and Elvis Presley are legion. Elvis would have been 74 today and, although he died in 1977, his music is played so much that it almost seems as if he is still here.

The very brief 18-second clip to the left is indicative of their fun relationship.

Even today, every once in awhile, their friendship will be the focus of a story — often blown up from a casual remark Tom makes about Elvis. The latest was the story of how Elvis sang to Tom when the latter was in the shower. (If you missed it, just google “Elvis Presley Tom Jones” — or vice-versa.) And, there’s one of the holy grails of pop music — the hunt for a duet that they might have sung.

To people who are fans of both Elvis and Tom the connection is clear. Their friendship, however, rightly remains a private thing and, most likely, one of Tom’s treasured memories. In thinking about it we can only be very grateful that Tom is still making music.

But, quite movingly, in the January 6 interview with USA Today posted below, Tom — who clearly thinks about Elvis frequently, said, “He loved being Elvis Presley. I don’t think he could have been an old Elvis.”

In a 1990 interview for the BBC posted here on the 31st anniversary of Elvis’ death, Tom talked about Elvis and Priscilla Presley talked about how Elvis felt about Tom. If you missed it when it was posted in August, you can see that here.

There are always fan favorites — songs, interviews, videos, shows, etc.

This morning two of these are posted.

The first (left) is a surprise salute to a fan we love (and who will not be named). It’s a 2002 cllp from Jools Holland’s Later on which Tom was promoting his CD Mr. Jones when he performed the beautiful Heaven’s Been A Long Time Coming.

The other (right) is what Dre considers the best available clip of Tom and Robbie Williams getting together for the first time to perform the medley from The Full Monty at the 1998 Brit Awards.

You can see them both at the TJI.com Video Library.

Enjoy! And if you have a favorite, href="http://tomjonesintl.com/wp-admin/post.php#" mce_href="http://tomjonesintl.com/wp-admin/post.php#">email your request. If you don’t have the clip, or photo or file, we’ll look for it.

USA Today, at 2.28 million, the newspaper with the largest circulation in the United States, gave Sir Tom the treatment he merits today: an admiring feature with three photos. A small Connecticut outlet, TheDay.com, wrote of Tom, Tina and Neil, pointing out how young they really are. It all makes very good reading. And, we all can assure Tom, he does not blend in and he is definitely a contender.

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Lyrics, Longevity, New Album by Tom Jones

By Edna Gundersen/USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys made a beeline for Tom Jones at London’s Q Awards in October. Jones, 68 and still a magnet for young acolytes, recalls the indie-rock singer gushing, “I love Love Me Tonight. It’s slamming! We play it before we go on stage every night.”

Turner then prodded the Ting Tings for their assessment, but the hot dance-pop duo had been out of town and said they weren’t current on radio hits, prompting laughter.

The song blared from radios in 1969.

Nearly four decades later, and 42 years since Jones won the Grammy for best new artist, the full-throated Welsh pop star remains capable of surprising fans with remarkably fresh and popular returns.

“You’ve got to have young ears,” says Jones, perched on a couch in his Century City high-rise office.

New album 24 Hours, his first U.S. studio release in 15 years, finds him collaborating with Future Cut, the British production duo behind Lily Allen and Estelle. He submits a soulful, brass-fueled cover of Bruce Springsteen’s The Hitter and turns in a robust version of the Tommy James classic I’m Alive.

“Tom Jones is like the William Shatner of classic-pop singers,” says Spin editor Doug Brod. “He has one of those voices that’s still powerful and instantly recognizable, and perhaps a bit kitschy. His willingness to poke fun at his panty-catching reputation and his engagement with trends set him apart from MOR nostalgists like Engelbert Humperdinck.”

The former ditch digger who exploded in the ’60s with It’s Not Unusual and What’s New Pussycat? enjoyed a late-career resurgence with such unexpected hits as 1988′s collaboration with Art of Noise on Prince’s Kiss and 2000′s Sex Bomb with Mousse T.

This time, his high-profile partners are U2′s Bono and Edge, who co-wrote the brazen Sugar Daddy after drinking with Jones in a Dublin club. (Opening lyrics: “I’ve got male intuition/I’ve got sexual ambition/I’m the last great tradition.”)

“It’s a bragging song,” Jones says. “I liked it, but I thought, what are people going to think? But it’s done in a clever way, not in a sloppy or blatantly sexy way. It’s a wink.”

Hours’ lyrics and vocals serve up less macho swagger than a typical Jones disc, a result of the singer taking an active role in songwriting for the first time in his career.

(more…)

Note: Nielson SoundScan, the company that tracks sales, said CD sales in 2008 were down 15 percent. Overall music sales are up 10 percent (digital sales). Vinyl is up — 1.8 million sales in 2008 — an 89 percent increase over 2007 and the highest level Nielson SoundScan has seen in its 17-year history.

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The world of record — er, CD — charting is a Byzantine, labyrinthine, just plain out-and-out confusing one.

Charts are calculated based on a variety of factors including airplay, sales and downloads. But what station plays the music, where they sell it and the site from which it is downloaded, also play a part. It is very difficult to figure out. This, for example, is Billboard’s explanation.

At any rate, here are the latest chart standings for 24 Hours. At left are the amazon numbers from January 4 and the Official UK Charts Company numbers. At right, clearly, is Billboard. The amazon numbers from both the US and the UK can change at any moment. But, the US number on amazon.com are really terrific considering the relatively small bit of promotion done here compared to Europe. You go, Tom!

(more…)

Finally! The MGM Grand is selling tickets for Tom Jones shows March 19 through April 1. (Something special for April Fool’s Day?)

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The TomJonesInternational.com photo sets that are posted on flickr are back up and fully operational — which they haven’t been since April.




You can access them under the “Jonesin’ For Photos” category on the sidebar at right.




Now, everything is up and running — except….




Many of the pictures in “Tom’s Fans & Friends” set were somehow lost. If you’ve already posted one, please check to see if it’s still there. If you haven’t and if you have a photo of yourself with Tom, with other fans at a show, with a member of the band or a back-up singer and would like it posted, please send it to me href="http://tomjonesintl.com/wp-admin/post.php#" mce_href="http://tomjonesintl.com/wp-admin/post.php#">in an email. Be sure it has the names, location and (approximate) date. If other fans are in the photo with you, please get their permission. And, if your photo is on the back of the 2009 TJI.com Calendar and you’d like it posted on the site, send me an email as above.




Thanks, and enjoy the photos. They’ll be reorganized over the next several weeks. I’m really sorry they weren’t as they should be.




Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen our photo sets, do check them out. There are some terrific fan pictures — maybe some you’ve never seen. (The Ponty Park concert set may be a good example of this.)