Tom Jones International

Vince has come through for all of us fans in grand fashion.

First, is a nice set of photos you’ll find on the TJI.com flickr set, The Many Faces of Tom Onstage. Please remember they are all copyrighted.

Next, is video of Tom singing Help Yourself. It’s particularly nice because we seldom see video of that song. You’ll find in at the TJI.com Video Library.

Finally, be sure to read the article below — an interesting, informative piece from tomorrow’s Boston Globe. The writer, happily being creative, actually talked to one of the partners in Future Cut.

From the Boston Globe/March 1, 2009/by Christopher Muther

Everything Jones is new again

After Winehouse, his classic sound is sounding good

Tom Jones is well aware that you probably know him best as the snug-trouser-wearing, hip-swiveling heartthrob with a habit of exposing chest hair and belting out bigger-than-life chestnuts such as It’s Not Unusual and Help Yourself. But Jones also wants you to know that while he’s proud of his lengthy catalog of hits – although not always proud of his fashion choices – he’s far more modern than the curly-haired gent who sang the theme to Thunderball nearly 45 years ago.

“To be looked upon as a golden oldie isn’t for me,” Jones says. “If that’s all I could do, that would be fine. But I love to listen to new music and hear new things. That’s what I want to be a part of.”

In fact, the 68-year-old Jones, who performs tonight at the House of Blues, has experienced a career renaissance in Europe over the past decade. His 1999 album, Reload, a collection of duets with contemporary artists, was the biggest hit of his career. It was never released in the United States, a source of frustration for Jones and another reason why his musical reputation in this country is tied more closely to What’s New Pussycat?and his libidinous thrusts rather than his more recent dance hits like Black Betty and Sex Bomb.

In his native United Kingdom, Jones’s bigger-than-life belting is seen as current, cutting edge, and – brace yourselves – hip. He keeps company with performers younger than his children and works with sought-after musicians and producers. Despite a career that stretches back 50 years, his booming voice is as powerful as ever. It’s just a bit more aged and leathery than when he was hosting his TV variety show This is Tom Jones and duetting with the Who and Janis Joplin.

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Harold Bishop, resident of Ramsey Street, member of the Salvation Army and tuba player, is leaving the Australian TV show Neighbours after 20 years. A bunch of notables filmed at farewell tribute to him. Tom Jones — who identifies himself in case no one recognizes him — comes on at 32 seconds. You can watch this sweet video here. Thanks, Dre, once again!

Here’s, thanks to Tony Sachs, an updated set list. Here’s That Rainy Day (as a song; it apparently rained in Asbury Park last night). Also gone is the video commercial for this website — been waiting to say that for a long time!

I’m Alive, In Style & Rhythm, Help Yourself, Seasons, Delilah, 200 Lbs. Of Heavenly Joy, End Of The Road, The Road, We Got Love, Fly Me To The Moon, That Old Black Magic, Grandma’s Hands, Git Me Some, Give A Little Love, She’s A Lady, If He Should Ever Leave You, Never, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, Green Green Grass Of Home, What’s New Pussycat, You Can Leave Your Hat On, Sex Bomb, It’s Not Unusual Encore: Venus, Kiss

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Vince is a long-time fan, a regular poster on this site who kindly sent us all his story from last night. Later in the day there will be more surprises from him posted here, but I wanted to get the story up ASAP. Please note that his mention of Asbury Park directly relates to the song My City of Ruins which, although it became well-known as Bruce Springsteen’s song about New York City after 9/11, was actually written about Asbury Park, his hometown and site of the Stone Pony. He’s also done a lot of stuff in the Paramount there.

A Rainy Night Made Better

Tom’s night at the Paramount was awesome!! You would not know it was windy and wet outside with the heat inside generated by the great voice and band on stage. Let’s start with the venue. The theatre is nice, yet old looking. There was a balcony and the entire place was packed. I had never been to Asbury Park before and didn’t think the area was as run down as it looked. It definitely felt like the summer must bring more bustling moments than were seen Friday night. The chairs were cool in that they came out and reclined a bit to increase the comfort.

My seat was incredible. It was listed as third row center but it was really first theatre row. There were 2 rows of folding chairs in front of me closer to the stage (too close) that didn’t seem comfortable. It’s always better to be a little further back. The staff seemed nice and were able to control things until the encore when they were having a harder time dealing with the rush and picking on random people to stop taking pictures which was odd. They never stopped me during the show and I must have taken almost 40 in full view of them.

As for the show, I was a little concerned that the voice might be shaky, because of the weird traveling done in the last week. Being in New York City earlier in the week, then traveling to Washington and Albany, then back to New Jersey might take a lot out of someone. I was of course wrong!! Tom came out excited and in full, clear voice like the real pro we all know. He was in a really great mood and looked so touched at the ovations he was getting. He looked especially touched after I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, that he just took it all in for an extra couple of minutes before moving into Green Grass. The band was great as always and Tom seemed to have some laughs with Herman the drummer during a couple of occasions in the show.

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Friday night: First word from Asbury Park: Sadly, for me and a couple of other fans, there was no Bruce sighting, but the three fans who called told us it was a great show with a very enthusiastic singing, dancing crowd. Tom, they said, fed off the crowd’s energy and a good time was had by all. More — hopefully photos, reviews and, maybe some video/audio if they’re sent — tomorrow.

The video comes to TJI.com from Linda and her friend. They were almost directly over the stage at the show Wednesday night. What makes this so interesting is that it’s video of just the end of 200 Pounds where Tom talks his size in relation to Howlin’ Wolf’s, and the beginning of End of The Road where he warms up the audience for some rock ‘n’ roll.

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

For some more terrific photos like the one at left, go to thebrooklynvegan.com. The photos are copyright by Chris La Putt whose website has some amazing concert photos. Check it out. I bet you’ll agree they’re wonderful photos.

Thanks to Linda and her friend.

Moderator’s Note: Generally articles that discuss Tom’s private life — even when he is doing the discussing — are not posted here. This isn’t prudery. This comes from seeing other message boards and forums on which all sorts of “fans” chime in with their opinions about the topic. In 2007 when I posted news that he canceled an MGM show because of his 50th wedding anniversary, there were all sorts of attempts (anonymous and sent through filters so the sender couldn’t be identified) to bring up subjects that are not the business of fans. I’m posting this article because —despite a few factual errors — it’s interesting and from a respected source. But, please, on this site the request remains firm — no comments about his personal life or they will be moderated. Thanks!

Speaking of factual errors: The people shouting “Yer look great, Tom!” actually shouted “YOU look great, Tom!” and it was the three fans (whom most of you know) at Table 5 at the MGM. I’m sure those three people are so happy they were able to affirm his decision to go au naturel.

Me and Mrs Jones: we’re still strong

For 40-odd years women threw their knickers – and themselves – at Tom Jones. Now the Welsh Lothario seems to be saying sorry to his long-suffering wife

Alan Franks/TImes Online/Febrary 28, 2009

Mothers are often wrong about the next generation, but they saw Tom Jones coming. “At least he looks like a man,” mine said, “and he does have a proper voice.” This was in 1965, when the male competition on Top of the Pops was all spaniel hair and pipe-cleaner limbs. “Those poor boys need help,” she said of the Pretty Things. Jones looked and sounded timeless, a natural tenor with a power that could clear drains. His voice was so strong that it seemed to deter the promoters, who feared that they would be landed with a throwback. In an age mounting such a campaign of noncomformity, he came from a different box of soldiers. Nearly half a century later he still does.

He has allowed time the honour of turning his hair white. On the day I meet him the snow has just fallen. He is framed against the window of the Sovereign Suite in his favourite London hotel and it looks as if he has come out in sympathy with the colour of the park beyond. “Oh, you know,” he explains, “I’d had enough of being criticised for dyeing it. It always came out in interviews: ‘Tom Jones with his dyed hair’. I thought, ‘Oh, goodness, is that what I’m known for – my dyed hair?’ This Christmas, when I took the dye off, it was whiter than before and I thought, ‘That doesn’t look bad’. The first gig of the year was in Vegas, so I thought I’d try it out there, see what people think. And they were shouting ‘Yer look great, Tom!’”

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This is, again, video that’s as good as can be expected shot in poor light in a crowded room and with a less-than-professional video camera. And there is some odd clicking in the background. BUT! If you haven’t seen Tom lately, this gives you a small taste of what he’s doing today.

It includes bits of In Style and Rhythm, We Got Love, Git Me Some, Give A Little Love and It’s Not Unusual. You can see it by clicking here.

This is not great video but, on behalf of fans who cannot see Tom’s shows, it is appreciated.

From Big Names/Snall Venues in DC Met Blogs:

So, last night I went with a couple of friends to see Tom Jones at the 9:30 club. Yes, knickers were thrown (but not by us). It was an eclectic crowd, with everyone from 18-year-olds to retirees in the mix! Tom had a great band, and sounded pretty darn good for someone who’s 68 years old. He’s perfectly aware of his abilities and his limitations and works to stay within them to give the audience the best possible sound. (Aretha Franklin, I’m looking at you.)

He’s out supporting his new album.

—ajw93

From Rachael Ray’s Food Blog in .New York Magazine:

Monday, February 23: Tom Jones, I’m his hugest fan. I’ve had a crush on him since I was 3. We’ve been lucky enough to be introduced a few times so we went out because he was coming to town to perform the next night. We went to La Masseria, a nice Italian place in the midtown area, which was convenient for them; they were staying close by. It was he and some of his friends and me and my husband and a couple of our friends. We had a family-style Italian supper. We had Brunello to drink. I was married in Montalcino, Italy, and Brunello’s my favorite wine. They sent out a huge antipasti with fried zucchini, just long strings of crispy zucchini that almost looked like fried spaghetti. They sent out a little taste of two pastas for the whole table. A few bites of a lovely tagliatelle with bottarga, one of my favorite things on the planet, and then sort of a spaghetti alla Norma: Eggplant, tomato, basil, and scamorza, smoked mozzarella. Tom had rabbit and I had a chicken, sausage, and mushroom dish, and we sort of shared those. I traded him a little bit of mine for little bit of his That’s the way you do it in an Italian restaurant; pass around a couple of bites to everybody. I never eat dessert so that was the end of that story. My grandfather was a diabetic and he was my primary caretaker. He never gave up his pasta but he had to watch his carbohydrate intake of course. We grew up on a diet heavy in fish and greens and proteins mixed in with our carbs and we rarely had sweets in the house other than fresh fruit. It’s just not my thing and I’d always rather have another sip of wine and let that be my treat.

What’s really nicest about this is the mention of Bill Churchville and Sharon Hendrix. Tom does give his backup people room to shine and it’s really nice when they get noticed. Don’t agree with his final assessment of singer and band, but, in all, as reviews are subjective, it’s a fair one. And I, for one, am so happy he’s singing Never now. If you were there, let us know what you thought.

Tom Jones comes alive

By MICHAEL ECK, Special to the Times Union/Last updated: 12:29 a.m., Friday, February 27, 2009

ALBANY — “I’m alive!” he cried. And indeed, Tom Jones is alive and doing quite well.

The 68-year old Welshman returned to the Capital Region Thursday night on the heels of a new album, 24 Hours, and a well-received Tuesday night concert at New York’s Terminal 5.

If Jones’ Palace Theatre performance wasn’t quite as dazzling as his explosive, sold-out show there in 2006, it was still plenty of fun.

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I’m hearing that people are not able to keep up with all the posts “because there are too many.” Shall I post less? Let me know, please. Meanwhile, don’t forget to check the reviews, photos and video below.

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Yesterday Tom and Brian taped a Tiny Desk Concert for National Public Radio. It’s similar to the Take-Away Show they did in December in New York.

As you can see from the photo at left, this is, quite literally, a concert that takes place at the desk of NPR music producer Bob Bollen. When it goes on the air — it has to be edited — the video is downloadable.

Someone at NPR told me that “it was so crowded for Tom Jones that I couldn’t get in the room. Everyone loved it.”

Can’t wait to see it.

One thing you can see now are more photos from Terminal 5 taken by Chris Owyoung. He invites all fans to visit his website and enjoy them.

The photo at right accompanied the Terminal 5 review from The Village Voice. This is the granddaddy of alternative newspapers. Growing up in the ‘burbs, we used to giggle at the “singles” ads and love their politics and take on things. The review by Jeff Lipinski (who also took the photo) tries to be funny and ironic, in Voice style. And it’s somewhat confusing and, even, inaccurate.But in the end, he gets it: “”Damnit. Tom Jones is the fucking man!”

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Don’t forget to check the reviews, photos and video below.

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One can understand a negative review, as reviews are all subjective and everyone’s entitled to an opinion. I’ve written plenty of negative reviews myself and we on this site have occasionally found aspects of Tom’s show that we didn’t like. But this person doesn’t get it at all. He clearly dislikes Tom Jones and has contempt for the audience — which he didn’t read too well. Feel free to go to the site and post a comment.

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Live Last Night: Tom Jones

Washington Post

Here’s one sure way for a veteran pop star to deflate an eager audience: by announcing that he’s going to perform most of his new album. That’s what Tom Jones did Wednesday night at the 9:30 club, promising he’d highlight material from his underwhelming new album, 24 Hours.

But there were no cries of protest from the crowd, which came for the likes of Delilah and Green Green Grass of Home but seemed entirely willing to accept such cliche-choked new ballads as The Road (it “always returns for you”) and Seasons (they “could not stay”).

If such mediocrities went down easy, it was partially because the Welsh-born belter handled all the songs with equal charm and alacrity. In black suit, black shirt and gray goatee, Jones dispatched 25 tunes in about 90 minutes, lingering over neither the hits nor the duds.

Jones repeatedly praised his crack band, which ranged from four musicians (for the vintage blues and rock-and-roll) to 11 (for the full Vegas effect). But he never allowed the group to stretch out, even on the funkier later material.

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