Tom Jones International

Tomorrow I will, hopefully, be posting the BBC 2 Elvis doc and planned something in that vein for today’s post but the event I went to Friday night changed that plan.

I attended the Canon USA gala to support the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. Tonight was the dinner and auction at the Bellagio; tomorrow, the golf tournament. It is always a terrific evening and lots of terrific people, celebrities among them, attend to show their support. So, there were plenty of familiar faces from TV, movies, sports and — as you can see from this photo I took of Alice Cooper* — music, too. There was even an astronaut there.

The keynote speaker was John Walsh who North Americans know as the host of America’s Most Wanted, a TV show that only last week led to the capture of a man who had murdered four family members on Thanksgiving. Walsh started on this career after his son Adam was kidnapped and murdered in Florida in 1981. Canon provides film and video equipment to help police departments find missing children. Check the organization’s website at Missing Kids.com.

And, because Tom has always been generous in giving his time and talent, especially when the cause is children (photo at right), I decided today to simply once again post this video.

On November 17, 1997 this version of Lou Reed’s 1973 song A Perfect Day was recorded by many performers (in the style of We Are The World) to raise money for the BBC-backed charity Children In Need. It was subsequently released on Chrysalis Records

Among the many artists participating are Lou Reed, Bono, David Bowie, Suzanne Vega, Elton John, Boyzone, Heather Small, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Wynette, Dr. John, Robert Cray, Joan Armatrading, Laurie Anderson, Heather Small and, of course, Tom Jones. It was not done with all the singers together in one place. Don’t know where Tom was but Bono was in New York City.

This four-minute video was shot to promote the BBC’s support of live music. It featured the stars singing one line each, with Reed singing the first and last line.

To go with the video a CD was released containing the video version of the song as well as a male and female version of the song.

In 2000, the BBC show Music Live planned a mass sing-along of the song including performers and audiences from all over the UK. Estimates say close to 100,000 voices joined in. The demand in the UK was high for this to be released on CD, so the BBC went back into the archives and re-released the Perfect Day single, with two extra tracks. One is a video of the original ‘97 version of the song. The other extra track was the live recording. The proceeds of the re-release also went towards the BBC Children in Need Appeal, like the original had before it.

Tom comes on at the end of the video.

*I’ll be interviewing Alice Cooper soon, so if you have any questions, let me know. And, as usual, if you cannot view the video, please drop me note using the “Contact TJI” link at right and I’ll send it to you.

Today is the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth. He was Tom’s idol when Tom was back in Wales and, in response to a question that asked, “Who, of anyone you could have met — at any time in history — would have been a dream come true to meet?” Tom responded without hesitation, “I met him. Elvis.”

Tom’s oft-told stories about Elvis — from the hidden gun to their first introduction when Elvis came toward Tom, hand extended, singing With These Hands — and his performances of Elvis’ music are always terrific to hear.

Elvis habitually came onstage during Tom’s shows at Caesars and, here, are two photos from September 4, 1973, when he did just that. Although I did have the unforgettable opportunity to see Elvis in concert and have gotten to see Tom a couple of times, I never saw them together. Did you? If so, please tell us about it. Failing that, if you saw Elvis in concert, let us know how it was.

In an article today in the Las Vegas Weekly writer John Katsilometes, one of the best in the city, talks to people who knew Elvis well about his life and about the possibilities that died when Elvis did. Among those he talked to is Joe Esposito, Elvis’ Army buddy, best man and Chicago-born member of the Memphis Mafia. Today Joe is a casino host at Wynn Las Vegas. I met him when I brought Ruth Brown to one of Tom’s shows (have to get some photos to him, too!) and he’s a very nice man.

Also interviewed is Linda Thompson, Elvis’ girlfriend from 1972-76. Asked what he’d be like today, she says, “I’m sure, had he lived, he would not have changed the integrity of what he does, but still be like Tom Jones, aged in a way that has been graceful. He sings his butt off, but he’s nurtured his voice.

It’s a terrific article, not too long, nice photos and, even, video from the press preview of the new Cirque du Soleil show, Viva ELVIS. Check it out at the link above.

Tom, too, has over the years paid tribute to Elvis in the best way he could — with his music. On the Midnight Special on March 24, 1978, Tom spoke of his friend and sang two of his songs — Are You Lonesome Tonight and Can’t Help Falling In Love. The video here is a transfer from videotape, so it’s not great, but the point is well made and it’s lovely.

Surely Tom, at some point today will, like all Elvis fans, pause and remember and, perhaps, think of what might have been.

You can watch it in the TJI.com Video Library

In the next day or so we’ll have the video of the new BBC special Elvis In Vegas, in which Tom was interviewed about The King.

As you may recall, in 2008, The New York Times crossword puzzle had a Tom Jones clue.

Well, the January 6, 2010 Los Angeles Times puzzle has one, too. The answer is no big mystery but if you check it out, you’ll also find clues about The Monkees, The Impressions and The Blossoms. (The latter, in a flash of irony, is a trio so many TJ fans know.) The main theme of the puzzle seems to be “Pronouns In Song Titles” (that’s a hint to these answers). An odd theme but, compared to a New York Times puzzle, it’s easy.

A few weeks ago, speaking of games with Tom Jones, one of the Jeopardy clues was about S-Curve Records and the fact that 24 Hours was released on the label.

Update: January 6/Noon: Sorry, the automatic timer to make the video go live didn’t work. It’s live now and you can see the interview.

On July 27, 1999, 60 Minutes II correspondent Vicky Mabrey interviewed Tom Jones for a segment they called It’s Not Unusual. In their story about the piece, the headline was Tom Jones: 60 and Sexy (which is a lot more lyrical than the absolutely correct “59 and Sexy”). And, when she calls Tom an “aging sex icon,” one cannot argue. And, here it is, 10+ years later, and the description can still apply.

It’s a nice, typical honest-Tom interview that covers his life on- and off-stage. They do say his middle name is “Jones” and he uses the most definitive word “hate” when he describes how he feels when he’s called a “crooner.”

This is posted following a fan request and thanks once again to Johan of the Tom Jones Collector’s Page. If there’s anything you’d like to see or hear on TJI just ask. (Remember, stuff this “old” is transferred from VHS to DVD so the picture quality isn’t all that great, but that doesn’t matter as far as I’m concerned.)

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

Another fan has requested audio or video or Tom singing with Ray Charles. Can anyone help? Let me know via the email link at the bottom right of this page.

There have been some very nice, interesting answers posted to the Question of the Month (suggested Brian, which I should have mentioned when I posted it on January 1). They’re worth scrolling down to read and, if you haven’t answered yourself, it’s a question worth answering.

On November 7, 2003, Tom appeared on Larry King Live. He was promoting Reloaded: Greatest Hits the kind of watered-down US version of Reload that was released October 14, 2003. No, boys and girls outside of the USA, Reload was never released in the USA. This CD contained a few numbers from it, but also had remastered versions of It’s Not Unusual, Delilah, Thunderball, Green, Green Grass, Without Love, With These Hands and Help Yourself. Also in the mix Tom Jones international and Black Betty, both from Mr. Jones, and If I Only Knew from The Lead and How to Swing It. The only songs from Reload were Sex Bomb, Motherless Child, Sometimes We Cry and Burning Down the House.

In this almost 45-minute interview (see how many minutes of a 60-minute show are given over to commercials?) the atmosphere is very pleasant. All of the questions were what we in the journalism biz call “softball.” I don’t think anyone should be attacked in the guise of an interview, but it really seems as if someone on Tom’s team wrote all the questions.

But, on the other hand, it’s nice to see this. And you can see it in the TJI.com Video Library.

If you’d like to check out a written transcript of the show, you can do that here.

(I have to note that I was never really a fan of Larry King. Then, I had the opportunity of seeing him tell wonderful stories of his childhood and days in radio and on TV when he appeared in a one-off show at Wynn Las Vegas last year. If he comes to your town, by all means go. It’s a lovely show filled with tales of bygone days. You can read about it here.)

Hello, All:

Many people have been on vacation and haven’t had the opportunity to check out TJI for the last 10 days or so. I’ve been doing a great deal of writing on deadline and working on film reviews. I’ve posted a link on the right below to the ones that have been published. Please take a look and feel free to comment on them on that site.

All this is to say that today I am not posting anything but the nice old photo at right and the January page from the calendar at left. This is a reminder to hang up your TJI 2010 Calendar so that, always, in that one special spot, a picture of Tom Jones will be there for you to smile at.

This slow day will hopefully give you a chance to scroll down and check out the Question of the Month, watch the New Year’s Eve video from Jools Holland’s Hootenanny and listen to Tom perform an unreleased song the recording of which one expert has named in his Top 10 of the decade just passed.

May this be a good year and, of course, if there’s anything you’d like me to post, just drop me an email using the contact link at the bottom right.

If you can get the channel, be sure to watch Elvis In Vegas, on Sunday 3rd January, BBC2 at 9.05pm. The first line from the show is, “He loved being Elvis Presley, there’s no doubt about that. But I think he started to dislike himself and lost his desire to be Elvis Presley.” That is spoken by Tom Jones. Hopefully, we’ll have the show posted on TJI this week, on a very significant day.

Steve Greenberg is the founder/president of S-Curve Records (that “S” had to stand for something, right?) and on his corporate blog he lists the 100 Best Singles of the Decade and, below that, the “10 Great S-Curve Singles 2000-2009.”

The first list includes the Arctic Monkeys I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor*.

The second list, of S-Curve recordings, includes Tom’s version of the same song. It was intended for the CD that became 24 Hours. But, with Greenberg ultimately pretty much out of the picture — S-Curve released the CD in the US — the producing was handed over to Future Cut, although Greenberg is among the credited producers on the album.

I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor was the first song Tom recorded for 24 Hours but, apparently, when Future Cut was brought in, the song was — um — cut. So, while we cannot hear the studio recording, we can hear Tom’s version of the number as performed on the Concert For Diana, July 1, 2007. One might logically assume it was somewhat like that rendition. You can listen to Tom’s live version here.

{*Since when is “dance floor” one word? Oh, well, it must be me.]

Please don’t forget the TJI Question of the Month for January in the post below. We’ve gotten some great, interesting answers and would like to see yours, too!

Tom was among the guests on Jools Holland’s 17th Annual New Year’s Eve Hootenanny, broadcast last night on BBC2. Of course, the BBC player on which one can watch the show for a week is available only to people in the UK. So, thanks to Johan of the Tom Jones Collector’s Page we have Tom’s contribution to the show.

The program was taped before Christmas and there’s only one thing you’ve probably never heard Tom do before. He begins with Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics singing their recording of Mama Told Me Not To Come. Then there’s that other New Year’s Eve “standard” (along with Auld Lang Syne), The Midnight Hour, which was part of the Millennium Concert in Washington.

Next, Tom does his “he-says-it’s-new-but-it’s-really-not” acoustic version of Green Green Grass which is, if a man about to be executed can sing a “sweet” song, a sweet song.

Finally, the entire group of guests — you’ll see Boy George dressed in his leprechaun best — sings a terrific song adopted from a Negro spiritual that was very popular during the mid-20th century folk song movement. It’s called Down By the Riverside (Ain’t Gonna Study War No More), and is believed to have been adopted from the Book of Isaiah, “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore.” I like the song (but I do like lots of spirituals and folk music) and I think it’s a terrific goal for 2010 and beyond. Don’t you?

You can watch the slightly more than 14 minutes of video in the TJI.com Video Library. (Remember, with RealPlayer Downloader it is easily downloaded if you think it’s worth saving.)

Looking Back 10 Years: MTV Reported on the Millennium Concert, December 31, 1999 in Washington, DC, in which Tom took part after his NYC Javits Center show was cancelled. MTV’s focus was, mostly, on Slash, formerly of Guns N’ Roses. But Slash did make a friend that night. Click here to (more…)

Happy New Year and May 2010 Be the Best Year Ever!

Of course, this is an odd time of year. We look to the future and make resolutions about how we will behave. We also reflect on the past. With that reflection on the past in mind, we have our TJI.com Question of the Month for January:

What were the circumstances that led you to become a fan of Tom Jones?

Here’s my story: Of course, I knew who he was and knew his music. One day my friend Paula called and asked if I wanted to go to the Westbury Music Fair to see him. “Sure,” I said. “Why not? How much are tickets?”

She replied, “Seventeen dollars but I think if we join a fan club we can get better seats.”

That’s what we did. I found a fan club ad in the local Pennysaver publication (remember them?), we split the dues, joined and got third row seats. We had a blast. Several days later I called the fan club president to thank her and she asked if I drive. When I said “yes,” she asked if I’d drive her to shows in New England and Atlantic City if I wasn’t doing anything else. So, for a couple of years I transported this lady around to shows, got to meet Tom several times and, always, had lots of fun. A few years later, when he was in his country phase I was managing editor of a country music magazine so I was aware of what he was doing and liked it. Then, real life intervened and I didn’t see him for many years — until I went to the show at the Apollo in March 2004. I was again a fan (and, no! I didn’t move to Las Vegas to see him more often!). I cannot help but smile (sadly, I’m afraid) when I think of that $17 ticket price. And people were complaining then that the price had recently gone up from $12.

Come back to TJI tomorrow when, hopefully, we’ll have video from the Jools Holland New Year’s Eve Hootenanny.