Tom Jones International

On behalf of the fans who cannot get to shows this run in the northeast, just a word to thank all of those who take the time to send reviews and photos. It is very generous and helps us experience the show, too. If you were in DC or will be in Albany tonight, Jersey tomorrow (will Bruce drop in?), Boston on Sunday or Cleveland, Tuesday please if you can, tell us and show us how it was. Thanks!

Chuck very kindly sent this photo last night from the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. The capacity at the club is 1,200 people. He also sent a set list which, once again, includes Here’s That Rainy Day: I’m Alive, In Style and Rhythm, Help Yourself, Seasons, Delilah, 200 Pounds, Give A Little Love, If He should Ever Leave You, The Road, Here’s That Rainy Day, Fly Me To the Moon, Ol’ Black Magic, Grandma’s Hands, Git Me Some, She’s A Lady, 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.

It is almost impossible to imagine what it’s like to be Sir Tom and stand there facing this crowd and seeing them whipped into a frenzy by your gift. No wonder he loves what he does!

As for being in the audience, Linda, a fan who has seen Tom in a variety of venues, writes: “I must say that this venue (one I’ve never experienced) is an amazing way to see Tom. No comp tickets or casual attendance from visitors who happen to be in a casino/hotel. Those who waited in the cold line outside to see Tom were the most enthusiastic I’ve seen. They were all about The Man.

“I tried to get up front but the floor packed in quickly and then my legs just couldn’t take it. I went up to the balcony (stage left) and watched the show from there. Certainly gives you a different perspective. Talk about cheering. screaming fans — men and women alike (noise levels unbelievable).

“You could tell there was a love affair going on between the audience and Tom. Definitely different than a sit-down venue. This venue is probably the best place to see bands and for the fans up front it had to be an unforgettable experience. You could almost reach out and touch him! Oh, and of course the usual panties, bras, notes and keys were lobbed on stage.”

Here’s two not-too-bad videos from Terminal 5. It’s Tom singing Help Yourself and I’ll Never Fall In Love Again.

AND! Here’s another review of Terminal 5 that is oddly schizophrenic. It compares Tom to Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond and says his fans are old. But it concludes with (the somewhat erroneous) “When you see a 67-year-old singer earn his thrown panties instead of getting them tossed his way solely on his reputation, you’ve seen something inspiring.” Someone needs to, as Kate Winslet said at the Globes, “gather.” After you read it, be sure to post a comment (pro or con).

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted, but real life sometimes intervenes.

At any rate, Tom was as usual charming on The View and, in addition to the chat, he sang two songs. (And, see, we noted yesterday that they are called “The Ladies” of The View.)

You can see the entire appearance — including the very cute show opener — in the TJI.com Video Library.

Also, if you watched the show, you may have noticed that the last commercial spot was for the new ABC show. Cupid. It’s been mentioned here and on other message boards that the theme they’re using is Give A Little Love.

You can see the Cupid ad here. Just couldn’t resist.

(PS: Something very weird came via a google news alert today…..Dated December 31, 2005 it was a very brief CBS News video clip to go with the announcement that Tom Jones was on the Queen’s New Year’s Honors list. Odd.)

In five days an interview commemorating a career milestone for Sir Tom will be posted here. In it he talks about the American music that influenced him and, in this, includes country. Very early on in his career, way before his Nashville era, he sang a lot of that music. Just check his early albums.

When Tom Jones was growing up in Wales, in Nashville Ray Price was a major influence on all of country music. In fact, to say he was influential is an understatement. His band, the Cherokee Cowboys, included over the years the likes of Roger Miller, Willie Nelson and Johnny Paycheck, Price’s hits included Release Me and the beautiful For the Good Times. He introduced a sound that came to be known as the “Ray Price Shuffle”, a 4/4 arrangement of honky tonk with a walking baseline that can be heard on his huge 1956 hit Crazy Arms. At 82 he is still performing and in the next few months will be in Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas.

In November 2001 Tom sang that song on Jools Holland’s Later in the UK. In the scheme of Tom Jones’ career, it’s not a significant or landmark moment. But it is a clear and lovely demonstration of Tom’s way with a country song.

You’ll find the video of Tom singing the song here. (The piano explains quite clearly all that 4/4 beat stuff above.) Enjoy it!

Here’s 97 seconds of Tom’s press conference in Poland. It proves you don’t have to understand what they’re saying (and, at this point in the promotion of 24 Hours you probably can guess) to enjoy watching.




AND, FROM THE MURKY WORLD OF CONCERT TICKET SALES…




Carol, a fan from New Jersey, sent an article for all to share. She writes, “In response to previous conversations (on this site) regarding ticket prices and the inability to get good tickets even though we call as soon as TJ’s tickets go on sale, this article appeared in (The Newark Star-Ledger) today. It is very interesting because it affects all ticket sales to every event. I thought I might share this with everyone.”

The article is about the call for a federal investigation into Ticketmaster’s sales practices. It says in part, “Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.) said his constituents complained that Ticketmaster, the primary ticket seller for the [Bruce Springsteen] concerts, said tickets were sold out and directed consumers to its subsidiary, TicketsNow, a secondary marketplace where tickets were being offered for resale at three and four times the cover price.”




If the investigation goes ahead it’ll be a national issue and that would be good for consumers. Last year in Atlantic City, TicketsNow was selling front row to Tom’s show for hundreds of dollars. They had a face value of under $100. (We’d guess “cover price” refers to face value.)

You can find the article here.

If you wish to add your voice to the discussion — a good idea — write to your congressperson. You can find contact info at the Congressional website. Writing to your Congress member will take only a few minutes — as simple as saying, “I support Congressman Pascrell in his effort to investigate Ticketmaster and other services’ pricing practices.” and signing your name. If large numbers of notes are received it can be very effective because politicians really care what voters think and your voice does count..

This site has rarely asked people to write to anyone about anything, but this is very worthwhile.

Thanks, Dre, for the video and Carol for the article.

Tom and the gang recorded a World Cafe session in New York late last year. And, as you will hear, it’s really nice. The musicians all sound great and Tom is wonderful. It’s always striking when you listen to him talk how enthusiastic and pleasant he is. Clearly, he loves what he does and loves telling stories about his life. There’s no false modesty, just honesty and humor. And host David Dye — who knows his music — is right: Tom’s band is “terrific.”

First up, the teaser. • Next is Tom singing It’s Not Unusual. • The interview begins as Tom talks about Bono, Sugar Daddy, being alive and sings I’m Alive • Here, Tom discusses Elvis and sings If He Should Ever Leave You. • In this final segment Tom talks about Otis Redding, singing for men, being “born to sing” and, then, singing Give A Little Love.

If you just got back from Las Vegas (or are still here and went to a show, or two, or three….well, you get the idea), let us know how it was. It’s kind of quiet here now, but this coming weekend is the Chinese New Year weekend (the Year of The Ox begins Monday, January 26) and it will get very crowded around Las Vegas.

It’s been great — as it is whenever Tom is here — seeing old friends and making new ones and/or meeting people you’ve only known through the internet. And more of the same is expected next weekend. But visitors are here for the shows and it’s always wonderful when the shows are shared. So, please, take some time to let other fans know how it was.

The winner of BBC Radio 5′s poll for “The Best Chorus Ever” was announced today. As Paula tells us in a comment under the post about the contest below, “And the winner is………….Delilah. But of course.” It is an irresistible tune.

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On New Years Eve 2008, Tom and the gang were in Bucharest Romania entertaining to rapturous crowds. The year that followed was a good one for him (and, thus, for his fans.) Perhaps 2009, too, will be a big news year for Tom.

Here, from the ever-reliable tabloid The Mirror, dated January 1, 2009 and bylined “3am” is the year’s first story:

Robbie Williams to be comeback kid of 2009 after support from Sir Tom Jones

We predict the comeback of the year for 2009 will be without doubt the one, the only Mr Robbie Williams (left).

And the man we have to thank for his highly anticipated return to the UK pop charts is Knight of the Realm Sir Tom Jones.

Robbie was planning to disappear into the ether forever, until the big Welshman had a heart-to-heart.

The Sexbomb took on the role of mentor to Robbie after he moved onto the same exclusive estate in Los Angeles.

And to help give him a shove in the right direction Tom even recorded a single with Rob for his new album.

Tom, who made a comeback of his own this year with 24 Hours, told us: “I give advice to some of the young bands if they ask me.

“With Robbie he asked me ‘How do you keep going?

I’m starting to wonder about it whether its for me.’

“It’s because I love it I told him. But Robbie says sometimes he doesn’t.

(more…)

Don’t forget this week’s videos from Tom’s UK TV appearances. Links in posts below this one where you can read the story about the appearance or you can go directly to the TJI.com Video Library

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Exploring this website can take a great deal of time. Unless you’ve been visiting since the site was launched October 10, 2005, you have here almost 1,000 posts on a range of topics waiting to be read. There are many categories and, within those, additional pages. All of this is listed in the sidebar at right. One of those pages few people have checked out is, Pitchman Perfect, the page that details commercials and promo music Tom’s done over the years, complete with music. In August there was a post here called Tom Jones’ Voice Is A Gift and Vocalzone Helps It Keep On Giving. And, although the Vocalzone website has a testimonial from Tom Jones, his appearance on Top Gear and his mention of the throat pastille occasioned a slew of hits on the company’s site. Does it count as an “official,” compensated-for pitch? Doubt it, but he should be their spokesperson. (Songperson?) The company sent out the press release below following Tom’s plug for the product. And, by the way, when you’ve nothing to do, there are lots of places on TJI.com you may wish to check out. Loads of interesting stuff.

Be aware that material below was sent over the PR Newswire (a public relations service) to editors in the UK — Hence, the “note to editors.” People outside the UK can buy Vocalzone online.

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Vocalzone Fine Tunes Tom Jones’ Vocal Cords

POOLE, England, December 17 /PRNewswire/ — As a result of Sir Tom Jones citing his use of Vocalzone on Top Gear (14/12/2008) Kestrel, the (Poole based) makers of the Throat Pastille which is also known to be used Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Joss Stone and Robbie Williams, has been inundated with enquiries from literally thousands of aspiring singers that watch the programme.

Sir Tom Jones was asked by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear if he took anything to maintain his voice. Sir Tom replied that he uses Vocalzone Throat Pastilles and that they are “Great, unbelievable, they are made in England and they are great things.”

“We received over 27,000 hits on our
website in the first hour after the programme with the majority of enquiries asking where they can buy Vocalzone Throat Pastilles. Frankly we’re surprised by just how many people watching Top Gear are also keen performers!”

(more…)

Note: The 2009 TJI.com calendars have been mailed. There are just a few left as, luckily, the printer sent us an overrun and we received more than we ordered. If you want one, please href="http://tomjonesintl.com/wp-admin/post.php#" mce_href="http://tomjonesintl.com/wp-admin/post.php#">email me.

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This site’s moderator(s) have said from the beginning that Tom Jones has a great sense of humor about Tom Jones. To all of those who take Sir Tom so very seriously — who sit and watch with slack-jawed solemnity in the front rows at his concerts and who take all that is written about him as gospel — it can finally be said — lighten up! He’s got a great attitude about himself. And he always has. He says it in the song…he’s a man, he’s alive and, one must add, he’s very human. That’s so much of the reason he’s so appealing. The stories and photo below prove that, don’t they? Can’t wait to see these shows and, hopefully, get video for all the fans who cannot watch. Top Gear, by the bye, will make it to BBC America soon. And, for the record, Tom — sophisticated lad that he is — clearly wasn’t that uncomfortable with Graham Norton and Alan Carr now, was he? And, for the record, he still has those three cars mentioned below.

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From the good ol’ Sun comes this preview of The Sunday Night Project:

Tom, you can leave your crash hat on!

SIR Tom Jones gears up for his first drive in a non-automatic car for 40 years when he takes to the track on Top Gear tomorrow.

The Keep Your Hat On crooner, 68, will be the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. But Sir Tom must beat 1min 45.8secs to top the leaderboard. His lap in a Chevrolet Lacetti will be shown on BBC2 at 9pm.

He’s also on Channel Four’s Sunday Night Project with Alan Carr and Justin Lee Collins — who film a Mamma Mia-style comedy musical using Sir Tom’s hits. The star gets a star role wearing a wacky blond wig and moustache.

Photo left, obviously, from The Sunday Night Project. Photo right with The Stig, the anonymous race driver on the BBC show. In the show he is cast as a mysterious “tame racing driver” whose identity is unknown, and who never speaks or removes his helmet on camera.

And, from WalesOnline comes:

Tom Jones’ driving skills put to test for Top Gear

Dec 13 2008 by Lydia Whitfield, Western Mail

FOR years he has been driving scores of women into a frenzy but this weekend Tom Jones will prove how good a driver he really is.

The 68-year-old Welsh singer will appear on Top Gear tomorrow as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

And fans will be treated to a double dose of Sir Tom when the Pontypridd superstar appears on risque entertainment show The Sunday Night Project, immediately after Top Gear finishes.

(more…)

Here’s Tom at his press conference in Spain to promote 24 hours.

And here he is singing If He Should Ever Leave You last night on Mira Quien Baila.

This time, he wasn’t obscured by dancers and, without all that swirling around, it’s easy to realize what a beautiful song this is for dancing.

You can watch Tom’s performance on Fama A Bailar here. And, you can see a bit more of him on Mira Quien Baila here. What’s so cool about this last video — essentially the same as we posted above — the is reception from the audience. They love him! (As well they should.)

Meanwhile, Ruben reports that tom was “brilliant, like always!”




¡Mil gracias, Ruben!