This is Tom Jones
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Movie Reviews of This is Tom Jones
Movie Review: Very Cool!
Summary: 5 Stars
These shows are GREAT to watch and TOM never sounded better! His duet with LITTLE RICHARD is worth the price alone!Movie Review: Happy Valentine present to my wife
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife really enjoyed the Tom Jones DVD. He had a lot of good guests on the clips from his shows in England.Movie Review: A must for Tom Jones fans
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD set was a gift, and as far as I can tell, it was a raging success.Movie Review: This Is Tom Jones Highligts 60's Music Scene
Summary: 4 Stars
For years Tom Jones fans have wanted to see performances from his ABC Television variety show compiled and released to the public. Thanks to Time Life, they have got their wish. This 3 disc, 9 hour collection features 6 episodes of the popular "This Is Tom Jones" show, mostly in their entirety. Jones' TV show was known for it's ecclectic musical guest list and it shows here as Jones entertains Mary Hopkins, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, The Who, Little Richard, The Moody Blues, Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, and even songwriter Burt Bacharach. Subtitled "Rock & Roll Legends", this DVD captures many of the most influential names in rock and R&B music in the prime of their careers when the marriage between popular music and television had been completed.
You also get the comedy skits that separated the musical segments on the show. The Ace Trucking Company comedy troupe were semi regulars during the show's two year run and are featured often, along with appearances by Bob Hope, Peter Sellers, and very young just breaking into the big time Richard Pryor. The comedy is so so, Pryor is very reserved in what was one of his very first television performances, Sellers (who improvises a lot) is funny, the rest are OK, clearly designed at the time to be non offensive and non controversial. Their are some funnier skits with a San Francisco based improv troupe The Committee, featuring a very young Howard Hessman among others but overall the comedy routines simply bridge the gap between musical performances.
With a guest list that reads mostly rock and R&B you can see where the bulk of the music here lies style wise. In his own performances (and their are several) Jones himself mostly does uptempo 50's rock and 60's soul numbers, occassionally crooning the adult contemporary show tunes and love songs that comprised much of his record albums of the time. Jones does duet with several of the musical guests, undoubtedly the highlight of this set, seeing the big voiced pop star jamming with Little Richard and Joe Cocker, smoothly crooning with Stevie Wonder, or belting with Aretha Franklin. The long talked about Jones/Janis Joplin duet is also included, a lengthy hip swiveling, wailing blues version of "Raise Your Hand" that even by today's standards has more than enough sexual innuendo (the camera cuts away to Joplin's band several times when her bumping and grinding comes a little to close to Jones). Of his own hits their are only a few, a minor negative that may be corrected with future sets (Time Life is expected to release at least one more compilation). However, there is a powerhouse performance of Jones 1970 hit "I (Who Have Nothing)" that simply brings the house down, a live showcase that shows Jones doesn't need much technological assistance on record to make his voice sound good, this guy simply blows people away when he sings.
Fans of the 60's music will enjoy this because the who's who guest list, plus it gives fans an opportunity to remember the versatile singer and entertainer that Jones was in his prime and not the open shirt Vegas caricature that became his reputation in the 70's. There's definately a lot ofhip swiveling dancing and women screaming here but Jones doesn't let get in the way of a good performance. Simply put, you wont have to be Tom Jones fan to enjoy this collection.
For their second release (third if you count last year's Christmas DVD) the Time Life folks have packaged more than 5 hours of highlights from "This Is Tom Jones", the grammy winning pop singer's ABC Variety show, this time focusing on pop and country performers (the first collection, released last June, was heavy on rock and R&B guests). The not as exciting as the first compilation (where Jones shares the stage with Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, and Stevie Wonder among others) this set is another fine example of the diversity of music television in the 60's, much like it's predecessor.
The guest list is ecclectic as Jones duets with jazz/rock fusion group Blood, Sweat & Tears, Mr Pop Music himself Tony Bennett, actress Diahan Carrol, an aging but still in good voice Bobby Darrin, and of course finds time for many of his mini "concert sets", the one or two song show closing performances in which Jones and his orchestra wail in front of the studio audience (almost all female, ranging in age from teenagers to 50 year olds). Most of the acts also get performances on their own where they don't have to share the spotlight with the host, although Jones typically keeps his powerhouse vocals and commanding stage presence in check enough so as not to overshadow his fellow performers during the duet sequences. Among the musical highlights is Jones and Sammy Davis Jr doing a song and dance routine while acting out the story to Mr Bojangles, Jones stealing the show with a dramatic performance of his hit single I (Who Have Nothing), and two performances with country star and early 50's rock-a-billy legend Jerry Lee Lewis, one Jones idols from his own youth. Chet Atkins joins in for a blue eyed soul drenched take on Willie Nelson's Funny How Time Slips Away, then Lewis and Jones tear it up rolling through a medley of "The Killer's" biggest hits (when Lewis starts playing the piano with his cowboy boots and doesn't miss a beat you know your watching a once in a lifetime musical moment).
This compilation features less of the comedy skits the show used as interludes between the musical numbers, so there's less Ace Trucking Company bits here. There are also few of Jones own hit singles being performed by the singer although fans will recognize Without Love and Green, Green Grass Of Home. Vickie Carr also appears, as do Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash (Johnny sings A Boy Named Sue and duets with Tom on I Walk The Line).
All in all this is a good set, even if it's not as chalk full of once in a lifetime moments as the first set. The first set is a definate buy not just for Tom Jones fans but for music fans in general looking for some visual history of the evolution of music television in the 1960's. This set is not as definitive in that sense but it is good fun and fans of 60's entertainment will enjoy it.
Movie Review: Thank you Time-Life.
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes, there are some "missing pieces" in this set (varying show lengths, deleted sequences), but considering that Jones and his [first season] show were true entertainment business phenomenons, and that only small excerpts have been available, at least domestically as far as I know, well, sit back and enjoy - though TJ's "Land of a Thousand Dances" could get Debby Boone fans to jump up and do the Mashed Potatoes.
Of course, with all the theatrics, beautifully captured and reprocessed nearly 40 years later (I have to mention the great art direction, the great orchestra and arrangements, and the expert editing, which today's tech.s should takea lesson from), it is the totally incredible voice box of Mr. Jones which covers the ticket cost. They didn't include the show where he sang, for the ages, Roy Orbison's "In Dreams", but that's okay.
Fans reading this know what I mean.
And recognizing those fans - they will go nuts when they witness terrific 1969 and 2007 interviews with Tom. His comments and observations are engaging and intelligent - this cat needs to teach a course!!
Downside: some truly humourless segments with the comedy teams, The Committee and The Ace Trucking Company. (Ace has one brilliant piece, however - they play behind-the-scenes personnel negotiating with Jones over modifying his...exuberance). Also, if you're a Glen Campbell fan/collector, forget it - his part is cut down to almost nothing for this package.
Back to upside: if you're a fan of Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker, Aretha Franklin, or Little Richard...check this out. But TJ fans forgive me: his enthusiasm does get in the way of said artists: For example, Little Richard was really at the top of his game on his comeback trail, rockin' and soulin' at a level at which even his most dedicated fans will be surprised, but there are spots on the shared medley of LR classics where the host should have stepped back and let this originator do his own thing - though musically it works and makes for high excitement, his [rock and roll] singing approach obviously is based heavily on Mr. Penniman's, and to the less initiated, casual listener, it actually sounds as if Tom is parroting his idol more than singing with him. Call and response was not appropriate - he should have provided high harmony for the most part. It's interesting, that in the Tom Jones "concert" segment at the end of this episode, Tom performs (what sounds alike like) Little Richard's Okeh Records' arrangement of "Don't Fight It" (listed as "You Gotta Feel It"). Years after this show The Quasar expressed upset with the level of TJ's mike during the medley. (Presumeably hearing this performance backstage or on the telecast, he must have exclaimed..."Shut up! I'd rather do it myself!!").
I heard, or *sensed* some distortion off Jones' mike but, considering his unusually strong voice, maybe no techonology could contain him then. (Or today).
Tom mentions Jerry Lee Lewis in his interview. Do I have to say it? Time-Life, uh, can you please consider Volume Two, with the above-mentioned Ferriday Fireball? Even better....release the whole series. (I'll brown bag it to work for a month, even though I'm retired).