Here he takes on Otis Redding and earns respect. The bands were routinely fantastic and Jones was in his element, much tougher than he was in the studio. Hard to Handle (live) (1969)Īny Jones album recorded in the first decade of his career with the word “live” is worth hearing. This Dr John cover concludes one of the worst Jones albums and – all sweaty and funky – appears to have been flown in from another record. The 70s and 80s were not, by and large, golden eras for Jones the recording artist – too much bad MOR country – but there were occasional gems. The A-side was Howlin’ Wolf’s Evil, but the B-side, a spare and haunted take on the betrayal ballad, was the keeper. Lo and behold, Jack White duly took an interest, and Jones recorded a single for Third Man with White producing. Bob Dylan’s What Good Am I? was the statement track, but this version of John Lee Hooker’s Burning Hell was more remarkable, casting Jones the Voice as the White Stripes of the valleys. Praise & Blame was the first of three albums produced by Ethan Johns that took Jones out of Vegas and insisted he be treated as an artist. This version of the Larry Williams stomper is a thrill.
Their joint album steered Jones back towards R&B without any modern affectations. Slow Down (2004)Įveryone has had a bash at rehabilitating Tom Jones this century and Jools Holland’s was one of the best. It’s a shade over two minutes that’s absolutely irresistible – not an overpowering performance, but a record that’s perfectly constructed to deliver a shot of adrenaline. Hide and Seek (1969)Ī B-side that has become a collectible Northern Soul classic, Hide and Seek is all thrusting brass, twanging guitar and Jones sounding like he’s having fun. On this Italian hit, with English lyrics by Leiber and Stoller, he defies you to suggest that maybe he is laying it on a bit thick. Give him something florid and overblown, though, and he’s devastating. Jones’s voice – roughly, a constipated bull rhino who has mistakenly been given Viagra – isn’t always great on ballads because it expands to fill every available space. The metaphor is obvious, but the song is undeniable. But best of all was this sombre, southern soul rereading of a Bruce Springsteen ballad about a veteran fighter. Subscribers can read our Aftershow interview with Tom Jones here.Tom Jones’s 2008 album 24 Hours was a mixed bag, with cheery efforts to recapture his swinging mojo (If He Should Ever Leave You) and a song from Bono and the Edge (Sugar Daddy). Last week’s No.1 album, Californian Soil by London Grammar, dropped to No.2 (6,612 sales). It’s wonderful that the public has allowed me to be musically expressive at my time of life and have shown their support.
“I am so proud of everyone who helped me create this music, I had a ball working with them and to get this result is just incredible. "I am thrilled beyond words with the reception for Surrounded By Time, and to now hold these UK chart records is tremendous, just unbelievable,” Tom Jones told. Jones is also the first Welsh soloist to land a UK chart-topper in nine years (Marina & The Diamonds’ Electra Heart in 2012). Surrounded By Time is Tom Jones’ fourth No.1 album and his first since 1999’s Reload, which debuted at the summit and had further spells at No.1 in 2000. It’s the fourth chart-topper so far this year for Rebecca Allen’s EMI, following two No.1 LPs by Taylor Swift and another by Barry Gibb. Surrounded By Time opened at the summit with sales of 14,936 (including 13,243 physical sales), according to the Official Charts Company. The late Dame Vera Lynn holds the overall record with her greatest hits collection We’ll Meet Again – The Very Best Of, which reached No.1 in 2009 when she was 92. He is the oldest artist ever to do so with an album of new material, overtaking Bob Dylan, who topped the chart at 79 years old last June with Rough And Rowdy Ways. Sir Tom Jones has set a chart record with his No.1 album Surrounded By Time (EMI).Īt 80 years and 10 months old, Tom Jones becomes the oldest male to claim a No.1 album.