The Best of Tom Jones [IMPORT] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Tom Jones

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 15, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 16, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Polygram UK
• ASIN: B000007OWW
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,291 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. It's Not Unusual

2. Chills and Fever

3. Green, Green Grass of Home

4. What's New Pussycat?

5. Thunderball

6. Not Responsible

7. Detroit City

8. (It Looks Like) I'll Never Fall In Love Again

9. I'm Coming Home

10. Delilah

11. Love Me Tonight

12. Help Yourself

13. Without Love (There Is Nothing)

14. Daughter Of Darkness

15. She's a Lady

16. I (Who Have Nothing)

17. Till

18. Young New Mexican Puppeteer

19. Something 'Bout You Baby I Like

20. Letter To Lucille

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Despite the killing hokiness of some of his material--"The Young New Mexican Puppeteer," anyone? Anyone?--Tom Jones has always had an ear for songs and the hefty voice to apply to them; Prince's "Kiss," with its line about watching Dynasty, was made for Jones. This umpteenth collection of his hits, otherwise concentrating on his '60s and '70s work for the British Decca label, definitively pulls together the Welshman's strong supper-club musical instincts and playful campiness. ("What's New Pussycat?" is here, of course, and on the back cover, he seems to be posing with the Golddiggers.) You want over-the-top? Over-the-top is his home, as the massively un-PC "Delilah" and "Not Responsible" remind us. One unfortunate omission: the Bacharach-David movie theme "Promise Her Anything." --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Tom Jones collection of all-time!, April 16, 2000

By	Jason Ross (Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada!) - See all my reviews

All of his best sixties and seventies memorable hits classics are here like "What's New Pussycat?", "It's Not Unusual", "Deliah", "Thunderball" & "Kiss". It was originally released on Decca Records label in 1997associated with a company called Deram after 1998. By polygram's recent album compilation 'The Complete Tom Jones' now added with 22 tracks re-issued instead of twenty songs. Now i'm suprised it's digtally remastered. You'll won't be disapointed because this is the definitive ultimate CD your sure to enjoy for any casual listener!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captures Tom Jones' Strongest Period, April 26, 2005

By	L.A. Scene (Indian Trail, NC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Times change - and what goes in and out of style is often very subjective to the period of time we are in. While Tom did always maintain a core legion of fans - if you go back to the late 1970s and early 1980s and mention the name of Tom Jones, you probably would be laughed at. However if you went back to the 1960s, Tom Jones had an extremely devoted following. At the same time, it also seems that Tom Jones has somehow gone through a renaissance in the 2000s. People are now getting into Tom Jones again. It's not like there has been this great 1960s cultural renewal - it's just that Tom Jones music is suddenly come in today. Although this is a shot in the dark, one reason why I think that there is renewed interest in Tom Jones is because of the success that the "Austin Powers" movies had. Whatever it is, when I hear the sounds and music of Austin Powers - it immediately reminds me of Tom's music. One collection that a has a snapshot of Tom's work in the late 1960s and early 1970s is the collection, "The Best of Tom Jones".

I think there are several reasons for why Tom Jones can still have appeal in the 21st century. The main reason is Tom's unique baritone voice. Tom's vocals are some of the strongest in the music business. Whether its pop, dance - or even country and techno, Tom has always found the ability to adapt his style to many different music variants. Tom's music also has some very interesting sounds. One reason I can think of "Austin Powers" is because Tom's music and that movie's music have almost a psychedelic "pop sound". Finally, I think Tom's strength as a live performer has really helped to solidify his appeal. Tom's somewhat gregarious style on stage has made him one of the most frequent recipients of women's undergarments on stage - even today.

"The Best of Tom Jones" does a pretty good job at the content of the collection. It includes 21 classic tracks from 1965 through 1974 and also includes Tom's 1989 remake of Prince's "Kiss". I prefer my greatest hits collections to be in chronological order - this allows me to see how the artist has progressed over time. For the most part (with a few exceptions), "The Best of Tom Jones" comes pretty close to going in chronological order. One example of this is "Puppet Man" was released on the "She's a Lady" album, yet it is included after songs like "Letter to Lucille" and "The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" that were released after "Puppet Man". But for the most part, you can get a sense for how Tom progressed.

As far as Tom Jones collections go, there are most certainly no shortage of greatest hits collections. Here are some of the more popular ones:

- "20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Tom Jones": This only contains 12 tracks. All twelve of these tracks are included on "The Best of Tom Jones". This is not in chronological order.
- "Gold": This is a more comprehensive collection of Tom's hits. This is a two-CD collection containing 42 songs. It doesn't include the remake of "Kiss". It also is missing "Chills and Fever" and "Somethin Bout You Baby I Like".
- "Reloaded: Greatest Hits": A collection of 19 of Tom's hits that include duets with contemporary artists.
- "The Definitive Tom Jones 1964-2002": This is the most comprehensive Tom Jones collection out there. This is a Boxed Set that includes 93 tracks. This contains all of the songs from "The Best of Tom Jones" with the exception of "Somethin Bout You Baby I Like".
- "The Complete Tom Jones": This older collection contains 20 tracks. All of the songs on this collection with the exception of "Move Closer" are included on "The Best of Tom Jones".

Overall, while I still know there are more comprehensive collections than "The Best of Tom Jones", for the most part I was pleased. The collection offers some classic Tom Jones' tunes such as "It's Not Unusual" and "She's a Lady" (the latter is my favorite Tom song). This collection is one of the few to feature the song "Somethin Bout You Baby I Like". Although Tom did some "country" albums in the 1980s, this particular song demonstrated that Tom could actually adapt to a Country-Music style. I was also pleased by the inclusion of "The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" - for a guy from Wales, this song sure had a terrific Tex-Mex flair to it. Despite the inclusion of "Kiss", I'm a bit disappointed that some more of Tom's covers are not included - and most notably, I would have liked to see a few of Tom's live cuts included.

The liner notes for this collection are a mixed bag. On the positive side, there is a terrific 2-panel write-up that is listed as "An Extract from the Legend of Tom Jones Volume 1" This write-up basically chronicles the early part of Tom's career. I found this very informative. On the negative side, there is little in the way of credits. You aren't told when the songs were released, you aren't told about the studio musicians, the songwriting credits, and what albums the songs are from. There are also no lyrics - but with greatest hits collections, it is typical that they are not included. Overall, I'd look to see what the best value you can get for your money in terms of selecting a Tom Jones compilation. Based on this, you still may want to look at "Gold" or "The Definite Tom Jones" boxed set. However, this collection still stands solid on its own as being a Tom Jones compilation. It does a great job at capturing Tom's peak period - Highly Recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific assortment of hits by Tom Jones , April 8, 2008

By	Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

The Best of Tom Jones is another excellent compilation of the best of Tom Jones' artistry. Wow, how that man can sing! The sound quality is excellent and I like that artwork!

"It's Not Unusual" starts the track set with one of Tom's earlier--and biggest--hits ever! Tom sings this with a lot of passion, heart and soul. His excellent diction and an uncanny sense of timing make this a huge hit for Tom Jones! "Chills And Fever" sounds very `60s; and this works well when Tom belts this one out with some help from a female chorus! Excellent!

"Green, Green Grass Of Home" has a country twist to it; the ballad is very pretty and the music that accompanies Tom really fits perfectly for his lyrics. This is very impressive. In addition, listen for Tom to wail out "What's New Pussycat?" from the film of the same name. Tom delivers this with a lot of warmth; and he sings with all his might to make this a very memorable number. "Not Responsible" features Tom singing a song about love with a "hip and happening" musical beat that shines strong!

"(It Looks Like) I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is a more tender ballad that Tom massages with his fine voice; and "Delilah" is a mighty awesome ballad even if some say it IS politically incorrect. "Delilah" was a huge hit for Tom and just listen tells you why--it's great! "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" has a spoken piece by Tom; and when he breaks into song this number takes off like a jet! Tom sings this especially well.

"She's A Lady" is easily a major highlight of this album; it was always a huge hit for Tom. "The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" isn't exactly my very favorite Tom Jones number; but he does sing this well and I appreciate that. "Puppet Man" is a better ballad that features Tom singing his heart out with a very solid backup group of lady singers.

The CD also ends very well with Tom doing a great job on "Kiss." "Kiss" is a Prince tune that Tom tackles--and he succeeds! Tom's voice and his talents make this a strong ending for this CD.

Tom Jones fans will enjoy this album; and this is also a great CD for people just becoming familiar with Tom Jones and his art. Enjoy!