Product Description

Two giants of easy-listening pop team up for this larger than life collaboration. Deftly fusing Jones's bluster with Holland's sophistication, they rattle through a collection of old-school rock 'n' roll, rhythm & blues and country classics, as well as several originals.

Track Listing

1. Life's Too Short
2. 200lbs Of Heavenly Joy
3. Good Morning Blues / One O'Clock Jump
4. It'll Be Me
5. Who Will The Next Fool Be
6. Linda Lu
7. St. James' Infirmary Blues
8. Odd Man Out
9. Roberta
10. Baptism By Fire
11. Think
12. Hanging Up My Heart For You
13. Mess Of Blues
14. Sally Suzas
15. My Babe
16. Slow Down
17. Glory Of Love
18. Mam & Dad's Waltz
19. End Of The Road

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4413 in Music
• Released on: 2004-09-27
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Blandly, if wholly accurately, entitled Tom Jones & Jools Holland, this buoyant rhythm 'n' blues / rock 'n' roll hook-up between England's entertaining piano-plonking proponent and the bellowing Boyo from the Valleys may have been better served by sticking with the abandoned album titles of "Rough & Ready" and "Tom Sings, Jools Swings". Not that the contents, fine as they are, will come as any surprise to those acquainted with the nature of these particular beasts. Conjoined by a mutual interest in rock 'n' roll roots, Jones and Holland blast through an array of old-time jewels (Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin' Wolf, Charlie Rich, Count Basie) steadily maintaining that all-important equilibrium between sophistication and spit 'n' sawdust and barely pausing for breath before the mellower farewells of Big Bill Broonzy's "Glory Of Love" and the country sentimentality of Lefty Frizzell's "Mom And Dad's Waltz". Some of the self-penned numbers sound formulaic but then, when you! think about it, they need to be. All in all, possibly the most fun you can have at a Teddy Boy's Wedding Reception this side of Wizzard's Introducing Eddy And The Falcons LP. --Kevin Maidment

From the Label
The collaboration of the year touches down when Tom 'the voice' Jones and Jools 'the piano' Holland release their joint foray of musical delight, Tom Jones & Jools Holland. A roots rock 'n' roll album, it will have exactly the same effect on you as it did on them; make you remember why you loved music in the first place.

Already sharing a love of rhythm and blues, country and rock n roll, Tom Jones & Jools Holland is a collection of some of the greatest songs the genres have to offer mixed with some brand new tracks, all performed with the exuberant power and spontaneous enthusiasm that only a pairing of this kind could produce. 'Tom Jones & Jools Holland is a barrage of timeless tracks, with Howlin' Wolf's "200lbs Of Heavenly Joy" kick starting a campaign of classics. "Good Morning Blues/One O'Clock Jump", "My Babe", "Who Will The Next Fool Be" and the classic "Hanging My Heart Up For You" add to the mix and offer the most intimate insight into the influences that have formed two of the UK's greatest ever performers.

Tom Jones & Jools Holland also harbours some future classics in the form of new, joint-Jools-and-Jones records written especially for the album. The opening track, the splendidly titled "Life's Too Short", is the first fruit of the Jones / Jools tree.

Customer Reviews

The Best of Friends.
After the success of the Friends albums, where singers from all backgrounds of musical backgrounds were backed by Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, it was only a matter of time before the band were to back a singer over the course of an album. And here it is, Tom Jones had already proven his voice was sympathetic to the sound of the big band on the second volume of the friends series and the only question was could an hour of this material hold the listeners interest.

The album start s with the full effect of the orchestra surging through the first two numbers `Life's Too Short (To Be With You)' and `200lbs of heavenly Joy' which act as real statement of intent and suggest that this may be a match made in heaven.

The third song `Good Morning Blues' is really where Tom shows he is a perfect vocalist to the band with this traditional big band arrangement truly being compliments by his voice in a manner which surpasses, at least technically, the sort of vocal accompaniment Jools would normally give to such a number. This really is the highlight of the album and where character songs such as `Linda Lu' and `St James Infirmary Blues' come close to matching it they never really surpass it.

The worst songs collected here are the original Rock'N'Roll numbers such as `It'll be me', `Mess of Blues' and `Slow Down' whose arrangements sound slightly contrived, that's not that they are poor arrangements, they just don't sound as if they came together organically. A truly great album with arrangements that suit Tom voice much better than the electro pop of the Mr Jones album that preceded it.

Brilliant,............. just brilliant
Jools Holland, Tom Jones how could you go wrong, well this album just proves that you can't. Spectacular!

Tap your feet or leap about ...
This album is a classic - the sort that you will keep playing over the years. You'll always be moved to tap your feet or leap about because it's simple rock & roll, boogie -woogie & blues of the best kind. Whenever I play this album, friends 'perk up' and ask who is it? When I tell them they are suprised; they shouldn't be as Tom Jones' voice is as big and powerful as Jolls Holland's musicianship - together they are awesome. Something for everyone. The St. James Infirmary Blues is my favourite - goosebumps every time.