From the Vault...

01/22/2022
#1814

info
Tom Jones
"Don't Let Our Dreams
Die Young"


© Merucry Records

Year of Release: 1983
Rating:

track listing
  • You've Got A Right
  • The One I Sing
    My Love Song To
  • This Ain't Tennessee And
    She Ain't You
  • I've Been Rained On Too
  • You Are No Angel
  • Don't Let Our Dreams
    Die Young
  • This Time
  • That Old Piano
  • Loving Arms Of Tennessee
  • You Lay A Whole
    Lot Of Love On Me
  • You Are The Sunshine
    Of My Life
  • I'm Walking
  • Take Me To The River
  • Roll Over Beethoven
  • Lady Madonna
  • In The Midnight Hour
  • Nine To Five
  • Show Me
  • Let It Be
  • Lay Down Sally
  • Rock And Roll Music
  • For Once In My Life
  • Got To Get You
    Into My Life
  • Great Balls Of Fire
  • Honky Tonk Women
  • Such A Night
  • Passion
  • Stagger Lee
  • I Love A Rainy Night

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    Previous Review: #1813
    Polo G--Hall Of Fame
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    Bill Cosby--It's True! It's True!
    Tom Jones
    "Don't Let Our Dreams Die Young"



    Tom Jones returns this week, with his 1983 Mercury release, Don't Let Our Dreams Die Young. Tom Jones has pretty much covered every music genre. On this album, it's Country. The original album consisted 10 Country songs. For the reissue on CD, all 10 songs are here, and as extran bonuses, 19 songs are included. You would think these 19 songs would also be Country songs, but they are not: They are 19 "oldies," covering songs from the 1950s to the 1970s. These 19 tracks are live, from legendary US Coast to Coast TV specials, recorded in 1981, and published on CD Tom Jones' "Coast To Coast Classics." [Recall SMDD 202 (P) 1999] The Coast To Coast concert is a 2-CD set, 39 songs total.


    The original 10 tracks brings Tom Jones to a new dimension: Country. His past songs (especially from the 1960s), had him having his own unique sound. This can be said the same for his Country songs. He brings his own musical style to Country, and makes it his own. And, it still labels him as a gifted and entertaining performer. He would record a series of Country albums, and Don't Let Our Dreams Die Young is one of those Tom Jones Country albums.


    The first track, "You've Got A Fight" sounds more Pop than Country. Then the rest of the album does fit Country, combining a bit of Pop. And what was heard in the 1980s Country, there were songs of mixed Pop and country, and, they did both mix well for Country music. Tom Jones' Country here is no exception.


    "The One I Sing My Love Song To," "This Ain't Tenneessee ANd She Ain't You" (a great Country song title) mix both Pop and Country well. Even the more Pop than Country "Ive Bee Rained On Too" works well. And remembering how Country sounded in the 1980s, "You Are No Angel" fits. This is a song that Alabama could have covered.


    Next, is the title track, and it does fit the Country format well. It is similar to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "American Dream." "This Time" is also another great "Tom Jones Country" song. "That Old Piano" gives this song as his (Tom Jones) own -- The piano solo compares to the cousins Jerry Lee Leweis and/or Mickey Gilley. What also makes it his own, is how he sings/pronounces the word "piano" as -- "pianna." "Loving Arms Of Tennessee" is another 1980s Country song, as it has an almost gospel country feel. ("This Old Piano" also has the almost gospel feel also.) Ending the original 10-tracks of this album, is "You Lay A Whole Lot Of Love On Me" -- a nice, soft-Country, ballad-like.


    The 19 Bonus Tracks -- Coast To Coast Classics
    From his 1981 Coast To Coast Classics, 19 of the 39 songs of live recordings, Tom Jones brings his own unique style to each song. You can easily say they are quite different than the originals. The reason why? It's TOM JONES...

    SongRecorded By
    "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"Stevie Wonder
    "I'm Walking"Fats Domino
    "Take Me To The River"Talking Heads
    "Roll Over Beethoven"Chuck Berry
    "Lady Madonna"The Beatles
    "In The Midnight Hour"Wilson Pickett
    "Nine To Five"Dolly Parton
    "Show Me"Joe Tex
    "Let It Be"The Beatles
    "Lay Down Sally"Eric Clapton
    "Rock And Roll Music"Chuck Berry
    "For Once In My Life"Stevie Wonder
    "Got To Get You Into My Life"The Beatlesr
    "Great Balls Of Fire"Jerry Lee Lewis
    "Honky Tonk Women"Rolling Stones
    "Such A Night"Elvis Presley
    "Passion"Rod Stewart
    "Stagger Lee"Lloyd Price
    "I Love A Rainy Night"Eddie Rabbitt


    As much as Tom Jones is a great live performer, I'm sure this concert was very entertaining to see. However, with these "bonus tracks" being part of a Tom Jones Country album, my only complaint would be, the bonus tracks would have been better if they were country bonus tracks. Did Tom Jones ever have a Country concert? [An interesting fact: As many great songs Tom Jones had in the peak of his career (late 1960s/1970s), he never had a #1 Pop song. However, in 1977 he did reach #1 on the Country songs chart, with "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow."


    Tom Jones' Don't Let Our Dreams Die Young (original 10 tracks) is a good Country album. He brings each songs as his own, as he always has. The Coast To Coast concert is a bonus, and it has Tom Jones is fine live performance form.


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    Previous Review: #1813
    Polo G--Hall Of Fame
    Next Review: #1815
    Bill Cosby--It's True! It's True!