Tom Jones - Definitive Tom Jones 1964-2002 [Box Set] (CD)

All Music Guide

The Definitive Tom Jones 19642002 pretty much fulfills the criteria most fans expect a multidisc, careerspanning box set to satisfy. The fourCD, 93track collection includes most of his chart hits and all of the big ones, though some minor entries get skipped over as a well as a load of less familiar album tracks. Diehards might particularly rue the absence of the 1977 Top Twenty single "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow," his cover of "Resurrection Shuffle" (which charted as a Bside in the US in 1971), and his early single "This and That." Also, the sheer weight of material means that it's not nearly as concentrated in its power as a more concise greatest hits collection. It becomes less and less interesting as it ventures beyond the early 1970s, particularly on the last CD, taken up by a good number of clubby productions and celebrity duets from the 1990s and early 2000s. Still, Jones's remarkable voice remains at peak efficiency even on the fourth disc, something you can say of few ot...her pop singers when they pass the halfcentury mark. And the collection does document his versatility in a number of genres rock'n'roll, soul, MOR pop, and country music as well as his willingness to tackle material from a wide assortment of major popular composers, from Paul Anka, Jimmy Webb, James Brown, and Burt Bacharach to Merle Travis, Mickey Newbury, John Barry, and his early manager Gordon Mills. Wisely, it also heavily emphasizes his earliest and best work, tracks from his first decade as a recording artist taking up most of the first three discs. Those previously only wellversed in his hits will be pleased to find some unsung quality efforts here, like the punchy popsoul of "Some Other Guy," the ballads "To Make a Big Man Cry" and "I Wake Up Crying," a snazzy rendition of "Begin the Beguine," the brooding funk of "Looking out of My Window," and his cover of Solomon Burke's "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)." Frankly, however, the material and production aren't always good or suited for his voice, doing much to expose the limitations of his blustery approach as well as to complement its strength. As for rarities, there aren't many, though it does include the Joe Meekproduced "Little Lonely One" (recorded before Jones signed with Decca, and belatedly released after Tom became a star) and his 1964 flop debut single "Chills Fever," his best pure rock'n'roll track. The lengthy historical essay by Peter Doggett in the boundin booklet is good, but the track listings are more skeletal than they should be on a package of this magnitude, with no original release information beyond the years the songs were first issued. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Read more Less