![Definitive Tom Jones 1964-2002 [Box Set]](http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/amg/pop_albums/cov200/drg100/g193/g19344aded3.jpg)
Similar Albums:
- Artist: Tom Jones
- Rating:
- Release Date: December 16, 2003
- Type: Compilation (best of), Box set
- Genre: Rock
Review
The Definitive Tom Jones 1964-2002 pretty much fulfills the criteria most fans expect a multi-disc, career-spanning box set to satisfy. The four-CD, 93-track collection includes most of his chart hits -- and all of the big ones, though some minor entries get skipped over -- as well as a load of less familiar album tracks. Diehards might particularly rue the absence of the 1977 Top 20 single "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow," his cover of "Resurrection Shuffle" (which charted as a B-side in the U.S. 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 '70s, 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' remarkable voice remains at peak efficiency even on the fourth disc, something you can say of few other pop singers when they pass the half-century mark. And the collection does document his versatility in a number of genres -- rock & 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 well-versed in his hits will be pleased to find some unsung quality efforts here, like the punchy pop-soul 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 Meek-produced "Little Lonely One" (recorded before Jones signed with Decca, and belatedly released after Jones became a star) and his 1964 flop debut single, "Chills & Fever," his best pure rock & roll track. The lengthy historical essay by Peter Doggett in the bound-in 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 GuideTracks
CD 1
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| I Wake Up Crying | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | Tom Jones | (2:21) |
| It's a Man's Man's Man's World | Tom Jones | (2:42) | |
| You Keep Me Hanging On | Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland, Brian Holland | Tom Jones | (2:44) |
| Delilah (Lyrics) | Tom Jones | (3:25) | |
| Weeping Annaleah (Lyrics) | Mickey Newbury | Tom Jones | (3:28) |
| Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms) | Tom Jones | (2:42) | |
| Help Yourself | Tom Jones | (2:56) | |
| A Minute of Your Time | Tom Jones | (2:58) | |
| My Girl Maria | Tom Jones | (3:27) | |
| Looking Out My Window (Lyrics) | Tom Jones | Tom Jones | (2:21) |
| Love Me Tonight (Lyrics) | Tom Jones | (3:13) | |
| Fly Me to the Moon | Bart Howard | Tom Jones | (2:27) |
| Wichita Lineman | Jimmy Webb | Tom Jones | (2:50) |
| (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay | Otis Redding, Steve Cropper | Tom Jones | (3:22) |
| Hey Jude (Lyrics) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Tom Jones | (3:47) |
| That Wonderful Sound | Tom Jones | (3:39) | |
| Without Love (There Is Nothing) | Tom Jones | (3:46) | |
| Daughter of Darkness | Tom Jones | (3:18) | |
| Can't Stop Loving You | Tom Jones | (4:10) | |
| I Can't Turn You Loose | Otis Redding | Tom Jones | (2:11) |
| Let There Be Love | Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb | Tom Jones | (3:38) |
| I (Who Have Nothing) | Tom Jones | (2:58) | |
| Lodi | John Fogerty | Tom Jones | (2:58) |
| Try a Little Tenderness | Jimmy Campbell, Harry Woods, |
Tom Jones | (4:25) |
| To Love Somebody | Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb | Tom Jones | (3:25) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| She's a Lady (Lyrics) | Paul Anka | Tom Jones | (2:57) |
| Puppet Man | Howard Greenfield, Neil Sedaka | Tom Jones | (3:26) |
| Do What You Gotta Do | Jimmy Webb | Tom Jones | (2:53) |
| In Dreams | Roy Orbison | Tom Jones | (3:25) |
| You're My World (Il Mio Mondo) | Carl Sigman, |
Tom Jones | (3:26) |
| Till (Lyrics) | Tom Jones | (2:19) | |
| The Young New Mexican Puppeteer | Tom Jones | (4:35) | |
| The Witch Queen of New Orleans | Tom Jones | (2:36) | |
| Tired of Being Alone (Lyrics) | Al Green | Tom Jones | (3:06) |
| If | David Gates | Tom Jones | (3:04) |
| Letter to Lucille (Lyrics) | Tony Macaulay | Tom Jones | (3:05) |
| Ain't No Sunshine | Bill Withers | Tom Jones | (2:39) |
| (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right | Homer Banks, |
Tom Jones | (3:28) |
| Today I Started Loving You Again | Merle Haggard, Buck Owens | Tom Jones | (3:12) |
| Lean on Me (Lyrics) | Bill Withers | Tom Jones | (4:04) |
| Pledging My Love | Tom Jones | (2:52) | |
| Right Place, Wrong Time | Tom Jones | (5:37) | |
| Raining in My Heart | Boudleaux Bryant | Tom Jones | (3:30) |
| I Got Your Number | Johnny Bristol, |
Tom Jones | (3:27) |
| Memories Don't Leave Like People Do | Tom Jones | (4:19) | |
| Lusty Lady | Johnny Bristol | Tom Jones | (4:11) |
| Darlin' | Tom Jones | (3:16) | |
| No Guarantee | Tom Jones | (3:48) |
CD 4
