Funky Friday - The Prince Of Wails

As it’s a public holiday here in the UK – I’ll keep the jabber and blab to a bare minimum and let Tom’s volume do the talking. If you caught last week’s FF, 'Lonely One' is the Tom tune Eddie Pillar recommended to me as, (and he told Tom himself this) it ‘gets them dancing on the tables’

The Lonely One



I’m afraid I can’t stretch to Hot Cross Buns, but, would a couple of Welsh rare beats do?

Dr Love



Fly Me To The Moon



Tom's new tunes are quiet tasty too...


PS if you happen to be around and about this way on Sunday - why not pop by - I may have a seasonal something for you…

Funky Friday - Cocktail Shakers

As I may have mentioned before I'm a bugger for a cover version, and one area rich with glittering goodies and buried treasure is that period when traditional, torch or show style singers decided to get 'with it' and shake a well-tailored trouser leg or cocktail dress to the way out sounds of the In Crowd.

The finest selections are typically found around the tail-end of the sixties/early seventies, when, for the first time, themes of social awareness, cultural tolerance and polite political pop started to appear in the rock songbook and provided a platform for Vegas style cabaret and cocktail acts to appear hip, happening and doing old school cool with a twist of contemporary conscience ...

Mel Torme - 'Games People Play'



Peggy Lee 'Everyday People'



Brenda Lee - Walk A Mile In My Shoes




Tom Jones & Engelbert Humperdinck (and Billy Preston)'Games People Play' - you have to wait one full minute for the tune to kick in, but it's well worth it

Funky Friday - The Ayatolla of Holler*

* see also Lord Of The Lungbusters, The Prince Of Wails, The Sultan of Boomei

I remember seeing someone (can't remember who) that had once duetted with Tom saying how they'd been blown away by the pure blockbusting bellow of his voice and although it projects well on TV ( and it does), not in any way can it capture the raw ear-quaking experience of having 'the Jones' belting out his full pelt decibel yell just a few feet away. Which is possibly why in duets like these with CSNY and with EMF - Tom seems to be sharing a stage with giddy gurners and grinners as he lets rip.

So, ladies and gentleman 'This Is Tom Jones....'

Treat Her Right - with some spectacular frugging and a'flailing


Show Me


See Saw


And some early seventies shakedowns including the tricky to track down 'Sugar Sugar'

'Venus'



'Sugar Sugar'



Proud Mary




There's two more Tom Team Ups here with Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin if your ears can take it.

Who Are The Mystery Girls ?

I only know a limited amount about each of these performers, and I think I'll keep it that way. It's actually quite liberating enjoying these songs for the songs sake - and not having the added baggage of facts and figures or being weighed down with the relative worth worked out on some ready reckoner of rock, pop and soul, which would burst the mystery bubble and take the gloss of the goodies anyway.

And for more funky nuggets why not check out what's a popping on all new That Black Magic blog


Judy Clay
'Private Number' the duet with recorded William Bell, was her only UK hit.
Judy Clay - 'It Ain't Long Enough'




Chris Clark
Was the first white female artist signed to Motown.
Chris Clark - 'Everything's Right Everything'Wrong'
(It's that man again- James Jamerson on bass)


Dee Dee Warwick
Is Dionne's elder sister.
Dee Dee Warwick -Rescue Me



Dee Dee also does a belting version of 'Monday Monday' - I'm desperate to get any version of this - so I'd be eternally grateful if anyone could slip a 'Monday Monday' MP3 my way.

Funky Friday - Queen Of Soul

I really haven't got anywhere near as much Aretha as I should - so any tip offs, starting points and must have recommendations would be welcome.

'I Say A Little Prayer'
This has to be the most beltingest version of the Bacharach/David classic - where other readings drift dreamily along, Aretha's sensual celebratery take swishes, swoops, swings and has me bending at the knee and bulging at the eye everytime. Absolutely stunning - Listen out for the Gospel style 'call and response' touches on the "forever and ever" section

Magic moments are...

The spiralling "do" - 1:31
The bellowing "EVER, YEAH " - 1:46
The soaring "one" 2:10




'I Say A Little Prayer' was recorded for Aretha's appearance on the Tom Jones Show ( the highlights of Tom's sixties shows are available on DVD), where Tom and Aretha also tuck into a couple of dynamic duets and put the needles in the red with their super seismic lungbusting.

Tom Jones and Aretha Franklin - 'See Saw'


And finally a few nuggets...

Aretha Franklin - You Keep Me Hanging On (outtake)




Since You've Been Gone.mp3



An extra special salute goes out to Vince at Fufu Stew for this track..

Tighten Up Your Tie, Button Up Your Jacket (Make It For The Door.mp3

Blue Monday - Johnny Adams

Had a hard week and a heavy weekend? Overdone the sipping and stodging?
Don't worry Johnny Adams is here with his soaraway Soul to soothe those jangled nerves.

Johnny Adams - Reconsider Me.mp3

Funky Friday - Something Old - Something New

Every Friday is Funky Friday on Planet Mondo and this week brings you several takes on 'Tell Mama'

Something old that looks like someone new, and someone new doing something old.


'Tell Mama' - Marva Whitney

I wonder if Amy Wino' may have taken a leaf or two out of Martha's style sheets?



Either that or Amy's a Time Lord! Which may explain the one size fit's all dimensions beehive and recent bout of 'fatigue'. Jet lag's nasty enough but jumping hoops through the space-time continuum is bound leave you a woozy, weary and struggling to make the gig.

Nah! That would just be too bizarre.


But not as bizarre as....


XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS OF SOUL!! sings Tell Mama



When Xena's done with cracking skulls, raiding the gates of Hades and slaying Cyclops, two headed serpents, and satanic wing-ed beasties, she hang's up her sword and shield and chills her boots by getting on the good foot at 'The Canal Rooms' (upstairs at the Prancing Pony). Where she likes to loosen up with some live on stage lungbusting.

Yes, it really is that Lucy Lawless

If all this has fried your brain, why not soothe your jangled nerves with this treat.

Etta James - Tell Mama

Funky Friday - Duets You Couldn't Dream Up (In a Good Way)

I've got two Youtube frug fest's this week, and a rare Tom Jones Northern Soul stomper available for download at the bottom.

Ray Charles and Billy Preston – Agent Double O Soul

Put those star performers together and you know that something good is going to happen! Doing Agent Double O Soul? That's it then,'banker' - no question, and a screamingly green suit is just the cherry on the top..

But if that funky bundle's not enough to lock your focus, wait until Mr Billy Preston does his scatter bomb bursts of leg actions, and jives like the jiggins for 1 minute and 42 seconds.

If he tried any harder he’d pop from the screen and dance like a pixie on the desk.

"Its a shame Ray Charles can't enjoy it!" was the cry from Mrs Mondo. Hmmmm



If you feel inspired to learn some of these groovy moves, why not shimmy over to the tip top Landcrofthouse blog and enjoy a James Brown masterclass showing on this screen

Tom Jones and Janis Joplin - Raise Your Hand

Starts as a “You Bump - I’ll Grind” duet, which smolders,smokes and shakes away politely(in what looks like a swingers bistro)until the sax solo kicks in. After that it’s volcanic vocals and lava flows of funk and fatbacking, all the way to the finish line. Sort of Hieronymus Bosch at the discotheque..



Tom Jones - Stop Breaking My Heart.mp3