An Album/Song A Week: Tom Jones - Tenth Anniversary Album: 20 Greatest Hits

My parents loved Pop vocalists.  My Dad's modest vinyl/8-track (and then later on CD) collection had plenty of them.  Outside of Elvis Presley, their second favorite singer was Tom Jones.  In the late 70's they went to see him in concert in San Francisco.  This was unusual, because my parents never went out much.  And while they saw their share of concerts when my Dad was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  By the time he retired from the Military in the late 70's, they rarely went out for a night on the town.  

Tom Jones is an incredible singer.  And he puts on a hell of a show.  My wife and I saw in Las Vegas in the early 2000's.  My parents were fans much earlier.  I remember watching his TV show, This Is Tom Jones, during its run in the late 60's/early 70's.  And my sister had some of his hits on 45's. 

Released in 1975 as a double LP,  the Tenth Anniversary Album-20 Greatest Hits is a top notch collection. In the U.S., the album was sold as one of those As Seen On TV mail-order deals.  But that's not where my parents bought it.  They got there copy at the concert.  And it remained a staple of our house until my Dad passed away in 2008.  It's an excellent collection. All the big hits up until 1974.  And if you still buy vinyl, I recommend it.  It was a #1 album in February 1975 in the U.K.  Eventually similar collections were released like this in the CD era.  But for you nostalgia types, someone put the original album up on YouTube.  

I still love Tom Jones.  He's remained active as he's reached 80 years of age.  Looking over the album again I'm transported to a night in the late 70's, when my parents came home from a wonderful night out.  Innocent times and memories from my teenage years.