Tommy James created some of the best pop of the mid to late 60s with his band Tommy James and the Shondells
Allmusic: Tommy James & the Shondells — the very mention of their name, even to someone who doesn’t really know their music, evokes images of dances and the kind of fun that rock & roll represented before it redefined itself on more serious terms. And between 1966 and 1969, the group enjoyed 14 Top 40 hits, most of which remain among the most eminently listenable (if not always respected) examples of pop/rock.
It’s amazing to think that the band wrote many, not all, of their songs and they were all in their teens.
Not big feet you say?
Sure, but tin this case the pop songs were good.
Wikipedia: Tommy James was born Thomas Jackson on April 20, 1947, in Dayton, OH. He was introduced to music at age three, when he was given a ukulele by his grandfather. He was an attractive child and was working as a model at age four, which gave him something of a taste for performing. By age nine, he’d moved to the next step in music, taking up the guitar, and by 1958, when he was 11, James began playing the electric guitar. In 1960, with his family now living in Niles, MI, 13-year-old James and a group of four friends from junior high school — Larry Coverdale on guitar, Larry Wright on bass, Craig Villeneuve on piano, and Jim Payne on drums — got together to play dances and parties. This was the original lineup of the Shondells ….
The band hit it big in Pittsburgh, moved there and never looked back. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. — "Hanky Panky" (1966) and "Crimson and Clover" (1968) — and also charted twelve other Top 40 hits, including five in the top ten: "I Think We’re Alone Now", "Mirage", "Mony Mony", "Sweet Cherry Wine", and "Crystal Blue Persuasion".
They were very (very) popular.
When Tommy decided to branch out solo he was 23. He had a hit almost immediately with "Draggin’ the Line" (#4 in 1971) but failed to build on that.
Tommy James and the Shondells were always perceived as a singles band and never really had much album success. Only one of their early eight or so albums cracked the Top 10. This lack of album success was to plague Tommy James as a solo artist also.
Which is a pity because, after the creation of rock journalism, you had to have commercial chart success with albums to be taken seriously. The joy for us is that because James’ albums sold so poorly, they are less known and become little undiscovered treasures.
Tommy was only 23 or 24 when he cut this album.
And, he had balls – signing on the cream of Nashville to play with him:
Electric Guitars: Tommy James, Scotty Moore (yes, Elvis’ guitarist) , Dave Kirby
Pedal Steel Guitar: Pete Drake
Acoustic Guitars: Ray Edenton, Dale Sellers, Linda Hargrove, Tommy James
Keyboards: Pig Robbins, George Richey
Bass: Bob King
Fiddle: Buddy Spicher
Harmonica: Charlie McCoy
Drums & Percussion: DJ Fontana, Buddy Harmon, Russ Leslie
Background Vocals: The Nashville Edition
I would like to hear Tommy singing country but that’s not the case here. Tommy takes the country sounds, "urbanises" them and attached them to his trademark pop. He isn’t flip flopping between genres but rather taking what he likes from the sound for himself. Country fans, and country rock fans may be disappointed but people who like their pop a little "out there" will be impressed.
Does it work?
Not always but there is genius in the trying.
Around this time, or a couple of years later, Elton John stuck his toe into the country rock ‘n’ pop puddle and struck gold. Tommy (who musically isn’t dissimilar to Elton) could have been as big as Elton if he was as consistent and if he didn’t take as many chances.
A pity perhaps, especially for Tommy’s hip pocket.
Tracks (best in italics)
- Nothing to Hide -(Tommy James / Bob King) – country soul gospel – a touch of Melanie. Pure beautiful pop. Spiritual even. The white southern soul singers had done this sound already but this is no less persuasive.
- Tell ‘Em Willie Boy’s a’ Comin’-(Tommy James / Bob King)- This has nothing to do with the movie of the same title I believe(?). Some nice guitar sounds add zing to the otherwise formal song structure.
- White Horses-(Tommy James / Bob King) – This is what the Rolling Stones would have sounded like if they were more pop and less country blues around this time. Crisp and clear and radio friendly but evocative.
- The Last One to Know-(Tommy James / Bob King)- hmmm filler? The type of MOR hyper emotive country Elvis would have nailed. Despite being written by Tommy it doesn’t really suit him as much.
- Rosalee – (Linda Hargrove)- This is originally by the influential (but poorly selling) country singer songwriter Hargrove but is standard singer songwriter stuff. She also played on these sessions.
- Paper Flowers-(Ritchie Cordell / Joey Dee / Tommy James)- slight pschedelica in a country mode. Cool.
- Walk a Country Mile-(Tommy James / Bob King)- a straight country thumper.
- Who’s Gonna Cry-(Tommy James / Bob King)- MOR singer songwriter country which is emotive and beautifully realised but, incredibly, errrr MOR.
- Forty Days and Forty Nights-(Tommy James / Bob King)- Pleasant but it doesn’t really go anywhere.
- Kingston Highway-(Tommy James / Bob King / Morris Levy)-a big, dramatic ballad
- I Live to Love a Woman-(Tommy James / Bob King)-a straight country rock stomper, not that dissimilar to what Jerry Lee Lewis was doing. In fact it bares a resemblance to "Hi Heel Sneakers".
- Fortunada-(Tommy James / Bob King / Arnie Silver)-straight pop with country overtones.
- Dark Is the Night-(Tommy James / Bob King)- pure pop but very catchy.
And …
Not a total success but there are some magnificent moments and enough other interesting things going on to make it worthwhile. A definite curio…. I’m keeping it.
And what a great album title, whatever it means.
Chart Action
US
Singles
1972 Tell ‘Em Willie Boy ‘S A’Comin’ The Billboard Hot 10 0#89
1971 Nothing To Hide The Billboard Hot 100 #41
Album
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England
Singles
Album
—
Sounds
Nothing to Hide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b89LbxY7G3k
mp3 attached below:
Tell ‘Em Willie Boy’s a’ Comin’ –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b89LbxY7G3k
White Horses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X1rl-eWw_c
The Last one to Know
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dpo8nRcRzU
Rosalee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LE2civK4z4
Paper Flowers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH-1ViS-cMw
Walk a Country Mile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD0VyLSjcvU
Who’s Gonna Cry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZSriqzkxjs
Forty Days and Forty Nights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=984ZIzDtECQ
Kingston Highway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiuxicRyQK0
I Live to Love a Woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suy4_20O5X8
Fortunada
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXJrzd2wNwY
Dark Is the Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS8A90-bJLo
Others
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbsoeoGv-_U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTS059Bybkk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIeRqPFJvXM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz8BCLNHREI
Review
http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-head-my-bed-amp-my-red-guitar-mw0000870144
http://www.redtelephone66.com/2011/09/tommy-james-my-head-my-bed-my-guitar-1972/
Bio
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-james-the-shondells-mn0000620386
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_James_and_the_Shondells
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-james-the-shondells-mn0000520975
Website
https://www.tommyjames.com/
Trivia
- In February 2010, he published an autobiography "Me, The Mob, and The Music" about his time with Roulette Records which he suggests was a mob front. Wikipedia: James estimates the company owed him $30–40 million in royalties he never received. Roulette was a front for organized crime, also functioning as a money laundering operation. In the early 1970s, Levy was at the wrong end of a mob war. James had to leave New York for a while to avoid a mob hit, which explained why he recorded an album in Nashville in 1972.
