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This Is Tom Jones

That's right, one of the greatest pop stars of all time had his own variety series for two seasons on ABC from 1969-71 and what a show it was!

This new DVD collection of 8 episodes focuses on 'Rock 'n' Roll Legends' - it's an amazing array of performances not just from the dynamic Tom Jones but also the Tommy-era Who, The Moody Blues, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and many other sixties superstars.

Not many singers have the chops to duet with the likes of Janis Joplin, Little Richard, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Joe Cocker but Tom Jones handled it easily and with style.

Sixties' rock enthusiasts will be especially pleased that these artists are captured at the peak of their majesty. The guest artist's solo spots are remarkable - Janis Joplin's heartbreaking 'Little Girl Blue' (one the finest performances she ever gave on film), The Who performing 'Pinball Wizard,' Joe Cocker doing 'Delta Lady' and 'My Baby Wrote Me A Letter,' Aretha Franklin's soulful rendition of 'Say A Little Prayer'... and on and on. It just doesn't get any better than this.

The production of this series was split between London and Hollywood - I'm not sure that had ever been done before - and it worked fantastically. The American productions are slicker and more colorful while the British shows are a bit edgier with the focus almost 100% on the music, the blend I prefer.

What a magnificent collection of classic pop tunes, wall to wall musical excitement with mind blowingly awesome performances. The colors pop, the music sizzles and the whole package thrills from start to finish.

And there's comedy as well - would you believe Richard Pryor, Pat Paulsen, Bob Hope (he's actually funny here), Peter Sellers, The Ace Trucking Company and The Committee? You'd be surprised how many great comics came out of the Committee, a youth oriented improv group - Howard Hessman, Patti Deutsch and Fred Willard to name a few. Fred Willard especially shines in these routines, he would turn up on Fernwood 2night a few years later. The Ace Trucking Company featured the irrepressible Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. (Bill Saluga) and you get one of his best "Oh, you doesn't have to call me Ray" routines.

New interviews with Tom Jones were filmed for this collection and they are as refreshing as they are informative. Tom gives great interview (you know that if you heard his talk with Terri Gross on Fresh Air a few years ago). He tells some amazing stories on this DVD set about breaking into the business and the trouble he had with American censors when it came to doing a love song duet with an African-American singer, Leslie Uggams. This was the sixties after all.

Paul Brownstein produced this DVD set for Time-Life; one of his signature additions are intros for each episode recorded by the show's star. Tom delivers up specific memories of the tapings and fascinating stories about the stars he worked with that week.

There are also network bumpers, promos and fantastic new and old interviews included along with a colorful booklet detailing the origin of the series with more info on the individual episodes. Another extra - on the astonishing Stevie Wonder episode you can jump between the British and American versions and see the differences between the two tapings. Believe it or not, they shot each show twice - one for British TV standards (NTSC) and one to American TV specs (PAL).

I'm not sure how this electrifying DVD collection could have been even marginally better than it is. There are some anomalies on the original source video tape in a few spots and a black & white kinescope had to be used for the Who episode as the original vanished long ago. These things can't be avoided and don't bother me in the least.

With music rights such a hot issue today it's a miracle that we get any top-notch musical variety shows like this one on DVD. It turns out one of the episodes in this collection had to be replaced at the last minute because of music rights and there are, regrettably, a few missing songs for this very reason.

Don't miss This Is Tom Jones - it's an assault on your senses, a bright, shining jewel that can be enjoyed over and over, year after year.

A3-disc second volume of This Is Tom Jones is coming from Time-Life in February 2008.

FEATURED TV DVDs:

Route 66 -
Season One Volume 1

Martin Milner (Tod Stiles) and George Maharis (Buz Murdock) star in this classic television drama about a couple of young guys who set out to see America in a brand new 1961 Corvette drop top.

What makes this show truly unique is that it was filmed in a different U.S. city each week, giving us a stark glance at what living in America looked like in 1960. It was a vastly different landscape, people lived a lot closer to the dirt back then. (I'll bet that decrepit New Orleans dock in episode three is a multi-million dollar condo development if it wasn't washed away by the levy failure.)

No television show had ever attempted anything on this grand a scale before, the technology necessary to make mobile TV production a practical enterprise had just been made available.

Read the entire review of Route 66 on DVD

The Muppet Show - The Complete Second Season

The last of the classic variety shows and one of the finest TV programs of all time, The Muppet Show Season 2 is an unrestrained delight from start to finish. This amazing production lit up the screens when it debuted in 1976 and the second season may be the best of the series' run.

The sing-alongable theme song. The incredible guest stars. The crazy costumes. Pigs in space. The crabby guys in the balcony. The love / hate relationship between Piggy and Kermit. All here to relive or experience for the first time. If you are encountering The Muppet Show for the first time, what a treat you're in for; if you watched the show as a youngster you may find yourself uncontrollably singing along with the bizarrely choreographed Tin Pan Alley tunes.

No question, this is Muppet-mania at its peak, before the many hit movies and Muppets on Ice diluted the product. How wonderful to see the delightful Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy and Miss Piggy trading barbs that could have come right out of radio. (In fact, some of the jokes do harken from Bergen's radio days.)

Read the entire review of The Muppet Show on DVD

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