The year was 1971, and I was only eleven years old, and yet I can remember it as if were only yesterday. I was in Ireland (Galway city) in a record store called " Poles Four Corner's". I was holding in my hands the original LP record, Tom Jones DELILAH. In my eyes (back then) Tom was not just the greatest singer in the world, but he was also the coolest.

"Go to bed." my mother would often scream at me when she would find me hiding behind the

couch, waiting for THIS IS TOM JONES to appear in our black and white televison.

Then she would turn to my much old brother (who was sitting on the couch almost as excited as I was) and say, "You'ra bad influence on him."

Once my mother went back to her room, I would sit on the couch next to my brother. When Tom

came on....my heart would be in my mouth. I just couldn't get over how good he was. As the years went on, we had all Tom Jones records in our house, and we would listen to them over and over and over again.

In November of 2011 (41 years later) my much old brother came to visit me in San Francisco.

I had not seen him in over 25 years. You can imagine we spoke many words. Then one day

he said to me, "That record we had of Tom Jones, Delilah was the first LP we ever had. You can't get that anymore. I tried everywhere. The songs on that LP can't be found any where. Laura....Weeping Annaleah. They're all gone forever. All we have left now are his hits.".

When I happened to see the CD DELILAH on Amazon, I couldn't believe it. "This can't be," I said to my son, who is now eleven, "Let's buy it and see if it's for real."

IT WAS THE REAL DEAL. I would love to see the look of joy on my brother face when I mail it him. When he open it up.....and sees the letters DECCA, and all the songs he thought were

gone forever Laura...Weeping Annaleah...My elusive dreams....Take me....and so on, his heart will give out a silent scream. As he turns the volume up..... I'm sure he'll wonder how did his younger brother ever manage to find the Holy Grail of Tom Jones?

Somewhere in the United Kingdom, a girl named Wendy (not knowing what she had) posted it on Amazon for only $29:98. I would have grabbed it for much much more. Hundreds Wendy. Yes, hundreds more.

Today, I believe, if we persevere and don't give up, we'll find BIG FOOT on Amazon.

Originally released about ten or twelve years earlier, this CD was re-packaged in 2011 as a set (Along came Jones, Atomic, Green green grass of home, Delilah) as Tom Jones X 4, with each CD in its own cardboard case but no liner notes or credits beyond the actual track listings.

It seems that the classic title track was the only single from this album, which is somewhat mellower tan his early music of the mid-sixties, but no less brilliant for that. Following the success of Green, green grass of home, there are some country songs here including Laura what's he got that I ain't got (a number one country hit, eventually covered by Kenny Rogers who also had a top 20 country hit with it; his version appeared on his eponymous 1977 album that also included Lucille and his cover of Green, green grass of home), Just out of reach (originally recorded in the fifties by Bonnie Lou, and often covered since) and My elusive dreams (a country hit as a duet by David Houston and Tammy Wynette). Tom's versions are well up to the standard that I expect from him, but there.

Elsewhere, I particularly like You can't stop love, in which Tom picks up the tempo a little. The title track (adopted by Stoke City fans as their anthem) is the track that everybody knows, but it isn't typical of the album. If you enjoy excellent pop and country ballads, superbly performed, this could be just what you are looking for.

Tom repeats his late 60's pattern with this album known mostly for it's title song (a Tom Jones classic) and some filler. Essential for Tom Jones' completists. Non-essential for others.