Tom Jones announces new album with Radiohead-esque single 'Talking Reality Television Blues'

Tom Jones has announced plans for a new covers album and he’s shared the first track – a reworking of Todd Snider’s ‘Talking Reality Television Blues’.

The Radiohead style cover of the track, which you can listen to below, is the first taster from ‘Surrounded By Time’, the follow-up to his 2015 record ‘Long Lost Suitcase’. It comes out on April 23.

“I was there when TV started – didn’t know I’d become a part of it – but it could be that its power is to remind us how wonderful, crazy and inventive we are, but also how scary the reality it reflects can be,” Jones said.

Jones’ new album was co-produced by Ethan Johns and Mark Woodward and also features reimagined versions of songs by Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Bobby Cole.

 

You can view the full tracklisting for ‘Surrounded By Time’ below:

‘I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall’ (Bernice Johnson Reagon)
‘The Windmills Of Your Mind’ (Michel Legrand/Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
‘Popstar’ (Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam)
‘No Hole In My Head’ (Malvina Reynolds)
‘Talking Reality Television Blues’ (Todd Snider)
‘I Won’t Lie’ (Michael Kiwanuka & Paul Butler)
‘This is the Sea’ (Michael Scott)
‘One More Cup Of Coffee’ (Bob Dylan)
‘Samson And Delilah’ (Tom Jones, Ethan Johns, Mark Woodward)
‘Mother Earth’ (Tony Jo White)
‘I’m Growing Old’ (Bobby Cole)
‘Lazarus Man’ (Terry Callier)

Speaking in NME‘s Soundtrack Of My Life this week, Jones also revealed that the song he wants playing at his funeral is Jerry Lee Lewis‘ ‘Great Balls Of Fire’.

“It’s always been a favourite of mine. If someone wants me to sing something, I’ve always said: ‘If in doubt, do ‘Great Balls Of Fire’. But at my funeral, I’d have to play the original 1957 version released on Sun Records.”

He also said the first album he ever bought was Lewis’ self-titled debut album.

“This was the first album Jerry Lee Lewis made, 1958 I think it was, and I bought it at the local record shop in Pontypridd which was called Freddie Fey’s. When you bought a record in those days, they’d stamp it, and I still have my copy of the album to this day with the Freddie Fey’s stamp on it,” Jones added.