Song of the Week #109 – “It’s Not Unusual”
Written by admin on June 4, 2012 – 10:42 pm - |
Tom Jones’ breakthrough hit “It’s Not Unusual” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons.
“It’s Not Unusual” was released on single in January 1965, backed with the Burt Bacharach-penned “To Wait For Love.” It also appeared on Jones’ debut UK album “Along Came Jones” in 1965 and on the US album “It’s Not Unusual” from the same year. |
After the disappointing failure of Tom Jones’ first single, “Chills and Fever”, few would have predicted that his next song would take the UK by storm and become one of the most memorable hits of the decade.
Songwriters, Les Reed and Gordon Mills (also Jones’ manager) originally conceived the song with Tom Jones in mind, but as the songwriting progressed they decided that it should be pitched to someone with more commercial clout. In a recent interview for Cherry Red Records Web TV, Les Reed recalled:
| “He (Gordon Mills) came up with the title and the first couple of bars of ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and I said that could be a great song… We worked on it for five days and by the time we’d finished we’d sort of lost interest in Tom Jones. I wanted it to go to Sandie Shaw and Gordon wanted it to go to Frankie Vaughan, who had had a few hits at that time.” |
Although the pair had decided to pitch the song to other artists, Tom Jones did record the demo, which also featured his group the Squires, along with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Reed on piano. The demo was taken by Jones, Mills and Reed to Sandie Shaw’s manager, Eve Taylor, who, according to Reed, was busy with another client and turned the song down on Sandie’s behalf. In an interview with Jones for the Mail on Sunday in 2011, he recalls this a little differently:
| “I did the demo on this song when it was being offered to Sandie Shaw. I was just starting out and, God bless her, she said: ‘Whoever’s singing this, it’s his song.’ Finding great new songs is never easy, and back in those days, finding one that would fit me – the way I felt and sang anyway – was difficult. I’m indebted to Sandie for being so generous.” |
Whether or not Shaw got to hear the song before it was turned down, the end result was the same; the coast was clear for Jones to record his breakthrough hit. Some changes would be needed though, as Reed recalls:
| “Because I had Sandie Shaw in mind, the arrangement I did [on the demo] was very Sandie…and it wasn’t big enough for Tom. So Peter Sullivan said ‘Les, you’ve got to give us plenty of brass’. I then went home, got back to the drawing board, and did the arrangement that everyone knows today.” |
Decca producer Peter Sullivan made a wise suggestion as the lively brass intro is as important to “It’s Not Unusual” as the fuzz-tone guitar intro is to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” These choices turn good records into great records.
The superbly arranged brass section, infectious melody, well-crafted guitar riffs, and strong percussion (particularly on the bridge where it punctuates Jones’ vocals – “Love will never do”/bam bam bam), are all important factors in the song’s success, but ultimately it’s Jones’ powerful voice that is the reason people are still listening to “It’s Not Unusual” almost 50 years after it was recorded.
“It’s Not Unusual” also remains one of the songs most closely associated with Tom Jones and is often used in a light-hearted context, including during Jones’ cameos in the movie “Mars Attacks!”, and television shows “The Simpsons” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” where it was the theme song for the hilarious “Carlton Dance”.
To this day, no Tom Jones concert is complete without a rendition of “It’s Not Unusual”.
“It’s Not Unusual” – Tom Jones
Authorship
The words and music for “It’s Not Unusual” were written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills. Reed would work with Tom Jones until 1972 and had a part to play in some of the star’s biggest hits, including “Green, Green, Grass of Home,” which he arranged, and “Delilah,” which he co-wrote with Barry Mason.
Tom Jones was managed by Gordon Mills until Mills’ death in 1986.
Recording date/location
“It’s Not Unusual” was recorded on November 11, 1964 at Decca Studios, 165 Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, London, NW6.
Tom Jones in the studio (1965)
Musicians
Session musicians were used on “It’s Not Unusual,” instead of Tom Jones’ regular backing band, and there are conflicting rumours about which session players were actually on the song. Gordon Thompson’s book “Please, Please Me – Sixties British Pop, Inside Out” claims that the following musicians appeared on the record:
- Tom Jones – vocals
- Joe Moretti – lead guitar
- Vic Flick – rhythm guitar
- Andy White or Ronnie Verrell – drums
- Stan Barrett – percussion
- Kenny Salmon – organ
- Eric Ford or Alan Weighell – bass
- John Carter and Ken Lewis – backup vocals
- Stan Roderick, Kenny Baker, Bert Ezzard, and Ray Davies or Eddie Blair – trumpets
- Ronnie Ross – tenor sax
- Harry Klein – baritone sax
- Bob Efford – second tenor sax.
Herbie Flowers is another bassist who has been linked to the song. Thanks to reader Douglas Milne for alerting us to that.
Various sources, including his own website, state that Chris Slade was the drummer on the song. Slade was a member of Jones’ group, the Squires, and would later play with AC/DC.
There is also a rumour that the then unknown Reginald Dwight played keyboards on the record. He would later become world famous as Elton John.
Guitarists Jim Sullivan and Jimmy Page have also both been linked with “It’s Not Unusual.” Les Reed has reportedly said that Joe Moretti was the only guitarist on the song, which would undermine Gordon Thompson’s listing of Vic Flick on rhythm guitar. However, Flick, who is best known for playing guitar on the James Bond theme, does include “It’s Not Unusual” in his list of credits on his website.
If you have further information on the musicians who played on “It’s Not Unusual,” let us know via the contacts page or in the comments section below.
Chart performance
“It’s Not Unusual” hit number one on the UK singles chart.
The song was also Jones’ first hit in the US, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Notable covers
“It’s Not Unusual” – The Dells
American R&B/soul group The Dells made their cover of “It’s Not Unusual” the title track of their final album for Vee-Jay Records in 1965. It’s a strong cover, with an imaginative lead vocal from Marvin Junior, whose improvisations with the melody work well and help distinguish the recording from the original. The strings are also a nice touch.
“It’s Not Unusual” – The Supremes
The Supremes’ cover of “It’s Not Unusual” was originally intended for inclusion on the album “The Supremes A’ Go-Go” (1966), but remained unreleased until 2008 when it appeared on the excellent 2-CD collection of rarities “Let the Music Play: Supreme Rarities.”
This is a good listen and well produced, but it has less drive than the original, not least because of Ross’s more laidback delivery. It’s definitely nice to have for fans of the Supremes, but also no suprise that it was held back.
Tom Jones and Mary Wilson of the Supremes would later have a close relationship.
“It’s Not Unusual” – Willie Bobo
Willie Bobo featured instrumental and vocal versions of “It’s Not Unusual” on his 1965 album “Spanish Grease”. In both cases, he does attempt to make the song his own, incorporating some lively and interesting latin rhythms. Of the two, the vocal version has the edge, even though Bobo’s voice isn’t going to set the world alight.
There will be a new Song of the Week on June 11.
“It’s Not Unusual” is available on many Tom Jones compilations, including the 2-CD “Tom Jones – Greatest Hits Rediscovered” from 2010, which features a good selection of new and old material.
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Tom Jones – Greatest Hits Rediscovered (2 CDs) |
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Tags: It's Not Unusual, the supremes, Tom Jones
Posted in British Invasion, Song of the Week |
