Help Yourself (Tom Jones album)

Help Yourself
Studio album by
Tom Jones
ReleasedNovember 1968
Length43:27
LabelDecca
ProducerPeter Sullivan
Tom Jones chronology
Delilah
(1968) 		Help Yourself
(1968) 		This Is Tom Jones
(1969)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Help Yourself is the twelfth studio album by Welsh singer Tom Jones, released in November 1968 on Decca Records.[2] The album included the title track which reached number 5 in the UK. The track topped the charts in Ireland, Germany, and spent three weeks at number on the Australian chart.[3]

Help Yourself peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 5 on the Billboard 200 in 1969.

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes, "The infectious title track was a Top 40 hit and it helped make Help Yourself Tom Jones' first Top Ten album, but the record was weighed down by lackluster material, making the album his weakest set since A-tom-ic Jones."[1]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Help Yourself" (Carlo Donida, Jack Fishman) – 2:53
  2. "I Can't Break The News to Myself" (Jimmy Williams, Larry Harrison) – 2:31
  3. "The Bed" (Dick Heard, Eddie Rabbitt) – 2:46
  4. "Set Me Free" (Curly Putman) – 3:15
  5. "I Get Carried Away" (Annette Tucker, Keith Colley, Nancy Mantz) – 3:02
  6. "Laura" (Leon Ashley, Margie Singleton) – 3:38
  7. "Elusive Dreams" (Curly Putnam) – 3:46

Side two

  2. "The House Song" (Noel Paul Stookey, Robert H. Bannard) – 3:38
  3. "So Afraid" (Jerry Chesnut) – 3:23
  4. "If I Promise" (Jerry Reed) – 2:15
  5. "If You Go Away" (Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen) – 4:03
  6. "My Girl Maria" (James Luck, John Szego) – 3:25
  7. "All I Can Say is Goodbye" (Marty Wilde, Ronnie Scott) – 3:11

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1968–1969) Peak
position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[4] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[5] 4
US Billboard 200[6] 5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Help Yourself - Tom Jones". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Help Yourself – Tom Jones". www.tomjones.com. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Go-Set Australian charts – 2 October 1968". Poparchives.com.au. 2 October 1968. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Tom Jones - Help Yourself". VG-lista. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Tom Jones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  7. ^ "American album certifications – Tom Jones – Help Yourself". Recording Industry Association of America.