Watch Tom Jones belt it with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young during an unearthed 1969 duet
"So much talent on display."
Tom jones singing on 'This is Tom Jones" (left) Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young performing in 1970 (right).
The year was 1969. American culture was at a crossroads, with the Vietnam War dividing the country politically and counterculture in full swing. Despite the divide, music was there to unite in the golden age of variety shows.
In September of that year, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (CSN&Y) were asked to play a duet with Welsh singer Tom Jones on his variety television show and the pairing was a perfect example of the culture clash. Jones was famous for his hit songs “It’s Not Unusual” and “What’s New Pussycat?”, while CSN&Y had just played Woodstock and were known for the anti-war anthem “Wooden Ships” and “Long Time Gone” about the assassination of Robert Kennedy.
For the performance, Jones and CSN&Y played a rendition of “Long Time Gone,” and what’s impressive is that Jones does not hold back and forced the rest of the band to keep up. Steven Stills, on electric piano, tries his best to match Jones’ bravado on his lines but falls short.
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David Crosby has a look on his face of pure awe when he looks at Jones (although he was known for being in "awe" quite often in the days).
Throughout the performance, the hard-to-impress Neil Young seemingly goes from a look of pure disdain to “This rocks.” The performance is an excellent example of music's ability to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.
Fans react
Down in the comments, people had nothing but love for Tom Jones' soulful voice. And for the musical prowess of the whole gang, really.
"Everything about it is so perfect, Neil’s stanky guitar face at the beginning while he’s soloing, David staring at Tom while he’s busting out the high notes, Stephen getting the falsetto, graham nailing the harmonies, not to mention Dallas and Greg killing it in the rhythm section. God I love this band so much."
"I feel like some people don’t really understand what an absolute beast of a vocalist Tom Jones was in his prime! He could literally sing anything and everything! Nothing was out of the realm of possibility with that voice!!! Just look at CSN&Y! It’s rare that you have a group of such an amazing musicians all sitting back just awestruck!!! Truly one of the greatest voices of our time!!!"
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"All I want in life is for someone to look at me the way David Crosby looks at Tom Jones."
"I also love that one shot of Graham and David smiling at each other while singing their harmonies - their faces say "it doesn't get any better than this."
"So much talent on display. Everyone's pulling together and really delivering their part of a great arrangement. No clashing egos. Crosby Stills, Nash, Young and Jones!"
Another iconic Tom Jones collab
And this of course isn't the only time Tom Jones has brought the house down during a collaboration. Below is a powerhouse duet between Jones and the iconic Aretha Franklin, who did a “See Saw”/“'Spirit in the Dark" medley for his This Is Tom Jones show. It’s pure magic.
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If these videos have got your jonesin' for even more Jones (and you happen to live in the UK) you're in luck. The singer recently announced he would be part of the Colchester Castle Summer Series, which is expected to be the one of the largest music events the city has seen in years.
And for CSN&Y fans, their first tour is set to be released on a new live album. Pretty good year for classic rock lovers.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.