• 1971 Festival at Big Sur
           
  credited as appearing with Mimi Farina 
  on "Me and Bobby McGee" (Kristofferson)
  Tom Jans is not audible on this recording, but 
  is prominent in the photo montage on the sleeve.

• 1971 Take Heart AMLS 64310 (with Mimi Farina)
           
  Carolina
  Charlotte (Farina)
  Kings and Queens (Farina/Jans)
  The great white horse (Buck Owens/ L Scott)
  Reach out (Farina)
  Madman (Farina/Jans)
  In the quiet morning (Farina)
  Letter to Jesus (Farina)
  After the sugar harvest (Farina/Jans)
  No need to be lonely

Credits: Mimi Farina, Craig Doerge. Jim Keltner. Leland Skaler, Emil Richards, Edgar Lustgarten, Russ Kunkel, Sneaky Pete. produced by Michael Jackson

Japanese cd: PCCY 10066
(no further information available)

Review by In Your Ear Records
Providence RI USA
This beautiful album from 1971 came at a time when the first wave of singer-songwriters had hit the charts. "Take Heart" is closer to the style of, say, Cat Stevens' first A&M albums than the folk music that Farina had performed with her husband Richard in the early 'sixties. "Take Heart"'s appeal is in its understated mood, Jans' and Farina's sympatico vocal styles and their gorgeous twin folk guitar picking (especially on tracks like the lead-off, "Carolina"). The album includes Mimi's tribute to Janis Joplin, "In The Quiet Morning". August 2001

an aside:
I always though "Carolina" was about the State, but one story tells of a girl friend called Caroline who broke Tom's heart .... "he looked right into her eyes and dedicated the song to her, she melted and went backstage", "..... but it didn't work out ...."

• 1974 Tom Jans A&M SP-3644
           
  Margarita
  Old time feeling (Tom Jans & Will Jennings)
  Tender memory (Tom Jans & Will Jennings)
  Slippin' away (Troy Seals & Eddie Selser)
  Green River
  Blue sky rider (Tom Jans & Will Jennings)
  Loving arms
  Free and easy
  Meet me at the border (Jackie de Shannon)
  Hart's Island

Credits: Lonnie Mack, Troy Seals, Reggie Young, David Briggs, Mike Leech, Kenny Malone, Weldon Myrick, Norm Rea, Mentor Williams, Kris Kristofferson, Dobie Gray. produced by Mentor Williams.

Recorded at Quadraophonic Nashville

Note: I was given a test pressing of this album. (The pressing doesn't contain any out-takes or extra tracks.) It was pressed by COLUMBIA RECORDS TERRE HAUTE IND. As the album was put out on A&M, I wonder why the test pressing is on Columbia ?

Tom's father told that Tom met Elvis Presley on a train near Nashville, and subsequently Elvis recorded Loving Arms.

1975 The Eyes of an Only Child CBS PC 33699
         
          Japanese cd: Sony Records SRCS 6282
          "nice price line" ¥1,800
          liner notes in Japanese dated 21st Dec 1992
          re-released 2007 in mini LP format (SICP 1503)
                                           with liner notes by Jugo Nagisa
         
Gotta move
Once before I die
Where did all my good friends go
Inside of you
Struggle in Darkness
Out of hand
The lonesome way back when
Lonely brother
Directions and connections
The eyes of an only child

Credits: Bill Payne, Colin Cameron, Chuck Rainey, Fred Tackett, Lowell George, Jesse Ed Davis, David Lindley, Jerry McGee, Jeff Porcaro, Jim Keltner, Harvey Mason, Valerie Carter, Lovely Hardy, Herb Pedersen, Mike Utley, Sam Clayton.
Recorded at Sunset Sound
produced by John Haeny and Tom Jans
Executive Producer Lowell George
"Lowell George had a good effect on [this] album.
The guy is a genius." - Tom Jans 1977


Review (August 1999) from http://www.takenotes.com/
TOM JANS / THE EYES OF AN ONLY CHILD (J) - Classic rock from '75 contains hit "Struggle In Darkness". Supported by top musicians: L.George, B.Payne, J.Porcaro, H.Mason, C.Rainey, F.Tackett, D.Lindley & S.Clayton. Music reminds of Loggins & Messina...$30.88
(marked as out of print  at Tower Europe, Sept 99....)

• 1976 Dark Blonde CBS PC 34293
          
           Japanese cd: Sony Records SRCS 6356
                                 "nice price line" ¥1,800
           also issued on vinyl in Japan - Cat.#/ 25AP 263(1976)
           as well as an 8-track in the US!
           re-released 2007 in mini LP format  (SICP 1504)
                                 with liner notes by Jugo Nagisa
  
  Ready to roll
  Why don't you love me (Jans/Shelley)
  Bluer than you
  Fineline
  Distant cannon fire
  Young man in trouble
  Rosarita
  Back on my feet again
  Starlight

  order of songs altered for 8 track:
  Ready to Roll/Bluer than you/Starlight/Fineline/Distant Cannon Fire/Young Man in Trouble/Why Don't you love me/Rosarita/Back on my feet again

Credits: Kelly Shanahan, Kerry Hatch, Jerry Swallow, Scott Shelley.Bill Payne Ernie Watts David Paich Mike Utley Fred Tackett.
produced by Joe Wissart.

1982 Champion
        
When The Rebel Comes Home  (Tom Jans /Daniel Seraphine) *
There's A Champion On My Side (T Jans /K Oda/D Grusin)
Miss Your Harmony (Tom Jans /Richard Kerr)
Chambers Of The Heart
Working Hot
Cool (Tom Jans /Don Grusin)
Southern Belle (T Jans /B Wray/V Carter)
Lost In Your Eyes (T Jans /Scott Shelly)
Visions
Mother's Eyes

Credits: Al Schmitt, Bill Payne, Bob Glaub, Carlos Vega, David Hungate, Don Murray, Ernie Watts, Fred Tackett, Gary Skardia, Jeff Osborne, Jerry Vinci , Kate Markowitz, Ken Wild, Lee Ritenour, Lee Sklar, Mourning Dove, Paul Barrere, Richard Kerr, Rick Ruggeri, Sidney Sharp, Steve Forman, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro Steve Porcaro, Steve Williams, The Ten Boys, Valerie Carter, Victor Feldman, Wippe will.
Jerry Swallow played on 2 tracks, but his name was omitted from the credits.
* Daniel Seraphine credited only on the cover version by Dakota)
David Hungate told this web site that Champion "was recorded in 78 though not released until 82 "

Produced by Don Grusin

Link to "The Two Toms and a lost record"
an article about the search for "Champion".

Champion has been found. A copy was discovered in a second hand record shop in Hiroshima Japan; several of Tom Jans' friends and colleagues have retained their own personal copy, it has recently been on sale at ebay, and once, a long time ago it was on remainder at Tower Records in Philadelphia !

Singles

• 1971 Letter to Jesus / Madman A&M 1302-s
• 1971 Good god, I'm feeling fine / Reach out A&M 1339-s
  singles released to promote Take Heart
• 1973 Loving Arms / Shine it On (Jans/Barry) A&M 1496-s
  single released as a preview to Tom Jans
• 1974 Margarita (edited) / Green River
  single taken from Tom Jans
• 1974 A&M New Faces no 4
  4 track EP running at 33 rpm issued in Brazil   AMD 10025
  margarita / loving arms / old time feeling / free and easy
  (timings are exactly the same as on Tom Jans )
• 1975 Struggle in Darkness (edited) / title not known
• 1975 Once before I die / title not known
  two singles taken from The Eyes of an Only Child
• 1976 Why don't you love me / Fineline
  single taken from Dark Blonde: released in Holland CBS5270
• "Your baby is a lady" (Jackie de Shannon)
  A rumoured recording. No date or record label information available.
  This song was also recorded by Rita Coolidge and Stephanie De-Sykes
  as well as Jackie de Shannon herself.

Sessions (authors not noted)

• 1975 Southbound Hoyt Axton
  reissued on Hoyt Axton "The A&M Years".
  Sleeve notes by John Tobler, but no specific details of personnel; 
  so I'm still not sure on which songs Tom sings.
  Digitally remastered A&M 540-956-2
  (although my copy seems to have some distortion)

• 1977 Just a stone's throw away Valerie Carter 
  Tom Jans plays on three tracks: 
  "just where I could be used I guess, 
  I wasn't on City Lights, that's for sure". - Tom Jans 1977

• 1976 Tom Snow Tom Snow
           
  Tom Jans sings "additional backgrounds" 
  on "Hurry Boy".   

• 1977 Bareback Richard Torrance
            
  "TenderMemory" is covered on this album. 
  I have been told that Tom Jans played on this recording.

• 1980 10k-La Don Grusin
           
  Tom Jans sings lead vocal and backup with Valerie Carter 
  on "Mongolia" which was written by Grusin-Jans

• Compilations
           
  This is the only reference I have seen to a compilation 
  album which includes a Tom Jans recording:
  Add Some Music To Your Day - vol 5
  Track 12 Gotta Move
  listed at http://ww2.enjoy.ne.jp/~nagaoka1970/newpage6.htm
  
  in July 2007 an out of print white label promo LP was advertised on ebay
  "...played only a couple of times for review. cover has discolored a bit 
  from age and not mint. Includes Tower Of Power , Tyrone Davis , 
  Jon Lucien , Wah Wah Watson , Tommy Bolin (Post Toastee), Chip Taylor , 
  Tom Jans , Willie Nelson , Tony Bird and Rusty Weir." 

• Covers
  Loving Arms has been recorded by so many different artistes "including my fave rave Elvis" - Tom Jans 1977
  
  Unrecorded Songs
  there are titles listed giving Thomas Louis Jans
  or Tom Jans as author. I have not heard these songs,
  nor have I seen the lyrics in print.
  

photo credit: tom sheehan
London 20th May 1977
(tom, please get in touch if I should pay a royalty for the use of the photographs)

Can you please help by providing more information ?

This page updated April 2009 by Geoff
GMGough AT Clara.net
- please replace AT with @  -

Index
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