Theory: Charity records are only guaranteed to sell substantial amounts if they are connected either to:
a) a recent disaster/incident.
b) an annual campaign such as Comic Relief or Children in Need*
Examples of a) include Do They Know It’s Christmas?, which had been trailed by several months of news reports on the 2 year long famine in Ethiopia, Let It Be (Ferry Aid) recorded in the aftermath of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, which leads us on to the recording of Ferry Cross the Mersey which went to Number 1 in the charts when it was released a few weeks after the Hillsborough disaster. In the 90s, Mark Knopfler’s recording of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door was a Number 1 hit in raising money for those affected by the Dunblane massacre.
As for b), well Wikipedia lists 23 singles having been released in which the proceeds would go to Comic Relief. All but two of the singles made the Top 10 of the UK singles chart, with 14 of them getting to Number 1.
So, how do you miss with a charity record? From what I can see, if you release a charity record in which the proceeds go to an “everyday” issue such as diseases, homelessness, the unemployed, an organisation etc, these records don’t seem to get the same level of exposure or sales numbers. In 1993, Tom Jones twice went into the recording studio to contribute towards a charity single and on both occasions, the final chart placing could be filed under the label, “disappointing”.
Interestingly, when the focus was exclusively on himself as the face of the release, the record sold better than it did when Jones was part of an ensemble. Later in 1993, Jones recorded a version of All You Need is Love, proceeds of which would go to support the Childline service. No doubt hopes were high that Jones could repeat something close to what Wet Wet Wet had done 5 years earlier when their version of With a Little Help From my Friends had got to Number 1, while also raising money for Childline, which had been set up, ostensibly off the back of campaigning and a raising of public awareness on the issue of child abuse/neglect by the BBC’s popular consumer affairs show, That’s Life! But, All You Need is Love, despite a campaign which meant you could even buy the video of the song, peaked no higher than Number 19 in the chart. This could be attributed to bad timing, especially if we consider that in 1988, Wet Wet Wet were both new and at a commercial peak which they wouldn’t hit again until they were asked to cover an old Troggs song for the soundtrack of some British comedy film, while That’s Life! was still pulling in huge audiences on Sunday nights for the BBC. By 1993 though, That’s Life! was one year away from cancellation and Jones, while still a big name, was very much considered a yesterday man at best, or an excitable hen party joke at worst. And as for the cause itself, while no one could deny it did vital work, there was no compelling reason to go out and buy this record given that the issue it supported was a constant one rather than an emergency one. Human nature is such that we tend to respond more to the issue which is urgently demanding our attention rather than those that are perpetually there.
For John Peel though, Jones was the hero of [1992’s] Glastonbury Festival. Jones had been a surprise guest at the festival and played a soul-heavy set on the Sunday. It may have been this appearance that set the wheels in motion for Food to approach Jones about getting involved with their Putting Our House in Order project. The label intended to put out four EPs labelled Dance, Pop, Rock and Alternative, all of which would share the same serial number so that their combined sales could qualify it for for a chart placing. The EPs featured 12 different cover versions of the The Rolling Stones song, Gimme Shelter and the proceeds from the sales would go to various housing charities. Looking at the line-ups on the various EPs, it strikes me that Food were being optimistic in the level of reach they thought that the EPs may have. Too many of the names on it either lacked the clout to get a high chart placing (Kingmaker, 808 State, Thunder etc) or were past their commercial peak (Heaven 17, Jimmy Somerville, Voice of the Beehive etc). Also, they were releasing a charity record in support of an ongoing problem - homelessness, which wasn’t going to be eased or eradicated by people eager to hear what a collaboration between Hawkwind and Samantha Fox sounded like. Answer: better than you might expect.
Jones’s version of Gimme Shelter saw him partnered with the Yorkshire band, New Model Army, who were just about to release a new album called The Love of Hopeless Causes, which would come out three days after their appearance on this Peel show. The Jones version was on the Alternative EP, but it rocks hard and features superb harmonica work by Mark Feltham. Unlike some of the other versions, this one goes lightly on the “Rape. Murder./It’s just a shot away” sentiments. Instead it ends on a desperate pleading for shelter showing that Jones and New Model Army understood the brief on this cover better than some of the other artists. We can almost tangibly sense the desperation of those reduced to living on the streets, without a roof over their heads or a place to safely call home. It’s an excellent version full of soul and vulnerability. In my view, only the version which brings together Gary Clail, Ranking Roger, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Mighty Diamonds and On-U Sound System was superior to it. There were no real duff versions across the four EPs, but whether it was the mundanity of the cause or the lack of stardust in the artist line-up, the project stalled at Number 23 in the charts, four places lower than All You Need is Love would do so and confirming, at the very least, the Beatles remained more popular than the Stones. If Food had waited another year, they could have coaxed a version out of their own signings, Blur, who then in their Parklife pomp, may have pushed the project a few places further up the charts.
In retrospect, we can see that this period also marked something of the start of a renaissance in the fortunes of Tom Jones. Glastonbury headliner in 1992, charity single artist in 1993. In 1994, he would have a new album out called The Lead and How to Swing It, which gave him another Top 20 hit with If I Only Knew. This led on to regular appearances on the Channel 4 show, Viva Cabaret. By 1996, he was helping to save the world from Martian invasion in Tim Burton’s film, Mars Attacks. And by the turn of the millennium he was enjoying big chart hits in duets with contemporary artists such as Stereophonics, The Cardigans and Cerys Matthews, who had already immortalised Jones in a duet with one of my least favourite bands.
Peel played a couple of other versions of Gimme Shelter around this time, not least when he was sitting in for Jakki Brambles on her daytime Radio 1 show between 5-9 April, 1993. These included the version by Jimmy Somerville and Voice of the Beehive on 5/4/93 and a 1989 Peel Session version by Inspiral Carpets on 6/4/93.
* In the case of Children in Need, a lot depends on the artist recording the single. S Club 7, Girls Aloud and JLS meant a Number 1 record. Bruno Brookes with Liz Kershaw or Sid Owen with Patsy Palmer meant an answer on Pointless.
Videos courtesy of Salceson (Jones/NMA), BeeHiveYerself (Somerville/VotBH) and VibraCobra23 Redux (Inspiral Carpets)
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