Delilah by P.J. Proby

Tom Jones recording of "Delilah" is wellknown and was a hit.

Maybe not many know that P.J. Proby recorded it before Tom Jones,but EMI did never release it.

I hope it will be included on a new CD which is planned to be released in June.

Check : http://pjproby.blogspot.com/

IF it will be released and "Delilah" will be included - I guess that suddenly Tom Jones version will be a cover and P.J. Proby´s version will be the original ! :

Since this was posted the album has been released and the previously unreleased Delilah is included.

I'm not sure about Proby's version being the original though, because I find it very hard to find decent recording info for P.J. Proby. According to the booklet of the new CD, Proby recorded Delilah for his Believe It Or Not album, which came out in 1968. It was dropped from the album - presumambly because Proby didn't like it and thought it sounded like a German beer drinking song.

Again if we are to believe the booklet, it is a 1968 recording. If that's a fact, then Tom Jones' version is still the original, since it was recorded on December 20, 1967 - according to this very detailed discography http://www.txhighlands.com/Deccalisting.htm. I would love to hear if anyone have more info on dates for Proby's recording sessions.

Still, Proby's recording should be included in the database:

Song: Delilah

Artist: P.J. Proby

Music written by: Les Reed

Lyrics written by: John Barry Mason

Recording date: 1968 (?)

Laguage: English

First release: On audio CD The Best Of P.J. Proby - The EMI Years 1961-1972 (EMI 50999 216849 2 0)

First release date: June 2008

Comments: Released 40 years after its recording.

Last edit: 2008-07-19 13:37:49 UTC by hounddogman

There is no doubt at all...the first recording of "Delilah" was by P.J.Proby.Les Reed gives an account of how Tom came to record it in one of Tom Jones' biographies.He states that he & Barry Mason wrote it with Proby in mind.Proby didn't care for the song after he heard his own recording & didn't want it on his latest album at the time "Believe It Or Not".Les was disappointed & took the P.J.Proby recording of the song to Gordon Mills & his singer Tom Jones.They listened & liked it & had a world wide smash with it.Even to this day Proby still dislikes the song but admits he should have listened to Les & put it out as a single instead of the song he chose "It's Your Day Today" also written by Reed/Mason.This only reached no.32 in the U.K. charts.Give Proby's "Delilah" a listen..it is better!!

Ron

Quote by Ronn at 1218900886:

Give Proby's "Delilah" a listen..it is better!!

Ron

I'm sorry, but as much as I like Proby (and that's a lot!) I'll have to say that I tend to agree with him. It doesn't really suit him imho. That said, it's still interesting to hear his version.

Do you know if there's any Proby recording session info available anywhere? I haven't been able to find any and I'd love to learn more about his recording dates etc.

Proby's Delilah has now been added by Walt.