Shirley Bassey The

Three CD set containing classic and rare studio recordings taken from the original master tapes and session reels. Featuring eight previously unissued masters. Plus the legendary and previously unreleased 1973 Royal Albert Hall Concert. Originally planned for release in 2012, this set, authorized by Dame Shirley Bassey herself, is long awaited by her fans as it features some of the most sought-after material from Dame Shirley's EMI and United Artists catalogue, alongside remastered versions of some of her greatest recordings. The BBC broadcast excerpts from the 1973 Royal Albert Hall concert on New Year's Day 1974. This is widely considered as one of Dame Shirley's best concert recordings. An accompanying album release was planned but left unfinished - until now. The set includes songs not featured in the broadcast and some alternate performances. Compiled by Martyn Daye, the set also features many previously unpublished photographs. Remastered from the original master tapes by Richard Moore at Mint Audio.

Known to Americans most for her belting rendition of the theme to Goldfinger, the 1964 edition in the James Bond series (as well as 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and 1979's Moonraker), Shirley Bassey was one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century. Known as "Bassey the Belter" and also the "Tigress of Tiger Bay," her early career in touring shows and cabaret brought her a recording contract with Philips by the late '50s. After reaching the top of the British charts in 1959 with "As I Love You" and later "Reach for the Stars/Climb Every Mountain," Bassey was tapped to sing the theme song to the third James Bond vehicle. Her voice, brassy and sexy, conveyed the James Bond myth perfectly, and the song became a big hit in America. Though later chart placings in the U.S. were few, she continued to do well in Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands into the mid-'70s.

Known to Americans most for her belting rendition of the theme to Goldfinger, the 1964 edition in the James Bond series (as well as 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and 1979's Moonraker), Shirley Bassey was one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century. Bassey's hits in the U.K. continued into the mid-'70s, led by Top Ten entries such as "Something," "For All We Know" and "Never Never Never." After the crowning achievement of her career, a 1977 Britannia Award for Best Female Solo Singer in the Last 50 Years, Shirley Bassey gained her own highly rated BBC-TV show in the late '70s, but gradually slowed down her busy schedule during the next decade. Semi-retired to Switzerland by 1981, she nevertheless emerged quite frequently, spurred by the recording of several television specials and LPs, including a 1987 date with the synth-pop group Yello. Bassey became much more visible during the '90s, opening a nightclub in Cardiff, and touring the world several times.

The songs that comprise this 2-CD set are all drawn from the early part of Shirley’s career, and are representative of her stage act at the time. She made a mark by covering show tunes like As Long As He Needs Me (from Oliver), Climb Every Mountain (from The Sound of Music) and My Funny Valentine (from Pal Joey), alongside a selection of standards. Some of these songs were slow and bluesy, some were epic ballads - but both styles suited Shirley’s seemingly unstoppable voice. The different aspects of her singing, so powerful that it seemed that nothing could contain it, that it was a force she was compelled to release.

Welsh singer Shirley Bassey is arguably best known internationally for her poised, belting renditions of the themes to the cinematic James Bond series, with Goldfinger in 1964, 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, and 1979's Moonraker. Bassey earned the distinction as one of the most enduring, popular vocalists in Great Britain during the latter half of the 20th century. Known as "Bassey the Belter" and also the "Tigress of Tiger Bay," her early career in touring shows and cabaret brought her a recording contract with Philips by the late 1950s. After reaching the top of the British charts in 1959 with "As I Love You" and, later, "Reach for the Stars/Climb Every Mountain," Bassey's voice, at once brassy and seductive, conveyed the James Bond myth perfectly; the song "Goldfinger" also became a Top Ten hit in the States. Appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2000, she recorded well into her eighties, releasing I Owe It All to You in 2020. It became her first album in 50 years to reach the U.K. Top Five. Further, Bassey became the first female artist to chart Top 40 on the U.K. Albums Chart in seven consecutive decades. In 2025, Cherry Red released the multi-disc retrospective Dame Shirley Bassey: The Singer - Classic and Undiscovered Gems from the EMI/UA Years 1962-1979.

Selection of Love Songs Recorded by Shirley Bassey Between 1962 and 1978. Twenty tracks feature Something, as Time Goes By, Tonight, The Look of Love and many others.

Shirley Bassey Depuis le début de sa carrière dans les cabarets aux grands succès planétaires que sont les génériques des films de James Bond, « Goldfinger » en 1964, « Diamonds Are Forever » (1971) et Moonraker (1979), Shirley Bassey a conquis ses lettres de noblesse dans la chanson. La chanteuse britannique la plus populaire a vendu 135 millions de disques et été faite Dame (DBE) en 1999.

Known to Americans most for her belting rendition of the theme to Goldfinger, the 1964 edition in the James Bond series (as well as 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and 1979's Moonraker), Shirley Bassey was one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century. Known as "Bassey the Belter" and also the "Tigress of Tiger Bay," her early career in touring shows and cabaret brought her a recording contract with Philips by the late '50s. After reaching the top of the British charts in 1959 with "As I Love You" and later "Reach for the Stars/Climb Every Mountain," Bassey was tapped to sing the theme song to the third James Bond vehicle. Her voice, brassy and sexy, conveyed the James Bond myth perfectly, and the song became a big hit in America. Though later chart placings in the U.S. were few, she continued to do well in Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands into the mid-'70s.

Let's Face the Music is the sixth Shirley Bassey studio album, released in 1962, and arranged by Nelson Riddle. Kenneth Hume, Shirley Bassey's husband and manager wrote the sleeve notes for this album, in which he gives an insight into how this album came to being: