Shirley Bassey – Greatest Moments

Born on January 8th 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff’s dockland district, Shirley Bassey came from humble beginnings as she worked her way up through the pub and club scene, before gaining worldwide commercial success in the 1960s. During a prolific career spanning an impressive 64 years, Shirley Bassey has released 37 studio albums and sold nearly 140 million records worldwide.

She landed her first UK number 1 with the single “As I Love You” back in 1959 and was the first Welsh artist to do so. She was awarded a Brit Award in 1977 for Best British Female Solo Act and earned Dame status in 2000. Shirley Bassey is nothing short of an icon. Let’s take a look back at some of her finest moments. 

Shirley Bassey released her debut album titled, “Born to Sing the Blues” back in 1957 at the age of 21. Having signed to Philips, the record company were initially unsure how best to market Shirley but before long, she established herself capable of singing traditional blues songs with an explosive big band sound. The album was released on 10” vinyl records, before the 12” vinyl LP was introduced.

In 1961, Bassey released her fourth album titled, “Shirley” and this was her first album to enter the top 10 UK Album Charts. It was her second album with Columbia Records and was performed with Geoff Love and his orchestra. Bassey began to develop her jazz influenced style while remaining classy and seductive, perhaps most perfectly demonstrated on “For Every Man, There’s a Woman”.

Released in 1970, “Something” proved to be  a major revival album for Bassey. Having continued to release albums all the way through the 1960s, it was this album that struck a chord with her audience once again, landing her a spot at number 5 in the UK Album Charts.

The album features covers of “Something” by George Harrison, “My Way” popularized by Frank Sinatra the previous year and “Light My Fire” by The Doors. Bassey does an amazing job at incorporating contemporary songs with brassy and bold jazz orchestrations.

Three years later, in 1973, Bassey released the album “Never, Never, Never”. The first track on the album, also titled “Never, Never, Never”, went on to become one of her most successful and popular hits. The single reached number 8 in the UK Singles Charts & remained in the top 50 for 19 weeks.

The song develops after the gentle acoustic guitar introduction slowly builds into a powerful and passionate orchestral ballad, while Bassey’s vocals are as emotionally charged as always. The original track, “Grande, Grande, Grande” was written by Italian songwriters Alberto Testa and Tony Renis. 

In 1984, Shirley Bassey released “I Am What I Am”, her first album to receive Gold status. The album consists mostly of re-recordings from her extensive back catalogue as well as two new tracks and this was the first digitally recorded album released by Shirley Bassey. 

No doubt, some of Shirley Bassey’s finest work is demonstrated as she brought her touch of class to the sauve series of Bond soundtracks. Her first appearance as the ultimate Bond girl came about in 1964 when she worked with John Barry on the “Goldfinger” soundtrack. Produced by the ‘fifth Beatle’, George Martin, the track shot Bassey to international stardom and with the release of the soundtrack album, she found herself a spot at number 1 in the Billboard Album Charts the following year. The track stands out today as one of the most iconic Bond soundtracks with its soulful, sensual and slick delivery.

Bassey delivered a spectacular theatrical performance in 1971 for “Diamonds Are Forever”, another splendid execution of a Bond theme song. Melancholic keys, guitar swells, an explosive brass section and weaving string arrangements are all combined with Bassey’s powerful vocals.

By 1979, it was time for Bassey to return to the world of James Bond so that she could leave her stamp once again. She was called in to perform on “Moonraker” at the last minute after previous arrangements with singer Johnny Mathis fell through. If there was one person that could be relied upon to get the job done…it had to be the legend of Tiger Bay. Two versions of “Moonraker” were recorded for the soundtrack. There was the slower, standard orchestral version used for the opening credits, followed by an infectious groovy disco version for the ending credits. 

In 2007, Shirley Bassey was invited to perform at Glastonbury Festival during the much anticipated and always joyous afternoon legends slot. She joined the likes of Tony Bennett, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson and James Brown, all of whom had played the famous slot in previous years.

She did it in perfect Dame Shirley fashion too, as she donned a glorious pink ball gown accompanied by a fine pair of wellies. Worthy Farm got the full Bassey experience as she performed a medley of the Bond hits alongside her rendition of The Doors’ “Light My Fire” and Pink’s “Get The Party Started”.

Another of Shirley Bassey’s finest moments occurred as she delivered a fiery performance of “Big Spender” in 1967. Originally recorded by Peggy Lee, Bassey’s version of the song became one of her biggest hits and it received the remix treatment twice for her 2007 album “Get The Party Started”, one by Pink Pound and the other by NorthxNWest. 

Bassey achieved major success when she performed with the big beat outfit The Propellerheads on “History Repeating” in 1997. The track is an outstanding mix of explosive brass sections, Bassey’s bold vocals, DJ scratching and a driving rhythm section. The result is an energy filled dance track which demonstrates Bassey’s versatility. 

In 2009, Bassey performed at the Roundhouse in London at the BBC Electric Proms. This show is quintessential Shirley Bassey as she performs a selection of her legendary songs from her impressive career as well as some new material written by Manic Street Preachers, Tom Baxter and Richard Hawley. “After The Rain” is a beautiful blend of Hawley’s timeless songwriting and Bassey’s rich, classy vocals.    

Finally, in 2011, Shirley Bassey performed a wonderful rendition of “Goldfinger” at the Classic Brit Awards as a dedication to long time collaborator and composer John Barry. Collectively, the two of them helped to define the Bond soundtrack and they set the standard for those that followed in their footsteps.

Classy, suave, audacious…Shirley Bassey has established herself as one of the all time greats. After a sensational career, the adored Welsh superstar may be bowing out with her final album later this year, but her music will no doubt continue to stand the test of time and it will engage with audiences for years to come.