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Shirley Bassey news

GerardGerard
edited April 12 in Music Posts: 5,494
I tried to find a thread dedicated to Dame Shirley, couldn't find one, so ddecided to create my own. And all that to announce that the Royal Mail will issue a series of stamps dedicated to the only singer to have sung more than one Bond song (yes, I know about Herb Alpert, but he's a trumpet player, and besides, he only appeared in two "unofficial" Bonds). The stamps will be released on september 21st. Mark your calendars !

Comments

  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,471
    Without revealing too much, a family member works with Dame Shirley Bassey whenever she is in the UK attending or performing at events.
    We were ever so lucky to receive a signed wedding gift from our family member which she dedicated to me and my wife.
    As you can imagine it takes pride of place in the Man/Bond cave! :-bd
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,343
    Lovely.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,494
    One question : What is your favourite non-Bond song from Dame Shirley ? Mine is "Never, Never, Never" :



    Followed, very closely, by "This is my Life" :

  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper By the powers *in*vested in me by this parish, I hereby do commandeer this message board
    Posts: 7,966
    I think "Never, Never, Never" would be my candidate. I just checked and found that (except for the Bond soundtrack CDs in question) I only have a double album "Shirley Bassey - Simply The Best" (and no, she's not even singing the Tina Turner song on that one). The only Bond song on that one is "Diamonds Are Forever", and "Never, Never, Never" is not on it, either. It's mainly a collection of more-or-less standards, but I'd be hard-pressed to say any of it is a real highlight. Solid music, simply because of her voice, but for me, sometimes too drawn out and exaggerated. Basically, she's just an extremely good cover artist, but there is very little besides the Bond themes that she actually owns.
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,097


    I must say I quite like her first number 1 in Britain. Her voice sounds so clear and young, and there is little "belting" but at the end. Very sweet, actually.
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,097


    And guess what - her second #1, "Reach For The Stars", was written by Austrian singer-song writer legend Udo Juergens.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper By the powers *in*vested in me by this parish, I hereby do commandeer this message board
    Posts: 7,966
    zebrafish wrote: »


    And guess what - her second #1, "Reach For The Stars", was written by Austrian singer-song writer legend Udo Juergens.

    No kiddin'? I didn't know that. Though I think Udo Jürgens has unfairly been put into the "Schlager-Fuzzi" category and was quite a musical genius in his compositions. He just knew how to make money with his arr.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,494
    One thing I find funny about Dame Shirley : Why didn't she appear in movies, apart from singing songs ? She certainly had the beauty and talent to get interesting parts. All I see in her resume are TV variety shows, but no fiction.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,283
    Gerard wrote: »
    One thing I find funny about Dame Shirley : Why didn't she appear in movies, apart from singing songs ? She certainly had the beauty and talent to get interesting parts. All I see in her resume are TV variety shows, but no fiction.

    An interesting question. From IMDb (Oliver! 1968):

    Carol Reed had Shirley Bassey in mind for Nancy, but his choice was rejected by Hollywood studio bosses who felt that the public was not ready for a Black Nancy.
  • Bond_ScoresBond_Scores UK
    Posts: 36
    Gaaaaaaah, every time I see this topic come up on the forum I think that Shirley's passed away :(
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited May 26 Posts: 12,811
    Dwayne wrote: »
    Gerard wrote: »
    One thing I find funny about Dame Shirley : Why didn't she appear in movies, apart from singing songs ? She certainly had the beauty and talent to get interesting parts. All I see in her resume are TV variety shows, but no fiction.

    An interesting question. From IMDb (Oliver! 1968):

    Carol Reed had Shirley Bassey in mind for Nancy, but his choice was rejected by Hollywood studio bosses who felt that the public was not ready for a Black Nancy.

    Feels weird to see race brought up with relation to Dame Shirl, as she is one of those people who you kind of forget has non-white heritage: I'm not sure I've even seen it mentioned more than a handful of times. She's not defined by that at all, which I guess you can see as positive or negative depending upon your viewpoint (perhaps you could say that she's never really embraced that side of her makeup), but I think it's notable that it was perceived as more of a problem for US bosses than for the maker of the film. Certainly in the UK I think she's seen more as the girl from Tiger Bay than anything to do with her race.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited May 26 Posts: 5,343
    Bond_Scores wrote: »
    Gaaaaaaah, every time I see this topic come up on the forum I think that Shirley's passed away :(

    Me too! The topic should be renamed The Amazing, Peerless Shirley Bassey. Or Call Me Shirley: The Shirley Bassey Appreciation Thread.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited May 27 Posts: 2,405
    echo wrote: »
    Bond_Scores wrote: »
    Gaaaaaaah, every time I see this topic come up on the forum I think that Shirley's passed away :(

    Me too! The topic should be renamed The Amazing, Peerless Shirley Bassey. Or Call Me Shirley: The Shirley Bassey Appreciation Thread.

    My idea for titles:

    A Midas Touch: Shirley Bassey Appreciation Thread 😊

    The Woman With the Golden Voice: A Shirley Bassey Appreciation Thread.

    Sing Sing Bang Bang: A Shirley Bassey Appreciation Thread

    Voices Are Forever: A Shirley Bassey Appreciation Thread

    Where is the Moonlight Trail that leads to your side? A Shirley Bassey Appreciation
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