Bassey At Her Best!

This is one great collection! I purchased it when it was first released and was quite impressed! The quality of the recordings are terrific as well as the booklet of liner notes. It's great to hear songs I haven't listened to in years and have them so beautifully reproduced on CD! What a treat! Run, don't walk to order this one. You have a real treat in store. As a long time Bassey afficienado, this is one of the best, most comprehensive of her EMI work. LOVE IT!

JUST A COUPLE OF GRIPES

Although this is an exceptional boxed set, I was a bit stunned to discover the LIVE disc included here was not the 2-LP Live At Carnegie Hall set, which is yet to be issed on CD. The live version here was from a 1963 concert, and her snappy, sassy one-liners belted between sets are gone. I was also surprised that "I CAPRICORN" was omitted from this boxed set. This singer is classy and stylish, and the DIVAS ARE FOREVER video proves that without a doubt. The booklet included here wasn't as picturesque as it could have been. I would have loved seeing original color album covers of all her LPs featured in the booklet. Overall, the boxed set excels, despite hefty price tag!! I'm stuck on Disc #3. Remastering gets a 10 !!

SHIRLEY SHINES

..in this epic collection of her best loved songs and quite a few rarities and unreleased material. This handsomely packaged 5 disc set is worth every penny you pay for it. From Shirley's modest beginnings trying to shed the "accolade" one senior showman afforded this diva ("Just another bloody lounge singer") to almost present time, here is the collection you must have. Early outings of note include her take on Broadway material ("S'Wonderful", "So In Love") and sparkling arrangements on nearly every track throughout. Paired with the immortal Nelson Riddle for sessions in 1962 (Let's Face The Music And Dance album) she gives a spectacular reading of "What Now, My Love?" (she would graciously tip her hat to Nelson for this arrangement at a Carnegie Hall date, the 5th "bonus" disc included here) The 70's were ever-changin' times for everyone, Shirley included. Living abroad away from her Welsh upbringing due to tax difficulties, she recorded here in the States with more than modest success. Songs of the day were good to Shirley, and she was good to them in return. Examples of this are found in The Beatles' "Something", "Fool On The Hill" "The Way Of Love" (a big hit for Cher) and the touching "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men" (this is THE DEFINITIVE version, folks) but she could also put in a less than average performance when stuck with lesser quality material of that period as well ("Vehicle" may be downright embarrasing to listen to). Highlights of her latter recordings continue to amaze in the Italian based "Never, Never, Never" and "La Vita" (aka "This Is My Life", which is also included here) the French composed "Living" glorious in its own simplicity, the Sammy Cahn penned "All That Love Went To Waste", a touching cover of Roberta Flack's "Jesse", and the perennial latter day Bassey showstopper, "If I Never Sing Another Song". As mentioned by one of my fellow reviewers, the Carnegie Hall disc, where quality and quantity is concerned, leaves a little something to be desired, and was obviously edited, but still gives us a long awaited, albiet modest look at Shirley in action here in the States. One of her earliest hits "Burn My Candle At Both Ends" comes off with a sultry sassiness that you can't ignore, and the commercial resonance of Leslie Bricusse's "Typically English" is a nice faux pas for Shirley, who reminds us after the song that she's "not English, she's Welsh". Liner notes are also chintzy; I would have liked to absorb much more info about Shirley, as I am relatively a new "bonafide" fan. You will be too!