Shirley Bassey – Shirley Bassey Live

Shirley Bassey – Live

Shirley Bassey Live is a superb two-disc collection showcasing the Welsh singer at two very different stages of her live career. The set brings together recordings from 1965 and 1973, spanning nearly a decade of performances and capturing Bassey's unmistakable powerhouse vocals across jazz standards, musical theatre, pop songs and her celebrated James Bond themes.

The first disc draws from Bassey's legendary 1973 performances at Carnegie Hall in New York, recorded over two nights on 11 and 12 May 1973. Originally issued as Live at Carnegie Hall later that year, the concert finds Bassey at the height of her international career, backed by a large orchestra and delivering a dramatic programme that combines sophistication, glamour and enormous vocal power.

The opening Goldfinger immediately demonstrates why Bassey became so closely associated with the James Bond franchise, while Where Am I Going, I Capricorn, Let Me Sing And I'm Happy and Johnny One Note showcase the theatrical side of her repertoire. She moves effortlessly between musical theatre and popular standards, with particularly memorable performances of For All We Know, I (Who Have Nothing), And I Love You So and Diamonds Are Forever.

Bassey's relationship with Bond is particularly well represented here. Alongside Goldfinger, she performs Diamonds Are Forever, giving the collection two of her most famous cinematic performances in live concert form. Big Spender, Never, Never, Never, You And I, Something and This Is My Life further demonstrate the extraordinary range of material she could transform into a distinctly Bassey performance. The original Live at Carnegie Hall recording was released in 1973 as a double album.

The second disc takes listeners back to 1965 and Bassey's first live album, Shirley Bassey at the Pigalle. Recorded on 12 September 1965 during the opening night of an eight-week engagement at the Pigalle nightclub in London's West End, it captures a younger Bassey in a more intimate club setting. The original album reached No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart, making it her fifth Top 15 album at that point in her career.

The Pigalle material is packed with classic stage and pop repertoire, including On A Wonderful Day Like Today, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Who Can I Turn To?, You'd Better Love Me, He Loves Me, With These Hands and A Lot Of Living To Do. Her commanding interpretation of I (Who Have Nothing) is another highlight, while the second half features La Bamba, You Can Have Him, The Second Time Around, The Lady Is A Tramp and Somewhere. The performance is accompanied by Alyn Ainsworth and his Orchestra.

This combination makes Shirley Bassey Live particularly interesting for collectors: rather than simply presenting one concert, it documents two distinct eras of Bassey's career, from her 1965 London nightclub performances to her spectacular international concert work at Carnegie Hall in 1973. The two recordings also demonstrate how her repertoire developed while her enormous vocal personality remained constant.

For fans of Shirley Bassey, classic vocal jazz, big band, traditional pop, musical theatre, James Bond soundtracks and 1960s–70s easy listening, this is a substantial live collection featuring Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Big Spender, I (Who Have Nothing), Something, The Lady Is A Tramp and many more.

Recording / Release Context: recordings from 1965 and 1973, with the original At The Pigalle album released in 1965 and Live at Carnegie Hall released in 1973. The Live! 2-CD configuration brought these two live recordings together on CD in 1992.

Tracklist

CD 1 – Carnegie Hall, 1973

1. Goldfinger – 3:22
2. Where Am I Going – 3:28
3. I Capricorn – 3:23
4. Let Me Sing And I'm Happy – 3:08
5. Johnny One Note – 2:24
6. For All We Know – 3:32
7. I'd Like To Hate Myself In The Morning – 3:25
8. I (Who Have Nothing) – 3:52
9. Day By Day – 3:21
10. And I Love You So – 4:41
11. Diamonds Are Forever – 2:36
12. Narration – 1:30
13. Big Spender – 3:10
14. Never, Never, Never – 4:35
15. You And I – 6:51
16. Something – 3:55
17. This Is My Life – 4:05
18. Orchestra: A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening – 3:14
19. The Party's Over – 4:04

CD 2 – At The Pigalle, 1965

1. A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening (Orchestra Only) – 0:34
2. On A Wonderful Day Like Today – 2:51
3. I Get A Kick Out Of You – 2:57
4. Who Can I Turn To? – 2:14
5. You'd Better Love Me – 2:20
6. The Other Woman – 3:13
7. He Loves Me – 2:01
8. With These Hands – 2:41
9. A Lot Of Living To Do – 2:07
10. I (Who Have Nothing) – 2:28
11. La Bamba – 2:59
12. You Can Have Him – 5:13
13. The Second Time Around – 3:15
14. The Lady Is A Tramp – 3:06
15. Somewhere – 2:51
16. On A Wonderful Day Like Today – 1:23
17. A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening (Orchestra Only) – 0:53