Shirley Bassey Sings the Movies

Last updated

Sings the Movies
Singsthemovies.jpg
Studio album by
Released1995
Recorded1995
Genre MOR
Label PolyGramTV
Producer Pip Williams
Shirley Bassey chronology
Sings the Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber
(1993)
Sings the Movies
(1995)
The Show Must Go On
(1996)

Sings the Movies is a studio album by Shirley Bassey, released in 1995.

Contents

Background

In 1995, Bassey signed a deal with the PolyGram TV label, recording and releasing two albums with the label. The first was Sings the Movies, a themed album of movie songs. The songs were personally selected by Bassey for the album, and are a diverse range of ballads and pop classics; some were originally composed for original soundtracks, but several were classic songs that appeared in successful movies. One re-recording was made for the album: the classic James Bond theme "Goldfinger". This is the fourth studio recording of the song by Bassey.

Several TV performances were made by Bassey to promote the album and British television broadcast a successful commercial campaign. The album sold well across Europe and entered the UK Albums Chart on November 11, 1995 for a run of nine weeks, peaking at No. 24, and earning a gold disc. [1] [2]

No singles were released from the album.

Track listing

  1. "Goldfinger" (John Barry, Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) from the movie Goldfinger
  2. "Crazy" (Willie Nelson) from the movie Coal Miner's Daughter
  3. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen) from the film Arthur
  4. "Love on the Rocks" (Neil Diamond, Gilbert Bécaud) from the movie The Jazz Singer
  5. "Eleanor Rigby" (Paul McCartney, John Lennon) from the movie Yellow Submarine
  6. "Let's Stay Together" (Al Green) from the movie Pulp Fiction
  7. "The Rose" (Amanda McBroom) from the movie The Rose
  8. "We Don't Need Another Hero" (Terry Britten, Graham Lyle) from the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
  9. "Do You Know Where You're Going To" (Michael Masser, Gerald Goffin) from the movie Mahogany
  10. "It Must Have Been Love" (Per Gessle) from the movie Pretty Woman
  11. "Try a Little Tenderness" (Irving King, Harry M. Woods) from the movie The Commitments
  12. "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (John Farrar) from the movie Grease
  13. "Makin' Whoopee" (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) from the movie Sleepless in Seattle
  14. "Who Wants to Live Forever" (Brian May) from the movie Highlander

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Bassey</span> Welsh singer (born 1937)

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists in Britain.

<i>The Best of Bond... James Bond</i> 1992 soundtrack album from the James Bond films by various artists

The Best of Bond... James Bond is the title of various compilation albums of music used in the James Bond films made by Eon Productions up to that time. The album was originally released in 1992 as The Best of James Bond, as a one-disc compilation and a two-disc 30th Anniversary Limited Edition compilation with songs that had, at that point, never been released to the public. The single disc compilation was later updated five times in 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, and 2021. The 2008 version was augmented with the addition of a DVD featuring music videos and a documentary. Another two-disc edition, this time containing 50 tracks for the 50th anniversary of the franchise, was released in 2012.

Since its inception in 1962, the James Bond film series from Eon Productions has featured many musical compositions, many of which are now considered classic pieces of British film music. The best known piece is the "James Bond Theme" composed by Monty Norman. Other instrumentals, such as "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", and various songs performed by British or American artists such as Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger", Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice", Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die", Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better", Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only", Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill", Tina Turner's "GoldenEye" also become identified with the series.

John Valmore Pearson was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist. He led the Top of the Pops orchestra for sixteen years, wrote a catalogue of library music, and had many of his pieces used as the theme music to television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldfinger (Shirley Bassey song)</span> 1964 single by Shirley Bassey

"Goldfinger" is the title song from the 1964 James Bond film of the same name. Composed by John Barry and with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, the song was performed by Shirley Bassey for the film's opening and closing title sequences, as well as the soundtrack album release. The single release of the song gave Bassey her only Billboard Hot 100 top forty hit, peaking in the Top 10 at No. 8 and No. 2 for four weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart, and in the United Kingdom the single reached No. 21.

<i>Goldfinger</i> (soundtrack) 1964 soundtrack album by John Barry

Goldfinger is the soundtrack of the 1964 film of the same name, the third film in the James Bond film series, directed by Guy Hamilton. The album was composed by John Barry and distributed by EMI. Two versions were released initially, one in the United States and the United Kingdom, which varied in terms of length and which tracks were within the soundtrack. In 2003, Capitol-EMI records released a remastered version that contained all the tracks within the film.

John Stanley Livingstone Harris was a Scottish composer, producer, arranger, conductor, and musical director. He lived in the United States from 1972 until his death.

<i>The Shirley Bassey Singles Album</i> 1975 compilation album by Shirley Bassey

The Shirley Bassey Singles Album is a compilation album released in 1975 by British singer Shirley Bassey.

<i>I Am What I Am</i> (Shirley Bassey album) 1984 studio album by Shirley Bassey

I Am What I Am was the only studio album recorded by Shirley Bassey for the Towerbell Records label. Several other tracks were also recorded at this label and issued as singles only. The recording sessions took place at Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, in July and August 1984. Following the success of the previous album All by Myself, this album peaked at number 25 in the UK album chart and reached Gold status. This release was the first digitally recorded album made by Shirley Bassey and was issued on vinyl, cassette and CD. Consisting of mainly re-recordings from Shirley Bassey's back catalogue and two new songs, this album was recorded 'live' with The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carl Davies. The album also reunited Shirley Bassey with Norman Newell, who had served successfully as her producer throughout the 1960s.

<i>The Bond Collection</i> 1992 studio album by Shirley Bassey

The Bond Collection, a.k.a. Bassey Sings Bond, is a 1987 studio album by Shirley Bassey, notable for having been released without the artist's consent and subsequently withdrawn from sales by court order.

<i>Live in Japan</i> (Shirley Bassey album) 1974 live album by Shirley Bassey

Live in Japan is a double album by Shirley Bassey, recorded July 8, 1974 at Kosei-Nenkin Kaikan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The album was released in Japan only, and the reverse of the cover listed the songs in English and Japanese. Live at Carnegie Hall had been released just a year prior, with nine of the same songs from Live in Japan, and it is believed that this is at least partly the reason Live in Japan didn't gain a worldwide release. Japan was an important growing market for many artists in the 1970s and many recorded live albums exclusively for release in Japan.

<i>Four Decades of Song</i> 1996 compilation album by Shirley Bassey

Four Decades of Song is a three-CD compilation from Shirley Bassey issued in 1996. This set features 54 songs recorded between 1959 and 1993. In 2008 EMI repackaged and retitled this boxset as Shirley Bassey The Collection; the new version had six extra tracks.

<i>Shirley Stops the Shows</i> 1965 studio album by Shirley Bassey

Shirley Stops the Shows is the seventh Shirley Bassey studio album, her 5th and final studio album recorded for the EMI/Columbia label in the UK. Released in 1965, this album is a mix of standards and showtunes. Shirley Bassey was at a high point in her career, with worldwide success of her single "Goldfinger", but the album failed to chart in the UK, a first for her Columbia albums. The album met with more success in the US, reaching number 85 in the US Pop charts. For the US market it was issued with an alternative running order, retitled Shirley Bassey Belts the Best! and "The Lady Is a Tramp" was replaced by "Goldfinger". Original release was in mono and stereo, both mono versions feature an alternative studio recording of "People" which has not yet been re-issued on CD. The stereo version, remastered, was issued on CD in 2008 together with 12 of Those Songs by BGO Records.

<i>Bassey – The EMI/UA Years 1959–1979</i> 1994 box set by Shirley Bassey

Bassey – The EMI/UA Years 1959–1979 is a 5-CD boxset compilation from Shirley Bassey issued in 1994, this set features 94 studio recordings on four CDs, recorded for EMI/United Artists between 1959 and 1979. Disc five features a previously unreleased live recording from Carnegie Hall. The boxset was reissued by EMI in 2010 in a standard jewel case set.

<i>Ive Got a Song for You</i> 1966 studio album by Shirley Bassey

I've Got a Song for You is a 1966 album by Shirley Bassey. Bassey had left EMI's Columbia Label, and this was her first album for United Artists, a label she would remain with for approximately 14 years. This album and the following release And We Were Lovers were produced by Bassey's former husband, Kenneth Hume. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at #26, but only remained on the chart for one week, and failed to chart in the US, despite her having received outstanding reviews for live engagements in New York and Las Vegas that same year, and the fact that the album was recorded in New York. It was an inauspicious start for her at UA, as none of her albums would chart either in the UK or the US until 1970. In that year, 1970, Bassey would begin to produce more contemporary pop-oriented albums, but here in 1966, despite scoring her biggest hit with "Goldfinger" a year or so earlier, she was still firmly in the traditional pop genre.

<i>La Mujer</i> 1989 studio album by Shirley Bassey

La MujerShirley Bassey canta en Español, is a Shirley Bassey studio album recorded in Spanish. The first recording sessions were held in Spain, and the album was completed in California, at the Hitsville West studio in December 1988. The 1980s saw a period of very few album releases from Shirley Bassey: All by Myself (1982); the acclaimed album I Am What I Am (1984); her recording of James Bond themes from 1987, The Bond Collection, ; and La Mujer. In 1987 the Swiss electronica band Yello approached Shirley Bassey about recording a song with them. The track "The Rhythm Divine" was a minor hit in the UK, charting at number 54 in the UK singles chart but achieving more success on mainland Europe. The success of the single released by Mercury Records, led to an album deal on the label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is No Game</span> 1988 single by Shirley Bassey

Love Is No Game is a single released by Shirley Bassey in 1988. Composed by Pino Marchese, Charles McLoughlin who later worked together on the film soundtrack of the French movie Parole de Flic. The same team had previously provided the 1983 European hit "Thought I'd Ring You", which charted at #13 in the Dutch charts. The song is a remix of a song that was previously released in 1984, then known as "That's Right". The single was released in the wake of the recent hit single "The Rhythm Divine" a collaboration with the electro-pop group Yello, which revived Bassey's career and chart success in otherwise a rather barren period in her recording career and introduced her to a whole new generation. The song has never been included on a Shirley Bassey album or compilation. The 7" single release features. on the b-side, the original Shirley Bassey recording of "Memory", 'from the musical Cats recorded in 1984. She went on to re-record the song in 1993 for the album Sings the Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Shirley Bassey did not promote this single and no video was released. The single was only released in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany where it failed to chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Only Live Twice (song)</span> 1967 single by Nancy Sinatra

"You Only Live Twice", performed by Nancy Sinatra, is the theme song to the 1967 James Bond film of the same name. The music was by veteran Bond film composer John Barry, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The song is widely recognized for its striking opening bars, featuring a simple 2-bar theme in the high octaves of the violins and lush harmonies from French horns. It is considered by some to be among the best James Bond theme songs, and has become one of Nancy Sinatra's best known hits. Shortly after Barry's production, Sinatra's producer Lee Hazlewood released a more guitar-based single version.

Eric Arthur Tomlinson was an English recording engineer, who recorded and mixed the scores to more than 120 movies.

<i>25th Anniversary Album</i> 1978 compilation album by Shirley Bassey

25th Anniversary Album is a compilation album by Shirley Bassey. Released in 1978 to mark her 25th year in show business, the album was a double set, comprising 40 tracks. The songs included span just 20 of the 25 years from 1957 to 1976, however, her first professional contract is dated 1953. Bassey had toured extensively throughout 1978 to mark her 25 years. This collection, including her biggest hits and some lesser-known recordings, became one of her biggest in the UK, where it reached No.3 and spent 12 weeks on the album chart.

References