Customer Reviews

Sings the Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Recorded in 1993, this cd has a "live" concert feel to it. Shirley Bassey is supported by a large orchestra and chorus. Highlights are the lesser known tracks where she holds back in her interpretations. "Tell Me On A Sunday" and "The Last Man In My Life" from "Song and Dance" being the best tracks. Surprisingly Bassey adds little new to the standard Lloyd Webber fare of "Memory" and "All I Ask Of You". The power of her voice lifts "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from "Phantom" and "Sunset Boulevard's" "As If We Never Said Goodbye" above the rest.

You might have heard these tracks before but until you've heard Bassey's interpertaion ....."you havent heard anything yet!. The selections become "hauntingly beautiful" She is at her best in Tell me on a Sunday Please, With One Look, Wishing you were here, Everything's as if we never said goodbye, and Starlight Express is as exciting only as Bassey makes it! As Gordon Lorenz states on the sleeve notes, during the recoding session someone asked "it seems as if these songs were

written especially for Shirley". Order it Now!

This fantastic album shows off Shirley Bassesy in the best light - she was born to sings this over-the-top songs and the atmosphere of the album is very theatrical.Surprisingly, on the "Chansone L'Enfance" she sounds very warm and vulnerable! Overal, this is one of my favourite Shirley Bassey's album ever!

You might have heard these tracks before but until you've heard Bassey's interpertaion ....."you havent heard anything yet!. The selections become "hauntingly beautiful" She is at he best in Tell me on a Sunday Please, With One Look, Wishing you were here, Everything's as if we never said goodbye, and Starlight Express is as exciting only as Bassey makes it! As Gordon Lorenz states on the sleeve notes, during the recoding session someone asked "it seems as if these songs were

written especially for Shirley". Order it Now!

The vast majority of singers who cant "intrpetate" a song i wont give a second glance to, this one is the worst of all,and yet you can listen to her forever,she is what you could describe as a "hybrid",as for songs such as "as if we never said goodbye",its like bringing Norma Desmond herself out of the loonybin.

Though I must admit I am not a great fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, I thoroughly enjoyed this disc. Miss Bassey brings her considerable vocal power and talent for dramatic interpretation to bear on what would otherwise be kitschy material, turning it into something resembling art.

Songs such as The Last Man In My Life, As If We Never Said Goodbye and Tell Me On A Sunday are brought brilliantly to life, with every emotional nuance squeezed from the material. This is a disc to savour repeatedly. If you are a Bassey fan, you will enjoy it wothout reservation; if you are a Webber fan, you will appreciate the songs being sung with an intensity and realism not often heard before.

All in all, a disc for the pleasure of almost everyone interested in quality singing and 20th century theater.

Shirley Bassey, (a.k.a. the Welsh banshee, Bassey the Belter and the Tigress of Tiger Bay) has been a singing star for almost half a century, best remembered for singing the theme songs to the James Bond movies "Goldfinger" and "Diamonds Are Forever." However, the Shirley Bassey who "Sings the Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber" on this album is not the same one we remember belting out those unforgettable movie themes. These songs are mostly done in the Bassey way, which is big and brassy, starting with the opening tune, "Memory" from "Cats." Similarly, "Starlight Express" sounds like it belongs in a nightclub act, but there are also songs that try something differences, such as "Chanson D'Enfance," which is sung in French to an accordion. The problem is that every time Bassey gears up to power through a part of a song, like in "Tell Me On a Sunday," it is always less than what you expect to hear. That means that slower, quieter songs like the first parts of "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Macavity," and "Wishing Your Were Somehow Here Again" end up coming across better, where Bassey relies more on vocal phrasing than power vocals, and when she gets to the big part of the songs she is no longer up to the challenge. The bottom line is that this one is for fans of Bassey, who enjoy hearing her sing even as her considerable vocal talent slowly erodes, and will be less impressive to fans of the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber. For Bassey fans this will be a 4; for Lloyd Webber fans this will be a 3.

Shirley Bassey was voted the best female vocalist in the last 50 years, and most of her recordings reflect that. However, this CD is the exception. I don't know if she was just having a bad day, but every song seems to be a struggle for her, and knowing Bassey, there was no reason to struggle! The only song on this CD that she manages to give the "Bassey treatment" to is "As If We Never Said Goodbye", and even it could have been better. The rest are hard to listen to. I love the picture on the cover though.

I was so excited to hear these interpretations of Andrew Lloyd Webber standards, but this is such a horrible attempt. Her belting is just so out of place in this particular recording. So sorry, Shirley. Terrific picture on the cover, though, and "Macavity" and "The Last Man in My Life" are the only cuts that are not that bad. I suggest for musical afficionados to definitely ignore this major disappointment.