Customer Reviews

Something Else

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I was so thrilled when I heard that "Something Else" was re-mastered. I bought the record years ago, and it's been my favorite Bassey Album since then. Here, You can feel her Power and emotion. I love " What's Done is Done", "Breakfast in Bed", and her version of "Bridge over Troubled water". The great thing is that 2 Bonus tracks are included on this album (For the Love of Him) & (Vehicle) both are great. She is an exceptional artist and by listening to this, you'll know what I mean!

This album introduced me to Shirley Bassey. When I was about six or seven years old, I remember my father playing this on his then state-of-the-art Fisher stereo system. For years I kept my appreciation for Bassey secret, until she was featured on the "Oh Yeah" album by the band Yello in 1985. "Something Else," which offers rather limited tracks for Bassey, is nonetheless a tight sample of her soulful voice. Aretha Franklin has nothing on her. If you like Bassey, you'll likely appreciate Oleta Adams.

By the 1970's Shirley Bassey's voice became truly "Something Else" as it became more full bodied and rangy and also dramatically deepened in tone becomming one of the all time original great voices of the century!!! At the same time Johnny Harris stepped in as producer, arranger and conductor of the landmark 1970 "Something" album which was followed by this 1971 classic which sounds as great today and holds up as a timeless vocal masterpiece!! Opening with an opulant version of "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story", it is clear that Miss Bassey is in superb form in a glorious orchestration that gives this classic a timeless feeling. Stirring rhythm make "'Til Love Touches Your Life" a great ride while "Easy Thing To Do" is soulful and full of pathos. "Until It's Time For You To Go" is a song that has been done to death but this version is beautifully sung with so much feeling that it is fresh and gorgeous with each new listen and a fresh bossa nova approach to "It's Impossible" does the same for this standard. Powerful and dramatically moving make "What's Done Is Done" a stunner as is Michel LeGrand's beautiful "Pieces Of Dreams" which soars to a glorious finale! Sensuous and a naughty Shirley make for fun versions of "Breakfast In Bed" and "I'd Like To Hate Myself In The Morning (And Raise A Little Hell Tonight)". Nobody is quite as stunning as Shirley is on a torchy ballad full of pathos and none is finer that the classic "Excuse Me" where you feel her soul in this passion filled masterpiece. A complete vocal tour de force make "Bridge Over Troubled Water" as great as the original (which is a classic masterpiece!) so that in itself speaks volumes about the wonderous talent of Shirley Bassey!! Classic orchestration meets a classic performance and get ready to use the repeat button over and over on this incredible performance and enjoy!!!! "I'm Not There" is another incredibly moving song that one can get lost in as Shirley is simply magnificant and at her soulful best. Closing out this great collection of timeless performances are two greats recorded at the same time and "For The Love Of Him" and "Vehicle" would make the final cut of this classic set. Bravo Shirley!!!

Something Else is the perfect title many times over! 1st Shirley's perfect voice always hitting the mark & those glorious high notes. 2nd, her way with the naughty songs: Breakfast in Bed & I'd Like to Hate Myself in Morning. No one comes close to matching Shirley for suggestive but classy material. 3rd, the unkown songs: Escuse Me, Easy Thing to Do, &, to some extent, Pieces of Dreams. These ***** should have been done to death but usually Shirley was the one with the taste to do these gems. In Excuse Me, she cuts to the quick when singing: YOU JUST DON'T CARE NO MORE! Dear God one feels her loss. Best ever about the first moments of discovering love is lost. 4th, Shirl's queenship of covering others' hits is again proven, doing Bridge over Troubled Water much more authoritatively than Art Garfunkel. She provides the strong voice that Artie lacks but is so needed for the song to artistically succeed. Love Story must make Andy Williams quake with envy. 5th, her beauty which is scantly shown to great success on the cover. Only Lena Horne & Linda Ronstadt shared same kind of physical & vocal beauty. 6th, Something Else is a sequel to the Something album. Both are this TRUE DIVA's most successful ventures: artistically & commerically. Please buy it & don't waste your time & money on stuff you won't play after the first time. I loved this for 30 years. May we all live that much longer!

If any album of Shirley Bassey's could be considered near perfection, it would be this one. Recorded in 1971 as a follow up to 1970's magnificent Something album, this is, in my humble opinion, her best United Artists work. Every song is a winner. Beautiful arrangements, vocals to give you chills. Tough to pick the best tracks, but Excuse Me, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Till Love Touches Your Life, Until It's Time For You To Go, and Judy Garland's I'd Like To Hate Myself In The Morning, are knockouts! A Bassey collection is not complete without this album!

In my opinion, this album is perfect! Her voice and the songs chosen are really great!