Shirley Bassey is 80 today, and I present to you a few of her finest moments, firstly is 1972’s Jezahel which you probably know better as Last Leg theme Harder Than You Think by Public Enemy. Yes, they took the horn arrangement, lock stock and tooting barrel!
Another is the excellently dramatic and louche version of The Doors – Light My Fire which I think I heard via either a Roy Freelance Hellraiser or Tom Middleton/Cosmosonica mix, not sure which. (stay for the end, which although in German is a revealing look into what happens when you get it wrong for a diva!. Totally understandable, because unless you scare them into behaving, bands, venues, sound engineers and orchestras will walk all over you.)
Definitely a Roy FH mix track is ‘I’d Like To Hate Myself In The Morning’ which is a sentiment we can all go along with!
And more recently, her collaboration with Propellerheads I think has been forgotten, which is sad, because it’s a great song with a real message, yes it is all a little bit of History Repeating. And a very clever video, watch the background figures for what starts out as a 50’s jazz show, later influences creep in from baggy to hip hop and 60’s fashion.
And on a more mashup tip – I didn’t know she covered Pink’s Get The Party Started?! Miss Shirley OWNS this. Love how she laughs as the ass bit…
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