Shirley Bassey: My Life on Record and In Concert Book

It's Bassey's Diamond Jubilee--OK, so it's only four decades in showbiz, and the lady's nearing 62, but who's counting? From her birth at 182 Bute Street, Cardiff, to a ship's fireman and a local Tiger Bay girl, to her recent retro-smash with the Propellerheads, the whole rags-to-riches story is here, gorgeously illustrated (birth certificate, school photographs) and with La Bassey herself illuminating her inspirations, songs, nerves, and remarkable voice. The book's odd title properly conveys Bassey's astute move from hit- parade fodder to bigtime cabaret and concert venues, where her greatest successes now lie. You never forget the Bassey entrance to the power chords of "Goldfinger" in a fabulous full-trained frock, raising her arms before launching into that trademark roar. The hem of the frock makes it onstage sometime during the second chorus. This is a book for fans, and they're well treated by it. Record covers, concert programmes, reviews and press releases are all lovingly reproduced--and when Sean Connery pens your album notes, why not? It shies clear of Bassey's marital problems, her daughter's tragic death, and her alleged hauteur with the help, but then her attempts at personal sincerity have always seemed strangely misplaced. Bassey is glitz and guts and tawdry glamour, and it's all here. In buckets. --Alan StewartRead More