Search - Shirley Bassey :: Diamonds Are Forever-Remix

A perfect combination

Adrien Begrand | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 10/02/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would never have figured I'd enjoy a Shirley Bassey cd so much, but Diamonds Are Forever-The Remix Album shows that Bassey's songs lend themselves perfectly to electronic remixes. Of course, after the success of the Propellerheads' single 'History Repeating', you had to figure it was only a matter of time before someone got the idea to create such an album. awayTEAM's remix of 'Where Do I Begin?' is a great example of using techno music to enhance a tune instead of overshadowing it, with thumping bass and drum machine blending nicely with the string arrangements from the original recording. Kenny Dope's remix of Bassey's cover of The Doors' 'Light My Fire', one of two versions of the song on this album, features powerful drumming underneath Bassey's sultry vocals with minimal overdubs. The Bond theme 'Diamonds Are Forever', remixed by Mantronik, convert the song from a movie theme to a tune that sounds tailor-made for European club music, while the frenzied remix of 'Big Spender' by Wild Oscar makes the listener want to crank the volume all the way up, something many younger listeners thought they'd never do. The highlight is the Propellerheads' (who better do do it?) fabulous remix of the Bassey standard 'Goldfinger': it begins with a keyboard & acoustic guitar intro with a shuffling drum beat and scratching, then launches into the familiar horn flourishes of the original song. The shuffling beat and funky bass continues underneath Bassey's vocals, simultaneously reinventing the classic song while keeping the song's memorable arrangement intact. The album isn't perfect, with Groove Armada's underwhelming reworking of 'Never Never Never' being the low point, but for the most part, Diamonds Are Forever is a highly enjoyable listen. Watch for plenty of kids surreptitiously browsing the Adult Contemporary section of the local record store for the very first time in search of this album."

A new take on some classic songs

Christopher Bourne | Brussels | 09/25/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"there seem to be no track listings yet so here goes: 1) Where Do I Begin ("Love Story" theme) by awayTEAM 2) Goldfinger by Propellorheads 3) C'mon Baby Light My Fire by Kenny Dope 4) Diamonds Are Forever by Mantronik 5) Easy Thing To Do by Nightmares on Wax 6) Never Never Never by Groove Armada 7) Hey Big Spender by Wild Oscar 8) Spinning Wheel by DJ Spinna 9) C'mon Baby Light My Fire by Twelftree 10) If You Go Away by Moloko & Mark Brydon A bit of a mixed bag. The remixers worked with the original records, so most of them have left in the original orchestrations too and just added a techno rhythm, which works better for some (Moloko, Propellorheads) than others. It makes you realise once again what a fabulous voice Bassey had and still has. Full credit to her to allow her recordings to be remixed, hopefully creating a new generation of fans !"