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- Bassey – The EMI/UA Years 1959–1979 is a 5-CD boxset compilation from Shirley Bassey issued in 1994, this set features 94 studio recordings on four CDs, recorded for EMI/United Artists between 1959 and 1979. Disc five features a previously unreleased live recording from Carnegie Hall. The boxset was reissued by EMI in 2010 in a standard jewel case set. All tracks appear here in stereo, the original singles released between 1959 and 1969 were released in mono. Later re-issues on compilations were stereo versions of the mono singles, these are the versions featured here. Original mono single recordings made for EMI Columbia were re-issued in 2006 on the 2-CD set .It was not unusual in this era to make a recording twice, as recording methods for mono and stereo were very different. This created two recordings of the same song, with differing vocals and instrumentation. Both versions were released on separate albums, making two versions of an album available. Mono albums were less expensive and it took a few years before stereo became the dominant market. Later all recordings were made in stereo but were mixed to mono for single releases. Several previously unreleased tracks were discovered in the EMI vaults and made available here for the first time. This box covers extensively Shirley Bassey's career from the late 1950s through to the late 1970s, from traditional pop to disco. All three of her world-famous James Bond themes are represented here, as are many rare single and EP only releases. Many of the tracks here had not been available in any form since the original release on vinyl. None of Bassey's live albums recorded in this period are represented on this release. Two B-sides were omitted: The 1976 B-side of "Natalie", a track titled "Runaway" (Shapiro, Lovecchio) (an Italian original), and the other was a 1979 cover of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana (At The Copa)" (Manilow, Sussman, Feldman) which only appeared on the 1979 single "This Is my Life". These two tracks are the only ones, originally released in the UK during the EMI/UA Years, not to have had a digital re-issue, as of October 2009. A fifth disc features a previously unreleased live recording made on 15 February 1964 at Carnegie Hall, New York. Planned for an album release, this performance was recorded live on a three track tape and was originally mixed for Mono. Due to limitations of the period the results were found unsatisfactory. In 1994 while this boxset was being planned the tapes were discovered and mixed for Stereo at Abbey Road, London. The recording represents well the experience of an early Shirley Bassey concert, highlighting some of her earliest recordings at her previous label (Philips) and showcasing a selection of her newest recordings taken from her first three albums at EMI/Columbia. Some of the performances found here are the only live recordings of several Bassey tracks. Her concert performances changed a great deal in the next few years. By the time she finally released Shirley Bassey at the Pigalle in 1965 her early recordings were no longer part of the set list. The song "Typically English" was never recorded in a studio version. Musical Direction on the original live recording was by Tony Osborne, and remixed for EMI by Tristam Penna and Ashley Alexander in September 1994. (en)
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