I Am What I Am - Gloria Gaynor, Shirley Bassey and....?

[Westwood]

OK, I didn't wanna use the Anybody Wanna Party thread to talk about this song, it deserves its own thread.
Who has recorded this song and in what vein?
I am getting lost watching all the Shirley Bassey live videos on youtube lol. Not at all disco but wow, what a wonderful song and performances. I don't really like the cabaret-style base that kicks in in most versions of her shows towards the middle tho.

YouTube - Gloria Gaynor - I Am What I Am

YouTube - Shirley Bassey - I AM WHAT I AM

I think it's even more anthemic than I Will Survive. It's more poingnant, while IWS is more, well, less serious sounding? Well compared to Miss Bassey's versions ;)
Did Bassey ever do disco other than the just great Moonraker end credits?

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by Westwood

Did Bassey ever do disco other than the just great Moonraker end credits?

She sure did! 'This Is My Life (La Vita)' was given a fabulous disco remix in '79 by Meco Menardo & Tony Bongiovi who also did sterling disco work for such as Gloria Gaynor & Marlena Shaw. This one's in a similar vein to 'Love Story' by Andy Williams & 'Begin The Beguine' by Johnny Mathis. All from '79 - orchestral disco gasping it's last breath! Camp revamps - doncha just luv 'em.

[SandraDee]

Oh, also, check out 'Disco La Passione' by La Bassey from '96 -more camp dance brilliance. (& it was written/produced by Chris Rea - getting back to his disco roots - he used to play guitar on some of Alec C's stuff in the 70s!)

[Westwood]

Originally Posted by SandraDee

She sure did! 'This Is My Life (La Vita)' was given a fabulous disco remix in '79 by Meco Menardo & Tony Bongiovi who also did sterling disco work for such as Gloria Gaynor & Marlena Shaw. This one's in a similar vein to 'Love Story' by Andy Williams & 'Begin The Beguine' by Johnny Mathis. All from '79 - orchestral disco gasping it's last breath! Camp revamps - doncha just luv 'em.

Well now I'm watering at the mouth!
Can you tell me on what release I can find these? On an original 12" or album? If it's not the A side that these are on, what's the A side to look for?
Also in case there is a good cd with them on I'd appreciate it.
I will not start other Bassey threads seeing as they don't belong here, but her videos on youtube are breathtaking. There is one from RAI tv where she sings This Is My Life like she's donna die, and when she goes back to her seat she's crying lol. You gotta love her, queens all over the world would have no clue what to do onstage if it werent for her, hahahah ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt6TRG8WnDY

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by Westwood

Can you tell me on what release I can find these?

Well, I have the 12" of 'This Is My Life' on United Artists (the LP doesn't have the disco remix version) & I have 'Disco La Passione' on a CD single on eastwest/WEA (again I have a feeling the LP had a less dancey mix).

[Westwood]

Oh, but you made me so eager to hear the others too! I am listening to the Andy Williams on youtube and I have to stop, it's too fab fab disco, I wanna wait til I can hear it in full stereo on my pc.
What about Mathis, also an A Side 12"?

[Graham_Start]

Bassey also did a disco version of "Copacabana". It's found on the flip of some (not all) of the "This Is My Life" 12"s.

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by Westwood

What about Mathis, also an A Side 12"?

It's on the other side of the 'Gone Gone Gone' 12", A-side of the US version. (GGG was a-side in the UK.)

[Dansez!]

Originally Posted by SandraDee

She sure did! 'This Is My Life (La Vita)' was given a fabulous disco remix in '79 by Meco Menardo & Tony Bongiovi who also did sterling disco work for such as Gloria Gaynor & Marlena Shaw. This one's in a similar vein to 'Love Story' by Andy Williams & 'Begin The Beguine' by Johnny Mathis. All from '79 - orchestral disco gasping it's last breath! Camp revamps - doncha just luv 'em.

Along with the '79 disco version of "This Is My Life", other disco songs to check out by the amazing Dame Shirley Bassey are:

Copacabana
La Passione
If You Don't Understand

Her latest CD, "Get The Party Started" has a lot of wonderful disco-y songs. I love her version of the title song as well as "I Will Survive", "Where Is the Love", "You Only Live Twice" and "Slave To the Rythm"

I found this informations on the disco version of "This Is My Life" that might be helpful -

*1978: 7" single (UP 36502, Holland 1979: UA 5C 006-82651) "disco" version remixed by Hank Cicalo without the slow intro and verse one, but verse two twice - length 3:40. (B-side: The Magic Is You.) This version is also referred to as the "European Single Version". Though on the collection Original Gold according to the cover should be this version on the CD, it indeed contains the 1968 album version.

*1979: a 12" European maxi-single (UA K 052 Z 82651) with the slow intro and verse one and stretched at the end which makes it very long: 6:51. (B-side: The Magic Is You.)

A 12" U.S. maxi-single (but 33 rpm) from 1979 (UA D6007D and UA-P5007-D) with alternate vocals by Shirley re-recorded and re-mixed by Rick Gianatos. It does not include the slow intro but indeed verse 1 in disco beat - time: 6:17 (intro 0:37). (B-side: Copacabana (At The Copa))
See Also Rick Gianatos working together with Shirley Bassey.

1979: 12" "disco" maxi-single from United Artist (EMI Electrola 1 C 052-82 734 YZ, 45rpm, length 6:08) with "Copacabana (At The Copa)" on the B-side. Despite of the 9 seconds difference noted to the version above, these two versions seem to be the same. The "disco" versions were very successful. In the Netherlands for example this maxi was her biggest hit ever, reaching No. 4 in the charts.

I have a 45rpm single with another version "re-recorded and mixed by Rick Gianatos, remixed from the United Artists LP The Magic Is You", length: 4:25 (intro 0:19). The intro is different and shorter than on the other Rick Gianatos version and at the end it is fading down during an instrumental part, but the rest seems to be the same.

A really different version re-mixed by Meco Monardo & Tony Bongiovi has been released in 1979 by United Artists USA on UA-D6001-D (UAST-20388), length 6:15. This version has also been released on a CD-maxi-single "This Is My Life - the lost disco mixes".

For more information on Meco and Tony read Mecoman or The Official MECO Fan Page.

Another new "disco" version was released 1978 on the album The Magic Is You on CD and LP and on a single with a length of 4:53 (sometimes 4:51). This version is available on CD for example on the 1992 collection The Magic Is You.

[Westwood]

Well thanks for all that info, way too many versions to choose from now...
However as for Get The Party Started, I don't hear disco in there.
While I think there are a couple of great reworkings of hits, most of them are, imo, dull. And they all sound like James Bond songs, and really cannot listen to her I Will Survive one more time. :(