Keep the Music Playing


Keep the Music Playing is a 1991 album by Shirley Bassey. The album was recorded in the UK at the Westgreen Studios and in the Netherlands at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum. The album is a mixture of contemporary pop ballads, such as "I Want to Know What Love Is" from Foreigner, the Jennifer Rush power ballad "The Power Of Love", and the more gentle "Still" from Lionel Richie, combined with standards from the field of jazz and pop, such as "He Was Beautiful", the sweet jazz ballad from Cleo Laine. Several of the song arrangements reflect an operatic pop style influence, which may have roots in her 1984 album I Am What I Am, which she recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, and the fact that in the latter mid-1980s she started working with a vocal coach, a former opera singer. Bassey returned to the Beatles with "Yesterday", as she had previously covered "Something" and "Fool on the Hill" successfully in the 1970s, and had performed "Hey Jude" frequently live. Another previously successful formula was used for the closing track "Dio, Come Ti Amo " an Italian original in the tradition of "This is My Life" and "Natalie"..
The album was a commercial success and entered the UK album charts in May 1991, peaking at number 25. The original release was on vinyl, cassette and CD, the CD was issued by Dino Records in the UK and ZYX Records in Germany.
FreeStyle Records is now defunct but this album has been re-issued on CD many times on various labels.

Track listing

  1. "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" - 4.47
  2. "He Was Beautiful" - 4.12
  3. "The Power Of Love" - 4.34
  4. "Still" - 5.44
  5. "All I Ask Of You" - 3.56
  6. "I Want to Know What Love Is" - 4.56
  7. "Wind Beneath My Wings" - 4.19
  8. "Yesterday" - 3.20
  9. "That's What Friends Are For" - 4.06
  10. "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" - 3.46
  11. "The Greatest Love of All" - 5.28 ''
  12. "Dio, Come Ti Amo " - 4.45

    Personnel

The album was predated by a single release of Michel Legrand's classic "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" with "Greatest Love of All" as B-side. The CD single release featured "I Want to Know What Love Is" as a bonus track. To promote this single a video clip was made.

Track listing: 7" single "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"

A:"How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" - 4.47
B:"The Greatest Love of All" - 5.28
Issued in Germany on the ZYX 7" single ZYX 6510-7, the single failed to chart.

Track listing: CD single "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"

1."How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" - 4.47
2."The Greatest Love of All" - 5.28
3."I Want to Know What Love Is" - 4.56
Issued in Germany on the ZYX CD single ZYX 6510-8, the single failed to chart.
"That's What Friends Are For" was released in Germany in 2005 by ZYX Records.
This single is a remix of the 1991 track recorded for the album Keep the Music Playing. Only the first two tracks feature the vocals of Shirley Bassey. The CD sleeve notes list the version in the wrong order, the track listing below is the corrected order. The single was not official promoted by Shirley Bassey. The single failed to reach any chart listing.

Track listing: CD single "That's What Friends Are For" (2005 remix)

  1. "That's What Friends Are For" - 3.47
  2. "That's What Friends Are For" - 5.08
  3. "That's What Friends Are For" - 3.51
  4. "That's What Friends Are For" - 3.51
  5. "That's What Friends Are For" - 3.51
  6. "That's What Friends Are For" - 3.51

    Personnel

Alternative version
Previous to this single the track also appeared in a different remix on a German compilation CD titled Golden Disco-Hits 2 issued by Dance Street Records.
  1. "That's What Friends Are For" - 4.08