Did the album turn out as you expected?
We thought Shirley Bassey did a fantastic job, but the Spanish public did not respond to her album as we had hoped. We used the same basic formula as the Feliciano albums, Big Orchestra, and Orchestrations, Kenny Woodman (Winchester Cathedral), did the arrangements.

Was the orchestra in the studio with her?
She recorded her parts in Marbella Spain over several months. The orchestra was recorded at Devonshire Studios in Los Angeles. I contracted the best double and triple scale musicians plus strings from the L.A. Phil and Glendale Symphony.

The orchestrations are superb - was Leonardo Schultz solely responsible for them?
The arrangements were done by Kenny Woodman in consultation with Leonardo Schultz.

Was she difficult to work with?
Shirley Bassey is a perfectionist, and Leonardo had the patience of a Saint, so they made a very good team. She does not like to be rushed, and she only likes to record when she is in an absolutely fantastic mood. This all takes time. However, understanding this and allowing for it in any budget will always guarantee a fantastic performance from Shirley Bassey. She is a pro, and knows what she is doing at all times.

Which song was Leonardo's and Gary's favourite song?
Leonardo liked Vallas, and Gary favours No Me Hables Más De Amor

Were any of the songs Leonardo wrote written with anyone in mind, were they written especially for Shirley?
All the songs on the album written by Leonardo were written specifically with Shirley Bassey in mind.

Whose idea was it to do a Shirley Spanish album? Who approached her?
After Leonardo and Gary did the Matt Monro project, Gary had met Lulu in London (he says she is the only Artist that ever invited him to her home for Tea and Crumpets). Gary told Leonardo they should record Lulu in Spanish. Leonardo thought it was a great idea, and they did several Spanish songs with Lulu. She sang them absolutely fantastic. Leonardo then took things a step further, and said that there was only one Female Artist on earth that he had always wanted to record with, and that was Shirley Bassey. Gary made the initial contacts, Leonardo met with Shirley, it took several months to close a deal, and then they started production.

Why not "La Mujer 2", was it only ever intended as one album?
A significant amount of money was spent by Polygram for La Mujer. The album had extremely disappointing sales due to major management changes at Polygram and practically no marketing and/or promotional support worldwide. Thus very little money was spent on promotion. Gary literally had to force Polygram to release it in the U.S. and he promoted the album by himself in the U.S., with Leonardo pushing it in Latin America. In this business, timing is everything.

Are you generally a fan of Shirley Bassey? What are your favourites from her English repertoire?
I am a fan of anyone with talent. Shirley Bassey is an extremely gifted Artist with a fantastic voice. Her range is unbelievable, and she is truly a pleasure to listen to. I pretty much like anything she sings, but her rendition of Hey Jude is great. Ironically, I have been producing Dance, Trance, and Reggae Music the last few years under the name "Big Daddy G." which is at the complete opposite spectrum of a Songstress such a Shirley Bassey. I produced the worldwide hit "El Meneaito", as well as songs for General Degree, Admiral Bailey, Los Diablos, Renato, and many others. I have a new project coming out entitled "Gartel's Trance, Dance and Other Living things" which features the Godfather of Digital Photography- Laurence Gartel in a multi-media surround sound format, with thousands of his photo's set to worldwide electronic music, much of which was written by yours truly. In addition, Universal Music will be releasing a compilations of my previous hits plus new songs entitled Ragga Nacion (it will be a DVD and CD).

The album was very poorly marketed in countries where most Bassey fans live. Are there any plans to re-release the album properly?!
Based on your suggestion to Joseph, I brought this up with the Executives at Universal Music. If the Super Estrellas del Amor (Superstars of Love) project does well, I think they will release the entire La Mujer CD, as well as our Matt Monro full album, and a full Demis Roussos album.

Did Shirley have any say regarding the songs on the album?
Yes. Shirley actually had final approval on all songs. It is in no ones interests to force a talented Artist to sing something they are not comfortable with, or cannot relate to. Leonardo explained what every lyric meant, so Shirley could express the appropriate phrasing and feelings in her voice.

Are there any plans to release the songs which were recorded but not included on the album?
I actually have the 24 tracks masters somewhere. I would need to take a look at them and see if we did any extra songs. I think we put everything we had on the album.

Were there any tantrums in the recording studio or was everything harmonious?
No Tantrums. Leonardo was smart enough to know when Shirley was getting tired, or loosing focus, and they would call it a day.

Did it take many attempts to get the vocals right? Were there any alternative takes?
It was a very long process to record the vocals. The lyrics were literally recorded line by line. Shirley Bassey did a great job for not speaking the language, and taking a crash course in Spanish. However speaking in Spanish and singing in Spanish are two separate and unique situations.

Were you a fan before you recorded the album and were you still a fan after recording it!?
In my house growing up, my Mom was always listening to Show Tunes, plus Peggy Lee, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, etc. So I also became a fan of this genre of music when other kids were into the Beatles, and Rock n Roll. So it took no great effort for me to enjoy Shirley Bassey's Music. She fit right in with all the other greats I use to listen to as a kid. I would still say I am a fan, I have most of her albums, and occasionally pull one out and listen to it.

Have you had any experience with other 'Divas' how do their demands rank along side Shirley?
There are not that many "Divas" out there. I have worked with Gloria Gaynor, Peggy Lee (isn't it ironic, that I listened to her when I was young, and worked with her in later life), Laura Brannigan, Manoella Torres, Roberta Flack, Mary Macgregor and several other major female Artists. They are talented, but I would not consider them Divas. Shirley Bassey is in a class by herself, and truly deserves the title of a Diva.

I hope everyone enjoys the Super Estrellas del Amor CD/DVD. I think Ed put it best when he said it is a "great remember when." The CD has been digitally re-mastered and sounds great. The DVD was something we wanted to give to the public as a bonus. I like the idea of always giving a CD plus a DVD. This way you can always listen to songs in your car, and when the mood strikes you and there is nothing on TV, you can enjoy watching a DVD instead. For what the DVD is, Shirley Bassey's vocal performance is great (remember this was shot in 1989, and technology has come a long way since then). However, I think any Shirley Bassey fan will enjoy the entire package. Plus you get two other great singers- Matt Monro, and Demis Roussos. I think the public is definitely getting their money's worth. A CD, plus a free DVD for about U.S. 16.95 (less than the price of admission for two people to a movie these days!)

I would like to personally thank Ed for his time and effort he puts into the Songs of Shirley Bassey site. Without fans like him, and those that support his site, Shirley Bassey would in fact not be a "Diva." The greatest talent in the world means nothing if there is no one to support and appreciate the effort.

As of June 15, 2004, Universal has advised me that the product will definitely be released on July 13. All of those people that ordered from www.raggaforce.com should be shipped their product prior to this date.

Thanks to Gary for answering fans' questions, and providing such a fascinating insight.

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