Bassey, Mackenzie and Yello

One of Dame Shirl’s more interesting and unlikely collaborations was with Swiss electro-pop duo Yello. Back in 1987 they collectively released The Rhythm Divine, a tune with lyrics penned by the fabulous Billy Mackenzie of The Associates. The idea for the collab came about when Prince Hubertus Von Hohenlohe – who was co-producing Yello’s One Second LP – heard the track. He decided it would be ideal for Bassey who was a close personal friend. He took a tape of the track around to her Swiss gaff and asked if she would add her magic to the mix. She agreed. The old pro took a grand total of 45 minutes to lay down the vocal. The single (her first on CD format) was rushed out and despite decent critical reviews only managed to attain a modest number 54 in the UK charts. The above picture shows Mackenzie, Bassey and Yello, with Prince Hubertus Von Hohenlohe lurking in the background.