Divine Miss M [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Was Bette Midler playing on the title of Dinah Washington's The Swingin' Miss D when she named her 1972 debut? Washington would've been proud of this album's tune stack, which makes a sensuous slow-jam classic of "Do You Want to Dance?" by Bobby Freeman, salutes the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," and produces signature pieces of John Prine's "Hello in There" and Buzzy Linhart's "Friends." Midler might not have set out to reinvent the wheel, but on her first try, she outdid Barbra Streisand in taste, wit, and yes, sophistication. --Rickey Wright

Tracks:

Do You Want To Dance?
Chapel Of Love
Superstar
Daytime Hustler
Am I Blue
Friends
Hello In There
Leader Of The Pack
Delta Dawn
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Friends

Amazon.com essential recording

Was Bette Midler playing on the title of Dinah Washington's The Swingin' Miss D when she named her 1972 debut? Washington would've been proud of this album's tune stack, which makes a sensuous slow-jam classic of "Do You Want to Dance?" by Bobby Freeman, salutes the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," and produces signature pieces of John Prine's "Hello in There" and Buzzy Linhart's "Friends." Midler might not have set out to reinvent the wheel, but on her first try, she outdid Barbra Streisand in taste, wit, and yes, sophistication. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Bette's 1972 debut is simply.......DIVINE!!!!.......2006-10-07

This album of Bette Midler, The Divine Miss M, was released in 1972 and is one of her best albums ever. The album starts off with the smooth and intimate "Do You Want To Dance?" (which is one of my favorite songs of hers). The way she sang this song was so funny towards the climax of it, with her very audible exhale, which she does a few times until she raises her voice at the end. Wow!!! She does an excellent job on Hello In There, and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, which sounds almost like a 40s jazz arrangement, two versions of "Friends". The first version of this song starts off with the jumpy and uptempo piano beat, while the other version, which is the final song on the album, has more of a slower and different piano intro. I also love the front cover image of this album, a great illustration. When you look on the back of the CD booklet or the back cover on the LP, you can see a red tone picture of Bette, which looks almost exactly like the front cover drawing. Very neat!! I have this album on LP, tape and CD, and it is a great and truly "divine" album. For those of you who are big fans of Bette, make sure that this title is in your collection, and let Bette's "divine" voice enrich you! Kudos to Bette for her beautiful voice on this album!!

Simply Divine...Simply Miss M.......2004-07-09

Well kids, who knew the girl from Honolulu, the outsider, would record such a timeless collection of hits and standards. There is not one debut album that I can think of that is as incredible as Bette Midler's "The Divine Miss M." This is Bette at her best, singing torch songs such as "Am I Blue," or knocking your socks off with a rocker such as "Hustler," or just having some kitch-y fun with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Friends." In March of 1999, I had the great fortune of meeting Miss Midler and having her sign my vinyl copy of this timeless record. As we were talking, I commented about how this was her best album and she was flattered that someone so young (I was 13 at the time) could appreciate such a classic album. Buy this incredible piece of work by an incredible artist! You won't be sorry! And just remember...
"You can like me the way I am or you can...KISS MY BRASS!"-a quote from the Divine Miss M's latest and greatest concert tour!

Seminal influence.......2003-10-14

This is one of the absolute best first albums by a pop artist to date. I remember sneaking my older sister's "Divine Miss M" album out of her room when she wasn't around and playing it on our "stereophonic hi-fi." (We're talking back in 1972 after all.) Imagine a 12-year-old girl from the 'hood crooning along with Bette Midler's "Am I Blue" and totally getting it! When I listen to this CD now, I'm still amazed at how she renders all the covers on that album as hers and hers alone...every single note, every single riff...

To any and all Bette Midler newbies...get this album.

The title of this debut album is actually an understatement.......2003-10-02

I first remember Bette Midler as this high energy insane woman who would show up on "The Tonight Show" and having Johnny, Ed and Doc be her backup singers on "Teenager in Love." Years later she was Johnny Carson's final guest, and having seen her live in concert I am here to tell you he could not have made a better choice because nobody performs better than the Divine Miss M. The title of her 1972 debut album put that persona in the public's mind and it remains not only the first but the most definitive Bette Midler album because everything she has done can all be traced back to the eleven tracks collected here. Along with "Songs for the New Depression" and the soundtrack for "The Rose," "The Divine Miss M" is a 1970s Bette Midler album that you have to own in your music library.

The song that caught the public's attention was her second single, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," the old WWII Andrews Sister's song that Bette took to #8 on the Billboard charts (which is actually better than the original did). Midler did all the singing voices and while her singing ability has always been greater than her voice, this is the song that establishes her ability to maximize what she has and sell it like few in the business ever have. With "Chapel of Love" and "Leader of the Pack" on the album as well, it was easy for Midler to carve out her niche as the queen of retro kitsch, but she goes for much more than that with this album. This is why the other key song is John Prine's "Hello in There," where Midler provides the poignancy that would be a key part of her most successful ballads. The other song that stands out for me is her cover of "Delta Dawn," not so much for the version she sings here, but because when I saw her perform life this was the song that ended the first act and it was the surprisingly most memorable moment of a magic evening.

Well-Rounded Album.......2003-08-04

This is Bette Midler's first and finest album. It's filled with standards, ballads, rock and pop songs. A great retro album that's retro itself!

Here the version of SUPERSTAR that inspired the Carpenters to record their slower and mellower version. Listen to the smooth DO YOU WANT TO DANCE? Sing along to BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY and FRIENDS (2 different versions produced by 2 different people--one fo them being Barry Manilow!).