Bette

With "Midnight in Memphis" Midler proves she could be a pretty great blues signer and "Stay With Me" takes on almost epic proportions as the Rose self-destructs on stage before her hometown audience. The flaw of this album, if you want to call it that, is that these songs are performed in character. You have to pity the person who pickes up this soundtrack without having seen the film and does not understand why Midler's voice goes through some serious deterioration in the final set of tracks. Compare "Stay With Me" with her cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman" and you have a sense of what might have been (or the version on "Divine Madness"). Still, there is something to be said for staying faithful to the film in this regard, which is why it is a pity the concert monologue has been sanitized. Of course, if you have seen the movie then you have to wonder why the tour de force version of Bob Seger's "Fire Down Below," which the Rose does with a bevy of female impersonators, was ommitted from the soundtrack because there is no way it would be considered the least worthy song from the film.

This album was produced by Paul Rothchild, who also did "Pearl," Joplin's final studio album, which certainly explains how Midler manages to capture the Joplin sound during the concerts recorded in the summer of 1978. You have to wonder what sort of demons Rothchild exorcised in putting this album together. The album made it to #12 on the Billboard charts while the the cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman" made it to #35 and then the title song made it to #3 as a single after Midler got her Oscar nomination (how it avoided hitting the top I do not know). In retrospect it seems there was no place for Midler to go but down after her smash film debut, but while she has never had a cinematic success to rival "The Rose," this is the film that put her on the A list of performers, a spot that she still inhabits. Final Note: I always liked "Camellia," the instrumental piece that Steve Hunter wrote as the Rose's introduction music. Like most of the songs on this album, it is one when the images of the film and the music are entwined in my mind.

Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook
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I love Bette, but...

Miss Lee meer the divine Ms M

I love being here with Bette

FANTASTIC!

Defective product

Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook
Bette Midler
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000BBOFOK
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Tracks:

Fever
Alright, Okay, You Win
I Love Being Here With You
Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
Is That All There Is?
I'm A Woman
He's A Tramp
The Folks Who Live On The Hill
Big Spender
Mr. Wonderful

Amazon.com

Bette Midler and musical director Barry Manilow follow their successful tribute to Rosemary Clooney with a collection of songs immortalized by Peggy Lee. It starts off with the inevitable "Fever," which Midler does in a brassy, finger-snapping way that would feel more at home at the Sands c. 1960 than in a dimly lit 1950s boudoir. It's a deliberate, clever choice that works for Midler. The selection hits predictable bases ("Is That All There Is?", "Big Spender") but it's hard to argue when those bases are so loaded. Midler actually sounds a lot more at ease than on the Clooney disc. She handles the upbeat material as well as could be expected, but she also shines on the slower numbers, delivering sultry takes on "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe," "I'm a Woman," and "He's a Tramp" (a song copenned by Lee, from the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp). The neglected gem in the collection is Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's "The Folks Who Live on the Hill," popularized by Irene Dunne in 1937 before being covered by Lee. Manilow's arrangements are deliciously lush and Midler uses a slight vibrato at carefully chosen moments, somehow sounding as if she had suddenly been lifted back to the 1940s. It's a real treat that epitomizes an accomplished album. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

I love Bette, but..........2007-05-14

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was in this album. I love Bette Midler and think she is one of the greatest entertainers we have today. But, my impression of this album was that she came into the studio, sang a few Peggy Lee songs, told them where to send the check and went home. To add insult to injury, there isn't a photo or anything else on the CD itself, just barely legible "This side up." Sorry Bette, in the future I'll stick to you singing your own material.

Miss Lee meer the divine Ms M.......2007-03-27

The trend in music lately is singers (Like Midler, Manilow, Rod Stewart)are recoring classics or standards. It seems to work, because it record sale magic.

Bette Midler has always been a great soulful singer, from the 1970's to present. Last year, Ms M took on the task for recording the Rosemary Clooney (that's George's aunt) songbook. This time she recorded the songs of Peggy Lee.

Lee has been a soulful jazz queen. Midler is one of the few singers today that could take on such Lee standards like "Fever", "He's a Tramp" , "Big Spender", and "Is that all there is?". Midler take on these pieces with such an aplome that you feel they were written today for Midler herself. The weakest song "The Folks who live on the Hill" does not fit Midler's vocal pattern range, she seem straining in that song. The duet with Barry Manilow on "I Love Being Here with you" reminds me of classic Ms M.

Talking about Manilow, who has recorded songs of the 1950, 1960, and the 1970, produced this CD for Midler. He has done a great job arranging & Producing this cd, Mailow make this seem so easy. It reminds that he was Midler's Piano man for years. He arranges these to suit her brassy style and it works so well

The DVD side has some rare Peggy Lee footage and interviews with Midler and others.

So, to quote Peggy Lee, "Is that all There is? Depressingly YES there is, and you want MORE

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

I love being here with Bette.......2006-07-20

Bette follows up her tribute to friend Rosemary Clooney, with a tribute to the great Peggy Lee. This set may not be as adventurous as the Rosie tribute, as the arrangements are very traditional (which suites these songs), however this is still a wonderful album. The ballads "the folks who live on the hill" and Harold Arlen's lovely "happiness is just a thing called Joe" are simply stunning and two of Bette's finest ever vocal performances. "fever" (revelatory interpretation) and "he's a tramp" come up a treat, and "I am w-o-m-a-n" is the divine Miss M in all her glory. Bette's been recording standards since `am I blue" on her first album (1972) and with the possible exception of Linda Ronstadt no rock singer sings the standards better then Bette and this album is a testament to that. Great songs, great arrangements, great singing, great album and a lovely tribute to a dearly missed singer (and songwriter).

FANTASTIC!.......2006-07-13

Bette midler has done justice to the talents of Peggy Lee! Not only does she add to the style of Peggy Lee, she embelishes it. An added feature are the DVD performances of some of the songs. Bette Midler's rendition of 'Is That All There Is' is unforgetable.

Defective product.......2006-04-20

I wish I knew if this recording was good or not. The dual format CD/DVD does not work. I thought the first defective and Amazon promptly replaced it. The newer version does not work either, it just clicks away. I tried it both in my MAC G4 as well as my Sony CD player. Nada. Invest your money is something that might actually work and avoid dual format.

Average customer rating:

Bette's 1972 debut is simply.......DIVINE!!!!
Simply Divine...Simply Miss M
Seminal influence
The title of this debut album is actually an understatement
Well-Rounded Album

The Divine Miss M
Bette Midler
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002J5H
Release Date: 1995-08-29

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!).

Tracks:

Billy-A-Dick
Stuff Like That There
P.S. I Love You
The Girl Friend Of The Whirling Dervish
I Remember You/Dixie's Dream
Baby It's Cold Outside
Dreamland
Vickie And Mr. Valves
For All We Know
Come Rain Or Come Shine
In My Life
I Remember You
Every Road Leads Back To You

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Use of Voice.......2006-04-18

Nostalgic, yet refreshing. Born long after the War, I can see such different sentiments compared to today's. Wonder what we have become and where we are going with what cause?

It's not only for the boys, it's for everyone.......2006-03-25

OK, the film from which this came is a bit muddled and wasn't great. (James Caan has a unique place in show biz for having played similar characters opposite two of moviedom's great movie musical divas -- Bette & Barbra -- in classic period pieces!)

But, love the movie or not, the soundtrack is terrific. I agree with the other comments that Bette was in great voice for this and the song selection is terrific. Bette is a classic entertainer. She doesn't have the MOST thrilling voice with the greatest range, but, wow, she always knows what to do with it and she's in good company with her contemporaries like Barbra and Liza (Bette being a few years younger).

She tells a story in her music and she conveys what the song is about in an uncanny manner. I've seen her live a few times (that's a real treat if you haven't done that) and happily, the same essence that comes across in-person and makes her such a stand out in that arena also comes across in her recordings. Enjoy!

Loved the movie & the CD!.......2006-02-22

I already knew what the soundtrack would be like, as I had loved the (WWII era) songs from the movie.

It was as great as I remember.

It's good old fashioned fun.......2006-02-19

Great music, Bette is the best! However, they have a lot of spoken dialgue from the movie in the beginnings of a lot of songs, gets a little old after a while. I can't really use any of the songs for my Ipod at work because the talking confuses everyone. But overall a great album.

For the Boys: Music From The Motion Picture.......2005-10-10

Love the movie love the soundtrack. Bette Midler never fails to disappoint

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If You like this album, You'll LOVE Breaking for the Holidays
Truth In Advertising
Not Bette's Best, but Okay
Christmas Bette
Cool Yule

Cool Yule
Bette Midler
Manufacturer: Columbia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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