The Divine Miss M

by Bette Midler

Overview

Bette Midler was one of the last major artists who emerged from the traditions of nightclub performing, after rock & roll changed the rules of the music business, though she was a singer capable of working both sides of the fence. Midler's approach bore more than a passing resemblance to the traditions of supper-club performers wearing their hearts on their sleeves for the audience, but she could balance sincerity and a deep respect for songcraft with a large dose of camp and broad humor, coupled with a love of R&B and girl group sounds that put her within a stone's throw of rock. (And if the nightspot where Midler first found her audience was a gay bathhouse in New York, that was just one more wrinkle that separated her from the major nightclub acts of the '50s and '60s.) Midler's 1972 debut album, The Divine Miss M, gave her an ideal introduction to the listening audience, a set that honored her brassy and introspective sides with equal care and skill. While Midler was and is best known for her outgoing stage persona, numbers like "Am I Blue" and "Do You Want to Dance?" demonstrate how much emotional heat she can bring to a torch song, and her interpretations of "Delta Dawn" and "Hello in There" are powerful, moving stuff, portraying their characters with a palpable compassion and nuance. Midler's loving renditions of "Chapel of Love" and "Leader of the Pack" show how much she learned from Brill Building pop, and "Friends," which opened and closed side two, made clear Midler could wrap some very complicated emotions in a catchy (but smart) pop tune. And the production (half by Joel Dorn, half by Geoffrey Haslam, Ahmet Ertegun, and Midler's then musical director, Barry Manilow) knows when to move in close to catch the sweet grain of her voice and when to step back and take in the whole show. If Midler matured as a performer with time, The Divine Miss M remains her best album, one that captured the many facets of her musical personality beautifully and showed her quirks were a rich part of what made her music so powerful. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	11/11/2016
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0081227943257

Tracks

1. Do You Want to Dance
2. Chapel of Love
3. Superstar
4. Daytime Hustler
5. Am I Blue
6. Friends
7. Hello In There
8. Leader of the Pack
9. Delta Dawn
10. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
11. Friends

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bette Midler   Primary Artist,Vocals
Ralph MacDonald   Guest Artist,Horn,Strings,Percussion
Ron Carter   Guest Artist,Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Dick Hyman   Guest Artist,Piano
Cissy Houston   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Melissa Manchester   Guest Artist,Vocals,Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Milt Hinton   Guest Artist,Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Barry Manilow   Guest Artist,Horn,Piano,Strings,Conductor,Vocals (Background)
Tony Berg   Guitar
Todd Sommer   Drums
Randy Kerber   Keyboards
Gene Orloff   Violin
Francisco Centeno   Guitar (Bass)
Kevin Ellman   Drums
Rich Cooper   Trumpet
Ula Hedwig   Vocals (Background)
Joey Carbone   Keyboards
David Spinozza   Guitar
Lou Volpe   Guitar
Emanuel Green   Violin
Phil Kraus   Percussion
Ralph McDonald   Horn,Percussion
Mel Davis   Trumpet
Ray Lucas   Drums
Deidre Tuck   Vocals (Background)
Arif Mardin   Conductor,Vocals (Background)
Matthew Raimondi   Violin
Selwart Clarke   Viola
Kermit Moore   Cello
Sharon Redd   Vocals (Background)
Chas Sandford   Guitar
Harry Lookofsky   Violin
Art Wood   Drums
Pat Rebillot   Piano
David Luell   Saxophone
Dave Spinozza   Guitar
Don Arnone   Guitar
Michael Federal   Bass,Horn,Strings,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Dick Frank   Guitar
Gail Kantor   Horn,Vocals,Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Renelle Broxton   Vocals (Background)
Joseph Mero   Percussion,Vibraphone
Deirdre Tuck Corley   Vocals (Background)
Don York   Keyboards
Elizabeth Kane   Harp
Beverly McKenzie   Vocals (Background)
Miles Krasner   Trumpet
Merle Miller   Horn,Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Dick Dyman   Piano
Richard Trifan   Keyboards
William Slapin   Flute
Tender Loving Care   Vocals (Background)
Charlotte Crossley   Vocals (Background)
Dickie Frank   Guitar
Ted Sommer   Horn,Drums,Percussion
Jon Bonnie   Trombone
Buddy Williams   Drums

Technical Credits

Barry Manilow   Arranger,Producer,Rhythm Arrangements
Marty Nelson   Vocal Arrangement
Bernie Leadon   Composer
Bette Midler   Producer
Bobby Freeman   Composer
Bob Liftin   Remixing,Remix Engineer
Bonnie Bramlett   Composer
Larry Collins   Composer
Ellie Greenwich   Composer
Geoffrey Haslam   Producer,Remixing,Remix Engineer
Don Henley   Composer
Don Raye   Composer
Jeff Kent   Composer
Dennis Kirk   Producer
Lewis Hahn   Engineer,Producer,Remixing
Hughie Prince   Composer
Sam Coslow   Composer
Jim Ed Norman   Arranger
Randy Meisner   Composer
Arthur Johnston   Composer
Buzzy Linhart   Composer
Harry Akst   Composer
Mark "Moogy" Klingman   Composer
Arif Mardin   Arranger
Ahmet Ertegun   Producer
Alex Harvey   Composer,Composer
Thom Bell   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Glenn Frey   Composer
William S. Fischer   Arranger,String Arrangements
Phil Spector   Composer
Jack Malken   Engineer
George "Shadow" Morton   Composer
Charles Calello   Arranger
Joel Dorn   Producer
John Prine   Composer
Jeff Barry   Composer
Leon Russell   Composer
Milt Yakus   Composer
Jaroslav Jakubovic   Musician
Claire Rothrock   Composer
Allan Jeffrey   Composer
Grant Clark   Composer
Milton Yakus   Composer
Grant Clarke   Composer
Mark Klingman   Composer
George Morton   Composer
Jan Rathbun   Engineer
Kew Hahn   Engineer
Williams S. Fisher   String Arrangements