Divine Miss M
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Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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Editorial Review

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 ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (17)

Simply Divine...Simply Miss M
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
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
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. ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5H
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

Bette Midler
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Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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• Original recording remastered

Reviews (9)

Not quite the Divine Miss M, but certainly in the ballpark
Bette Midler's self-titled 1973 second album is a notch below "The Divine Miss M," but that is hardly surprising since her debut effort so wonderfully defined her singing persona (although this album did chart slightly higher)."Bette Midler" is in the same vein, mixing Forties Boogie-Woogie with some R&B and straight out blues.Once again Barry Manilow, who played piano for Midler when she was starting out, provides some solid production values to the effort.The standout kitsch track is when she starts off "The Lullaby of Broadway" with "The Optimistic Voices" from "The Wizard of Oz."Her high octane version of "In the Mood" was the one single released from the album, but it only made it to #51 on Billboard.However, look over the play list and clearly Midler is trying to provide some substance with the style when she is recording songs by Kurt Weil and Bertolt Brecht, not to mention Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, and Bob Dylan, although the latter's "I Shall Be Released" seems a tad out of place (check out the live version on "Divine Madness" where it comes out of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want").This album is still worth having, but only after you get the ones that came before it and after it ("Songs for the New Depression"), which are the two best albums from the early years of Midler's career (i.e., anything before "The Rose").Of course, if you have ever seen Midler perform live, it is pretty hard not to want to own everything she has ever recorded.

That crazy red head!She's hilarious!
Throughout this album, Bette shows her sense of humor through song and song selection.She plays with songs, plays with her voice, plays with the listener.

Listen to these titles and tell me the woman isn't crazily wonderful: Drinking Again, Breaking Up Somebody's Home, Twisted.

She takes some of our past favorites and melds them into fun medleys that will get you singing along.She even takes Glenn Miller's IN THE MOOD and sings words to the song.If Grandma only knew what she was dancing to!!!!!!!!!

Some of my stand-out favorites: SKYLARK, IN THE MOOD, TWISTED (You've gotta hear this song!), HIGHER AND HIGHER.

Gorgeous!
This is ultimate Bette Midler! Her performance here is two thumbs up! If you have ever heard Bette Midler, this is certainly one not to be missed! ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5C
Sales Rank: 25720
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

Songs for the New Depression
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Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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• Original recording remastered

Reviews (17)

Sweetly sad with just enough lightheartedness for balance
Songs For The New Depression (1976) was the first Bette album to flop commercially. The mundane millions seem to like the ordinary so I assume this album was too good for the general public. Bette's best work, much like Cher's, has been the least acknowledged, not quite commercial endeavors. Not ironically, in the mid-eighties 10 years after it's release as a single "Old Cape Cod" was a jukebox favorite at an offbeat little bar in my town.

The strength of this CD lies in the gentleness of it's delivery. It is a must have for those of you wishing to hear Bette's talents in a sweetly lamentatory mode but there's enough of Bette's bawdy side to satisfy those who are attracted to her outrageousness. My most favorite of all her albums to date and the beautiful sadness of some of the songs such as "Let Me Just Follow Behind" (my favorite Bette 'song') make this an album I still haven't tired of 28 years later.

Bette Midler does torch songs on her most underrated album
After the success of her first two albums, "The Divine Miss M" (#9) and "Bette Midler" (#6), her third album, 1976's "Song For The New Depression" (#27) was a disappointment.The album is certainly a departure from the mix of Forties Boogie-Woogie and R&B and the album does not contain a recognizable Bette Midler standard: the one single was a disco version of "Strangers in the Night," and while that went to #7 it was on the Billboard Club Play Singles chart.Still, along with "The Divine Miss M" and the soundtrack for "The Rose," I would contend that this album is one of the three essential Bette Midler albums from the Seventies.

If you need a one-word description for the key style on this album it would be torch songs.Just list to "I Don't Want the Night to End."Add to this list the ballads "Let Me Just Follow Behind" and "Tragedy". For those who need camp, Midler provides "Mr. Rockefeller" and "Marahuana."My favorites would be the duet with Bob Dylan on his "Buckets of Rain" and her version of Tom Waits's "Shiver Me Timbers."As is usually the case, the Divine Miss M corrals some major talent to play on this album, including Todd Rundgren, Rick Derringer, Eric Weissberg, and Luther Vandross.This is not one of the first Bette Midler albums that come to mind, but most of her true fans know this really is one of her best, even if it is one of her most atypical.

Who remembers?
Remember when Bette declared retirement?We thought we would never hear from her again, and then SONGS FOR A NEW DEPRESSION.It's still great all these years later. ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5G
Sales Rank: 34188
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

Live at Last
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Audio CD (19 October, 1993)
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• Live

Reviews (13)

2nd best Live Performer of All Time
Bette Midler's Live at Last live album is a great achievment for the divine miss M!It was recorded in Clevland as part of the tour that stretched from her Clams on the Half Shell blockbuster broadway show.It features many of the same songs, and acts from the show and even has the mechanical "King Kong" from the original broadway production.Starting with her trademark opening song, Friends she goes in to full force.After proclaiming an audience member looks like s**t she goes right into the dynamic Bang, Your Dead.Neil Young's Birds is a soft ballad going into the hilarious comic relief where we find out she's sleeping with Jack Kennedy and is set to film the sequal to Jaws in which a shark is attacked by a great white woman.Shiver Me Timbers is a heartbreaking track that was actually the only single released from the album.The Vicki Eydie Show segment is a pre Deloris Delago lounge singer sketch.The second disc includes highlights Do You wanna Dance, Hello In There, and the phenomanal Delta Dawn.Bette Midlers live performance of Delta Dawn should have won a grammy.Ofcourse you hear some dirty Sophie Tucker Jokes and she ends with a energetic medley of Up the Ladder, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, and Friends.Granted Bette's live performances now are more entertaing, the sheer ferocity and raw emotion of her 70's live act is yet to be matched.I recommend to this to everybody.

Superb!
First of all, let me say that I have a weird thing about live albums.For some reason, I seem to shy away from them, I don't tend to like them quite as much as studio albums.I should have known better with Bette.The woman was born to be in front of a live audience, she's so in her element.I already owned the DVD and CD soundtrack of "Divine Madness" and still didn't purchase this CD until after I saw Bette live in person myself on her Divine Miss Millennium tour in 1999.I finally realized I was going to have to land myself a copy of this album.After kicking myself for a while for waiting for so long to purchase it, I spent a lot of time listening and wishing so much that I'd been able to attend this concert in person (of course, I was only 6 years old, but I digress).It's just one of those performances where you can only wish you'd been there and count yourself lucky if you were.A phenomenal performance captured (thankfully) for all time that should be in every Bette fan's collection.

All you more current material sounds like Vicki's!!!
It seems that Vicki sounds better than ever and more of your music sounds like her old stuff.I know you truly didn't mean what you said about her.I did once see Bette in concert and the show was wonderful, but the vicki/edyie was a cheap dig that always comes back and hits us in the face.Hope your career continues and vicki's too. ... Read more

Asin: B000002IIO
Sales Rank: 13188
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals   

Broken Blossom
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Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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• Original recording remastered

Reviews (7)

Still An Awesome Listen!
Bette sill does everything BEAUTIFULLY!"Make Yourself Comfortable" is a pleasant, lush opening number.The melancholy sadness of "You Don't Know Me" is carried out well enough to bring a tear to your eye.There's the Phil Spector-ish or Jack Nitsche-esque "Say Goodbye to Hollywood", an amazing twist on a well-known Billy Joel song.The "I Never Talk to Strangers", a duet with Tom Waits, is his amazing "pick-up" number, you enjoy hearing time and again.I love the epic "waking up the next day" anthem of "Storybook Children".And the hard-rock Debbie Harry-clone of "Red", originally done by Sammy Hagar is my favorite.The "Empty Bed Blues" by Bessie Smith is a classic--everybody sings this one at one time or another.Then the Disney-esque "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is a cute piece.While the dreamy "Paradise" is also beautifully done, too.And keyboardist Craig Doerge with his wife, singer Judy Henske, wrote "Yellow Beach Umbrella", which of all the versions out there (including one Craig did on his solo LP), Bette's is REALLY the BEST!And the oft-covered Standard, "La Vie en Rose" is still Majestic Midler Magic that makes, to this day, BROKEN BLOSSOM a still one-of-a-kind!

More like a temporary dry spell...
Even though I am a major fan of the Diva, this is one uninspired set of songs.The production values are without any kind of flash and panache and Midlers sounds as if she's telephoning her performances of her songs from the outer reaches of the studio.Despite the one pleasing duet with Tom Waits on "Never Talk to Stramgers," this CD contains some of the most forced vocals Midler's ever recorded.Her rendition of "RED" makes it painstakingly clear that 70's rock was NEVER her strength.Although she sang the hell out of the songs on the THE ROSE, the enrgy level on this CD is so understated that it lulls you to sleep instead of commanding your attention.
If you want to listen to the REAL Bette in all her glory, go for her last two CDs and the first three she ever recorded.Leave this one where it belongs, in trade-in bins!

A disappointing and lacklustre 70s album
Bette made a string of terrific albums in the 70s starting with her much praised debut but then fell inexplicably into a midcareer slump after her wonderful "Live At Last" double album. Maybe she ran out of steam like many big artistes invariably do. With Brooks Arthur producing, "Broken Blossom" looked promising but came up short on delivery. There's just two words to describe the set - lacklustre and dull. To begin with, the choice of material was pretty questionable. Between Bette and the producer, they picked a whole bag of clunkers. There's little of redeeming quality here. Even the familiar girl group styled "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" sounded uninspired. For once, Bette doesn't rise above her material. Her performances on the entire set are surprisingly flat and indifferent. I thought "Thighs and Whispers" - her follow-up disco set was disappointing but "Broken Blossom" is worse. For hard core fans only. Novices are advised to start with Bette's first three albums or her superb self-titled latest. ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5D
Sales Rank: 35985
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals   

Thighs & Whispers
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Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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• Original recording remastered

Reviews (13)

The Best Ever
I have been a Bette fan for years,and have all of her albums, but this is FLAT OUT my favorite! The power and passion of Cradle Days and Rain are unmatched. Total goosebump songs. I grew up in the disco era, and am a big fan of that music, so the disco flavor on this album is something I love. How can you not love Hang On In There Baby, Hurricane, My Night In Black Leather and Married Men? Those songs are so much fun. I love this album start to finsh and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Bette. Buy it!

FUN AND FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Listen just go out and buy this cd. No questions asked, just do as you're told and GO BUT IT!!! You don't have to be gay to like this cd (although it helps!). It starts with a discofied version of an old song and Bette "in concert standard" "Big Noise from Winnetka". Then goes right into "Millworker" a haunting James Taylor song that gets a classic Bette treatment. Just piano and voice. Beautiful. The bluesy "Cradle Days" comes next. Kind of like something that would be on the "Rose" soundtrack. Next comes the best song "My Knight in Black Leather"!! How I wish I was of drinking age when this album came out! I can just imagine a bar full of beautiful men dancing shirtless to this song!! Of course I am talking about a gay bar! This song has a great beat and the lyrics are hysterical. Bette pulls this one off perfectly. Great ad-libs at the end! "Hang on in There Baby" another disco treatment of a classic song, then "Hurricane" 7+ minutes of disco that Bette had a hand in writing. "Rain" comes next kind of "caberet" like very soft song. Then the top 40 single "Married Men". Another disco song that I imagine was a hit in the clubs back then. Thank god for this cd and Bette. NOW GO BUY IT!!!!

The Divine Miss M suffers from a slight bout of disco fever
The title of Bette Midler's 1979 album "Thighs and Whispers" is a take off on Ingmar Bergman's 1972 film "Cries and Whispers."I have seen the film (and have an educational horror story to tell about it sometime), and it has nothing to do with disco.Unfortunately, this album does, and before I begin that particular diatribe let me add that the cover shot of Midler is not one I would consider flattering either.There are a couple of standout track on this album, with "Hang On In There Baby" and "Rain," but from the time the disco beat starts on the opening track "Big Noise From Winnetka" and it very rarely goes away.The problem with this album is clearly the song selection.When you heard a more traditional Bette Midler song, such as "Millworker" and "Cradle Days," things are not too bad, but we are still missing the golden oldie touch on this album."My Knight in Black Leather" might actually occupy the bottom spot if we were to rank all of her songs."Hurricane" is not much better.Only one of the disco songs is halfway decent, "Married Men," and it is not enough to redeem "Thighs and Whispers" overall.The end result is very much two steps backwards for every step forward.If you really, really, REALLY like the Divine Miss M, then you would want to add this to your music collection for the few choice cuts.Otherwise, listen to it once and then move on to something better. ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5J
Sales Rank: 35220
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

The Rose: The Original Soundtrack Recording
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Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (12)

two thumbs up way up!
This is an grammy album.You will get to hear the most amazing album in rocknroll history.This album not only shows the vocal talents of the divine miss m.But shows how bette midler works her butt off on this album.THis is what kicked off Bette Midler's showbiz career.This is two thumbs up.

Bette Midler sings herself to an Oscar nomination
The soundtrack for this 1979 film is the most paradoxical album of Bette Midler's career."The Rose," the album, is arguably the best of Midler's live albums, but the songs are all new and more in the mode of rock 'n' roll ala Janis Joplin than the 1940s boogie woogie and other song types that brought Midler to prominence.As if to underscore the point, "The Rose," the song, plays to Midler's strengths as a vocalist while running counter to all the other songs on the album.It is a beautiful song and there really is a sense in which it is the only true Bette Midler song on the album, because the rest are being sung by Mary Rose Foster, a.k.a. "The Rose," the singer.But overall, the soundtrack is basically the best parts of the film.

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.

Enjoyable
Midler fans beware - the title track aside, this not the middle-of-the-road, adult-contemporary pop that the woman has made her trademark over most of her career.It's Memphis-tinged rock-and-blues sung in the persona of the fictional film character.Midler's voice isn't perfectly suited to the material - no one will ever mistake her for Janis Joplin - but she certainly gives it a game go and her performances are ultimately credible and winning.Classic R&B numbers like "When A Man Loves A Woman" and "Stay With Me" not only sidestep the potential for sacrilege and disaster; they manage to be fresh, potent declarations of pain."Love Me With A Feeling" has a nice bluesy shuffle; other numbers are more straight-forward rock, filtered through Muscle Shoals.

The album's succeeds in no small part due to the able musicians backing Midler.They are more than some ad-hoc Big Brother and the Holding Company; they have the bite and energy of a real band.I'd have liked to see them showcased even more on the record.(They do get a brief instrumental number to themselves.)

And then there's the Big Hit Ballad, which seems to come from another musical universe entirely.It doesn't fit the album at all; it's as if tracks 1-11 are song by The Rose (the character from the movie) and track 12 is sung by Bette Midler (the AC superstar).But at least the version included here is the piano-only track, which I much prefer to the orchestra-backed single version.

Not Janis, but not a knock-off either, this is music to be enjoyed in its own right.You can argue that this isn't "real" rock/blues - it's an actor giving a performance.Maybe so, but at least it's a *good* performance, of good songs. ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5A
Sales Rank: 5545
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Divine Madness
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (8)

WoW! is all I can say!!!!!!!!WHAT AN ALBUM!
This is a great album!This is the best cd i have ever heard from the divine miss m.She gives a great performance
in this CD.She sings the best songs like chapel of love , Boogie woogie bugle boy,fire down below also a passionate version of STAY WITH ME BABY.This is a must have for any BETTE MIDLER FAN!!!!!THREE CHEERS! FORV BETTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not the same thing
The movie was great, but the album is not. It was re-recorded, and the songs are not as dynamic as they are in the movie. If you want the real soundtrack, you just have to listen to the movie.

The best tracks from the "Divine Madness" concert video
Given how great of a live performer she is, it is rather amazing that none of Bette Midler's live albums really capture the Divine Miss M in all of her glory.Like the others, "Divine Madness" comes close and it certainly has its moments.Although Midler starts off with "Big Noise From Winnetka," reaffirms her position as the queen of Forties boogie-woogie, the album is dominated by some emotional ballads, including "My Mothers's Eyes," "Stay With Me," and "I Shall Be Released."Those would be the Divine part of the proceedings and the Madness would come from her dramatic enactment medley of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Leader of the Pack."For those who missed Bob Seger's "The Fire Down Below" not being on the soundtrack album for "The Rose," Midler corrects that omission on this 1980 album, which made it to #34 on the Billboard chart.In the end what you will enjoy the most are the medleys, the best of which is the last where Midler starts off with the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and suddenly breaks into Dylan's "I Shall Be Released."She even manages to work in a bit of Bruce Springsteen as well.Just remember that while this is the cream of the crop there is much more on the video tape of this "Divine Madness" concert. ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5E
Sales Rank: 36426
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals   

No Frills
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 August, 1995)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (11)

the best album from Bette ever
the best album from Bette!!! I love this one since the first time I heard it.

The 80's and why they matter!
This album defines such a time in life.It is filled with such joy.It's totally divine and while it might not be timeless, hell, wasn't that a time!

Bette is excellent with 80's rock!
Bette Midler's third rock and roll album.Unlike The Rose and Divine Madness soundtracks, this is NOT the pure blood and guts Joplin like sound.This album, released in '83, is the signature 80's rock sound.I have to admit Only In Miami doesn't quite fit on this album.Midler was WAY ahead of her time with this song as it is a latin dance tune.Midler's version of Jagger's Beast of Burden is flawless.It is definitely better than the original.Midler's version flows better, and has a rock and roll sound that the original did not.Her voice contains that perfect edge throughout.Think of All I Need to Know as The Rose part two.A beautiful ballad, more stunning sung by Bette than by Aaron Neville and Linda Rondstat who made it a hit after Bette.My Eye on You is a haunting number brought to life by Midler's low edgy voice and the lasting music.Favorite Waste of Time and Heart Over Head blend the rock sound with the pop sound.The album is excellent!BUY IT NOW!!!!!If you love this Bette album, you'll love these other Bette albums:The Rose soundtrack, Divine Madness, Broken Blossom.Support Bette Midler!Buy the album here!Don't buy from an auction or download the songs for free! ... Read more

Asin: B000002J5F
Sales Rank: 87014
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals   

Mud Will Be Flung Tonight
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (15)

Olivia Newton-John was married in Santa Barbera...
This is hillarious. I am listening to it right now.
The Marriage, Movies, Madonna, and Mick, will make you scream. She talks about getting married the same weekend as Olivia Newton-John (who I greatly adore too!) and Sally Feild. When she talks about Madonna, you will die. LIKE A VIRGIN,YEAH!
Also, you will find hillarious the "Otto Titsling," and The Sophie Tucker jokes. Bette does not sing too much, but this is definatly not one to be missed. If you Loved "DIVINE MADNESS," you will need to purchace this.

Bette Midler not only sings she tells (really raunchy) jokes
When she married and became a mother Bette Midler stopped performing for a long time and I was fortunate to see opening night of her first show which was down in the Twin Cities.Why on earth would Bette Midler pick Minneapolis-St. Paul for her first concert in a decade?I think the obvious answer would be because that was the only way I was ever going to get to see that show, of course.What I saw was the greatest live performance I have ever seen.No wonder Johnny Carson picked the Divine Miss M to be the last guest on "The Tonight Show."That night Bette Midler performed over four dozen songs (several of them in medleys), and in addition to all that, she told a series of raunchy jokes, after introducing a certain pair of anatomical assets as "the Twins."The last joke she told became "Mother Theresa is taking a shower..." and the entire audience groaned with laughter.Literally.She had us hook, line and sinker by that point and we knew that whatever was coming with that opening, it was going to be pretty bad.(It was, which is why it is one of the few jokes I have heard in my life that I actually remember).

This lengthy digression is simply to say that I already knew before I listened to this 1985 stand-up album recorded by Bette Midler that she was a very funny lady, the sort who will make you laugh so hard your sides will hurt.I imagine Midler developed her comedy style when she was the queen of the bathhouses in the early days.Her target is as often herself as it is the rich and famous, as evidenced by "The Unfettered Boob" and "Marriage, Movies, Madonna and Mick" (I do not want to give away any of the humor, so I am skimpy on the specifics and overloading you on the idea she is very funny on this album).Be warned: this album is not for kids, not only because the humor is often inappropriate but also because they will not be old enough to understand all the names being dropped of 80's artists (I still remembered the shock faces of the kids who were brought to that concert thinking of the Milder they had seen in assorted films for Disney, when her "Gypsy" segment involved real topless dancers).This side of Bette Midler is not as public as her singing, but "Mud Will Be Flung Tonight" just confirms what I already knew: the Divine Miss M is as good a stand-up comedienne as she is a musical performer.

Prepare to wet your pants!!!!She's hilarious!
Bette Midler gets funny, silly and raunchy in this live comedy album.If you've not hear her hilarity, then you've been living under a rock, my friend.So get out from beneath that boulder and listen to her fling mud at cleebrities galore.This is not to say that she's bashing them.She flings the mud on herself, too.Nothing like self-depricating humor to counter that thrown on others!

She rants on topics from celebrity weddings to weight jokes to old people having sex and fart jokes.Nothing is sacred to Bette Midler.She's not afraid to offend.Hear her story about teh invention of the brassiere and her WHY BOTHER? act.Hilarious!

This is one of those rare jewels that people don't realize exists.This may be the best little hidden secret in the comedy album world.Get it and you won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Asin: B000002III
Sales Rank: 28822
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows    4. Standards    5. Vocal   

Beaches: Original Soundtrack Recording
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Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Garry Marshall's 1988 drama about a 30-year friendship between two women, one wealthy (Barbara Hershey) and the other (Bette Midler) seeking her fortune in show business, is well written (based on the novel by Iris Rainer Dart) and nicely textured in its contrast between the characters' separate destinies. When Hershey becomes ill with cancer, the film takes a predictably sentimental course, yet Marshall brings out the best in both actresses and catches some very fine drama. The film is a little too long, perhaps, but overall it is a fine experience.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

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Reviews (113)

Best Bette
Bette Midler strikes again in this excellent Comedy/Drama about friends. Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey star in this movie about an singer(Midler) and a ritzy uptight lawyer(Hershey) who as kids became best friends ( they wern't singers and lawyers then). But, I would tell you about the ending but it would ruin it for you so.............

So long,
Bettelover

Tear Jerker and excellent movie
I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it and to this day I still love it so much. The plot is so well-written and the friendship between Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey's characters are very well acted and make you truly believe in them. I advise this movie to anyone who wants a movie where you'll cry a lot, laugh some and leave with just a great feeling of friendship.

Beaches the best friendship movie ever
Beaches is my favorite movie of all time!! I showed it to my friends at school and most had already seen it and LOVED it and we are in teh 7th grade now if it is liked by 7th graders you knwo it is great!!!! I love this movie and i would definitely advise you to watch it with your best friend, your mother, your sister, your aunt, anyone you will all cry your heart out!! the Best Tear jerker since Terms of Endearment
LH ... Read more

Asin: B000002INP
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Soundtracks    3. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Some People's Lives
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 September, 1990)
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Reviews (16)

Good album!
SOME PEOPLE'S LIVES was Bette Midler's first album since 1983's NO FRILLS. Throughout the 80s, she did a lot of movies (and yes some music for the BEACHES soundtrack). Released in 1990, there was a few hit singles, notably the inspirational "From A Distance", a song that has resonated with a lot of people the way that her hit "Wind Beneath My Wings" has. There's something for everyone here, some classic Bette camp material in "Miss Otis Regrets" and "One More Round", and some wonderful ballads. "Night And Day" and "The Girl Is On To You" are my favorites from the album, they are both strong ballads. The title track, a Janis Ian song, and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", are other highlights. There's some fluffy pop in the form of "The Gift Of Love", "Moonlight Dancing" and "All of a Sudden". Lots of ballads, uptempos, just enough to satisfy any fan of Bette's!

CLASSIC BETTE
Bette really does know what her fans like. This album has it all camp ("One More Round" "Miss Otis Regrets"), dance pop ("Moonlight Dancing'), and over the top ballads ("From A Distance"). But there is something about this album that just leaves me cold. "He Was Too Good To Me" is sort of bland for my tastes, and "The Gift of Love" while it is a catchy piece of pop fluff, sounds too much like "The Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. Most likely because it was written in part by Susannah Hoffs. Probably an outake from her solo album that was released around the same time as Bette's. I know Bette's fans love this record but if your checking her out for the first time, try "Songs for the New Depression", or "No Frills", or "Bette" before this one.

this is a great cd
Bette is truely a great singer and this album show cases that.All the songs are wonderfully.And the Divine Miss M did'nt let her fan's down.Truley one her great albulms in her singing of years. ... Read more

Asin: B000002IPS
Sales Rank: 27132
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

For The Boys: Music From The Motion Picture
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Audio CD (12 November, 1991)
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Reviews (15)

Bravo! Bravo!Wooo!For the boys!!
This is agreat album.Here Bette Midler give her finiest performance in For the Boys.Also get to hear Bette Midler and James Caan do great duets.This is a scream for any Bette MidlerFan or soundtrack lover.This was not only a great movie.This was also a great Soundtrack!!!!!!So I urge you to buyFor The Boys today.You'll love it !!!Because Iknow I did!!!!!Buy TODAY!!!!!!

Oscar 4U
The movie failed her because of the writers, but Midler prevailed and gave us some great moments. She should have won the Oscar that year. What other woman could have pulled off a showy musical that spanned decades? Only Midler.
This CD illustrates her talents beyond the film. I believe Miss Midler has a gift for acting, singing, AND finding great songs that move people.

Bette Midler singing songs from the 1940s and 1950s
Given her affinity for 1940's boogie woogie in the style of the Andrews Sisters, the idea of putting Bette Midler in a film that at least starts off during World War II seems like a natural.Indeed, you will find some nice period pieces by Midler, usually with Johnny Mercer's name on the composition, such as "Come Rain or Come Shine."But I have to admit to a slight sense of disappointment that the producers of this film seemed to go out of their way not to do anything too close to the songs that made the Divine Miss M famous in the first place.Ironically, the best track on the album is her wonderful cover of the Beatle's "In My Life," which deservedly made its way onto Midler's greatest hits collection.This is a solid Midler album, the sort that comes in at 4.5 and then you round up or down according to your tastes. ... Read more

Asin: B000002ISC
Sales Rank: 8630
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Soundtrack    4. Soundtracks & Film Scores    5. Standards   

Bette Midler - Greatest Hits-Experience the Divine
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 June, 1993)
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Editorial Review

From her early days in the bathhouses to her rise as the star of her own concert film, Bette Midler has always brought a campy playfulness to her performances.Experience the Divine focuses on her radio hits for the bulk of its resources, although the kicky "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is here. Midler's voice easily adapts itself to the material she's performing: "When a Man Loves a Woman" is charged with a raw sensuality whereas "In My Life," is as tender as a lullaby.The recent standards are here, "From a Distance" and "Wind Beneath My Wings," along with her star-making turn, "The Rose." Whether she's handling Cole Porter ("Miss Otis Regrets") or the Beatles, Bette Midler's voice is dynamic and expressive, according to the needs of the song. This astute ability to interpret without always going for the kill makes her versions of her chosen material some of the best ever recorded. --Steve Gdula ... Read more

Reviews (49)

She's the One!
There is no other like the Divine Ms. M. I have been listening to her for many years and since I was just a child. This is the kind of music that makes the memories come back. I heard the "Rose" today on the radio and tears started to flow as I remembered the people who really truly loved me in my past. Recently divorced, this music brought back the embrace of sheltering arms. That's what "Wind Between My Wings" is all about. Thank you Ms. M!!!!!

Experience a first rate hits disc
I must preface this by saying that, as a rule, I'm not big on greatest hits albums.I tend to lean toward non-hits and album tracks.Songs that are over-killed on adult radio bore me, so I steer clear.However, this is as good a greatest hits album as there is.Bette Midler has an outstanding voice, and is very gifted at connecting with a song.Also, this "greatest hits" album only has about three hits that truly have been over-played: WIND BENEATH MY WINGS, FROM A DISTANCE, and to a lesser extent, THE ROSE.Interestingly, all three songs work well mixed up with other, less-nown songs.You haven't heard WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, until you hear Bette's gripping, show-stopping rendition.It is the surprise outstanding track.Another brilliant cover, HELLO IN THERE, could be one of the saddest pieces of music ever recorded. And how lucky is the listener who stumbles in to the album not knowing Midler, and hears her stunning cover of the Beatles' IN MY LIFE.It's an album one can listen to countless times.Should they ever re-release it, they must include her brilliant covers of Ray Charles "You Don't Know Me," and her signature live song, STAY WITH ME.

A must have
Midler's "The Rose" has got to be one of the most emotionally deep songs ever. Her voice is natural and very real. The feeling is so strong. Makes me feel the love surround me. ... Read more

Asin: B000002IVS
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals   

Gypsy (1993 TV Soundtrack)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 November, 1993)
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Reviews (12)

Bette Midler as Rose in the Broadway musical classic
This made-for-TV version of the classic Broadway show GYPSY is remarkable.Bette Midler is ideally-cast as fearsome Mama Rose with Cynthia Gibb as a deeply-affecting Louise/Gypsy.

Bette Midler is dynamite as Mama Rose, the ultimate stage mother. She reportedly recorded most of her songs live, without the pre-recorded vocal track. The role had been a dream of Midler's for years. She makes an indelible impression in the role.

Cynthia Gibb (THE KAREN CARPENTER STORY) plays Louise, who would blossom into the burlesque stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. She has a pleasant singing voice, and gives the bittersweet number "Little Lamb" a lot of poignance.

Peter Riegert plays Herbie, Rose's love interest. In a very under-developed and not very well-written role, Riegert tries his best. He also sings wonderfully.

In supporting roles are Jennifer Beck as June, Christine Ebersole (OKLAHOMA!, 42ND STREET) as Tessie Tura, Anna McNeely (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) as Elektra, Linda Hart (HAIRSPRAY, ANYTHING GOES) as Mazeppa, and Jeffrey Broadhurst as Tulsa.

Highly-recommended.[ATLANTIC7567825512]

Bette is GREAT!
but Merman Rules!!
but seriously...this is a truly excellent version of one of my favorite shows. Bette sparkles and struts and does her stuff so well. she can belt the songs as required, the entire production is so full of energy and wit. buy it!! (But Merman rules!! :))

Wonderful!
I loved watching the TV version of "Gypsy" with Bette Midler, so I decided to buy the CD.I'm glad I did.Yes, it has all of the same songs that the other Gypsy soundtracks have, but Bette Midler portrays Rose very well.When I hear her sing, I feel as if I'm watching "Gypsy."She, along with the rest of the cast do a wonderful job. ... Read more

Asin: B000002IXD
Sales Rank: 12845
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Show Tunes    4. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Bette of Roses
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Audio CD (18 July, 1995)
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Reviews (34)

A Very Good Album With Feeling!.
This album is totally off the map, the music is so good and the song writing will give you goosebumps.Bette Midler one of the best singers, cause of her energy and voice, Bette puts everything into this album, moving & touching, it's pure passion from this woman's voice. I was only 12 years old at the time & I still have & still love it, every moment tells a sad, but moving story, A+.

ONLY...OK
The best part of this cd is the cover. Beautiful. Right up there with the cover to "Some People's Lives". But the music leaves a lot to be desired. "I Know This Town" is sweet and catchy. The lyrics and melody are wistful, perfect for Bette's beautiful voice. "It's Too Late" will make you cry, it is just heartbreaking and anybody who has gone through a painful breakup will appreciate the sentiment of this song. "Bed of Roses" will also make you cry. Cry over the fact that this has got to be the most boring song ever written. "To Deserve You" is a danceable and an all around good song. Maria Mckee is one of the most overlooked songwriters around. There are also dance mixes to this song but the original version is the definitive one. "I Believe in You" also is one of the better songs. I remember my parents had this song in the early '80s I think. It was by a country singer named Don Gibson, who just passed away. Bette changes some of the lyrics around but that is just fine. A nice way to close the album. "Bottomless" is enjoyable and "The Last Time" (another Maria McKee song) rocks out and is perfect for Bette. I am writing this review by memory and these are the only song titles I can remember. It is that unremarkable. Ask me to name all of the songs on "Thighs and Whispers", "No Frills" or "Bette". I'dbe able to. They are classic Bette. All in all just an ok album from one of the music world's most perfect singers.

Faded Roses
"Bette of Roses" is a competent album, it's just not a very memorable one. The country tune "I Know This Town" (Miss M Goes to Nashville!), the soothing "To Comfort You" and lilting lullabye "Bottomless" are wonderful showcases for Midler's talent, as well as allowing her to some vocal experimenation. But many of the songs, while pleasant enough, just don't grab the listener. As misguided as Midler's decision to record the Maria McKee-penned "To Deserve You" was (not a bad song if recorded by waif Maria, but totally wrong for the brassy Bette), at least it breaks the monotony. Compounding the problem is the slick production. Bette's best when some of her rawness is allowed to show through, and "Bette of Roses" covers it with a thick, glossy sheen. With the exception of that country track and "I Believe in You"--the only moment when Bette's personality breaks through--this record could've been made by anyone. And Bette's not just "anyone." ... Read more

Asin: B000002J6Q
Sales Rank: 9453
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

Bathhouse Betty
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 September, 1998)
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Editorial Review

Bathhouse Betty's title harks back to Midler's early days as a favorite of the Manhattan gay community. Its eclectic, surprisingly strong choice of material also recalls the triumphs of her first two albums. Here she discovers a sassy new anthem in "I'm Beautiful," adds Dave Frishberg's wry "I'm Hip" for good measure, and also makes room for R&B classics like Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles' "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" and Big Maybelle's "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show." Singer-songwriters Leonard Cohen ("Song of Bernadette") and Ben Folds ("Boxing," an imagined monologue by Muhammad Ali) help offset the bathos of "My One True Friend," the latest in Midler's series of instant-standard ballads. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (84)

The Best Overall Release Midler Has Done In Some Time
The Divine Miss M's output has become increasingly slick over the years, and certainly BATHHOUSE BETTE offers one more Bette-Midler-Awash-In-Strings numbers than I care to hear.But while BATHHOUSE BETTE is in some respects predictable, it captures just enough of Midler's legendary fire and spontaneity to make it a solid release--and really the best over-all recording she has done in quite some time.

In truth, Midler really does such over-arranged material as "Song of Bernadette" and "My One True Friend" as well and often quite a bit better than most current recording artists--but what she does best, really, is simply be Bette Midler.And BATHHOUSE BETTE gives her a solid opportunity to do that in a host of songs that range from vintage to recent.The 1920s "Ukulele Lady" has tremendous period charm, and when she launches into the delicate "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" or the wild and woolly "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show," you know you're getting Midler at her unfiltered best.

Along the way Midler also finds room for several of the eccentric numbers that she inevitably performs with such style--a wickedly funny reworking of the danceclub favorite "I'm Beautiful" drops into the mix like an alien from outer space, and the super-sly "Big Socks" finds her doing a narrow-eyed take off on the lyrically-weak, production-heavy likes of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson.

While this isn't really Bette at her flaming jets best, it's all a lot of fun, beautifully performed, lightly enjoyable, and just scrambled enough in content to occasionally throw you an amusing curve.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Bette on it!
Bette Midler's 1998 album BATHHOUSE BETTY is truly a treat. After the undeserving lukewarm reception to her 1995 album BETTE OF ROSES, on this release we find Bette as diverse as ever, showcasing many musical styles she has represented throughout her career. This is one of the best albums of her career. The ballads are incredible, and there's some fun camp songs that Bette fans have come to love and expect from the Divine Miss M!

It opens with Leonard Cohen's "Song of Bernadette", a really nice ballad that is very inspiring. Next is the #1 club smash, "I'm Beautiful", a really fun campy song full of attitude and it sounds like it was written for Bette! She puts her stamp on it, and it's a classic. I really like the ballad "Lullaby In Blue", a really reflective piece about a woman who had to give up her daughter when she was on 17, and how she thinks of her all the time and remembers. "Ukelele Lady" is a nice nod to her Hawaiian heritage, another fun song.

She tears it up on the jazzy "I'm Hip". I really enjoy her version of Labelle's "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman", its bluesy and smoltering. "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" is a nice jazzy uptempo song. "Boxing" is an interesting ballad. "Boxing" is a very interesting R&B/dance type song, very tongue in cheek, VERY Bette. "That's How Love Moves" is another beautiful ballad, but the winner to me is "My One True Friend", produced by David Foster. This song just gives me a lump in my throat every time I hear it, it's so beautiful and sad at the same time. She ends the album with the sardonic "Laughing Matters", but it's an interesting take on society.

Usually, when an album has a number of producers, it tends to sound uneven. Not the case with this album. There was a number of producers including David Foster, Arif Mardin, Chuckii Booker, Marc Shaiman, Ted Templeman, and Brock Walsh. This is a really good Bette album, I highly recommend it.

VERY GOOD
I remember reading a quote from Bette that said her previous record company thought that her last album lacked humor and they missed that. She gets back to basics on "Bathhouse Betty". "Big Socks" is funny and funky at the same time. "Laughing Matters" is a nice play on words. Implying that humor is important to get thru the day in this "effed up" world. (My words not hers.) "Song of Bernadette" is also a hark back to when Bette would do songs from important song writers. In this case Leonard Cohen. I think the only mis-step is the sappy "One True Friend". Check this one out. Worth the money!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Asin: B00000AG8V
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals    4. Soft Rock    5. Standards   

Bette
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 October, 2000)
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Editorial Review

Like its predecessor Bathhouse Betty, Bette Midler's Bette spends a good deal of its playing time on ambitious, smartly chosen songs. Even the biggest pop-ballad success here is a Dionne Warwick-style take on the Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach weeper "God Give Me Strength," rather than a dire work of schlock such as "The Wind Beneath My Wings." Elsewhere, Midler continues to indulge her cheeky side (the album's working title was Bette, Bath and Beyond) with Kirsty MacColl's Cuban-influenced "In These Shoes," and revives Teddy Pendergrass's classic "Love TKO" with an impressively throaty vocal. The handful ofHallmark-esque tunes near the disc's end doesn't diminish the subtlety and tastefulness of the rest of it. --Park Slope ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Wonderful Bette CD
I loved this Bette Midler CD. My favorite songs were Moses and In These Shoes. The lyrics in both of these songs are great.
God Give Me Strength and Color of Roses are beautiful songs.
Bette sounds wonderful on this CD. It is one of her best. This is really a beautiful recording.

Nobody else but Bette!
This was not one of Bette Midler's more successful albums, but it has it's charms and it remains one of my favorites from her collection. It was released in October 2000, coinciding with the short lived CBS sitcom she starred in. The first single was the bubbly and uptempo "Nobody Else But You", which was also the sitcom's theme song. "In These Shoes", a fun campy song in the same vein as "I'm Beautiful", was the second single, and a hit on the Billboard dance charts.

If anything, this album proves that Bette Midler is a talented singer, and interpreter of song.The obvious standout is "God Give Me Strength", a powerful ballad, written by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. Beautiful. Patty Griffin's "Moses" is another highlight, a fun tongue in cheek song that Bette does so well. She also covers Baby Washington's "That's How Heartaches Are Made", The Manhattan's "Shining Star", Teddy Pendergrass' "Love TKO", and The Temptations "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)". She does them all fabulously!

"Bless You Child" shows that Bette can compete with the contemporaries, with a nice dance song. On "Color of Roses" and "When Your Life Was Low", she shows her restraint, letting the beauty of the songs shine through. The album featured a few producers, including Don Was, Rick Nowles, and Marc Shaiman. Overall, it's a very nice Bette Midler album, with some truly memorable tunes.

PERFECTION!
This album is just about the most breathtaking work that Bette has done in years! Bathouse Betty was a fine return to form, but on this cd she just shines! Love TKO smolders and her version of Shining Star breathes new life into that song! But the most wonderful part of this cd is without a doubt the song called Moses!!!! I get so angry when I think this cd went largely unnoticed. It is just a great cd to relax to or to have on at a dinner party! Please check this album out!!!! ... Read more

Asin: B00004YNDV
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Pop    3. Pop Vocals    4. Standards