Today is the birthday of The Devine Ms. M, Bette Midler who was born December 1, 1945, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Midler released her debut album, The Divine Miss M, on Atlantic Records
in December, 1972, which reached Billboard's
Top 10 and became a million-selling Platinum-certified album, earning
Midler the 1973 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. It featured three hit
singles one of which was Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy; it became Midler's first No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit. Bugle Boy became a successful rock cover of the classic swing tune
originally introduced and popularized in 1941 by the Andrews Sisters, to whom Midler has repeatedly referred as her idols and inspiration.
Bette Midler, released in 1973 on the Atlantic Records label, was the follow up to Divine Miss. Produced by Arif Mardin and Barry Manilow, The album includes Midler's interpretations of the Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael song, Skylark, the Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill song Surabaya Johnny from Happy End, a three-act musical comedy by Kurt Weill, Elisabeth Hauptmann, and Bertolt Brecht which first opened in Berlin at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm on September 2, 1929, I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan, In the Mood by Glenn Miller as well as a Phil Spector medley.
vinyl LP front cover
cover illustration by Richard Amsel
cover design by Loring Eutemey
photo of album cover by Styrous®
vinyl LP back cover
back cover photo by Richard Amsel
cover design by Loring Eutemey
photo of album back cover by Styrous®
detail photo by Styrous®
Most of the songs on the album are ballads, Skylark, the 1962 torch song, Drinking Again written by Johnny Mercer and Doris Tauber, and my favorite song on the album, Surabaya Johnny by Kurt Weill.
Then, just for yuks, there's the silly little ditty, Optimistic Voices from The Wizard of Oz which is sung when The Gang awakens from the poison the Wicked Witch of the West has sprinkled in a poppy field . . .
. . . which mixes very nicely into Lullaby Of Broadway written by Harry Warren with lyrics by Al Dubin, published in 1935. The lyrics salute the nightlife of Broadway and its denizens, who "don't sleep tight until the dawn."
Another great medley is Uptown, originally recorded by the Crystals in 1962, which blends quite nicely into Da Doo Ron Ron written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector.
The Bette Midler album included a 21" by 29" fold-out poster that featured the illustration on the cover by Richard Amsel.
21" by 29" fold-out poster
illustration by Richard Amsel
photo by Styrous®
One of the albums that was promoted on the record sleeve was the first album by Bette Midler, The Divine Miss M.
Atlantic Records vinyl LP sleeve
promotional albums
photo by Styrous®
vinyl LP, side 1
photo by Styrous® 
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Skylark, written by Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer - 3:02
A2 - Drinking Again, written by Doris Tauber, Johnny Mercer - 2:46
A3 - Breaking Up Somebody's Home, Arranged By [Horns] – Arif Mardin, written by Denise LaSalle - 3:47
A4 - Surabaya Johnny, written by Bertolt Brecht, Herbert Hartig, Kurt Weill - 4:52
A5 - I Shall Be Released, written by Bob Dylan - 4:55
A2 - Drinking Again, written by Doris Tauber, Johnny Mercer - 2:46
A3 - Breaking Up Somebody's Home, Arranged By [Horns] – Arif Mardin, written by Denise LaSalle - 3:47
A4 - Surabaya Johnny, written by Bertolt Brecht, Herbert Hartig, Kurt Weill - 4:52
A5 - I Shall Be Released, written by Bob Dylan - 4:55
Side 2:
B1a - Optimistic Voices, written by E. Y. Harburg*, Harold Arlen, Herbert Stothart, Leo Feist -
B1b - Lullaby Of Broadway, written by Al Dubin, Harry Warren (2)
B1b - Lullaby Of Broadway, written by Al Dubin, Harry Warren (2)
B2
- In The Mood, Arranged By [Horns] – Arif Mardin, Lyrics By
[Additional] – Bette Midler, Lyrics By [Additional], Arranged By
[Vocals] – Barry Manilow, written by Andy Razaf, Joe Garland - 2:37
B3a - Uptown, written by Mann And Weil - 3:22
B3b - Da Doo Run Run, written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector
B4 - Twisted, written by Wardell Gray - 2:23
B5 - Higher And Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me), written by Carl W. Smith*, Gary Lee Jackson*, Raynard Miner - 4:08
Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Copyright (c) – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Recorded At – Atlantic Studios
Recorded At – A&R Studios
Recorded At – Kaye-Smith Studios
Credits:
Backing Vocals – Ann S. Clark, Charlotte Crosley*, Gale Kantor*, Merle Miller, Myrna Smith, Robin Grean, Sharon Redd, Shirley Brewer, Sylvia Shemwell, Tasha Thomas
Bass – Chuck Rainey, Milt Hinton, Stu Woods, Will Lee, Bill Salter*
Concertmaster – Gene Orloff
Cover – Richard Amsel
Design – Loring Eutemey
Drums – Bernard Purdie, Grady Tate, Rick Morotta*, Steven Gadd*
Drums, Percussion – Luther Rix
Guitar – Cornell Dupree, David Spinozza, Frank Vento, Hugh McCracken
Keyboards – Don Grolnick, Ken Ascher, Pat Rebillot
Mastered By – Dennis King, George Piros
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald
Photography By [Back Cover] – Lee Gurst
Producer, Percussion, Piano, Arranged By, Conductor, Backing Vocals – Barry Manilow
Producer, Percussion, Remix – Arif Mardin
Recorded By – Buzz Richmond, Elliott Sheiner*, Gene Paul, Jimmy Douglass, Robert Warner (2), Scott Schreckengost
Recorded By, Remix – Lew Hahn
Synthesizer – Kenneth Bichel*
Notes:
Issued with fold-out poster featuring the cover artwork.
Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, NY.
Additional recording at A&R Studios, New York, NY, Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, NY, & Kaye Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington.
There are several versions of this album with varying label typeface and matrix suffix. This has the MS suffix on the labels matrix. This version also has the 1973+ Rockefeller Plaza address in the rim text and on the back cover. There are several other pressings with the pre-1973 1843 Broadway address on the label rim text, but all have the Rockefeller Plaza address on the back cover.
Although "PR" is etched in the run-outs on this version, the single 1⅛" press ring is inconsistent with this being a Presswell pressing.
B3a. Thomas McKinney credited in error as songwriter on both sleeve and label, correct songwriters are Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. Later issues of this release would correct the error.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A label): ST-A-732989-MS
Matrix / Runout (Side B label): ST-A-732990-MS
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, etched): ST-A 732989-C PR (upside down)
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, etched): ST-A-732990 C PR (upside down)
Bette Midler – Bette Midler
Label: Atlantic – SD 7270
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, MS Suffix
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genre: Pop
Style: Vocal
Label: Atlantic – SD 7270
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, MS Suffix
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genre: Pop
Style: Vocal
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Poetry Foundation ~ Bertold Brecht
the Crystals ~ Da Do Ron Ron
Kurt Weill foundtion ~ Elisabeth Hauptmann
Kurt Weill foundtion ~ Kurt Weill
YouTube links:
