Alright, I know what you're thinking. Or maybe I think I know what it is that you're thinking, and you're thinking, "Nicholas, if you love Bette so much, why don't you just do a site about her, not classic music." Or maybe you're totally excited I chose this record as the next in line after 'Divine." (I'm a sucker for a rhyme, ain't it sublime?)
Here's the thing: I love symmetry. I love bookends. I love books, but that's another blog. What better way to bookend "The Divine Miss M" than with the singular Bette album I'd take with me on a desert island if I could only choose one record... And let me tell you, this is a "Sophie's Choice" for me.
I give to you "Bette Midler" the eponymous sophomore album from the D. Miss M. The thing about Bette Midler's work, especially her albums from the 1970s, is that they were somewhat ahead of their time. Sure, they have covers and standards from an earlier era, but there was and still hardly are few albums you can find where one voice can cover so much musical ground, and do so successfully in 32 minutes and 32 seconds. Bette is not for the musically narrow-minded; she certainly isn't for those stuck on radio or in the Top 40. No, you need a broad palate for a Bette record, no matter how crassy or classy. Bette engenders every genre--a torch-esque chanteuse and powerhouse who will not be boxed in musically or otherwise.
This time 'round, the entire album was arranged by Barry Manilow and co-produced by Arif Mardin, legendary producer of such giants as of course Bette, but also Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Phil Collins, The Bee Gees and Norah Jones. This collection of songs is a continuation of the material Bette performed at the Baths. The album kicks off with a gorgeous rendition of the standard "Skylark" a Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer composition that has been covered by you-name-an-artist. Bette's reading is stunning, charging the song with a quiet longing that erupts into a clarion call of a vocal at the end. Not to go south so soon, but I want this song played at my funeral. Yes, I will die, and yes, I will die with Bette playing me on.
"Drinking Again," another Johnny Mercer co-penned song with Doris Tauber is Bette's favorite song on the album. Relying again on her acting instincts as she does on much of 'Miss M,' Bette slips into the role of a barfly who's been stood up, let down, and down and out. "I've got nothin' but a bottle of beer and just my memories" she croons a tune that is blue. "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" is one of my personal favorites on the album because Bette goes right on in. An R&B rocker, not many people are aware that Bette has the capability to wail as she does on this song. She may warble about "wind beneath (her) wings" but here she knocks this song the fuck out. I'm talking a sonic T.K.O.! "I got nowhere to run and I'm so goddamn tired of being alone! I feel like breaking up somebody's home!" BOOM.
"I Shall Be Released" is a Bob Dylan song Bette has sung since the beginning of her career. Captured here in a visceral vocal, this song is another of my personal favorites on the album. In my History of Rock N' Roll class freshman year of college, while most students were writing their final essays on The Beatles or Jimi Hendrix, I wrote mine on this song and the Divine Miss M. I was one of a handful who got an A. Hold your applause. For those of you who never thought of Bette being capable of a gospel song, this is it and she practically rips her heart out and throws it at you! Have a look at her Baths performance:
One of the best vocalizations of "In The Mood" a WWII era Glenn Miller jam in the vain of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," is found here on "Bette Midler." With it's second-verse breakdown, not only did Bette do all the layered vocals on this track but like an auctioneer, she rattles off the lines with divine finesse, building into a growl of a finale! One of the song themes that would continue on later Bette albums is her medleys of songs. In a way, these are some of the first mash-ups ever put to wax. "Uptown/Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)/Da Doo Run Run" is Bette's ode to girl groups of the 50s and 60s. Heavily influenced by Darlene Love, it was only a few years ago that Bette inducted Darlene into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. This medley begins with a purr and ends with a roar, in true Bette fashion and will have you jumping to your feet!
"Twisted" has Bette slipping back into actress mode, playing a few characters (against herself, as she provides all the voices) about being psychoanalyzed. Another standard, Bette be-bops this tune nearly without taking a breath. "I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight, that's why I drank a fifth of vodka one night..." classic. Closing the album is a cover of Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me)." Where Jackie Wilson's has a gospel-elegance to it, Bette's starts at a low simmer and overflows into a gargantuan orchestral revival with Bette shouting to the heavens "Keeps on liftin' me, keeps on liftin' me!" Her vocals are realness rawness! I need a minute, I'm bummed the album is over by this point!
It's safe to say that this Gem Of A Jam is one of my all-time favorite albums EVER. Right down to the cover art which perfectly captures everything about who Bette Midler is. On the album artwork: A relatively new artist at the time named Richard Amsel, was responsible for the art of Bette's first 3 albums. Sadly, he passed away from complications due to AIDS but his work is iconic. He is the artist for the movie posters of "The Sting" and "Raiders Of The Lost Ark." I have two original lithographs of his work, both of course pertaining to Bette and her "Harlettes" the backing trio of girls she toured with. Please take a little "me" time and get this album and get ready to be anointed by The Divine Miss M once again.
