Customer Reviews

Bette Midler

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Bette Midler" is one of the most classic, entertaining albums I have ever owned. "Skylark" is a gorgeous ballad, which highlights Bette's sweeping, beautiful voice. "Drinking Again" continues this tone with a melancholic, bittersweet ballad; highly unusual for a drinking song. "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" is a sultry, absolute riot. Bette is allowed in this song to put on her vampiness and campiness in full force as she says "You girls had better hold onto your men, cause I've got a funny feeling...I feel like breaking up somebody's home." Her performance in this song is just hilarious. "Surbaya Johnny" I don't have much to say about, although it is a very sweet song. "I Shall Be Released" as sung by the Divine One is one of the most uplifting, soaring beautiful songs ever recorded. She fills the music with such an amazing amount of passion and longing. It is a wonderful reminder of the humanity in us all. From this point, the album moves into a wonderful suite of old Broadway-1940's-campy-showtune type music. This and "I Shall Be Released" is what truly makes this album one to remember for all the ages. It begins with the "Optimistic Voices" chorus from "The Wizard of Oz," which leads directly into "Lullabye of Broadway," with Bette hilariously performing both male and female characters. What is so amazing is how in this disk, she is not just singing the songs, but performing them in character. Next comes the greatest recording ever of the old classic "In the Mood," and with Bette's playful amazing delivery it would be impossible to not be in the mood to hear it. The next medley is of "Uptown" which is beautifully done and leads directly into a slow "Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby" which becomes increasingly faster and faster till it reaches breakneck speed then immediately stops for a rousing rendition of "Da Doo Run Run". Then come one of the funniest-written songs ever, "Twisted." Let's just say Bette plays a girl who "hated to ride on those double-decker buses because they had no driver on the top" and who "instead of one head, has two." "Higher and Higher" closes off the album perfectly with its beautiful uplifting lyrics. All in all an amazing record, a true classic from a truly brilliant performer, the Divine Miss M, Bette Midler.

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.

I have listened to this record hundreds of times over the years and I never seem to grow tired of it. It was first released in 1973, produced by Barry Manilow and Arif Mardin. Her voice on this record is unencumbered by melodramatic echo effects or cheezy synthesized keyboards as in later albums. Her versions of "Skylark" and "Drinking Again" do justice to Johnny Mercer's genius. She treats Skylark like it is a message of longing, with a hope that is just on the verge of desperation and sadness. "Drinking Again" is a portrait of woman who has lost her self respect to a beer bottle because she has lost the love of her life. Bette is able to convey mixed and complicated feelings with her voice so she can wring every drop of emotion out of a song. I have heard other versions and the singers miss so much that is there in the poetry of Johnny's songs. Her voice has that scratchy, emotional edge that overwhelms you with its force when she belts it out in "Higher and Higher" and "I shall be Released". This record also has plenty of fun songs like "Optimistic Voices/Lullaby Of Broadway", "Da Doo Run Run" and "Twisted". Along with the fine musicianship of these songs, she adds her original, brassy sense of humor to make them sound fresh, not cutesy. You will sing along as you do the dishes and wish to God that you had such a voice when you can't keep up with her! Once you hear her interpretations of these songs, you only get irritated when you hear them sung by someone else. You wish they had just played her version instead, because nothing compares to the Divine Miss M when she sings the classics.

I do not consider myself a Bette Midler fan. I usually find her musical work to be generic vocalist material: over done and over emotional. But I am consistently amazed at how nearly perfect this album is.

The album is very sharply divided into side A and side B, with the slower, more serious songs up first, followed by the more dance-happy material bringing up the rear. This works wonderfully for me.

"Skylark" is a beautiful song with simple, stunning lyrics. ("Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon," gives me shivers each time I hear it.)

"Drinking Again" makes me want to cry and sings out to every soul who has ever lost a loved one ("Drinking again, thinking of when you loved me," Bette cries out, and so does the heart.)

"I Shall be Released" is flat-out incredible. When she lets out her anguished shout toward the end, well, if you don't feel something there, then you've got no feelings at all.

Personally I could do without the song "Twisted." I feel it's a hint of where she would go musically -- into the realm of novelty songs where she becomes a sort of comic character prattling away for a few minutes. I always skip this track when I put "Bette Midler" on and I don't miss it.

"Higher and Higher" is simply divine.

I live in San Francisco and I find this album to be the perfect thing to play when it's late at night and the fog comes in. I get a glass of scotch, put on this album, and stare out at the City while Bette Midler serenades the San Francisco moon.

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.

I don't think Bette Midler has ever recorded a bad album.
This, in my opinion, is her best. Every one of the songs on the disc - from Sinatra's classic "Drinkin' Again" (which Bette
actually outdoes "Ol Blue Eyes") to the great Jackie Wilson's
"Higher And Higher", is given a uniqe arrangemet by Barry Manilow.
Barry, Arif Mardin and Atlantic Records obviously spared no
expense assembling some of the greatest studio musicians ever
to form a terrific all-star orchestra.
"Lullabye of Broadway" is especially delightful with "The Wizard Of Oz's" "Optimistic Voices" as a lead-in to the song.
If you're a Bette Midler fan, I know you won't go out and buy it
because you probably already have it.
If you don't have it on CD, get it! It's madatory!
It was recorded in 1973. I bought the LP then. I just got the
CD. I'd forgotten what it sounded like before all the scratches, skips and pops that were added over the past 22 years.

It's not easy writing about excellent pop albums. I sort of just want to say: 'It's excellent...just buy it!'...but more is expected.

The sad songs stand out. So beautifully sung...simple/melodic piano backing (by Barry Manilow). She had the ability to take old, classic songs & make them her own, (& SUCH an eclectic collection!)

You can just feel that this was a labor of love.

I've known this album since I was a child & it's really not the kind of music or artist that I'd normally be attracted to. I don't think I really even like much that Bette did after this...but this record is sensational. It makes you feel sad, (in the sweetest way) & happy & everything in between.

This was Bette's MOMENT. Check out the soundbites. They are very representative.

Bette Midler's first album THE DIVINE MISS M was such a masterpiece that honestly nothing could ever compare. That certainly does not mean that this, her self titled second release, is not of the highest quality and a 5 star release in itself. It is just a little subpar compared to the amazing debut. This album follows in the same vein with dramatic, emotional readings of ballads such as DRINKING AGAIN, SKYLARK and HIGHERT AND HIGHER. We also have a venture into jazz wtith IN THE MOOD and she lets it all loose on the anthemic I SHALL BE RELEASED. Some think this song is overdone and out of place but I think it works perfectly. Bette also returns to the fun, campy remakes with LULLABY OF BROADWAY and the awesome medley with the highlight of DA DOO RUN RUN.

Most important, what is here is a continuation of the rare talent that is Bette Midler. She is campy, raw, seductive, sultry and always impressive. A very high quality follow-up to an amazing debut.

Bette Midler's second album, which reached #6 on the charts, is classic Bette! This album, like many of hers, has it all. Skylark and Drinking Again are excellent ballads while Breaking Up Somebody's Home is Midler at her bitchy, rock and roll best! The album is worth the buy solely for her version of I Shall Be Released. Midler's pipes are in top form as the song starts out soft and by the end she is completely letting loose showing the listener JUST how well she can sing. Twisted is the funny, campy song while Higher and Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) has almost a gospel touch, again showing her excellent range and emotion. This album also contains the Glenn Miller classic In The Mood. Bette added lyrics and makes the song as fun as ever. BUY THIS ALBUM!!!! If you love this Bette album, you'll love these other Bette albums: The Divine Miss M, Broken Blossom, Divine Madness Soundtrack. Support Bette Midler! Buy the album here! Don't buy from an auction or download the songs for free!

This album is still as great as it was when I was 13. I remember staring at the album cover for hours, worried that she would never make another album as she had decided to quit show biz shortly after it's release. Listening and singing to I SHALL BE RELEASED is a yearly tradition that my best friend and I engage in once a year when we are together in the same state. It keeps us alive. When all is said and done the joy Bette Midler has given me is a gift I could never repay. Thank the stars for talent like hers.