Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite Midler, April 21, 2000
A few years ago, my wife and I were visiting a relative (her aunt, but a woman my own age actually) who had this release on cassette--as did I. "You know," she said, "I didn't think the movie was very good, but I love the soundtrack." I had had my problems with the movie as well--although I liked it better than she did apparently--but it made me realize that whatever one may think about the film, the soundtrack is a separate and distinct work of art and is IMHO Bette Midler's best recorded work to date.I don't think Bette was ever in better voice than she was on this recording. The vocals are creamy in that 40s way that she has mimicked from time to time on earlier records, but here she's singing with conviction (not campiness) and the results are alternately exhilarating and touching. The nostalgia element is definitely there, as others have noted. However, the overall anti-war sensibility is not to be ignored. I'm always struck by the stoicism of the lyrics of a WWII chestnut like "PS I Love You," a song which conveys the pain of a home-front based wife whose despair and isolation show through in the ostensibly cheery letters she writes to her soldier husband. It's a just about perfect character sketch and goes way beyond simple nostalgia. The editorial reviewer quoted on this page didn't understand what a 60s song like "In My Life" was doing on the soundtrack should have at least read a plot summary if he didn't actually see the movie. He might then have realize that it spanned a more than forty year period and that the Beatles song was used during a very disturbing Viet Nam sequence. And by the way, I thought that James Caan did surprisingly well as a song and dance man. "In My Life" and the very 90s "Every Road Leads Back to You," which was penned by Diane Warren and which played over the closing credits, would indeed have been out of place if this were just a WWII movie, but the film's broader timespan justifies their inclusion. And Midler's heartfelt renditions of the two songs makes them thematically relevant as well.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent album!, October 13, 2001
One of those rare instances where the soundtrack was bigger than the movie. The album went to #22 and produced two semi-hit songs-Every Road Leads Back To You and In My Life. Both of these songs are worth the album purchase. They are absolutely amazing Bette Midler ballads. Her signature emotional sound shines through on these two outstanding songs. A high point of the album is Stuff Life That There. The song is a joy to listen too. It's upbeat and just plain fun. P.S. I Love You, Dreamland, and For All We Know have the ballad "period-piece" sound. Come Rain or Shine shows the excellence in which Midler can sing like no other. I Remember You/Dixie's Dream is a hilarious look at a "loving" couple! BUY IT!!!! If you love this Bette album, you'll love these other Bette albums: The Divine Miss M, Songs for the New Depression, Broken Blossom, Some People's Lives, Beaches soundtrack, Bette of Roses, Bette. Support Bette Midler! Buy the album here! Don't buy from an auction or download the songs for free
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bette is sooo Divine as usual, August 7, 2002
I received this soundtrack while working in a video store. Was one of those promotional things that they do to build the hype around a new release. I've always adored Bette Midler so I had no doubt that I would listen to the soundtrack but concerned that it wouldn't be that good because of the fact they were giving out the copies, how good could it be. All I can say is WOW. The music will have you singing and dancing in no time. It will have you feeling good and you will find yourself wanting to dance with the upbeat swing of "Stuff like that there" to a teary eyed "In my life". If you've seen the movie, you gotta have the sound track. I've had to buy another copy of it because I wore the origional out.
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by Bette Midler 
