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Track Listings
| 1. Skylark |
| 2. Drinking Again |
| 3. Breaking Up Somebody's Home |
| 4. Surabaya Johnny |
| 5. I Shall Be Released |
| 6. Optimistic Voices/Lullaby Of Broadway |
| 7. In The Mood |
| 8. Uptown/Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)/Da Doo Run Run |
| 9. Twisted |
| 10. Higher & Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
this cd is true class and my personal view is that anything by bette midler with I Shall Be Released on it deserves to be heard by everyone!the song is so strong and bette makes it her own with style only she can bring to songs,this song in my opinion is one of her best but the others on the album are not far behind it.A great album for all.
Format:Audio CD
I will be the first to admit that I have never had high thoughts about Bette's vocal abilities. Her voice was never the strongest, nor the most beautiful, but she possessed an uncanny ability to tell a story through her singing - even when her voice failed her. This second album surpasses the first in my opinion, and it remains her very best if you ask me. "The Divine Miss M" was an outstanding blend of styles, and she perfected her versatility on this second album. The first four songs are slow, but absolutely gorgeous ballads. She interprets Brecht with an uncanny sense of wit, and where many have failed to fully understand how his songs are to be properly interpreted, Bette gets it just right on "Surabaya Johnny". "Skylark" is a beautiful reading, even if she doesn't have the voice to fully master it. "Drinking Again" is much better as it doesn't require as much from her voice. On "Side B" the album picks up speed with a throwback to the '40s boogie-styled girl group music (which allowed her to hide behind the other vocalists). "In the Mood" was the only single released from the album, and it's a witty little song. The "Uptown Medley" allows Bette to let loose, and "Twisted" displays her perfect timing as a comedienne. The only song that can be considered a mistake is "I Shall Be Released". She simply does not have enough vocal power to carry it off. She actually tears it to shreds with her unusually bad singing. But, all in all, Bette's second album remains her most interesting release to date.
Highlights: "Drinking Again", "Uptown/Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)/Da Doo Run Run", "Surabaya Johnny" and "Optimistic Voice/Lullaby of Broadway".
Highlights: "Drinking Again", "Uptown/Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)/Da Doo Run Run", "Surabaya Johnny" and "Optimistic Voice/Lullaby of Broadway".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bette Midler
Bette Midler's eponymous second album lacks the raw talent displayed on her stunning debut, 'The Divine Miss M', although she had become more refined as a vocal performer. Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2005 by ssl2003
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... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2003 by Lawrance M. Bernabo
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