Bette Midler (album)

{{Infobox album|

| name = Bette Midler

| type = Album

| artist = Bette Midler

| border = yes

| cover = Bette Milder.jpg

| alt =

| released = November 16, 1973

| recorded = 1973

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Vocal

| length = 32:32

| label = Atlantic

| producer = Arif Mardin, Barry Manilow

| prev_title = The Divine Miss M

| prev_year = 1972

| next_title = Songs for the New Depression

| next_year = 1976

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Bette Milder

| type = album

| single1 = In the Mood

| single1date =

}}

{{Album ratings| rev1 = Allmusic| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}} [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r24158|pure_url=yes}} link]

|rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev2Score = B+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: M|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=M&bk=70|access-date=March 7, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}

| rev3 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev3Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite book|last1=Coleman|first1=Marc|last2=Brackett|first2=Nathan|author-link2=Nathan Brackett|chapter=Bette Midler|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/540/mode/2up|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|editor-last1=Brackett|editor-first1=Nathan|editor-last2=Christian|editor-first2=Hoard|editor-link2=Christian Hoard|edition=4th|place=New York|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2004|pages=540|isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}

}}

Bette Midler is the second studio album by American singer Bette Midler, released in 1973 on the Atlantic Records label. Produced by Arif Mardin and Barry Manilow, Bette Midler includes Midler's interpretations of Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark", Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill's "Surabaya Johnny", Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" as well as a Phil Spector medley.

Bette Midler reached No. 6 on the US albums chart and was later awarded a Gold Disc by the RIAA.

The album was released on CD for the first time in 1989. A remastered version of the album was released by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1995.

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Skylark

| writer1 = Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer

| length1 = 3:02

| title2 = Drinking Again

| writer2 = Doris Tauber, Mercer

| length2 = 2:48

| title3 = Breaking Up Somebody's Home

| writer3 = Al Jackson Jr., Timothy Matthews

| length3 = 3:49

| title4 = Surabaya Johnny

| writer4 = Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, Herbert Hartig

| length4 = 4:54

| title5 = I Shall Be Released

| writer5 = Bob Dylan

| length5 = 4:56

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = Optimistic Voices/Lullaby of Broadway

| writer6 = Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg / Harry Warren, Al Dubin

| length6 = 2:27

| title7 = In the Mood

| writer7 = Joe Garland, Andy Razaf, Wingy Manone

| length7 = 2:39

| title8 = Uptown/Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)/Da Doo Ron Ron

| writer8 = Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil / Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector

| length8 = 3:23

| title9 = Twisted

| writer9 = Wardell Gray, Annie Ross

| length9 = 2:25

| title10 = Higher & Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me)

| writer10 = Carl Smith, Raynard Miner, Gary Jackson

| length10 = 4:06

}}

Personnel

Bette Midler – lead vocals
Barry Manilow – piano, percussion, backing vocals, musical arranger, musical conductor
Ken Ascher, Pat Rebillot, Don Grolnick – keyboards
David Spinozza, Cornell Dupree, Frank Vento, Hugh McCracken – guitar
Stu Woods, Chuck Rainey, William Salter, Will Lee – bass guitar
Milt Hinton – double bass
Rick Marotta, Grady Tate, Bernard Purdie, Steve Gadd – drums
Luther Rix – drums, percussion
Ralph MacDonald, Arif Mardin – percussion
Kenneth Bichel – synthesizer
Gene Orloff – concert master
Gail Kantor – background vocals
Merle Miller – background vocals
Sylvia Shemwell – background vocals
Myrna Smith – background vocals
Tasha Thomas – background vocals
Shirley Brewer – background vocals
Ann S. Clark – background vocals
Sharon Redd – background vocals
Robin Grean – background vocals
Charlotte Crossley – background vocals

Production

Arif Mardin – producer
Barry Manilow – producer
Gene Paul – recording engineer
Lew Hahn – recording engineer
Jimmy Douglass – recording engineer for additional recordings
Robbert Warner – recording engineer for additional recordings
Elliot Scheiner – recording engineer for additional recordings
Buzz Richmond – recording engineer for additional recordings
Scott Schreckengosf – recording engineer for additional recordings
George Piros – mastering
Dennis King – mastering
Richard Amsel – cover art
Lee Gurst – backliner photo
Loring Eutemey – album design
Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, N.Y.
Additional recordings at A & R Studios, New York, N.Y.; Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, N.Y. & Kaye-Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington
Re-mixed by: Lew Hahn & Arif Mardin

Charts

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" \|+ Weekly chart performance for Bette Midler ! scope="col" \| Chart (1973–74) ! scope="col" \| Peak position
scope="row" \| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{cite book\|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992\|last=Kent\|first=David\|author-link=David Kent (historian)\|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W \|year=1993\|isbn=0-646-11917-6}} \| 14
{{album chart\|Canada\|3\|chartid=4968\|artist=Bette Midler\|album=The Divine Miss M\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 29, 2017}}
{{album chart\|Billboard200\|6\|artist=Bette Midler\|album=The Divine Miss M\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 29, 2017}}
scope="row"\| US Top 100 Albums (Cash Box){{cite magazine\|date=February 9, 1974\|title=Cash Box Top 100 Albums\|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1974/CB-1974-02-09.pdf#page=29\|magazine=Cash Box\|location=New York\|publisher=The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc.\|volume=XXXV\|issue=39\|page=29\|issn=0008-7289}} \| 5
scope="row" \| US The Album Chart (Record World){{cite magazine\|date=January 19, 1974\|title=The Album Chart\|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/74/RW-1974-01-19.pdf#page=28\|magazine=Record World\|location=New York\|publisher=Record World Pub. Co.\|volume=29\|issue=1387\|page=28\|issn=0034-1622}} \| 4

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Weekly chart performance for Bette Midler

! scope="col" | Chart (1973–74)

! scope="col" | Peak
position

scope="row" | Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}

| 14

{{album chart|Canada|3|chartid=4968|artist=Bette Midler|album=The Divine Miss M|rowheader=true|access-date=December 29, 2017}}

{{album chart|Billboard200|6|artist=Bette Midler|album=The Divine Miss M|rowheader=true|access-date=December 29, 2017}}

scope="row"| US Top 100 Albums (Cash Box){{cite magazine|date=February 9, 1974|title=Cash Box Top 100 Albums|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1974/CB-1974-02-09.pdf#page=29|magazine=Cash Box|location=New York|publisher=The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc.|volume=XXXV|issue=39|page=29|issn=0008-7289}}

| 5

scope="row" | US The Album Chart (Record World){{cite magazine|date=January 19, 1974|title=The Album Chart|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/74/RW-1974-01-19.pdf#page=28|magazine=Record World|location=New York|publisher=Record World Pub. Co.|volume=29|issue=1387|page=28|issn=0034-1622}}

| 4

= Year-end charts =

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" \|+1974 year-end chart performance for Bette Midler ! scope="col" \| Chart (1974) ! scope="col" \| Position
scope="row" \| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM){{cite magazine\|date=December 28, 1974\|title=The Top 100 Albums of '74\|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.3891.pdf\|magazine=RPM\|volume=22\|issue=19\|page=15\|issn=0315-5994\|via=Library and Archives Canada\|access-date=May 16, 2022}} \| 35
scope="row" \|US Billboard 200{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1974/top-billboard-200-albums\|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1974\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=August 9, 2021\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420200833/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1974/top-billboard-200-albums\|archive-date=April 20, 2021}} \| 87
scope="row"\| US Top 100 Albums (Cash Box){{cite magazine\|date=December 28, 1974\|title=Top 100 Albums 74\|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1974/CB-1974-12-28.pdf#page=32\|magazine=Cash Box\|location=New York\|publisher=The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc.\|volume=XXXVI\|issue=31\|page=29\|issn=0008-7289}} \| 42

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+1974 year-end chart performance for Bette Midler

! scope="col" | Chart (1974)

! scope="col" | Position

scope="row" | Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM){{cite magazine|date=December 28, 1974|title=The Top 100 Albums of '74|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.3891.pdf|magazine=RPM|volume=22|issue=19|page=15|issn=0315-5994|via=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=May 16, 2022}}

| 35

scope="row" |US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1974/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1974|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 9, 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420200833/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1974/top-billboard-200-albums|archive-date=April 20, 2021}}

| 87

scope="row"| US Top 100 Albums (Cash Box){{cite magazine|date=December 28, 1974|title=Top 100 Albums 74|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1974/CB-1974-12-28.pdf#page=32|magazine=Cash Box|location=New York|publisher=The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc.|volume=XXXVI|issue=31|page=29|issn=0008-7289}}

| 42

Certifications and sales

{{Certification Table Entry | region=United States | title=Bette Midler| artist=Bette Midler| award=Gold | type=album|relyear=1973 |certyear=1973| access-date=December 29, 2017}}

References

Category:1973 albums

Category:Bette Midler albums

Category:Albums produced by Arif Mardin

Category:Atlantic Records albums