Bette Midler (album)

This article is about the 1973 album. For the 2000 album, see Bette (album).

Bette Midler
Studio album by Bette Midler
Released	November 16, 1973
Recorded	1973
Studio	Atlantic Recording Studios (New York, NY)
Genre	Vocal
Length	32:32
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Arif Mardin, Barry Manilow
Bette Midler chronology
The Divine Miss M (1972) Bette Midler (1973) Songs for the New Depression (1976)
Singles from Bette Milder
"In the Mood"

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Christgau's Record Guide	B+ [1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[2]

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

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Skylark"	Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer	3:02
2.	"Drinking Again"	Doris Tauber, Mercer	2:48
3.	"Breaking Up Somebody's Home"	Al Jackson Jr., Timothy Matthews	3:49
4.	"Surabaya Johnny"	Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, Herbert Hartig	4:54
5.	"I Shall Be Released"	Bob Dylan	4:56

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Optimistic Voices/Lullaby of Broadway"	Herbert Stothart, Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg / Harry Warren, Al Dubin	2:27
7.	"In the Mood"	Joe Garland, Andy Razaf, Wingy Manone	2:39
8.	"Uptown/Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)/Da Doo Ron Ron"	Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil / Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector	3:23
9.	"Twisted"	Wardell Gray, Annie Ross	2:25
10.	"Higher & Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me)"	Carl Smith, Raynard Miner, Gary Jackson	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 Weekly chart performance for Bette Midler Chart (1973–74) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [3] 14 Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [4] 3 US Billboard 200 [5] 6 US Top 100 Albums ( Cash Box ) [6] 5 US The Album Chart ( Record World ) [7] 4

Year-end charts 1974 year-end chart performance for Bette Midler Chart (1974) Position Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) [8] 35 US Billboard 200 [9] 87 US Top 100 Albums (Cash Box) [10] 42

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [11]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 7, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
2. Coleman, Marc; Brackett, Nathan (2004). "Bette Midler". In Brackett, Nathan; Christian, Hoard (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 540. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
4. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4968". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
5. "Bette Midler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
6. "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. XXXV, no. 39. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc. February 9, 1974. p. 29. ISSN   0008-7289.
7. "The Album Chart" (PDF). Record World . Vol. 29, no. 1387. New York: Record World Pub. Co. January 19, 1974. p. 28. ISSN   0034-1622.
8. "The Top 100 Albums of '74" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 22, no. 19. December 28, 1974. p. 15. ISSN   0315-5994 . Retrieved May 16, 2022– via Library and Archives Canada.
9. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1974". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
10. "Top 100 Albums 74" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. XXXVI, no. 31. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc. December 28, 1974. p. 29. ISSN   0008-7289.
11. "American album certifications – Bette Midler – Bette Midler". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 29, 2017.