Out Now: Bette Midler, THE DIVINE MISS M: DELUXE EDITION
Those who know Bette Midler’s long and storied career are already well aware that she’s rarely been anything less than divine, but some things are more divine than others, and if you’re looking for maximum divinity, you’ll find it in Rhino’s new deluxe edition of Midler’s 1972 debut album, THE DIVINE MISS M.
This set will include not only a remastered version of the classic album – which features tracks like “Friends,” “Leader of the Pack,” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” – but also a bonus disc of singles, outtakes, and demos, along with new liner notes composed by Midler herself, including an explanation of how she came to acquire that most famous of adjectives:
"I began being called The Divine Miss M around 1969, when I made my first appearance at the Continental Baths, a gay bath house located in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel, at Broadway and 74th Street in New York. My best friend, Bill Hennessy, a hairdresser I met on Fiddler on the Roof, called me that for years. It was my first night at the Baths, and before I went on, the owner, Steven Ostrow, stuck his head into the dressing room and asked how I wanted to be introduced. I said, 'Just tell them I'm divine!' And that's how it started."
After reading that paragraph, you’re probably ready to buy THE DIVINE MISS M: DELUXE EDITION based simply on the liner notes alone, but that bonus disc gives you another nine reasons to pick it up, and when your “Reasons to Buy” list hits double digits, you have no choice: you have to buy it.
Still, just so you know what you’re getting into, here’s the full track listing:
The Divine Miss M: Deluxe Edition
Disc One:
1. "Do You Want To Dance"
2. "Chapel Of Love"
3. "Superstar"
4. "Hello In There"
5. "Am I Blue"
6. "Friends"
7. "Daytime Hustler"
8. "Leader Of The Pack"
9. "Delta Dawn"
10. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
11. "Friends"
Disc Two:
1. "Chapel Of Love" - Single Mix
2. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" - Single Version
3. "Do You Want To Dance" - Single Mix
4. "Friends" - Single Mix
5. "Old Cape Cod" - Earliest Recording & Mix
6. "Marahuana" - Earliest Recording & Mix
7. "Superstar" - Alternate Recording *
8. "Saturday Night" - Demo *
9. "Mr. Freedom And I" - Demo *
*Previously Unreleased
