The Divine Miss M (Deluxe)

CD1

1. Do You Want To Dance?
2. Chapel of Love
3. Superstar 
4. Daytime Hustler
5. Am I Blue
6. Friends
7. Hello In There
8. Leader of the Pack
9. Delta Dawn
10. Buggie Wuggie Bugle Boy
11. Friends

CD2

1. Chapel of Love
2. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
3. Do You Want to Dance
4. Friends
5. Old Cape Cod
6. Marahuana
7. Superstar
8. Saturday Night
9. Mr Freedom And I

Rhino Records will revisit the early days of Bette Midler’s incredible career with a deluxe version of her iconic 1972 debut album, The Divine Miss M.  Midler will also make a “Divine” appearance this fall as a mentor for Team Blake on Season 11 of NBC’s hit television series The Voice which premieres on September 19.

THE DIVINE MISS M: DELUXE EDITION will be available on October 21 as a 2-CD set that includes the remastered album, plus a bonus disc of singles, outtakes and demos, as well as new liner notes written by Midler. The album will also be released digitally as well as in 1-LP vinyl format, which will feature the remastered original album and original album artwork.

In the liner notes that accompany this new collection, Midler recalls the origin of her nickname: “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.”

The collection features a remastered version of the original album, including the Top 40 hits: “Do You Want To Dance” and “Friends,” as well as the Top 10 smash, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Co-produced by Barry Manilow, The Divine Miss M was released in November 1972, reached the Top 10 on the album chart, and was later certified platinum by the RIAA. The following year, Midler won the Grammy Award for “Best New Artist.”

THE DIVINE MISS M: DELUXE EDITION features a second disc with nine additional tracks. Among those are single mixes for “Friends” and “Chapel Of Love,” as well as a version of “Do You Want To Dance” mixed by the album’s co-producer, Joel Dorn. The set also includes five unreleased recordings: an alternate version “Superstar” (penned by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett); demos for “Saturday Night” and “Mr. Freedom And I,” plus the original, 1972 versions of “Old Cape Cod” and “Marahuana,” songs that were later remixed for Midler’s 1976 album, Songs For The New Depression. Her extensive catalog abounds with indelible hits like, “The Rose,” “From A Distance” and the Grammy-winner, “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

Bette Midler is one of the world's best-loved and most versatile entertainers.  The Divine Miss M helped launch Midler’s extraordinary career where she has garnered accolades in all quarters of show business. She's earned four Grammy Awards including Song of the Year (1989: Wind Beneath My Wings; 1990: From A Distance) and Record of the Year (1989: Wind Beneath My Wings); two Academy Award nominations, three Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and nine American Comedy Awards. Bette Midler has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and is only the second female singer to score a Top 10 album in the US in five consecutive decades.