Mobile Fidelity - MOFI 1-011 - 140 Gram Virgin Vinyl - 821797100113

AAA 100% Analogue - Numbered Limited Edition - Pressed at RTI 

Mastered by Paul Stubbleline from the Original Master Tape at MFSL

Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity The Gain 2 Ultra Analog System

"This was a well-targeted production that hit all the right places: it was campy, it was nostalgic, it was tender, it was sappy and seductive but at the same time showed Midler as vulnerable and accessible to the core audience." - Michael Fremer Analogplanet, Music 8/11, Sound 8/11

Oh, behave! Bette Midler’s sparkling, energy-pulsing 1972 debut features the singer honing her trademark brassy personality as well as showing off an intimate, raw edge that fell by the wayside later in her career. Witness her forlorn, melancholic, and heartbroken moods, all conveyed with supreme emotion on several riveting ballads. But this LP is no downer. Midler offsets any bleakness with playfully campy songs laced with unadulterated enthusiasm and joyous defiance. This is a diva lover’s delight. The music is astonishingly alive. A superstar is born!

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity’s world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI (the best record plant in North America), Silver Label numbered limited edition LP presents The Divine Miss M with the warmly cozy and front-row perspective that the music demands. Midler’s voice is transparent and full, the timbral shadings colorfully outlined, the vocal images appearing as if she’s singing just a few feet away. Similarly, her cast of back-up vocalists (the Harlettes) receives ample face time on songs that come across as if performed by a girl-group revue. Midler has cut many records in her career but none are this entertaining, diversified, and, now, sonically spectacular.

There’s always risk associated with interpreting other artists’ classics and hits, but Midler makes every song here her own. She injects “Chapel of Love” with extra swagger and feminine gusto. In her hands, the Carpenters’ “Superstar” becomes more heartbreaking, filled with desolate sentiment and lonesome ache. John Prine’s ballad “Hello In There” echoes, as if sung to an empty room, with forlorn emotion. The 50s smash “Leader of the Pack” positively stomps and declares, her band in tow, that she’s not going to be stopped. Indeed, Midler’s interpretations of these staples surpass the previous versions, mostly due to her impeccable strong vocals and contagious passion. She doesn’t quit. And don't you dare decline her offer on "Do You Want to Dance!"

What else can be said of her trademark “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” her update of the Andrews Sisters’ jazzy hit landing in the Top 10, featuring a scat vocal (!), and smartly walking the line between campy fun and serious reverence. Similarly, Midler’s two takes of “Friends”--the first off-the-cuff, wild, snappy, and humorous; the second  slightly cooler and infused with gorgeous harmonies--remain modern marvels. There’s not a bad note on this incredible record.

The Divine Miss M has always been prized for its clear, clean production. Mobile Fidelity’s Silver Series LP further improves the sound, which, in combination with Midler’s performances, make this collectible reissue an absolute no-brainer!

Bette Midler The Divine Miss M

1.    "Do You Want to Dance?" (Bobby Freeman) - 2:44
2.    "Chapel of Love" (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector) - 2:55
3.    "Superstar" (Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell) - 5:11
4.    "Daytime Hustler" (Jeff Kent) - 3:34
5.    "Am I Blue" (Jarry Akst, Grant Clark) - 5:25
6.    "Friends" (Mark Klingman, Buzzy Linhart) - 2:50
7.    "Hello In There" (John Prine) - 4:17
8.    "Leader of the Pack" (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, George Morton) - 3:30
9.    "Delta Dawn" (Larry Collins, Alex Harvey) - 5:18
10.    "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" (Don Raye, Hughie Prince) - 2:25
11.    "Friends" (Reprise) (Mark Klingman, Buzzy Linhart) - 2:54

GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog™ System

GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most.