Maps of Music

Broken Blossom (1977)

Where the lyrics of Broken Blossom take you, and where it was really made.

A review said producer Brooks Arthur's production on this 1977 album was a blatant copy of Phil Spector's style, a serious threat to Midler's sincerity.

Key places

Primary recording location: The Record Plant (1977)

Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — The primary recording location for Broken Blossom was The Record Plant in Los Angeles. Additional recording was done at Studio 55 in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Broken Blossom: fourth studio album by American singer Bette Midler
• Her second album release of 1977 and her fifth on Atlantic Records
• Released on Atlantic 80410 on 17 November 1977
• 11 tracks across two sides: six on Side A, five on Side B
• Mixes songs from a wide variety of genres

Background

• Similar to Midler's three previous studio albums in its genre range
• Includes Edith Piaf's signature tune "La vie en rose"
• Phil Spector-esque covers of Billy Joel's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and Harry Nilsson's "Paradise"
• Hard rock take on Sammy Hagar's "Red"
• Jazzy duet with Tom Waits on "I Never Talk to Strangers"
• Rendition of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", originally from Walt Disney's 1950 film version of Cinderella
• Reached No. 51 on Billboard's album chart
• First released on CD in 1993

Recording

• Primary recording location: The Record Plant, Los Angeles
• Additional recording at Studio 55, Los Angeles
• Brooks Arthur credited as record producer and sound engineer
• Bob Merritt credited as sound engineer
• David Latman credited as assistant sound engineer
• Ivy Skoff credited as production coordinator
• Bones Howe credited as producer of track A4 for Mr. Bones Production

Cover

• Cover design by Bob Defrin
• Photography by George Hurrell

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born December 1, 1945 in Honolulu, Hawaii; American actress, comedian, singer, and author.
• Moved to New York City in 1965 and began in off-off-Broadway plays, then appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s.
• Rose to prominence in 1970 singing at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in New York, where she built a core following.
• Debut album The Divine Miss M (1972) earned the 1973 Grammy for Best New Artist.
• Starred in the film The Rose (1979), earning an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe.
• Won Record of the Year for "Wind Beneath My Wings" from the film Beaches (1988).
• Has over 30 million records sold worldwide, with 14 solo studio albums since 1970.
• Received a Tony Award for Hello, Dolly! (2017 Broadway revival) and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2021.

Activism

• Founded the New York Restoration Project in 1995 to revitalize neglected parks in disadvantaged New York neighborhoods.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The Globe and Mail concluded that most of the songs were either underperformed or blasted out of all proportion by producer Brooks Arthur
• The paper said Arthur's quite blatant steal of Phil Spector's production style was a serious threat to Midler's sincerity
• The criticism centers on the production approach rather than on the singer's material alone
• The complaint is that the arrangements overwhelm the songs
• The review shows the album's wide genre range was not judged a success on record

Reappraisal

• No separate later reappraisal is recorded in the source

Records

• Reached No. 51 on Billboard's album chart
• Released on CD for the first time in 1993
• Remastered version released by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1995
• Original release on Atlantic 80410, 17 November 1977

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album closes its Side B with "La Vie en Rose", the Edith Piaf song credited to Mack David, Louiguy and Édith Piaf in the Italian listing.
• The Discogs master notes say many releases do not follow the side 1 and side 2 track listings shown on the back cover, labels or timing strip.
• The track "Yellow Beach Umbrella" is credited to Craig Doerge and Judy Henske.
• The album's cover design was done by Bob Defrin and the photography by George Hurrell.
• The first CD release came in 1993, and a remastered version followed in 1995.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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