Barry Manilow and subsequently as a producer on both her debut and sophomore record albums "The Divine Miss M" (1972) and "Bette Midler" (1973). as well as act as her musical director on the eventual tour mounted for the former. In 1973, Manilow was nominated for the Album Of The Year Grammy Award for his production role on 'The Divine Miss M'. Manilow worked with Midler from 1971 to 1975. After the Featherbed singles failed to impact on the music charts, in July 1973, Bell Records released the album, "Barry Manilow", which offered an eclectic mix of piano-driven pop and guitar-driven rock
The Best of Bette (1981 album) single mix with an additional verse making its second appearance on a compilation album. The pictures used for the cover of the K-Tel version of "The Best of Bette" show Midler in concert, taken from the movie "The Rose". The compilation is sometimes listed as having been released in 1980, other times in 1981. Considering the fact that the "Divine Madness" album was released worldwide in November 1980 it was more likely issued in 1981. The first Bette Midler "greatest hits" compilation to be released worldwide, including the US and Canada, was 1993's "Experience the Divine". Side A Side B