No Frills (Midler)
Encyclopedia
No Frills is the sixth studio album by American singer Bette Midler
, released on Atlantic Records
in 1983. No Frills was Midler's first studio album in four years, following the movies The Rose
, Divine Madness!
and the ill-fated Jinxed!
. The rock and new wave
influenced album was produced by Chuck Plotkin
, best known for his work with Bob Dylan
and Bruce Springsteen
, and included three single releases; the ballad "All I Need to Know", a cover of Marshall Crenshaw
's "My Favourite Waste of Time" and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones classic "Beast of Burden".
While No Frills surprisingly became Midler's second lowest-charting album in the US, peaking at #60 on Billboard (her 1979 disco album Thighs and Whispers
#65), it became her best-selling studio album to date in both Continental Europe and Scandinavia; in West Germany it reached #15, in the Netherlands #10, in Norway #2 and in Sweden No Frills managed to reach the top spot of the albums chart, even outselling the Rose
soundtrack and the "Beast of Burden" single was indeed a Top 10 hit in most parts of Europe. The promo video for the song, made during the early MTV
era, featured Mick Jagger
in a cameo role playing Midler's boyfriend. The soundtrack to the video including the spoken dialogue (with Midler famously telling Jagger "Just stay long enough to hear me sing your song. I sing it better than anybody." Jagger replies: "Well almost anybody....") was released on the B-side of the 12" single in Europe. In September 1984 the video for "Beast Of Burden" was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards
for Best Female Video, Best Choreography, and Best Stage Performance Video.
Midler recorded several songs for the album that did not make the final cut. Among these were Bruce Springsteen
's "Pink Cadillac" (later covered by Natalie Cole
) "Broken Bicycles", the Jonathan King
-written "Everyone's Gone To The Moon," and Peter Gabriel
's "Here Comes The Flood" -- all of which she had performed live on her 1982-1983 concert tour De Tour, later released on VHS/DVD as Art or Bust.
The ballad "All I I Need To Know", composed by renowned songwriting team Barry Mann
, Cynthia Weil
and Tom Snow, which had peaked at #77/39 on the US Singles and A/C charts with Midler in late 1983, was some five years later covered by Linda Ronstadt
on her album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
. Ronstadt's Grammy winning version of the song was recorded as a duet with Aaron Neville
and retitled "Don't Know Much" and then became a #2 hit on the US singles chart and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and a worldwide hit single. "My Favourite Waste of Time" was in turn covered by Scottish singer Owen Paul
in 1986 and was a Top 5 hit in the UK.
When Midler's greatest hits compilation Experience the Divine
was released in 1993 only one song from No Frills was included; "Only In Miami" - an album track which never was a single either in the US or in Europe. A second edition of the compilation with a revised track list, released in 1996, however added both "Beast of Burden" and "My Favourite Waste of Time".
No Frills was digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Atlantic Records
/Warner Music in 1995 but with no bonus tracks.
Side B
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
, released on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1983. No Frills was Midler's first studio album in four years, following the movies The Rose
The Rose (film)
The Rose is a 1979 American musical drama film which tells the story of a self-destructive 1960s rock star who struggles to cope with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager...
, Divine Madness!
Divine Madness!
Divine Madness is a 1980 concert film directed by Michael Ritchie, and featuring Bette Midler during her 1979 concert at Pasadena's Civic Auditorium...
and the ill-fated Jinxed!
Jinxed!
Jinxed! is a 1982 comedy-drama film starring Bette Midler, Rip Torn and Ken Wahl. Directed by Don Siegel, the veteran filmmaker would suffer a heart attack during the troubled production...
. The rock and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
influenced album was produced by Chuck Plotkin
Chuck Plotkin
Chuck Plotkin is a recording engineer and producer, best known for his work with Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.-Recording engineer:Plotkin has recorded, engineered, mastered and produced albums by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and many other artists, starting with The Floating House Band in 1972...
, best known for his work with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, and included three single releases; the ballad "All I Need to Know", a cover of Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his song "Someday, Someway".-Biography:...
's "My Favourite Waste of Time" and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones classic "Beast of Burden".
While No Frills surprisingly became Midler's second lowest-charting album in the US, peaking at #60 on Billboard (her 1979 disco album Thighs and Whispers
Thighs and Whispers
Thighs and Whispers is the fifth studio album by American singer Bette Midler. Released in 1979, the album reached #65 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.-Album information:...
#65), it became her best-selling studio album to date in both Continental Europe and Scandinavia; in West Germany it reached #15, in the Netherlands #10, in Norway #2 and in Sweden No Frills managed to reach the top spot of the albums chart, even outselling the Rose
The Rose (soundtrack)
The Rose is the soundtrack to the feature film of the same name starring Bette Midler which was released in 1980. Midler performs all the songs on the album, with the exception of the instrumental "Camellia"...
soundtrack and the "Beast of Burden" single was indeed a Top 10 hit in most parts of Europe. The promo video for the song, made during the early MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
era, featured Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
in a cameo role playing Midler's boyfriend. The soundtrack to the video including the spoken dialogue (with Midler famously telling Jagger "Just stay long enough to hear me sing your song. I sing it better than anybody." Jagger replies: "Well almost anybody....") was released on the B-side of the 12" single in Europe. In September 1984 the video for "Beast Of Burden" was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
for Best Female Video, Best Choreography, and Best Stage Performance Video.
Midler recorded several songs for the album that did not make the final cut. Among these were Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's "Pink Cadillac" (later covered by Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
) "Broken Bicycles", the Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
-written "Everyone's Gone To The Moon," and Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's "Here Comes The Flood" -- all of which she had performed live on her 1982-1983 concert tour De Tour, later released on VHS/DVD as Art or Bust.
The ballad "All I I Need To Know", composed by renowned songwriting team Barry Mann
Barry Mann
Barry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
, Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
and Tom Snow, which had peaked at #77/39 on the US Singles and A/C charts with Midler in late 1983, was some five years later covered by Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
on her album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a Grammy award winning, Triple Platinum-certified 1989 album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville. This album was taken out of print in 2009—twenty years after release.-History:The album is a...
. Ronstadt's Grammy winning version of the song was recorded as a duet with Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
and retitled "Don't Know Much" and then became a #2 hit on the US singles chart and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and a worldwide hit single. "My Favourite Waste of Time" was in turn covered by Scottish singer Owen Paul
Owen Paul
Owen Paul , is a Scottish singer, best known in the UK for his 1986 #3 hit single, "My Favourite Waste of Time", a cover version of a song that was originally written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw...
in 1986 and was a Top 5 hit in the UK.
When Midler's greatest hits compilation Experience the Divine
Experience the Divine
Experience the Divine: Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American singer Bette Midler, featuring many of her best-known songs. The fourteen track compilation was released on Atlantic Records in 1993....
was released in 1993 only one song from No Frills was included; "Only In Miami" - an album track which never was a single either in the US or in Europe. A second edition of the compilation with a revised track list, released in 1996, however added both "Beast of Burden" and "My Favourite Waste of Time".
No Frills was digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
/Warner Music in 1995 but with no bonus tracks.
Track listing
Side A- "Is It Love" (Nick GilderNick GilderNicholas George "Nick" Gilder , is an English-Canadian musician who first came to prominence as the frontman for the glam rock band Sweeney Todd. He later had a successful solo career as a singer as well as a songwriter.-Biography:...
, Jimmy McCulloch) - 4:43 - "Favorite Waste Of Time" (Marshall CrenshawMarshall CrenshawMarshall Crenshaw is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his song "Someday, Someway".-Biography:...
) - 2:43 - "All I Need To Know" (Barry MannBarry MannBarry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
, Cynthia WeilCynthia WeilCynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
, Tom Snow) - 4:08 - "Only in MiamiOnly in miami"Only in Miami" is a song by Bette Midler, first appearing on her sixth studio album No Frills and then later on her 1993 greatest hits album Experience the Divine, it tells of a sad girl who longs to be back in her native Cuba and that Only in Miami does Cuba seem so far away, the song is a jolly...
" (Max Gronenthal) - 4:35 - "Heart Over Head" (Andy Goldmark, Robin Batteau, Brock Walsh) - 2:52
Side B
- "Let Me Drive" (Greg Prestopino, Matthew WilderMatthew WilderMatthew Wilder is an American musician, composer and record producer, best known for his 1983 Top 5 hit, "Break My Stride"....
) - 4:02 - "My Eye On You" (Moon MartinMoon MartinJohn David "Moon" Martin is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.-Career:Martin gained recognition in the 1970s as a pop artist and composer...
, Bill House) - 4:03 - "Beast of BurdenBeast of Burden (song)"Beast of Burden" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, featured on the 1978 album Some Girls. In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #435 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #433 on the 500 Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of all time.-Inspiration and...
" (Mick JaggerMick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, Keith RichardsKeith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
) - 3:48 - "Soda and A Souvenir" (Jessica Harper) - 3:23
- "Come Back Jimmy Dean" (Bette MidlerBette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
, Jerry Blatt, Brock Walsh) - 3:51
Personnel
- Bette MidlerBette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
- lead vocals, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Ricky Lawson - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
trks A1, A3, A4, B1, B2, B4 - Pops Popswell - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
trks A1, A3, A4, B4 - Buzzy Feiten - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s trks A1, A3, A4, B1, B2, B4 - Bobby Lyle - synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s trks A1, B1, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
trks A3, A4, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
trk B2, Fender Rhodes trk B4 - Bobby Martin - synthesizers trks A1, A3, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
trk B1, keyboards trk B2, organ & synthesizer trk B4 - Robert IrvingRobert Irving IIIRobert Irving III is an American pianist, composer, arranger and music educator.A native of Chicago, Irving was one of a group of young Chicago musicians that in the late '70s and early '80s formed the nucleus of Miles Davis' recording and touring bands...
- synthesizers trks A1, A2, piano trk A5 - Mark Goldenberg - guitar & synthesizer solos trks A1 & A3, guitar solo trk A2, electric guitars & synthesizers trk A5, guitars trk B3, syntheziers trk B5
- David Logerman - drums & percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
trk A2 - Dave Demare - bass trk A2
- Waddy WachtelWaddy WachtelRobert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
- electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s trk A2 - Philip Kennard - acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s & background vocals trk A2 - Brock Walsh - acoustic guitars trk A2, piano trk B5
- Lisa Garber - background vocals trks A2, A3, A4
- Laura Allan - background vocals trks A2, A3, A4
- Janis Cercone - background vocals trk A3
- Malando Gassama - percussion trk A4
- Marc "Caz" Macino - hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s trks A4, B1 - Mark Hatch - - hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s trk A4 - Jim KeltnerJim KeltnerJames Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
- drums trks A5, B3 - Mark Leonard - bass trk A5
- Chas Sanford - electric guitars & synthesizers trk A5
- Vernon Porter - bass trks B1, B2
- Joe Turano - background vocals trk B1
- Greg Prestopino - background vocals trk B1
- Matthew WilderMatthew WilderMatthew Wilder is an American musician, composer and record producer, best known for his 1983 Top 5 hit, "Break My Stride"....
- background vocals trk B1 - Jude Johnstone - background vocals trk B2
- Tim DrummondTim DrummondTim Drummond is an American bass guitarist who has toured and recorded with many notable artists including Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Ry Cooder, J. J. Cale, Lonnie Mack, Miles Davis, B.B...
- bass trk B3 - Danny KortchmarDanny KortchmarDanny "Kootch" Kortchmar is a guitarist, session musician, and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as David Crosby, Carole King, Graham Nash, Carly Simon and James Taylor helped define the signature sound of the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s...
- guitars trk B3 - The Staggering Harlettes (Ula Hedwig, Katey SagalKatey SagalCatherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
, Linda HartLinda HartLinda Hart is an American singer, musician, and actress, mainly appearing in musical theatre.- Biography :As a child, Hart sang in her church choir; at age seven, she joined her father and the rest of the family in The Harts, a weekly gospel television series. Hart attended Los Angeles City...
) - background vocals trk B4
Production
- Chuck PlotkinChuck PlotkinChuck Plotkin is a recording engineer and producer, best known for his work with Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.-Recording engineer:Plotkin has recorded, engineered, mastered and produced albums by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and many other artists, starting with The Floating House Band in 1972...
- record producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Brock Walsh - associate producer
- Danny Goldberg - executive producer
- Marc "Caz" Macino - horn arrangement trk A4
- Toby Scott - recording all tracks, mixing trk B4
- Don Smith - additional recording & mixing
- Debbie Gold - production supervisor
- Bonnie Bruckheimer - production associate
- Recorded at Clover Studios with additional recording at Sound Factory & Rumbo Recorders
- Mixed at Clover Studios & Rumbo Recorders
- Assistant engineers: Dave Demore, Steve Brix, Dave Pearce, Julian Stoul, Greg Anderson
- Andre Miripolsky - cover art
- Kosh / Ron Larson - Design and art direction:
- Greg Gorman - photography