My First Guest Blogger: Manny Fenech (from Australia)

Mister D: I’d like to thank Manny for doing this…maybe he should think about becoming a regular. Also, I think I can safely say that Manny and I would like to hear what you ladies and germs have to say. Who would you like to see Bette collaborate with….it could be a producer, a songwriter, a vocalist, etc….but keep this in the music field. Thanks Manny and thanks to all of you for keeping this old place alive:

Manny Wish List
Well as promised, who I think Bette would work well with and my reasons why. I guess you can call it a Manny Wish List.
March 14, 2008

PhotoShop: Baltoboy Steve

I always thought that Bette Midler would work very well with new material written and produced by the Pet Shop Boys.

The Pet Shop Boys and an amazing body of work and an amazing body of bands and artists they have worked with in the past, such as Dusty Springfield, Elton John, Yoko Ono, Liza Minnelli, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Kylie Minogue and even Madonna, just to drop a few names.

After hearing the “Nightlife” Album released in 2000 by PSB, this was the album that did it for me. The album has a very 70’s disco feel about it, and the reason being is most of the tracks were either written in conjunction with David Morales and also produced by David Morales. Morales has a history and an uncanny knack of blending huge string and orchestral sections in his music, and toning the beat of the track to a nice flowing house style beat, that is not in your face or just sounds like white noise. A lot of his styles that he carries over into today’s music is very similar to Bette’s Album “Thighs & Whispers.”

Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe (PSB) music style is one that has set them apart from most dance / pop artists, with melodic blends and loose sounding guitars in their music, and poetic vocals that are more spoken than sung. Their songs are more like a story being told as apposed to some catchy lyric that tends to get tired after a while.

Bette’s style of story telling when singing a song will make her a perfect choice to work with such remarkable talent. Also as the PSB have a very sleek and unique way of making a female performer sound sexy, sexy in a way that they wouldn’t sound with their normal producers. Take Liza Minnelli’s “Results” album. Though this wasn’t Liza’s normal sounding album and one she is the least comfortable with, the tracks that were produced and written by the PSB were among some of the best Liza has ever recorded lyrically. Her voice was the main instrument on the album and this is something the PSB picked up on and enhanched 100 times over.

We have all heard Bette’s voice be lent to several remixes over the years, tracks like, “Fever,” “In These Shoes,” “To Deserve You,” amongst others to know that her voice will blend in perfectly by music written and produced by the PSB and assisted by David Morales. The songs would have to be fresh with huge production for a talent like Bette’s.

To hear Bette work with such collaborators, will be the dream come true for Bette fans who would like to hear her do a more up tempo sounding album. I for one would just squeal with delight hearing a Bette remix in a club that gets the whole place jumping. I’m not talking about the way Cher came across on her “Believe” album. A great album in it’s own right and very successful, it also introduced Cher to new age group of fans, something I don’t think anyone even Cher herself saw coming.

It would also be nice to hear Bette maybe do a duet on an up tempo album with Jocelyn Brown, Melissa Manchester, Patti Labelle, and even the PSB themselves. I have mentioned earlier on BLB, that I can imagine Bette singing “Tits On The Radio” with the Scissor Sisters. Reason being is because they are a very raw band, who go with their beliefs, sing about what is on their mind, also as a live band remind me so much of Bette in her younger days when she was really putting herself in the audiences faces and knocking the most toughest of people over.

Other artists I have thought that Bette would sound amazing with are Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, P!nk and yes I can’t go without saying Cher & Tina Turner.

Finally, Bette is a very special talent, who needs to be treated in a very special way. This is why I have mentioned a wishful collaboration with the PSB & David Morales. Bette has proved it before with her club remixes as mentioned earlier, so an album with thr PSB style of production and Bette’s voice, to me would be a swan song!