Garage Sale Vinyl: Bette Midler

The Rose (Motion Picture Soundtrack) / Atlantic Records / December 1979

by Christopher Long

Here’s a valuable tip for true vinyl enthusiasts. When the friendly shopkeeper behind the counter informs you, “Everything in those boxes, down there, is a dollar each,” they’re usually worth digging through, even if it takes all day. The GF and I learned this lesson last year while on a record-hunting expedition down in Vero Beach. Oh sure, we looked foolish AF crawling around the shop floor on our hands and knees, but we scored BAGS full of treasure and barely blew through fifty bucks. One of our finds was a MINT-condition copy of a real gem — for a buck.

From unrealistic storylines and unreliable timelines to wonky dialog, goofy wigs, and silly paste-on mustaches, most rock-related movies are less than authentic. However, there have been a few wins over the years. Honey Suckle Rose (1980), This is Spinal Tap (1982), and Almost Famous (2000) come to mind first as some of the tallest triumphs. Another winner was The Rose, the 1979 box office champ starring the Divine Miss M, Bette Midler.

The movie was intended initially to be based on the life of rock legend Janis Joplin. However, ultimately, Jan’s fam refused to surrender Pearl’s story to Hollywood. Truth be told, aside from her Texas birth and tragic death, the story of the Rose could have been about Genya Ravan as easily as Janis Joplin — two female ’60s-era rock trailblazers with comparable styles. For those unfamiliar with Ravan, the three records she did with her band Ten Wheel Drive are well-worth seeking, and her 2004 autobiography Lollipop Lounge is a highly-recommended rock biog. But I digress.

By not being shackled to any particular artist’s real-life story, The Rose was allowed to roam about the cabin freely. Attention passengers. The captain has turned OFF the ‘Fasten Seatbelts’ sign. As a result, the film delivered, in spades, as did its platinum-selling, Top 20, companion soundtrack album.

The Rose marked Midler’s big-screen acting debut. Transformed fully into the film’s charismatic, crazed main character, she owned the role, convincingly. However, Midler also had been a highly successful recording artist and concert performer for years. All of these factors collided beautifully in the film’s compelling live concert scenes that also made for most of the soundtrack album.

Produced by Paul A. Rothchild (the Doors, Janis Joplin) the soundtrack album for The Rose checked all of the right boxes. Midler didn’t simply play the character, she became the character. Hence, the Rose was as authentic as any so-called real-life rocker. Midler’s high-octane live concert performances also were 100% legit, and delivered in true Gonzo!-like fashion. Hi, you motherfuckers!

The raucous opening combo of “Whose Side Are You On?” and “Midnight in Memphis” informed moviegoers AND album listeners in short order — this was NOT the Partridge Family. In fact, the Rose band was comprised of several cats from the Lou Reed and Alice Cooper camps; guitarists Danny Weis and Steve Hunter, along with drummer Pentti “Whitey” Glan — NO paste-on mustaches here. Additionally, backing vocalist Bill Champlin would soon go on to join and help resuscitate the band Chicago.

At the time the record dropped, I was just 17 years old, and I’d never heard the 1966 Percy Sledge classic, “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Decades later, and after being covered by near-countless other artists, Midler’s super-emotional live version on The Rose soundtrack still speaks to me louder than any other. Co-written by an up-and-coming young fella named Sammy Hagar, “Keep On Rockin’” made for another hard-hitting album highlight.

While “Love Me With a Feeling” was a sound testament for Midler’s blues cred, “Stay with Me” was THE movie AND soundtrack showstopper. With raccoon-like makeup smeared from ear to ear, Midler delivered her most heart-stopping performance ever. What are we waiting for, boys? Stay with me, baby. Momma is home! To this day, this one still gives me chills. Coincidentally, “Stay with Me” also was done by Genya Ravan back during her Ten Wheel Drive tenure. Just sayin’. The delicate and moving record-closing studio title track would become a massive Top Ten hit, and continues to be one of Midler’s signature staples.

I’ll never forget taking a little break from a high school kegger one night, stealing away to smoke the reefer with my buddy Eric in his ‘79 Firebird while blasting The Rose on his factory-installed cassette deck, shortly after the album’s release. “If Bette Midler went on tour with that band, I’d like, totally pay $8.50 to go see ‘em,” Eric confessed. Today, my “mind-expanding” substances are limited strictly to a few Starbucks options. However, I still concur with Eric. I’d still “like, totally pay $8.50 to go see that band!”

(4/5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Rose Track List

SIDE ONE

1. Whose Side Are You On? (Hopkins, Williams) – 4:30

1. Midnight in Memphis (Johnson) – 3:44

1. Concert Monologue – 2:22

1. When a Man Loves a Woman (Lewis, Wright) – 5:20

1. Sold My Soul To Rock ‘N’ Roll (Pistilli) – 3:42

1. Keep On Rockin’ (Hagar, Carter) – 4:03

SIDE TWO

1. Love Me With a Feeling (Whittaker) – 3:54

1. Camellia (Hunter) – 3:25

1. Homecoming Monologue – 1:23

1. Stay with Me (Jerry Ragovoy, Weiss) – 5:42

1. Let Me Call You Sweetheart (Whitson, Friedman) – 1:35

1. The Rose (McBroom) – 3:42

Bette Midler