Thighs and Whispers

Infobox Album
Name=Thighs and Whispers
Type=studio
Artist=Bette Midler


Released=Start date|1979|10
Recorded=1979
Genre=Disco, pop
Length=42:12
Label=Atlantic
Producer=Arif Mardin
Reviews=*Allmusic rating|2|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:apfuxqe5ldhe~T1 link]
*Robert Christgau (C+) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Bette+Midler link]
*"Rolling Stone" (mixed) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bettemidler/albums/album/236898/review/5945996/thighs_and_whispers 1979]
Last album="The Best of Bette"
(1978)
This album="Thighs and Whispers"
(1979)
Next album="The Rose"
(1980)

"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

The album's title is a humorous play on "Cries and Whispers", influential Swedish film-maker Ingmar Bergman's anything but humorous 1973 movie.

The song "Millworker", written by James Taylor, is from the short-lived Broadway production of "Working". Midler's recording of "Married Men" reached the top 40 of the U.S. Club Play Singles chart and the song was also a UK top 40 hit for Bonnie Tyler the same year. Tyler's version was the theme to the British film "The World Is Full of Married Men".

The largely disco-influenced album which saw Midler reunited with producer Arif Mardin also includes Jerry Ragovoy's "My Knight in Black Leather", a minor dancefloor hit peaking at #70 on the US dance charts. "Married Men", "Hang on in There Baby" and "My Knight in Black Leather", released at the very peak of the disco era, were all issued as extended mixes on 12-inch singles.

While the singles and the album itself were largely overlooked at the time, "Big Noise from Winnetka" has since served as the opening number on many of Midler's tours. The song was originally a swing classic recorded by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats, Gene Krupa and several others in the late 1930s.

The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Atlantic Records in 1995.

Track listing

ide one

#"Big Noise from Winnetka" (Ray Bauduc, Bob Crosby, Bob Haggart, Gil Rodin) – 6:56
#"Millworker" (James Taylor) – 4:07
#"Cradle Days" (Tony Berg, Aaron Neville) – 5:05
#"My Knight in Black Leather" (Jerry Ragavoy) – 4:53

ide two

#"Hang on in There Baby" (Johnny Bristol) – 6:04
#"Hurricane" (Randy Kerber, Bette Midler) – 7:30
#"Rain" (Mac Rebennack) – 3:58
#"Married Men" (Dominic Bugatti, Frank Musker) – 3:47

Personnel

*Jonathan Abramowitz – strings
*Lamar Alsop – whistling
*Phillip Ballou – background vocals
*Crusher Bennett – percussion, conga
*Warren Bernhardt – piano, electric piano
*Phil Bodner – clarinet, reeds, saxophone
*Michael Brecker – reeds, saxophone, tenor saxophone
*Randy Brecker – trumpet
*Eddie Brigati – background vocals
*Joe Caro – guitar, electric guitar
*Robin Clark – background vocals
*William Coupon – photography
*Rafael Cruz – percussion
*Eddie Daniels – reeds, saxophone, alto saxophone
*Lew DelGatto – reeds, saxophone
*Jimmy Douglass – engineer
*Jon Faddis – trumpet
*Steve Ferrone – drums
*Sammy Figueroa – percussion
*Babi Floyd – background vocals
*Arthur Freeman – background vocals
*John Frosk – trumpet
*John Gale – trombone
*Billy Gray – background vocals
*Diva Gray – background vocals, obbligato vocals
*Robin Grean – background vocals
*Lewis Hahn – engineer, mixing
*Carl Hall – background vocals
*Ula Hedwig – background vocals
*Stephen Innocenzi – remixing
*Anthony Jackson – bass
*Arthur Jenkins – electric piano
*Jack Jennings – percussion, marimba, background vocals
*Randy Kerber – synthesizer, piano, electric piano, mellotron
*Will Lee – bass
*Bernie Leighton – piano
*Jesse Levy – cello
*Mel Lewis – drums, tom-tom
*Tom "Bones" Malone – trombone
*Arif Mardin – producer, percussion, conductor, horn arrangements
*George Marge – reeds, saxophone
*Jim Maxwell – bagpipes
*Bette Midler – vocals, background vocals
*Merle Miller – background vocals
*Jeff Mironov – guitar
*Michael O'Reilly – assistant engineer
*Gene Orloff – concertmaster
*Gene Pau – engineer
*Jerry Ragovoy – producer
*Marc Shaiman – vocal arrangement
*Jocelyn Shaw – background vocals
*Alan Shulman – strings
*Billy Slapin – reeds, saxophone
*David Spinozza – acoustic guitar, guitar
*Danny Stiles – trumpet
*Richard Tee – piano
*Fonzi Thornton – background vocals
*David Tofani – reeds, saxophone
*Luther Vandross – background vocals
*Ed Walsh – synthesizer
*Bobby Warner – engineer
*Willie Weeks – bass
*Frank Wess – reeds, saxophone
*Ken Williams – bass (vocals)
*George Young – reeds, saxophone
*Sandi Young – art direction

Chart performance

Album

Notes