Maps of Music

Songs for the New Depression (1976)

Where the lyrics of Songs for the New Depression take you, and where it was really made.

Bette Midler's third album was the one where she made her debut as a composer, yet it peaked only at No. 27 on the Billboard albums chart.

Key places

Where most of the album was recorded and mixed (1976)

Recording site Secret Sound Studio — The album was recorded and mixed at Secret Sound Studio in New York. The point marks the studio itself, not a precise building position. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Tracks A4 and B4 recorded here (1976)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — Tracks A4 and B4 were recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios in New York by Lew Hahn. The point marks the studio area, not an exact building position. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Track A1 recorded here (1976)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Track A1 was recorded at Electric Lady and Mediasound Studios in New York. The point marks the Electric Lady studio area, not an exact building position. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Songs for the New Depression: third studio album by American singer Bette Midler
• Released in early 1976 on Atlantic Records
• First CD release in 1990; remastered by Atlantic/Warner in 1995
• Limited edition remastered version released by Friday Music in 2014
• Midler made her debut as a composer on this album with 'Mr. Rockefeller' and the French-language 'Samedi et Vendredi'
• She also worked as co-producer and sound engineer

Background

• Contributors include soul singer Luther Vandross, Todd Rundgren and Brazilian jazz accordionist Sivuca
• Includes Midler's version of Tom Waits' 'Shiver Me Timbers' and a duet with Bob Dylan on 'Buckets of Rain'
• Opens with a discofied take on Frank Sinatra's standard 'Strangers in the Night'
• 'Old Cape Cod' and 'Marahuana' were first recorded for the 1972 debut album The Divine Miss M
• Those two tracks were remixed three years later by Lew Hahn and Arif Mardin for this album

Recording

• Recorded and mixed at Secret Sound Studio, New York
• Tracks A4 and B4 recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, remixed by Lew Hahn and Arif Mardin
• Track A1 recorded at Electric Lady and Mediasound Studios, New York

Cover

• Photography by Deborah Turbville
• Shopping bag by Michaele Vollbracht; poster photos by Kenn Duncan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born December 1, 1945 in Honolulu, Hawaii; American actress, comedian, singer, and author.
• Moved to New York City in 1965 and began in off-off-Broadway plays, then appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s.
• Rose to prominence in 1970 singing at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in New York, where she built a core following.
• Debut album The Divine Miss M (1972) earned the 1973 Grammy for Best New Artist.
• Starred in the film The Rose (1979), earning an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe.
• Won Record of the Year for "Wind Beneath My Wings" from the film Beaches (1988).
• Has over 30 million records sold worldwide, with 14 solo studio albums since 1970.
• Received a Tony Award for Hello, Dolly! (2017 Broadway revival) and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2021.

Activism

• Founded the New York Restoration Project in 1995 to revitalize neglected parks in disadvantaged New York neighborhoods.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• NME critic Nick Kent called it the most infuriating album he had forced himself to live with
• Kent openly disliked the 'new depression' motif
• Kent praised the arrangements as exquisitely slick and said Midler stayed admirably in tune throughout
• Kent admitted he liked parts of it despite his better judgment
• The album peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard albums chart

Records

• Billboard albums chart peak: No. 27
• 'Strangers in the Night' became a No. 7 hit on the US dance chart
• Album reissued on CD in 1990, remastered in 1995 and again in a 2014 limited edition

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The opening track 'Strangers in the Night' is a discofied version of Frank Sinatra's standard, and it became a No. 7 hit on the US dance chart.
• 'Old Cape Cod' and 'Marahuana' were recorded for the 1972 debut album The Divine Miss M and remixed for this album.
• The album is dedicated to Gillian Malken.
• The lyrics of 'Samedi Et Vendredi' are printed on the rear sleeve.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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