Maps of Music

Thighs and Whispers (1979)

Where the lyrics of Thighs and Whispers take you, and where it was really made.

The title mocks a 1973 Ingmar Bergman film, yet the album was largely overlooked at release, and one of its songs later opened many of Midler's tours.

Key places

Recorded at Atlantic Studios (1979)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — Discogs credits Atlantic Studios as the place where this album was recorded. The same credit list also names it as the mastering location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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Album story

Overview

• Thighs and Whispers: fifth studio album by American singer Bette Midler
• Released 1979; reached No. 65 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart
• Largely disco-influenced
• Title is a humorous play on Cries and Whispers, Ingmar Bergman's 1973 film
• CD release 1990; remastered version released by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1995

Background

• Midler reunited with producer Arif Mardin for this album
• Includes Jerry Ragovoy's 'My Knight in Black Leather', a minor dance-floor hit that peaked at #70 on US dance charts
• 'Married Men', 'Hang on in There Baby' and 'My Knight in Black Leather' were issued as extended mixes on 12-inch singles at the height of the disco era
• 'Millworker' by James Taylor comes from the short-lived Broadway production of Working
• Eight tracks: four on side one, four on side two

Recording

• Recorded at Atlantic Studios, according to the Discogs credit
• Atlantic Studios is also listed as the mastering location
• Concertmaster credit: Gene Orloff

Sources: it.wikipedia.org · 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

• The album received mixed reviews from music critics
• Robert Christgau gave the album a C+ and wrote a humorous review
• Rolling Stone's Stephen Holden said the album was proof that Midler is a stage personality in the tradition of Ethel Merman and Liza Minnelli
• The Globe and Mail said the title shows Midler was still trying to be known for being Bette Midler more than for being a great pop singer

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Joe Viglione retrospectively called it an uneven album that still has its moments
• Viglione described Midler as in fine voice and a consistent and dynamic artist

Records

• Billboard Pop Albums chart: No. 65
• 'Married Men' reached the top 40 of the US Club Play Singles chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'Big Noise From Winnetka' has since opened many of Midler's tours, though the singles and album were largely overlooked at the time
• The song was originally a late-1930s swing classic recorded by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats, Gene Krupa and several others
• Bonnie Tyler's version of 'Married Men' was a UK top 40 hit the same year and became the theme to the British film The World Is Full of Married Men
• The title is a humorous play on Cries and Whispers (1973)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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