Thighs and Whispers
Studio album by
Bette Midler
ReleasedOctober 1979 (1979-10)
Recorded1979
GenreDisco, pop
Length42:12
LabelAtlantic
ProducerArif Mardin
Bette Midler chronology
The Best of Bette
(1978) 		Thighs and Whispers
(1979) 		The Rose
(1979)
Singles from Thighs and Whispers
  1. "Married Men"
  2. "Hang on in There Baby"
  3. "My Knight in Black Leather"
  4. "Big Noise from Winnetka"

Thighs and Whispers is the fifth studio album by American singer Bette Midler. Released in 1979, the album reached No. 65 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Production and release

The album was largely disco-influenced. It saw Midler reunite with producer Arif Mardin and includes Jerry Ragovoy's "My Knight in Black Leather", a minor dance-floor hit that peaked at #70 on the US dance charts.[1] "Married Men", "Hang on in There Baby" and "My Knight in Black Leather", released at the height of the disco era, were all issued as extended mixes on 12-inch singles. The album's title is a humorous play on Cries and Whispers, influential Swedish film-maker Ingmar Bergman's 1973 movie.

The song "Millworker", written by James Taylor, is from the short-lived Broadway production of Working.[2] Midler's recording of "Married Men" reached the top 40 of the U.S. Club Play Singles chart.[1] The song was also a UK top 40 hit for Bonnie Tyler the same year.[3] Tyler's version was the theme to the British film The World Is Full of Married Men.

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 released on CD in 1990. A remastered version of the album was released by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1995.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

The album has received mixed reviews from music critics. Robert Christgau gave the album a C+ and wrote a humorous review in which he wrote that "the songs are pretty good, and when you listen up they get better" but conclude that "the songs aren't that good. And they don't get that much better."[5] Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone wrote that the album "is the most convincing proof yet that Bette Midler is a stage personality in the tradition of Ethel Merman and Liza Minnelli, entertainers whose talents can't be captured in a recording studio either."[7] The Globe and Mail concluded that "the very title of this album alone indicates that Bette Midler is still trying to be better known for being Bette Midler than she is for being a great pop singer, and the music found on the album still shows that she isn't yet sure who or what Bette Midler is supposed to be."[8]

AllMusic's Joe Viglione retrospectively wrote that despite Midler being in fine voice and "such a consistent and dynamic artist" the release is "an uneven album" but "still has its moments."[4]

Track listing

Side one
  1. "Big Noise from Winnetka" (Ray Bauduc, Bob Crosby, Bob Haggart, Gil Rodin) – 6:56
  2. "Millworker" (James Taylor) – 4:07
  3. "Cradle Days" (Tony Berg, Aaron Neville) – 5:05
  4. "My Knight in Black Leather" (Jerry Ragovoy) – 4:53
Side two
  1. "Hang on in There Baby" (Johnny Bristol) – 6:04
  2. "Hurricane" (Randy Kerber, Bette Midler) – 7:30
  3. "Rain" (Mac Rebennack) – 3:58
  4. "Married Men" (Dominic Bugatti, Frank Musker) – 3:47

Personnel

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1979) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart (Kent Music Report)[9] 28
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 28
US Billboard 200[11] 65

Release history

Year Label Format Catalog
1979 Atlantic LP –
1990 Atlantic CD 16004
1995 Atlantic/WEA Remastered CD 82786
2005 Atlantic CD CD-16004

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Bette Midler - USA - Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  2. ^ White, T. (2009). Long Ago And Far Away: James Taylor - His Life And Music. Omnibus Press. pp. 258–261, 266. ISBN 9780857120069.
  3. ^ "Bonnie Tyler" (select "Albums" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  4. ^ a b Viglione, Joe. "Thighs and Whispers - Bette Midler". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ Coleman, Marc; Brackett, Nathan (2004). "Bette Midler". In Brackett, Nathan; Christian, Hoard (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 540. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ^ Holden, Stephen (1979). "Thighs and Whispers (review)". Rolling Stone (RS 305 ed.). Penske Media Corporation.[dead link]
  8. ^ Niester, Alan (3 Nov 1979). "Thighs and Whispers Bette Midler". The Globe and Mail. p. F12.
  9. ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bette Midler – Thighs and Whispers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Bette Midler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
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