| Thighs and Whispers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | Disco, pop | |||
| Length | 42:12 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Arif Mardin | |||
| Bette Midler chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Thighs and Whispers | ||||
| ||||
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.
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.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [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]
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart (Kent Music Report) [9] | 28 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [10] | 28 |
| US Billboard 200 [11] | 65 |
| Year | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Atlantic | LP | – |
| 1990 | Atlantic | CD | 16004 |
| 1995 | Atlantic/WEA | Remastered CD | 82786 |
| 2005 | Atlantic | CD | CD-16004 |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Soundtracks | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Video albums | |
| Singles |
|
| Concerts and tours | |
| Books | |
Broken Blossom is the fourth studio album by American singer Bette Midler, her second album release in 1977 and her fifth on the Atlantic Records label. Just as Midler's three previous studio albums Broken Blossom includes songs from a wide variety of genres, ranging from Edith Piaf's signature tune "La vie en rose", Phil Spector-esque covers of Billy Joel's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and Harry Nilsson's "Paradise" and hard rock like Sammy Hagar's "Red", to a jazzy duet with Tom Waits, "I Never Talk to Strangers", and a rendition of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", originally from Walt Disney's 1950 film version of Cinderella. The album reached No. 51 on Billboard's album chart.
Bette Midler is the second studio album by American singer Bette Midler, released in 1973 on the Atlantic Records label. Produced by Arif Mardin and Barry Manilow, Bette Midler includes Midler's interpretations of Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark", Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill's "Surabaya Johnny", Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" as well as a Phil Spector medley.
Songs for the New Depression is the third studio album by the American singer Bette Midler, released in early 1976 on the Atlantic Records label. The album was released on CD for the first time in 1990. A remastered version of the album was released by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1995. A limited edition remastered version of the album was released by Friday Music in 2014.
The Rose is the soundtrack to the feature film of the same name starring Bette Midler, released in 1979.
Divine Madness is an album by American singer Bette Midler and the Harlettes, released in 1980. It is a live recording taken from Midler's Divine Madness concert film, released the same year. The album, however, does not contain any of Midler's comedy routines and features only her musical performances from the show and it in fact only provides half of the songs that appear in the film. The original live recordings were also to a large extent edited and re-recorded in the studio for the soundtrack album.
No Frills is the sixth studio album by American singer Bette Midler, released on Atlantic Records in 1983. No Frills was Midler's first studio album in four years, following the movies The Rose, Divine Madness! and Jinxed!. The rock and new wave influenced album was produced by Chuck Plotkin, best known for his work with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and included three single releases; the ballad "All I Need to Know", a cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones song "Beast of Burden".
Some People's Lives is the seventh studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Atlantic Records on September 4, 1990, in the United States. It contains one of her biggest hits, "From a Distance," which won songwriter Julie Gold a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1991.
Bette of Roses is the eighth studio album by the American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Atlantic Records on July 18, 1995, in the United States. The title was a play on the title of one of the tracks, "Bed of Roses". It became Midler's final album for the label, twenty-three years after the release of her debut album The Divine Miss M, since she was transferred to Atlantic's sister label Warner Bros. Records for her next two albums, then left the Warner group completely in 2002 when she signed with the Sony-owned Columbia Records.
Bathhouse Betty is the ninth studio album by the American singer Bette Midler, released in 1998. Bathhouse Betty was Midler's debut album for Warner Bros. Records, after having parted ways with sister label Atlantic Records in 1995 following the moderate commercial success of her later-platinum certified album Bette of Roses. Bathhouse Betty was certified Gold by the RIAA and spawned the Billboard Dance Club chart topper "I'm Beautiful".
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, initially released in February 1972.
The Paul Simon Anthology is the fourth greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, which was released in 1993. It featured one previously unreleased track, "Thelma".
The Warriors: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1979 film The Warriors. The soundtrack was released on March 16, 1979, by A&M Records.
Negotiations and Love Songs is a compilation album of songs by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released in 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. It consists of songs released from 1971 to 1986. The title of the compilation is taken from a line in the song "Train in the Distance".
Naughty is the second solo album by American R&B and funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1980.
Trampoline is the fifth studio album by the American country music band The Mavericks. The album was released on March 10, 1998, by MCA Nashville. It includes the singles "To Be with You", "Dance the Night Away" and "I've Got This Feeling". Although none of these singles were Top 40 hits on the U.S. country charts, "Dance the Night Away" reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and "I've Got This Feeling" reached number 27.
Togetherness is the fifth studio album by Los Angeles, California -based band, L.T.D., released in 1978 on the A&M label.
Heads is the fifth album by the jazz musician Bob James, released in October 1977. It was his first album released on his newly formed Tappan Zee label, which was distributed by Columbia Records. All of his Tappan Zee albums are distributed by E1 Music. The album reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.
Objects of Desire is a jazz vocal album by Michael Franks, released in 1982 with Warner Bros. Records. It was Franks' seventh studio album.
Carole Bayer Sager is the debut studio album by American songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, released in 1977 by Elektra Records. It included the song "You're Moving Out Today", which became a 1977 Australian number one single and also reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart. The album itself was also a success in Australia, reaching the top 10, as well as receiving a gold certification there. It was produced by Brooks Arthur.
...Too is the second studio album by American songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, released in 1978 by Elektra Records. The album reached number 68 on the Australian chart.
