Bette Midler: Thighs And Whispers (1979)

October 1979 saw the release of Bette Midler’s fifth studio album "Thighs and Whispers" on Atlantic Records, and let me tell you this! I am just a recent arrival at this party, but so better later than never! What, Bette late? Never!

Half the reason I kept trying to hunt this one down on CD was because of the opening song "Big Noise from Winnetka" which I knew from Bette's 1980 live album "Divine Madness", and I really wanted to hear the full studio version on CD. It was marvellous! It was magically cool! It was awesome! But as brilliant as I found this whole thing to be, was almost as terrible trying to find myself a CD copy!

Madness! And nothing to do with divine! Finally, after about what might have been a year, I saw it and couldn't believe my own eyes. There it was, Bette Midler's fifth studio album sitting right there on CD, just waiting for me to reach out and grab it, and hopefully some other eager pair of eyes wouldn't reach out and grab it from me first, because believe me! I'm not the only one aware of how uncommon this seems to be, at least in Australia! And it is utterly infuriating! To listen to this album, I almost want to reboot the cover for Bette's "Experience the Divine", but just Homer Simpson style rage! D'OH!!!!!

This is Bette Midler, for crying out loud! She is a treasure of music and entertainment. Well, that must be the reason this one was so scarce, because everyone was secretly holding onto them! Either that, or there were only like seventy copies ever released here, both times it was issued on CD!

Well, I am just glad to say I can listen to this on CD, with "Big Noise" and so much more in all of its 1970s Bette Midler Divine Miss M glory. Experience the Divine indeed!

Some details: Bette is back working with Arif Mardin again, who hasn't produced a Bette album since 1976's "Songs for the New Depression". It's been produced with a Disco theme, since Disco was huge around this time, and I like that she's adopted that style. Bette is always adopting different styles.

The pool of writers this time includes Ray Bauduc, Bob Crosby, Bob Haggart and Gil Rodin, since Bette is covering "Big Noise from Winnetka" a 1930s swing classic, James Taylor with "Millworker" which is taken from the American musical "Working", Tony Berg and Aaron Neville, Jerry Ragovoy on "My Knight in Black Leather" and Bette will later record another song of his with "Stay With Me" from "The Rose", Johnny Bristol, Bette herself in collaboration with Randy Kerber, Mac Rebennack, and Dominic Bugatti and Frank Musker on "Married Men" which was recorded by Bonnie Tyler the same year.

There is a parade of musical talent lending their best efforts to this album, all of which you can find in the original liner notes or on Wikipedia. I thank them, because they helped bring me this kick-arse little album from B.M.

Charts wise: the record label were (mercifully) sensible enough to issue four singles from this, at least according to Wiki, including "Married Men", "Hang on in There Baby", "My Knight in Black Leather" and "Big Noise from Winnetka" (double yes to that last one!!). "Married Men" reached Number #40 on the U.S. Club Play Singles chart, while the Bonnie Tyler version released the same year also reached #40 in the U.K. Bonnie's version was also the theme for an English movie called "The World is Full of Married Men". Again, thanks Wiki for all of this.

Album wise, the release rises to Number #65 on the US Billboard 200 (I don't understand why it wasn't higher myself), while reaching #28 in both Australia and Sweden (clearly, they/we had more sense. I mean, come on.)

As thrilled as I am that this record managed four singles, in what you also have to remember is the same year that Bette starred in "The Rose", along with its soundtrack, I just want to say this. I wish I *wish* they had released "Hurricane". Not only is it my favourite moment on the whole album, but one of my favourite 70s moments of Bette's in general, one of my favourites of hers full stop. In an alternative reality, this would have been a huge hit for her, and classics radio stations would still be playing it today.

The album title is based on the 1973 Ingmar Bergman film "Cries and Whispers", while the album photography is taken by William Coupon. It looks great on both LP and CD.

Let's take a look at this album:

"Big Noise from Winnetka"---firstly, I love this song, both here and on "Divine Madness", and secondly, I love that it plays out to the length that it does here. I wouldn't have complained if it kept going another four minutes. I never want this song to end. If I had my way, this would have been the smash follow-up to "Hurricane" later on the album.

"Millworker"---we change pace here with this song from James Taylor from the musical "Working". If you thought this was just going to be a disco-style album, then you're wrong. I was taken by this from the first time I heard it. It would be at home for me on "Divine Miss M" and "Bette Midler" as well.

"Cradle Days"---a nice little mellow sounding song in the middle of the A-side of the album here, I like it.

"My Knight in Black Leather"---I remember reading an interview with Bette last year where she was critical of a few moments from this album, and I seem to remember that this was one of them. While I can see why she would feel that way, it just sounds like typical classic charismatic Bette to me. I far from skip this one.

"Hang on in There, Baby"---I totally see why this was issued as a single. It's got that feel about it. The album so far is turning out to be pretty strong on the whole.

"Hurricane"---and here it comes! I loved it from the moment I heard it. And it just keeps going! I won't reiterate what I said earlier, but I would like to.

"Rain"---like "Millworker" on the A side, this is the other phenomenal little piano moment on "Thighs and Whispers" for me. I also would have liked if they'd issued this one too.

"Married Men"---we wrap it up with this one. I almost would have preferred if they'd made "Rain" the last song, but I can't complain really, given the amount of moments this album has given me. I also wouldn't have immediately issued this one as a single, but "Hurricane" which wasn't even released at all (yes, we know.) Still, I enjoy this as much as the rest of this album.

So there you have it! Atlantic, or whoever is in charge of these releases, please put it out again, at least in one of your box sets. If it's not available online, (and I don't know anything about that since I concentrate mostly on physical releases, at least when it comes to classic artists), please reissue it again. It deserves it, otherwise all I can say is: *Sighs and whispers*.

Thank you,

Ryan.