1976 studio album by Bette Midler
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.
Production and reception [ edit ]
The album which saw her making her debut as a composer ("Mr. Rockefeller" and the French language "Samedi et Vendredi"), as well as co-producer and sound engineer features contributions from musicians as diverse as soul singer Luther Vandross , Todd Rundgren and Brazilian jazz accordionist Sivuca . Songs for the New Depression includes Midler's version of Tom Waits ' "Shiver Me Timbers", a duet with Bob Dylan , "Buckets of Rain", and opens with her discofied take on Frank Sinatra 's standard "Strangers in the Night" which became a #7 hit on the US dance charts. Two of the tracks, "Old Cape Cod" and "Marahuana", were originally recorded during the sessions for 1972 debut album The Divine Miss M but remixed three years later by producers Lew Hahn and Arif Mardin for Songs for the New Depression . The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard album chart. "Mr. Rockefeller" was sampled by rapper Kanye West on the song, "Last Call", from his debut album, The College Dropout .
"Strangers in the Night " (Bert Kaempfert , Charles Singleton , Eddie Snyder ) - 3:22
"I Don't Want the Night to End" (Phoebe Snow ) - 3:53
"Mr. Rockefeller" (Jerry Blatt, Bette Midler ) - 4:05
"Old Cape Cod " (Claire Rothrock, Allan Jeffrey, Milton Yakus ) - 2:50
"Buckets of Rain " (Bob Dylan ), *Bette Midler - 4:00
"Love Says It's Waiting" (Nick Holmes) - 1:41
"Shiver Me Timbers "/"Samedi et Vendredi" (Tom Waits , Midler, Moogy Klingman ) - 6:25
"No Jestering" (Carlton Malcolm ) - 3:59
"Tragedy" (Gerald Nelson, Fred Burch) - 3:06
"Marahuana " (Arthur Jonston , Sam Coslow ) - 2:30
"Let Me Just Follow Behind" (Klingman) - 3:36
Bette Midler – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals tracks B1-2
Glaswegians Orchestra – arranged and conducted by Arif Mardin (track A1)
Dianne Sumler – backing vocals (track A1)
Luther Vandross – arranger and backing vocals (track A1)
Norman Pride – conga (track A2)
John Siegler – bass guitar (tracks A2-3, 5, B2, 5)
John Wilcox – drums (tracks A2-3, 5, B2, 5)
Todd Rundgren – guitar (tracks A2, B2), backing vocals (track B5)
Moogy Klingman – electric piano , musical arranger , musical conductor , string arrangement (track A2), piano , RMI Computer keyboard, Mini Korg synthesizer , arranger and conductor (track A3), piano, harmonica and arranger (track A5)
Ralph Schuckett – acoustic piano and string arrangement (track A2), clavinet (track A3), arranging assistance, arranger and conductor (track B1), piano, organ , arranger and conductor (track B2), piano (track B3), Sound City piano, electric piano, organ, harmonium, string ensemble, arranger and conductor (track B5)
David Lasley – backing vocals (track A2)
David Spinozza – guitar (tracks A3, B5)
Erin Dickins – backing vocals (tracks A3, B3)
Annie Sutton – backing vocals (track A3)
Randy Brecker – horns (track A3), trumpet solo (track B5)
Michael Brecker – horns (track A3)
Barry Rogers – horns (track A3)
Dick Hyman – piano (tracks A4, B4)
Milt Hinton – acoustic bass (track A4), bass guitar (track B4)
Teddy Sommer – drums (tracks A4, B4), percussion (track B4)
Arif Mardin – arranger and conductor (track A4), backing vocals, arranger and conductor (track B4)
Marty Nelson – vocal arranger (track A4)
Bob Dylan – vocals (track A5)
Dave Webster – slide guitar (track A5)
Eric Weissberg – banjo and mandolin (track B1)
Barbara Burton – percussion (track B1)
Don Brooks – harmonica (track B1)
Dominic Cortese – accordion (track B1)
Boris Matusewitch – concertina (track B1)
Steve Gadd – drums (track B1)
John Miller – acoustic bass (track B1)
Kenny Kosek – fiddle (track B1)
John Lissauer – arranger and conductor (track B1), saxes , chimes , arranger and conductor (track B3)
Mark Rosengarden – drums and percussion (track B1)
Jack Malken – additional percussion (track B1)
Sivuca – accordion (track B1)
Jerry Friedman – guitar (track B2)
Angel Allende – percussion (track B2)
David Nadien – strings (track B3)
Barry Finclair – strings (track B3)
Raul Poliakin – strings (track B3)
Tony Posk – strings (track B3)
Gene Orloff – strings (track B3)
Harry Lookofsky – strings (track B3)
Charles McCracken – strings (track B3)
Jessy Levy – strings (track B3)
Donny Beard – backing vocals (track B3)
Charlotte Crossley – backing vocals (tracks A1, B3)
Leata Galloway – backing vocals (track B3)
Ben Harney – backing vocals (track B3)
Rhetta Hughes – backing vocals (track B3)
Thomas Moore – backing vocals (track B3)
Ula Hedwig – backing vocals (tracks A1, B3)
Sharon Redd – backing vocals (tracks A1, B3)
Ramona Stubblefield – backing vocals (track B3)
Clifford Townsend – backing vocals (track B3)
Revelation – backing vocals (track B3)
Rosie – backing vocals (track B3)
Mel Davis – trumpet (track B4)
William Siapin – flute (track B4)
Harry Lookofsky – violin (track B4)
Matthew Raimondi – violin (track B4)
Emanuel Green – violin (track B4)
Gotham – backing vocals (track B4)
Rick Derringer – pedal steel guitar (track B5)
Moogy Klingman – record producer for Moogtown Productions
Jack Malken – production assistant, recording and remix engineer, engineer (track A5)
Bette Midler – assistant engineer, producer (tracks A4, B4)
Deborah Turbville – photography
Michaele Vollbracht – shopping bag
Kenn Duncan – poster photos
Richard Amsel – inner sleeve illustration
Aaron Russo – management
Lew Hahn – recording engineer and remix engineer (track A1)
Gerry Block – assistant engineer (track A1)
Dave Wittman – assistant engineer (track A1)
Arif Mardin – record producer (track A1)
Ahmet Ertegün – production assistance (track A1)
Joel Dorn – producer (tracks A4, B4)
Jan Rathbun – engineer (track A5)
Recorded and mixed at Secret Sound Studio, New York, N.Y.
Track A1 recorded at Electric Lady and Mediasound Studios , New York, N.Y.
Tracks A4 and B4 recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York by Lew Hahn, remixed by Lew Hahn and Arif Mardin
^ Ruhlmann, William. Songs for the New Depression - Bette Midler . RhythmOne . Retrieved March 13, 2021 .
^ 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.
^ 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 .
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6 .
^ "Bette Midler Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved 29 December 2017.
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