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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
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 .
Track listing
Side A
"
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
Side B
"
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
Personnel
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)
Production
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
Charts
References
^ 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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