Michael Franks (born 18 September 1944 in La Jolla, California) is a smooth jazz singer and songwriter from the United States. He has recorded with a Who's Who of artists, such as Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, Art Garfunkel, and David Sanborn. His songs have been recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, and The Carpenters.
Michael Franks grew up in southern California with his father Gerald, his mother Betty and two younger sisters. Although no one in his family played music, his parents loved swing music and his early influences included Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer. At age 14 Michael bought his first guitar, a Japanese Marco Polo for $29.95 with six private lessons included - the only music education that he received.
At University High in Irvine, Michael discovered the poetry of Theodore Roethke with his off-rhymes and hidden meter. In high school, he began singing folk-rock, accompanying himself on guitar. Studying English at UCLA Michael discovered Dave Brubeck, Patti Page, Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Miles Davis. He never studied music in college or later[1], but rather earned an B.A. from UCLA in Comparative Literature in 1966, and a M.A. from the University of Oregon in 1968. He had a teaching assistantship in a Ph.D. program in American literature at the University of Montreal before returning to teach part-time at UCLA.
During this time he started writing songs, starting with the antiwar musical Anthems in E-flat starring Mark Hamill. He also composed music for the films Count Your Bullets, Cockfighter, and Zandy's Bride, starring Liv Ullmann and Gene Hackman. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee recorded three of Michael's songs, including "White Boy Lost in the Blues", on their album Sonny & Brownie. Michael played guitar, banjo and mandolin on the album and joined them in touring. In 1973, Michael recorded an eponymous album (later reissued as Previously Unavailable), which included the minor hit "Can't Seem to Shake this Rock 'n Roll."
In 1976 Michael released his second album The Art of Tea, beginning a long relationship with Warner Brothers Music. The Art of Tea featured Joe Sample, Larry Carlton and Wilton Felder of The Crusaders and included the hit song "Popsicle Toes." Michael's third album, Sleeping Gypsy, which includes the song "The Lady Wants to Know," was partially recorded in Brazil. Around this time, percussionist Ray Armando first gave Michael what would become a signature instrument - a cabasa - to play on stage for songs he didn't play guitar on. Burchfield Nines, which includes the song "When the Cookie Jar is Empty", reflects Michael's move to New York City and features more of an East Coast sound. Since then, Franks has recorded more than 15 albums.
His best known works include "When I Give My Love To You", "Popsicle Toes", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "Tiger in the Rain", "Rainy Night in Tokyo", and "Tell Me All About It". His biggest hit came in 1983 with "When Sly Calls (Don't Touch That Phone)", from the album Passionfruit. Radio hits include "Your Secret's Safe With Me" from the 1985 album Skin Dive, and "Island Life" from 1987's The Camera Never Lies.
12” LP
10 Tracks: Featuring:
- Alone At Night
- Never Satisfied
- Amazon
- Now That Your Joysticks Broke
- Sunday Morning Here With You
- Never Say Die
- Rainy Night In Tokyo
- Tell Me All About It
- When Sly Calls
- How The Gardener Grows
Condition: Near Mint
Sleeve, Excellent
Released on the Warner Bros Label
Date: 1983
Number: 9239621
All vinyl is played prior to dispatch to ensure good playback.
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Record Grading
The grading system I use when determining the condition of the vinyl is The 'Record Collectors' Grading System, taken from the Rare Record Price Guide book.
Mint (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.
Near Mint (NM) The record looks brand new with no scuffing or any deterioration in sound quality and only the smallest hint that its ever been played. The cover and any additional extras are clean, crisp and with no wear whatsoever.
Excellent (EX) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.
Very Good (VG) The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.
Good (G) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.
Fair (F) The record is still just about playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.
Poor (P) The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
I will not refund you if have not read and understood the grading system I use.
To illustrate my point: if I describe a record as Good (G), it's not brand new or excellent - sound quality has noticeably deteriorated and the cover may be damaged with splits or discoloration.
