I had a cassette of The Art of Tea and loved getting into that vibe. I didn't know it was called the quiet storm and that seems quite apropos of both the music and lyrics. Really interesting post about his discovery and the production and musicianship behind the album. It brought back a lot of fond memories as well.
Interesting! I didn't know Monkey See-Monkey Do was his song! I very well remember Melissa Manchester's version of it which I think she released as a single. (It wasn't a big hit.) Funky and weird! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Gupb0t10A
Michael Franks is one of those musicians I don't talk about out loud, and what I use to consider a guilty pleasure—before I gave up the guilt part of liking what I like. 'Tiger In the Rain' is the perfect soundtrack to cooking a really nice dinner: like, you forget you're listening to music, and then you also forget you're making a meal and it all just works so wonderfully together in a state of flow.
I used to do the “guilty pleasure” thing with music, movies and TV shows. Until I got old enough to like what I like out loud regardless of what anyone else thinks. Very liberating!!
Thanks for the intro to this wonderful album Marshall! I’ve heard of many of the session players but not Michael Franks. I’ve enjoyed every song you posted and this album’s getting added to my 2024 Substack Discoveries file! I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for it on vinyl
Very informative, Marshall! Hadn't really known much about Franks (or the great session players he used), so this filled in many of those blanks! For Franks fans (new or long-term), I think they'd have a short trip to also appreciate the music of Kenny Rankin, speaking of Quiet Storm denizens!
The Quiet Storm format was named for Smokey Robinson's song "A Quiet Storm", which has all of the elements the format would eventually include.
True. Seems like it didn’t take long for people to start expanding on what Smokey laid down.
I had a cassette of The Art of Tea and loved getting into that vibe. I didn't know it was called the quiet storm and that seems quite apropos of both the music and lyrics. Really interesting post about his discovery and the production and musicianship behind the album. It brought back a lot of fond memories as well.
Thanks for reading, Ellen, and for your comments. Apparently the record struck a chord with a lot of people, judging from the comments.
Thanks, he's kinda disappeared, but Manhattan Transfer did his "Popsicle Toes" and I did hear that recently.
I didn't know about all the top-tier jazz musicians he had in the studio.
Interesting! I didn't know Monkey See-Monkey Do was his song! I very well remember Melissa Manchester's version of it which I think she released as a single. (It wasn't a big hit.) Funky and weird! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Gupb0t10A
Good one, Dan! I hadn’t heard Ms. Manchester’s version—it works well for her.
Michael Franks is one of those musicians I don't talk about out loud, and what I use to consider a guilty pleasure—before I gave up the guilt part of liking what I like. 'Tiger In the Rain' is the perfect soundtrack to cooking a really nice dinner: like, you forget you're listening to music, and then you also forget you're making a meal and it all just works so wonderfully together in a state of flow.
I used to do the “guilty pleasure” thing with music, movies and TV shows. Until I got old enough to like what I like out loud regardless of what anyone else thinks. Very liberating!!
Thanks for the intro to this wonderful album Marshall! I’ve heard of many of the session players but not Michael Franks. I’ve enjoyed every song you posted and this album’s getting added to my 2024 Substack Discoveries file! I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for it on vinyl
Very informative, Marshall! Hadn't really known much about Franks (or the great session players he used), so this filled in many of those blanks! For Franks fans (new or long-term), I think they'd have a short trip to also appreciate the music of Kenny Rankin, speaking of Quiet Storm denizens!