The Art of Tea

The Art of Tea
Studio album by Michael Franks
Released	1975
Recorded	May 22 – June 9, 1975 (1975-05-22 – 1975-06-09)
Genre	Jazz
Length	35:03
Label	Reprise
Producer	Tommy LiPuma
Michael Franks chronology
Michael Franks (1973) The Art of Tea (1975) Sleeping Gypsy (1977)
Singles from The Art of Tea
"Popsicle Toes" Released: 1975

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

The Art of Tea is a jazz vocal album by Michael Franks, his first on the Reprise label, released in 1975.^[3]

The album peaked at #131 on the Billboard 200. Franks's only Billboard Hot 100 single, "Popsicle Toes", which peaked at #43, is a track on the album

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Franks, unless otherwise noted

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Nightmoves"	Michael Franks, Michael Small	4:03
2.	"Eggplant"		3:34
3.	"Monkey See—Monkey Do"		3:33
4.	"St. Elmo's Fire"		3:58
5.	"I Don't Know Why I'm So Happy I'm Sad"		4:16

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Jive"	3:16
2.	"Popsicle Toes"	4:35
3.	"Sometimes I Just Forget To Smile"	3:45
4.	"Mr. Blue"	4:03

Personnel

• Michael Franks – vocals
• Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
• David Sanborn – alto saxophone
• Joe Sample – keyboards
• Larry Bunker – vibraphone
• Larry Carlton – guitar
• Wilton Felder – bass guitar
• John Guerin – drums
• Jerry Steinholtz – congas
• Nick DeCaro – string arrangements

Technical

• Mixing engineer – Al Schmitt
• Recording engineers – Lee Herschberg, Bruce Botnick, Al Schmitt
• Mastering engineer: Doug Sax
• Art direction and photography – Ed Thrasher

Charts

Chart (1976)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[4]	131

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[5]	Gold	35,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "AllMusic review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
2. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 79. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
3. ""The FM Airplay Report"" (PDF). Record World. 1975. p. 32. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
4. "Billboard 200". Billboard. May 12, 1979. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
5. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.

Bibliography

• The Art of Tea (Vinyl back cover). United States: Reprise. 1975. MS2230.