''One Bad Habit'' is a vocal album by Michael Franks, released in 1980 by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. It was Franks' sixth studio album and the first to receive significant radio play in the United States.

Critical reception

A review in the May 3, 1980, issue of '' Billboard'' lauded Franks's "cool, airy harmonies gliding over his silky melodylines ic and noted that the songs "He Tells Himself He's Happy" and "Still Life" are reminiscent of Paul Simon's "I Do It for Your Love" and "Still Crazy After All These Years" because of their "understated lyrical beauty." (Later in 1980 Simon released '' One-Trick Pony'', his follow-up to 1975's ''

Still Crazy After All These Years ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' is the fourth solo studio album by Paul Simon. Recorded and released in 1975, the album produced four U.S. Top 40 hits: " 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (No. 1), " Gone at Last" (No. 23), " My Little Town" (No. ...

'' as well as the soundtrack album to the film of the same name, written by and starring Simon; in his review for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine, Stephen Holden referred to the tracks "That's Why God Made the Movies" and "Oh, Marion" as "lighter exercises in the hip-jive style of Michael Franks.")

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

Musicians

* Michael Franks - vocals, rhythm arrangements, BVG arrangements *Ray Armando - percussion (1, 3), congas (3) *Dennis Belfield - bass (2-6, 9) * Lenny Castro - percussion (2, 5, 7) *André Fischer - rhythm arrangements, percussion (2, 5, 6, 9), tambourine (4), drums (5, 6, 8, 9) *

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorat ...

- string arrangements (2), conductor (2) *

Eric Gale Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. ''Early life and career'' Born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, Gale grew up in a diverse household. His paternal grandfather was from Yorksh ...

- guitar (4, 6, 9) *

Eddie Gómez Edgar Gómez (born October 4, 1944) is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist, known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1966 to 1977. Biography Gómez moved with his family from Puerto Rico at a young age to New York, where he was raised. ...

- acoustic bass (8) *

Don Grolnick Don Grolnick (September 23, 1947 – June 1, 1996) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He was a member of the groups Steps Ahead and Dreams, both with Michael Brecker, and played often with the Brecker Brothers. As a sess ...

- fender rhodes (1, 7), clavinet (7), acoustic piano (8) *

Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'', '' Rock with You'' ...

- horns section, horn arrangements (1, 3, 5) conductor (1, 3, 5) *

Neil Jason Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...

- bass (1, 7) *

Rick Marotta Richard Thomas Marotta (born January 7, 1948) is an American drummer and percussionist. He has appeared on recordings by leading artists such as Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Ste ...

- drums (1-4, 7) *

Hugh McCracken Hugh Carmine McCracken (March 31, 1942 – March 28, 2013) was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally a ...

- guitar (3) *George Sopuch - rhythm guitar (4), electric guitar (4) *

David Spinozza David Spinozza is an American guitarist and producer. He worked with former Beatles Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon during the 1970s, and had a long collaboration with singer-songwriter James Taylor, producing Taylor's album '' Walkin ...

- guitar (1, 7), acoustic guitar (2, 8), electric guitar (2, 8), rhythm guitar (6) *Tennyson Stephens pianos (2), acoustic piano solo (2), fender rhodes (3-6, 9), clavinet (3), acoustic piano (9) *

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

- horn section, synthesizers (4, 6), synthesizer arrangements (4), horns arrangements (6, 7, 9), conductor (6, 7, 9) *Rick Zunigar - guitar (3), acoustic guitar (4) *

Bill Reichenbach Jr. William Frank Reichenbach Jr. (born November 30, 1949) is an American jazz trombonist and composer. He is the son of Bill Reichenbach, who was the drummer for Charlie Byrd from 1962 to 1973. He is best known as a session musician for television, ...

- horn section, horn arrangements (6), conductor (6) *Larry Hall - horn section *Kim Hutchcroft - horn section *Silvia Shemwell, Yolande Howard, Petsye Powell - background vocals (1, 9)

Support

*Art direction – Peter Whorf *Photography – Fred Valentine *Recording and mixing –

Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control Michael Franks (musician) albums 1980 albums Albums produced by Tommy LiPuma Warner Records albums Albums recorded at Capitol Studios