GEOGRAPHY, SEX, AND ROCK 'N' ROLL (Michael Franks, "Popsicle Toes," 1976)

 

Rich here. I had never heard of Michael Franks until I heard my brother Mark's band play "Eggplant," a jazzy, sexy, slinky song written by Franks that talked about all the ways the singer's baby cooked her, ummm, "eggplant," and his declaration that sometimes he "just has it raw with mayonnaise." 

 

"Eggplant" was the sexiest song I'd ever heard. Yet, for as much as the entire song was steeped in sexual allusions, it never once mentioned sex or making love. 

 

And as I discovered when I rushed out and bought THE ART OF TEA, the silky, jazzy album featuring "Eggplant," Michael Franks was certainly no stranger to double entendre. Many of his seductive songs are slyly blanketed with analogies and euphemisms for having sex. In fact, you may remember "Popsicle Toes," his most well-known song from the mid-'70s that included sexy lines that never mention sex. But I don't think he's singing about geography, do you?

 

You got the nicest North America

This sailor ever saw

I'd like to touch your warm Brazil

And feel your Panama

 

With all those warm-climate allusions, are you feeling hot, yet?

MICHAEL FRANKS - "Popsicle Toes" 

WARUM JOE - "Sex Beat" (1986)

 

Warum Joe were from Paris, France and started out in 1979 as Rock'n'Verole. Here's a song that was only released as one of the songs on this 1986 various artists compilation album on the French New Rose label titled "Play New Rose For Me 100".

 

They had several more albums after that but it wasn't until 2025 that this single was on an album of their own, called "Horas Extraordinarias" on Smap Records

WARUM JOE - "Sex Beat"  

ESCALATORS - "Here Comes That Girl Again" (1980)

 

A 1980 band by the name Escalators was the brain child of bassist Busta Jones who had played with people like Brian Eno, Chris Spedding, and The Talking Heads just to name a few.

In fact, Jerry Harrison of The Talking Heads was one of the people who joined Busta on this EP, playing synth and guitar. 

If you're not familiar with this group, it's probably because this EP was only released in Canada and in France. 

One thing I don't like about writing on this blog is reading about all the people who have passed away.

Busta Jones was another one who died way to early at the age of 44 in 1995. 

ESCALATORS - "Here Comes That Girl Again"  

EDDIE HAZEL - "Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs" (1977)

 

Eddie Hazel was the lead guitarist in the band Parliament / Funkadelic and came out with this crazy good solo album with this wild cover called "Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs" in 1977. 

In 1971 Funkadelic came out with an album called "Maggot Brain," and Eddie played a ten minute guitar solo on the title song that some people think is one of the greatest guitar solos of all time.

Eddie died two days before Christmas in 1992 at the age of 42, and they played the song "Maggot Brain" at his funeral!

Eddie Hazel, what a guitarist, what a guy!! 

EDDIE HAZEL - "What About It?"

BILLY BRIGGS - "Chew Tobacco Rag" (1951)

Forgive me for this one, but this song by Billy Briggs from 1951 is just something everyone needs to hear at least once.

It's so goofy, it's contagious!

Billy Briggs was from Fort Worth, Texas, and was mainly a steel guitarist.

Just in case you can't get enough, there's a Part Two of this song too that you can easily find on youTube.

BILLY BRIGGS - "Chew Tobacco Rag"

ADAM AND THE ANTS - "Dirk Wears White Sox" (1979)

 

I never was a big fan of Adam and the Ants, but I really like this song. It's pretty wild with lots of changes, and you never know where it's going, or what's going to happen next. You know, the way music is supposed to be!

From the 1979 album titled "Dirk Wears White Sox," here's a song anybody should be able to relate to!!

ADAM AND THE ANTS - "Car Trouble (Parts 1 & 2)" 

20 MILES - "Keep It Coming" (2002)

 

20 Miles released four albums between 1997 and 2003. The band consisted of Judah Bauer, guitarist for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and his drummer brother Donovan.

Why they were not more popular beats the Hell out of me, because this is just a great song.

 Sometimes things in life just don't make sense.

20 MILES - "Mend Your Heart"