Yacht Rock

Would this be the right place to request a Rough Guide to Yacht Rock?

RFI: I'm making a Yacht Rock mix, of all the good and the bad. Ferrinstance, "What a Fool Believes" is a great song. "Sweet Freedom" is bloody awful. I digress.

What is the song near the beginning of the first episode, the next song you hear after "Sweet Freedom," that starts playing just as the scene wipes in, with the tinkly guitar? It was a huge hit, I know. But what is it? It's like some kinda proto-lite-rock-song. I need it for my mix.

Also, I need some other gaps filled in. The list I have is too sparse. I have:

Kenny Loggins - This Is It
Steely Dan - Peg
Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
Hall and Oates - Sara Smile
Christopher Cross - Sailing
Loggins and Messina - Whenever I Call You Friend
Steely Dan - Time Out of Mind
Doobie Brothers - How Do the Fools Survive?
Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom
Kenny Loggins - I'm Alright

And some non-canonical stuff, like Spyro Gyra. Man, if that's not yacht, I don't know what is.

Anyway. Help would be appreciated. Thkx.

Yes it would!

Franke & the Knockouts, "Sweetheart"
Pablo Cruise, "Place in the Sun"
Little River Band, "Reminiscing"

p.s. "Whenever I Call You Friend" was Loggins & Nicks, not Messina. :)

Little River Band is perfect.

Because:
Lady Love - Jon Lucien
Help Me - Joni Mitchell
Honolulu City Lights - The Beamer Brothers

It took a couple of viewings, but I think it's up there with the back-alley songwriting dual.

Between the hair and spectacles, Toto ruled.

Stay smooth!

Bless you J. D. Ryznar. I saw these films for the first time today. I have loved this intricate, ever so smooth, late 70's Fagen/McDonald inflected cheeseball music for such a long time, but never knew what to call it. Yacht Rock it is. I eagerly await the 5th installment, and the sure to be heavy dose of 80's Michael McDonald that it will contain (Sweet Freedom, I Keep Forgettin', Yah Mo Be There).

Since it seems you check on this thread from time to time:

The movies are brilliant, I particularly enjoy the use of Breezin' by George Benson in the first episode, Jeff Baxter's slow nod of understanding, Jeff Porcaro's three step plan to seduce Michael McDonald and the rage, passion and wild unkempt mane of John Oates.

I second the call for Seals and Croft (and Player, the Little River Band and "Games People Play" by the Spinners). If I was on the correct coast I would beesech you to let me play Jim Seals or...guy from Player...in an upcoming installment.

Air Supply needs to be in there somewhere don't they? Were they not the kings of Yacht Rock?

Cetera's savage beating at the hands of Oates notwithstanding, 80's Chicago should be featured prominently as well.

This music is brilliant, and your films are obviously a labor of love. Keep it up.

Here's my digital signature saying "this is a free idea to be used by the makers of yacht rock at their own will, although no offense taken if used, rejected, abused, or otherwise. :) "

More Pablo Cruise, please!

Once you actually read the lyrics to What a Fool Believes, you can understand its shittiness in totally new ways.

at the Southside Lounge

41 Broadway (Wythe & Kent Sts.)

Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211

An Evening of Yacht Rock

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rock

with Tedward

Starts at 10PM

Episode 1
Michael McDonald-Sweet Freedom
George Benson-Breezin'
Loggins & Messina-Sailin the wind
Kenny Loggins-Whenever I call You Friend
Doobie Brothers-What a Fool Believes
Doobie Brothers-Sweet Feelin'
Doobie Brothers-You Never Change
Hall and Oates-Alley Katz
Kenny Loggins - What a fool Believes

Episode 2
Michael McDonald-Sweet Freedom
Steely Dan: Peg
Doobie Brothers - What a fool believes
Hall and Oates-Sara Smile
Hall and Oates-Portable Radio
Kenny Loggins-This is It
Kenny Loggins-Love has come of age
Christopher Cross-Sailing

Episode 3
Michael McDonald-Sweet Freedom
Bad Caddyshack Theme - Rick Johnson
Steely Dan-King of the World
Kenny Loggins- This is it (Live)
Steely Dan-Time Out of Mind
Kenny Loggins - Keep the Fire
Doobie Brothers-How do the Fools Survive
Journey - Lights
Journey - Anyway you want it
Steely Dan - Kid Charlamagne
Kenny Loggins-I'm Alright

Episode 4
Something by Benetictine Monks
Michael McDonald-Sweet Freedom
Toto-Hold the Line
Toto-I Won't Hold You Back
Toto-Make Believe
Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
Doobie Brothers - You Never Change
Christopher Cross-Ride the Wind
Loggins & Messina - Sailing the wind
Kenny Loggins/Steve Perry-Don't Fight it
Michael McDonald-Love Lies
Toto-I'll supply the Love
Toto-Rosanna

Episode 5
Samuel Barber- Adagio for Strings
Michael McDonald-Sweet Freedom
Michael McDonald - Believe in It
Michael Jackson - Beat it
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Kenny Loggins - I Gotta Try
Michael McDonald - I Gotta Try
Christopher Cross - Sailing
Kenny Loggins - This is it
Van Halen - Eruption
Michael Jackson - Human Nature

some guy on rym has actually made a yacht metal list:

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/PhantomOTO/yacht_metal/

― Boris the Spreader (NickB)

but is there a yacht prog list? speaking as a lady who far prefers "danger money" to uk's self-titled, i'd love to hear more music with that vibe

I was going to say "is there Yacht hip hop" but I remembered Magna Carta Holy Grail came out years ago

@ Kate - fair point on the production side of things. The original Yacht Rock series (in one of its later and somewhat stretched-thin episodes), went to some lengths to make sure the public understood that Ted Templeman produced basically the entire discographies of both the Doobie Brothers and Roth-era Van Halen.

I was going to say "is there Yacht hip hop" but I remembered Magna Carta Holy Grail came out years ago

george duke sample on that too

wait, what am i saying? it's bob james

magna carta doesn't feel yacht to me, other than he's rich

Larry June had v yacht rap vibes

https://youtu.be/Wy1D7FhoJes

@ Kate - fair point on the production side of things. The original Yacht Rock series (in one of its later and somewhat stretched-thin episodes), went to some lengths to make sure the public understood that Ted Templeman produced basically the entire discographies of both the Doobie Brothers and Roth-era Van Halen.

― Doctor Casino

my favorite ted templeman story is that captain beefheart specifically hired him in the hopes that he could do something like "observatory crest" and what came out instead was "big eyed beans from venus". oh my oh my.

"observatory crest" is quality yacht rock mind

the first “yacht rock” thing I saw made fun of hall & Oates “portable radio”, it was extremely not funny

my partner saw REO perform in between Tesla and Def Leppard at some winery a few years ago. sounded like a pretty sad scene (def leppard excepted)

the first “yacht rock” thing I saw made fun of hall & Oates “portable radio”, it was extremely not funny

I'm playing drums for a friend's mom's surprise 60th birthday party this summer, and this is the set list:

Freedom at Midnight - David Benoit
6-String Poet - David Benoit
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby
Peg - Steely Dan
Do I Do - Stevie Wonder
What a fool believes - Doobie Bros
Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
Got To Get You Into My Life - Earth Wind and Fire
Back Pocket - Vulfpeck
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough - MJ
King of Wishful Thinking - Go West

the Slate “Hit Parade” podcast episode about Yacht Rock is out from behind the paywall - Ned posted about it way upthread
It’s pretty great. Gives a good breakdown of Ryznar & gang’s criteria as well as some chart history of some of the big names — a good refresher if you listened to the show

it made me go back & listen to old eps

real talk though- i avoided the podcast for a long time because it pissed me off that coworkers would say “oh my favorite genre is yacht rock” and talk about seals & croft and i’d get all angry-kermit-the-frog like “aaagh seals & croft isnt even yacht rock! also its not a real genre its made up by writers! you just dont want to say you like adult contemporary!”

but im ok now lol

i now appreciate how music-nerdy it is, and that it’s designed to alienate casual music fans in a way that morbidly delights me

Hate to break it you veg but Seals and Crofts are on the boat

Bread has to be considered 'proto-yacht rock' as much as the Stooges are 'proto-punk' as "Baby I'm a Want You" definitely has the smoothe.

Just the title alone has given me chuckles since I was a teenager.

xpost doh

i’m very into the steve lukather/toto of it all, tbh

does 'yacht rock' alienate casual music listeners? the adult contemporary station in my city does a yacht rock specialty program every saturday night (w/ that specific branding) and given that it's not a very adventurous station otherwise i have to assume it's far from the only one

Yacht rock is meant to alienate people that do not own a yacht.

i didnt mean the broad genre as it exists out in the world -i meant the ryznar group & the podcast & the detailed criteria of why things are or are not yacht rock

ah yeah fair enough, i find all that pretty alienating myself

:D

as long as it alienates parrotheads, thats the most important thing

Do I Do - Stevie Wonder
Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough - MJ

If even these are yacht rock, I've been yacht rocking since before yachts rocked.

the problem with the expansive "Yacht rock" playlists and Sirius channels is that they want to include mostly big hits, and many of the most yachty songs were minor hits, non-hits, or deep cuts.

Hate to break it you veg but Seals and Crofts are on the boat

I mean I guess they technically made it onto the boat with a couple later songs, but "Summer Breeze" is decidedly marina rock, nyacht yacht!

I really dug the podcast eps where they would define other new genres, like divorcecore and what have you. Was kind of bummed when that concept eventually fell by the wayside.

Yeah, The divorcecore one is especially great, I’ve revisited that one several times.

the best yacht rock is basically just white dudes doing r&b y/n

already regret that post lol

I just remember when allMusic had some “soft rock” feature and Andy kellman’s list was just cool smooth 70s soul records

xpost calstars thats a great one
pvmic but my fave is the bald metal episode, i freakin love almost every song in that top 10

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kVRZHsbV6LZEBiqzSzFvq?si=Y0GJdSBsRJW-uxRtzTtQCQ&dl_branch=1

The only reason to pay for Spotify

Yeah the Random Genres I Made Up episodes were incredible podcasts and the most ILM-y podcast I've come across to date. Shame they had to stop under the circumstances they did. Apparently they have some new stuff paywalled but DJ sets isn't really what I want from them.

Michael McDonald performing on 'Soul Train' in 1982 pic.twitter.com/tPm6qOvwIq

— Barney Hurley (@barneyhurley1) September 10, 2021

Where do you go to buy jackets like that in 1982?

literally everywhere iirc

^^Reagan's Finest Executive Order

i've read where ppl say eagles are not yacht. the long run singles sorta fell like yacht in that they all have that miserablist sense of what was lost being gone forever, so they're kinda kinfolk in spirit but lack the essential denialism of escape through hedonistic pursuits. yacht seems peppy and up and slick but what's the impetus? pushing away realty, what a fool believe. yacht is the mellow-presenting counterpart of disco, which goes hard and don't mince words: last dance, last chance, because the end of history. eagles are just full of gripes, and i can't tell you why.

anyway.

if my thesis is that soft rock is warm, open, even in its most melancholic aspects, yacht is closed off, escapist, avoiding the topic re: love and america and the future, and yada yada, hotel california and maybe rumours are critical to the genre because they function as the line of demarcation between soft and yacht in pop, even if they're not included in the yacht canon proper. they're the open declaration of bad vibes being the status quo that yacht is running away from. eagles say you can never leave, that's not yacht but yacht tries anyhoo. the chain is broken but we can still share the night together, for whatever that's worth.

nb i'm off a tangent that extends beyond the original parameters of the toto/ loggins/ cross/ michael mcd axis of what yacht is to include about all of late 70s early 80s soft rock that has that oh yeah, all rught self-serving tip that someone else posited that seems so sum up that whole ... thing (guffman reference).

https://www.yachtornyacht.com/

A useful reference