Yacht Rock

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

The acting is horrible, though. I know it's "supposed to be," but to me it's just sort of embarrassing. Keep trying, I guess, or get people who can act, seriously!

me = worst friend ever.
yacht rock = proof that the world is way too small.

Also since like Dire Straits, Genesis and ZZ Top were able to thrive

- Dire Straits were in the "Money For Nothing" video for about 5 seconds (see also Herbie Hancock in "Rockit"), and their other video was a collection of sports clips set to their song
- ZZ Top turned themselves into cartoon characters
- Genesis realized that Phil Collins had been a cartoon character all along

was gonna say, the money for nothing animation video really created new fans. i was in middle school and me and my friends all loved that video. plus the sting guest shot, lol

How does this disprove the point that these non-models found a way to thrive in the MTV era?

the obvious counterpoint to the yacht rock guys' lament is that the 80s are filled with old guys who had hit records. i'm not the first to point this out, but a surpsingly high number of acts whose careers started in the 60s were getting legimitate radio hits well into the mid- and late 80s

ultimately i think doctor casino is otm, the decline of yacht rock has more to do with a general change in trends than "christopher cross was too ugly"

You're saying Jon Anderson wasn't on the wall of every teenaged girl in America in 1984?

to add to that: yacht rock was aimed, I think, at people who were already around or over 30 by 1980, maybe by 1975. their target audience probably was not relying on MTV to find their new records, but maybe they were buying fewer new records period. i'd buy that a lack of MTV exposure limited the likelihood of a Cross-level crossover. but the pop charts being ruled by world-weary ballads of middle-aged uncertainty was always a time-limited phenomenon.

just once it'd be great to hear one of these guys go "in the 90s, VH1 came along and completely saved my career - all of a sudden, i could reach my same old audience! and you if you were a fresh young good looking kid with a 'cool' haircut, you'd never make it!"

Is this considered yacht rock?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmHh9IqN5uk

Nope

49.5 on the Yachtski scale

city pop def a spiritual cousin to yacht rock

I feel like the issue with transitioning to the MTV era was less about whether you were intrinsically "photogenic" than whether you were actually interested in attending to the new cultural demands around cultivating an image. I got the impression from the doc that some artists weren't able to make the leap because they simply didn't feel like it was their job to care about making music videos, or they didn't feel equipped to build a new set of skills. Meanwhile, others embraced it.

a lot of the guys were originally session musicians if used being in the background, so it would make sense that they didn’t feel comfortable as “tv stars”

also, craig jenkins linked to this thread in his excellent new nymag article about yacht rock, luther vandross, and the boundaries of genre: https://www.vulture.com/article/luther-vandross-documentary-yacht-rock.html

you know who cleaned up well for the 80s? these guys. they were dirty hippies in their hit-making youth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt4cR9szMS8

i mean all those rockers were dirty hippies at the beginning. but some people really washed the stench off.

just once it'd be great to hear one of these guys go "in the 90s, VH1 came along and completely saved my career - all of a sudden, i could reach my same old audience! and you if you were a fresh young good looking kid with a 'cool' haircut, you'd never make it!"

Michael Bolton to thread.

I'm glad Craig cited Brenda Russell -- women are too often left out of this tale, and Russell's first two albums are among my favorites from this era.

Kudos too for citing this Luther jam. Check out the first 30 seconds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de0R9UCyuas

brenda russell had a talking head in the yacht roc doc, and i think the quote craig cites in his article is from that interview

A while back, AllMusic did this feature where they had a bunch of writers list their favorite "yacht rock" albums of all time or something. Andy Kellman just listed a bunch of smooth r&b albums and was sort of like like "why is yacht rock called rock, it's just white dudes doing r&b".

Tbf that’s what rock’n’roll is too

lol troof

lol! #HeGotchaThere

The OGs did a women of yacht episode in 2016
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6aJArQWK13r1YMwApRA3VE?si=49-rKIvOTvWQaPc33PBCiQ

Well hey! https://sites.libsyn.com/483276/choochoos

alright!