what is the greates yacht rock song of all-time???

"Magnet and Steel" By Walter Egan

Everything by the Little River Band, esp. "Cool Change" and "Reminiscing."

xpost

or Blues Image, "Ride Captain Ride" for that matter (Climax Blues Band might SOUND more yacht-rock, but Blues Image have the words.)

So what's the classic yacht-rock song of the '00s? Off the top of my head I'm thinking "Smooth" by Santana with Rob Thomas, but probably I'm forgetting something. (Kenny Chesney is probbaly too obvious.) (Though maybe Phil Vassar isn't. His songs have hot tubs in them!)

This thread is a service to mankind, by the way. Lots of great songs.

Sade
George Benson
Peaches and Herb

Bertie Higgins: Key Largo

Ironically, "Smooth" itself is insufficiently smooth - the guitar is sweet, but the horns kind of jump out of the mix and the drums are too high. Anyway, in terms of just evoking yachts, I'm thinking the whole Puffy/"Big Pimpin'" genre of luxury rap, which I guess is more a late-90s thing. And, come to think of it, "Smooth" also dates to '99.

I think the whole millenial "return of rock" explosion and the continuing incursions of emo-y bands have somewhat cleared the pop/rock decks of yachtyness, at least for now. These things are cyclical. I'm not sure if we're poised for a "Sailing" type of track, but something with more of a crossover feel - a "Rosanna" or "Throwing It All Away" could be right under our noses. Don't expect it to come from an indie band though - smooth don't come cheap!

xpost "Key Largo" is awesome! Clearly an essential to any broad-minded Yacht Rock collection (ie, one not just tracking the Loggins/McDonald axis of the films).

Indeed, sir. The Bertie Higgins community nearly spilled their Chardonnay when they got wind of the fact that their anthem was omitted.

Michael McDonald was huge on black radio in the late '70s, right through today. I can't think of many white musicians who are as influential on the black music of today.

Devin the Dude is a big fan of lots of Yacht Rock -- Ambrosia is one of his favorite bands.

Wait, what about Maroon 5?? (Assuming they're any good... They're funkier than Coldplay, either way. So is John Mayer. And, um, Jack Johnson, who is a SURFER. Don't think I've ever heard him, though.)

-- novamax (john.loma...), July 4th, 2006.

Thats HOW MUCH I FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL! (FEEL for you baaaaybeh)

Must go listen to that now.

But many consider Paul McCartny as the father of yacht rock. Afterall Pmac's 'with a little luck' was actually recorded aboard the motor yacht 'Fair Carol' just off the Virgin Islands...

http://www.channel101.com/shows/show.php?show_id=152

Chicago - Colour My World
Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind
James Taylor - Fire and Rain
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Mr. Bojangles
Brewer and Shipley - One Toke Over the Line
Elton John - Daniel
Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes
Jim Croce - Time In a Bottle
Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me
Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
Carly Simon - You're So Vain
Chicago - Just You 'N' Me
Jim Croce - I'll Have to Say I Love You
Chicago - (I've Been) Searchin' So Long
Chicago - Call on Me
Chicago - Wishing You Were Here
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun
Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue
Sammy Johns - Chevy Van
Boz Scaggs - Low Down
Dr. Hook - When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
Gary Wright - Dream Weaver
Seals and Crofts - Get Closer
Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight
10cc - The Things We Do For Love
Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
Paul Davis - I Go Crazy
Al Stewart - Time Passages
Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
Gerry Rafferty - Right Down the Line
Kenny Loggins - Whenever I Call You Friend
Little River Band - Reminiscing
Player - Baby Come Back
Cliff Richard - We Don't Talk Anymore
Herb Alpert - Rise
Quincy Jones & James Ingram - One Hundred Ways
Robbie Dupree - Steal Away
Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
Al Jarreau - We're in This Love Together
Paul Davis - Cool Night
Al Jarreau - Mornin'

Some of these probably don't qualify as yacht rock/pop properly but they seem to fit at least obliquely:

Chris Rhea, "Fool if You Think It's Over"
Steve Forbert, "Romeo's Theme"
Orleans, "Still the One," "Love Takes Time"
Firefall, "You Are the Woman," "Just Remember I Love You"
Jay Fergusen, "Thunder Island"
Gary Wright, "Our Love is Alive"
Starbuck, "Moonlight Feels Right"
Elvin Bishop, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love"
David Gates, "Took the Last Train (to St. Tropez)"
Randy Meisner, "Hearts on Fire"
Frankie and the Knockouts, "Sweetheart"
Dave Edmunds, "Slippin' Away"
King Harvest, "Dancin' in the Moonlight"
J.D. Souther, "You're Only Lonely"
Michael Johnson, "Bluer than Blue," "This Night Won't Last Forever"
Rocky Burnett, "Tired of Toein' the Line"
Some Mike Post t.v. theme music
Dennis DeYoung, "Desert Moon"
Steely Dan, "FM" or "Peg" "No static at all" = yachtitude in a nutshell.

And when the sun goes down I bet this is what yacht rockers spin to get their boogie on:

Patrick Hernandez, "Born to Be Alive"
David Naughton, "Makin It"

how about "I Can't Tell You Why", by the Eagles?

"Baby Ima Want You"
"Make It With You"
"If"
"Everything I Own"

Isn't this one almost like meta yacht-rock though?

There isn't one. This kind of soft rock really faded out in the mid-80s. I blame overcompression and that big, booming drum sound.

I would buy an AM Gold box set in a heartbeat. I.M., wanna tackle this one? :)

Lest we forget: "Sharin' The Night Together" by Dr. Hook. A fascinating, if mortifying, portrait of '70s courting rituals. Or: jerk tries to be sensitive but just comes off smarmy ("Do you wanna dance with me and hold me? You know I wanna be holdin' you. Ah yeah. All right. I'd like to get to know you better; is there a place where we can go?")

more dissing: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/10/this_post_conce.html

I think "Promises" is Eric Clapton's contribution to yatch rock, like "Miss You" was the Stones' turn at disco.

Toby Beau, "My Angel Baby"
Steven Bishop, "On and On"
Exile, "Kiss You All Over"
Robert John, "Sad Eyes"
Poco, "Crazy Love," "In the Heart of the Night"
Andrew Gold, "Thank You for Being a Friend," "Lonely Boy"
Nigel Olsen, "A Little Bit of Soap" - it has that "What a Fool Believes" rhythm to it. Also, "Dancin' Shoes"
Rex Smith, "You Take My Breath Away"
Nicolette Larson, "Lotta Love"
Kenny Nolan, "I like Dreamin'"
Randy VanWarmer, "Just When I Needed You Most"
Dr. Hook also had "Sexy Eyes" and "Better Love Next Time"
Paul Davis, "65 Love Affair"

I get a little iffy around the perimeter. Some of these seem too straight-up mellow gold to have that cocaine undercurrent to them, or are a bit too poppy like Paul Nicholas' "Heaven on the 7th Floor" or Alan O'Day's "Undercover Angel."

also
leo sayer, 'you make me feel like dancing'

Also, the awesomeness that is Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch" has been woefully overlooked on this thread. It's the sensitive 70's guy version of "I might like you better if we slept together" as far as I can tell, in the most roundabout self-serving way possible, like mike a pointed out upthread.

Christopher Cross - Sailing
The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
Kenny Loggins - This Is It
Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen
Christopher Cross - Ride Like the Wind
Steely Dan - Peg
Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky
England Dan & John Ford Coley - I'd Really Love to See You Tonight
Toto - Rosanna
Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
Player - Baby Come Back
Toto - Africa
Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin'
Steely Dan - Do It Again
Little River Band - Reminiscing
Journey - Who's Crying Now
Joey Scarbury - Believe It or Not

(75:12, not chronological, haven't really thought about the proper playing order yet. obviously influenced by the show, but also by my own faves)

Donald Fagen keeps a piece of paper in his wallet with his favorite EQ settings (Denny Dias drew it out)

(The YR Twitter feed is very enjoyable )

I was rolling with some 'Lowdown' by Boz Scaggs in the truck last weekend. The production on that LP is exquisite. Clear as a bell and smoothe as Cutty Sark.

not sure that I'd consider it the greatest song that can fit within the ultraloose boundaries of yacht rock but for me the quintessential song of that era/sound is Player - "Baby Come Back".

1978 was a big radio year for me (I was 14/15) and the music that would later be jokingly/lovingly called yacht rock ruled the airwaves. another biggie is Bob Welch - "Sentimental Lady" (which can be compared to his earlier Fleetwood Mac version to get a sense of the production slickness that helps define yacht rock). Little River Band's album Sleeper Catcher contained 2 yacht rock hits: "Reminiscing" and "Lady". same could be said of Gerry Rafferty's City To City album but I find him a bit on the energetic/impassioned side (at times he's practically raw punk in yacht rock terms - still, for "oooman" we want him in). Steely Dan's Aja is probably the king of yacht rock era hits, again a bit too ambitious to be at the core - yacht implies a certain lightweight, guilty pleasure aspect to the music... (lovesongs with just a hint of saudade and a sense that the craft/production triumphed over raw expression). most yacht rock is well-produced funky soft rock.

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds are gods of soft/yacht rock for 1975's "Fallin' In Love" and come from the turn of & early 70's MOR (often rustic) pop-rock scene that pretty much evolved into mid to late 70's softer, more polished yacht rock sound. Starbuck's "Moonlight Feels Right" was another early highpoint and as some people have said sounds like aliens wanted a shot at the pop charts (The Residents must have been jealous).

The Eagles definitely deserve a mention and (their ballads especially) had to have helped inspire the spare/slick production style and vocal delivery of many of these records. "One Of These Nights" is so good it transcends yacht rock, but together with 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" probably made a few bands/producers strive for a lushness (specifically multi-tracked backing vocals) in the production. interestingly, "One Of These Nights" is directly inspired by and partly copped from The Spinners' "I'll Be Around", so could Philly International and Thom Bell have a small role in the sophisticated/quality production levels? some of The O'Jay's songs (thinking "Darlin' Darlin' Baby" and "Use Ta Be My Girl" especially) can easily fit in a yacht rock set. another r&b song that sounds yacht to the core (and gorgeous) is Delegation's "Oh Honey".

Sorry, Eagles are not yacht.

^^^ mention the Eagles to the yacht rock guys and they will end you

yeah, I get that The Eagles are not technically yacht rock, despite featuring in the original video series and "I Can't Tell You Why" appearing on many yacht playlists. nor are Fleetwood Mac or most of Steely Dan's songs (unless Michael McDonald is in da house).
but the success of their West Coast soft rock hits and the slickness of their productions helped create the environment in which yacht rock flourished, so think of them as fertilizer if that helps.

I remember the YR guys saying that Steely Dan inspired Yacht Rock but aren't really a Yacht Rock band in the same way that Slayer inspired Death Metal but are not a Death Metal band.

I'm pretty convinced now, especially after spending **mumble** amount of time watching YouTube covers of it, that it's Pablo Cruise "Love Will Find A Way."

i buy paul's sonic family-tree inclusion of the eagles. also reflects a longer cultural debt, yacht is basically self-involved turn-of-the-70s post-hippie peaceful-easy-feelings, plus material comfort and middle-aged relationship problems.

The one or two-hit wonder aspect of the big YR acts plays a big role, too. Robbie Dupree, Pablo Cruise, Ace, etc. That's why it's hard to accept Steely Dan or The Eagles as yacht rock imho.

The one or two-hit wonder aspect of the big YR acts plays a big role, too. Robbie Dupree, Pablo Cruise, Ace, etc. That's why it's hard to accept Steely Dan or The Eagles as yacht rock imho.

I dunno man, Toto? The Doobie Brothers? Kenny Loggins?

I mentioned this one on an album covers thread, but please take 5 minutes to bask in the smooooothness that is "Rio de Janeiro Blue." I can actually feel the saltwater spray in my face during the flute solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLkw2Uz3JuU

I want to change my vote from Pablo Cruise to "You Are The Woman" by Firefall. That song is the aural equivalent of a giant marshmallow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By_clrkw9C8

The Rippingtons - Tourist in Paradise

also perhaps the best music video ever

"I saw your face and that's the last I've seen of my heart" is such a great hook that the whole rest of "You Are The Woman" is essentially an in-between throwaway.

another quintessential tune of that era/sound: England Dan & John Ford Coley - "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight"

Eagles (save maybe "I Can't Tell You Why") not yacht, but Glenn's "The One You Love" surely is!

(bummer Youtube has taken down the so-bad-it's-awesome video)

"casablanca" by dane donahue is a good yachty eagles rip

this music is kinda more about what shirt you're wearing

and night driving

Rich Girl by Hall & Oates, no wait....anything by Hall & Oates.

except "downtown life", that's not very yacht

but it is very street and very good

some mention of Orleans' "Dance With Me" must be made

yeah, I get that The Eagles are not technically yacht rock, despite featuring in the original video series and "I Can't Tell You Why" appearing on many yacht playlists. nor are Fleetwood Mac or most of Steely Dan's songs (unless Michael McDonald is in da house).
but the success of their West Coast soft rock hits and the slickness of their productions helped create the environment in which yacht rock flourished, so think of them as fertilizer if that helps.

― Paul, M

You shall not pass

Summer breeze by seals and croft

My favorite contemporary soft rock pastiche is "You Can Feel It" by Young Gun Silver Fox

Greg Phillinganes on some good yacht funk w/ Lazy Nina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJMelsJukC0

Koko’s nodding his head along to this one

fresh

Wings' London Town isn't considered "yacht rock" but I just found out a lot of it was actually recorded on a yacht.

‘Sailing’ Was Supposed to Save Christopher Cross. It Drowned Him Instead