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Yacht rock, soft rock – call it what you will. Here are five brilliant albums that define the genre in all its bearded, Hawaiian shirted glory
Was there really ever a genre called yacht rock ? Prior to the 2005 online comedy series of the same name, what we now know of as yacht rock was simply soft rock, largely of the 1970s variety, but occasionally dipping into the 80s as well. It was music that was smooth, slick and did little to challenge the listener in the way that heavy metal or punk rock would. Yet sold in the multi-millions, made superstars of its creators, and was beloved by industry professionals for the stellar musicianship and high production values. And above all, it was detested by the critics.
Today, yacht rock is the ultimate guilty pleasure genre. Its patron saints - almost exclusively men, generally bearded – never appeared on posters that graced adolescents’ walls. Yet bands and artists such as The Doobie Brothers , Loggins & Messina and Christopher Cross made sweet, soulful music featuring some of the finest musicians of the era and sounding so, so perfect in the process.
Unlike prog, hair metal or krautrock, the boundaries of what constitutes yacht rock are blurred. There’s little to link the jazzy noodlings of Steely Dan , Boz Scaggs’ smooth pop and the later, 80s pop-rock of Hall & Oates beyond the fact that the various members of Toto appeared on many of these albums, making them kind of a yacht rock mafia.
Yacht rock, soft rock, call it what you will: the men who made it are laughing all the way to the bank in their Hawaiian shirts and well-sculpted facial hair while the rest of us celebrate their music in all its frictionless glory. Critics be damned, these are the five essential yacht rock albums for those who want to plunge into the genre.
Kenny Loggins was a boyish-looking yet handsomely bearded fellow with a penchant for country-esque ballads. Jim Messina had been in Buffalo Springfield and country rockers Poco . The pair teamed up to record some of Loggins’ material and ended up becoming an unlikely success story, notching up hits with 1971 single The House At Pooh Corner and the following year’s Your Mama Don’t Dance , later covered by hair metallers Poison.
But 1973’s Full Sail was their apex. Featuring the ultimate yacht rock album cover (two men, one yacht), the album itself contains everything from the calypso frivolity of Lahaina , and the smooth jazz of Travellin’ Blues to the joyously upbeat My Music and hit ballad Watching The River Run . This is yacht rock’s ground zero. Boys, what did you unleash?
An early member of the Steve Miller Band , guitarist and vocalist Boz Scaggs’ solo career had begun 1969. But nothing had clicked with the record buying public until he hooked up with David Paich, Jeff Porcaro and David Hungate, all of whom were on the verge of forming Toto , and recorded his seventh solo album, Silk Degrees . A masterful mix of smooth pop and slick ballads, it spawned hits in the shape of It’s Over , Lowdown , We’re All Alone (made famous by Rita Coolidge) and the pulsating Lido Shuffle , a bona fide dancefloor filler.
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Arguments rage as to whether these protagonists of achingly cool and clever jazz rock belong in the yacht rock genre, but hey, if the people who made the Yacht Rock online series say the are, who are we to argue?
Their sixth album, Aja , saw Walter Becker and Donald Fagan stretching out into longer form pieces of music that were funkier and jazzier than they’d ever been before, capping it off with one of the most pristine production jobs ever – such were their levels of perfectionism that six crack session guitarists tried and failed to lay down the guitar solo on Peg to their satisfaction (it was the seventh, Jay Graydon, who nailed it). Bonus yacht rock points: auxiliary Dan backing vocalist/keyboard player Michael McDonald was also a member of The Doobie Brothers.
In 1974, Steely Dan guitarist Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter moved across to hugely successful blues rockers The Doobie Brothers on a free transfer. The following year, he suggested recruiting Dan backing singer/pianist Michael McDonald as a replacement for the Doobies’ ailing guitarist/vocalist Tom Johnstone.
With his blue-eyed soul croon and knack for writing uptempo R&B-infused songs, McDonald helped nudge the band towards smoother waters. By 1978’s Minute By Minute , they had fully transformed from moustachioed chooglers into yacht rock kingpins. The album’s blend of soft rock and R&B reached its apotheosis on the majestic What A Fool Believes – co-written with Kenny Loggins, naturally – which ultimately helped turn McDonald into a bigger star than the band. For the record, the singer’s 1986 Sweet Freedom compilation is also yacht rock gold.
When Christopher Cross released his self-titled debut album in December 1979, no-one knew who he was. A year later, he’d racked up four Top 20 hits and swept the boards at the Grammy Awards.
It’s not hard to see why: Cross’ spectacular voice was matched by the brilliance of his songs. Everyone knows Ride Like The Wind , featuring that Michael McDonald fella on backing vocals, but it was the mellower Sailing that hit the No. 1 spot ( Ride… only managed No. 2). A year later Cross’ theme to the movie Arthur won him and co-writer Burt Bacharach an Oscar.
Cross was no slouch as a musician either: Steely Dan had asked him to play on their albums and he even filled in for a sick Ritchie Blackmore at a Deep Purple US show back in 1970.
Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.
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By David Browne
Summer’s here and time is right for dancing … on the deck of a large nautical vessel. During the late Seventies and early Eighties, the radio was dominated by silver-tongued white-dude crooners with names like Rupert and Gerry, emoting over balmy R&B beats, swaying saxes, and dishwasher-clean arrangements. Though it didn’t have a name, the genre — soft rock you could dance to — was dismissed by serious rock fans as fluffy and lame. But thanks to a web series in the mid-2000s, the style — belatedly named “ yacht rock ” — has since spawned a satellite-radio channel, tribute bands, and a Weezer cover of Toto’s “Africa.” Is the modern love of the music ironic or sincere? Hard to say, yet there’s no denying yacht rock is a legit sound with a vibe all its own that produced a surprising amount of enduring music perfectly at home in summer. (John Mayer even tips his own sailor’s hat to the genre on his new “Last Train Home” single, and even the aqua-blue cover of his upcoming Sob Rock album.) The resumption of the Doobie Brothers’ 50th anniversary tour, postponed last year due to COVID-19 but scheduled to restart in August, is the cherry atop the Pina colada.
Before yacht rock was an identifiable genre, Scaggs (no fan of the term, as he told Rolling Stone in 2018) set the standard for what was to come: sharp-dressed white soul, burnished ballads that evoked wine with a quiet dinner, and splashes of Me Decade decadence (the narrator of the pumped “Lido Shuffle” is setting up one more score before leaving the country). Add in the Philly Soul homage “What Can I Say,” the burbling life-on-the-streets homage “Lowdown,” and the lush sway of “Georgia,” and Silk Degrees , internationally or not, set a new high bar for Seventies smoothness.
The sophisticated high-water mark of yacht, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s masterpiece is the midway point between jazz and pop, with tricky tempo shifts, interlocking horn and keyboard parts, and pristine solos. Not settling for easygoing period clichés, these love songs, so to speak, are populated by a sleazy movie director (the gorgeous rush of “Peg”), a loser who still hopes to be a jazzman even if the odds are against him (the heart-tugging “Deacon Blues”), and a guy whose nodding-out girlfriend is probably a junkie (“Black Cow”). The most subversive cruise you’ll ever take.
The Doobies got their start as a biker-y boogie band, but they smoothed things out for Minute by Minute . Highlighted by “What a Fool Believes,” the unstoppable Michael McDonald-Kenny Loggins co-write, the LP piles on romantic turmoil, falsetto harmonies, and plenty of spongy electric piano. But it also proves how much personality and muscle the Doobies could bring to what could be a generic sound. McDonald’s husky, sensitive-guy delivery shrouds the unexpectedly bitter title song (“You will stay just to watch me, darlin’/Wilt away on lies from you”) and honoring their biker roots, “Don’t Stop to Watch the Wheels” is about taking a lady friend for a ride on your hog.
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Seals & crofts, get closer (1976).
The Dylan-goes-electric moment of yacht, “Get Closer” validated the idea that folkie singer-songwriters could put aside their guitars (and mandolin), tap into their R&B side and cross over in ways they never imagined. In addition to the surprising seductiveness of the title hit, Get Closer has plenty of yacht-rock pleasures. In “Goodbye Old Buddies,” the narrator informs his pals that he can’t hang out anymore now that he’s met “a certain young lady,” but in the next song, “Baby Blue,” another woman is told, “There’s an old friend in me/Tellin’ me I gotta be free.” A good captain follows the tide where it takes him.
Cross’ debut swept the 1981 Grammys for a reason: It’s that rare yacht-rock album that’s graceful, earnest, and utterly lacking in smarm. Songs like the politely seductive “Say You’ll Be Mine” and the forlorn “Never Be the Same” have an elegant pop classicism, and the yacht anthem “Sailing” could be called a powered-down ballad. Fueled by a McDonald cameo expertly parodied on SCTV , the propulsive “Ride Like the Wind” sneaks raw outlaw lyrics (“Lived nine lives/Gunned down ten”) into its breezy groove, perfecting the short-lived gangster-yacht subgenre.
The album that made Holmes a soft-rock star is known for “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” which sports a made-for-karaoke chorus and a plot twist worthy of a wide-collar O. Henry. But what distinguishes the album is the Steely Dan-level musicianship and Holmes’ ambitious story songs, each sung with Manilow-esque exuberance. The title track equates a hooker and her john to co-workers at a department store, “Lunch Hour” ventures into afternoon-delight territory, and “Answering Machine” finds a conflicted couple trading messages but continually being cut off by those old-school devices.
The Dan’s last studio album before a lengthy hiatus doesn’t have the consistency of Aja, but Gaucho cleverly matches their most vacuum-sealed music with their most sordid and pathetic cast of characters. A seedy older guy tries to pick up younger women in “Hey Nineteen,” another loser goes in search of a ménage à trois in “Babylon Sisters,” a coke dealer delivers to a basketball star in “Glamour Profession,” and the narrator of “Time Out of Mind” just wants another heroin high. It’s the dark side of the yacht.
Michael mcdonald, if that’s what it takes (1982).
Imagine a Doobie Brothers album entirely comprised of McDonald songs and shorn of pesky guitar solos or Patrick Simmons rockers, and you have a sense of McDonald’s first and best post-Doobs album. If That’s What it Takes builds on the approach he nailed on “What a Fool Believes” but amps up the sullen-R&B side of Mac’s music. His brooding remake of Lieber and Stoller’s “I Keep Forgettin’” is peak McDonald and the title track approaches the propulsion of Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind.” With his sad-sack intensity, McDonald sounds like guy at a seaside resort chewing over his mistakes and regrets – with, naturally, the aid of an electric piano.
Yacht rock babylon, steve silberman has died. his work on the grateful dead and david crosby is eternal.
Loggins’ journey from granola folk rocker to pleasure-boat captain embodies the way rock grew more polished as the Seventies wore on. Anchored by the percolating-coffeemaker rhythms and modestly aggro delivery of “This Is It,” another McDonald collaboration, Keep the Fire sets Loggins’ feathery voice to smooth-jazz saxes and R&B beats, and Michael Jackson harmonies beef up the soul quotient in “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong.” The secret highlight is “Will It Last,” one of the sneakiest yacht tracks ever, fading to a finish after four minutes, then revving back up with some sweet George Harrison-style slide guitar.
Earlier in the Seventies, these jokesters established themselves with novelty hits like “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone,’’ but they soon paddled over to unabashed disco-yacht. Sometimes You Win features three of their oiliest ear worms: “Sexy Eyes,” “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” and “Better Love Next Time,” all oozing suburban pickup bars and the somewhat desperate dudes who hang out there. The album, alas, does not include “Sharing the Night Together,” recently reborn by way of its sardonic use in last year’s Breaking Bad spinoff El Camino .
As a trailblazing female singer-songwriter, Simon was already a star by the time yacht launched. Boys in the Trees features her beguiling contribution to the genre, “You Belong to Me,” a collaboration with the ubiquitous Michael McDonald. The Doobies cut it first, but Simon’s version adds an air of yearning and hushed desperation that makes it definitive. The album also packs in a yacht-soul cover of James Taylor’s “One Man Woman” and a “lullaby for a wide-eyed guy” called “Tranquillo (Melt My Heart),” all proving that men didn’t have a stranglehold on this style.
More smooth hits for your next high-seas adventure.
“BREEZIN’”
George Benson, 1976
The guitarist and Jehovah’s Witness made the leap from midlevel jazz act to crossover pop star with a windswept instrumental that conveys the yacht spirit as much as any vocal performance.
“WHATCHA GONNA DO?”
Pablo Cruise, 1976
Carefree bounce from a San Francisco band with the best name ever for a soft-rock act — named, fittingly, after a chill Colorado buddy.
“BAKER STREET”
Gerry Rafferty, 1978
Rafferty brought a deep sense of lonely-walk-by-the-bay melancholy to this epic retelling of a night on the town, in which Raphael Ravenscroft’s immortal sax awakens Rafferty from his morning-after hangover.
“REMINISCING”
Little River Band, 1978
The Aussie soft rockers delivered a slurpy valentine sung in the voice of an old man looking back on his “lifetime plan” with his wife. Innovative twist: flugelhorn solo instead of sax.
“WHENEVER I CALL YOU ‘FRIEND’ ”
Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks, 1978
After its ethereal intro, this rare genre duet grows friskier with each verse, with both Loggins and Nicks getting more audibly caught up in the groove — and the idea of “sweet love showing us a heavenly light.”
“LOTTA LOVE”
Nicolette Larson, 1978
Neil Young’s sad-boy shuffle is transformed into a luscious slice of lounge pop by the late Larson. Adding an extra layer of poignancy, she was in a relationship with Young around that time.
“STEAL AWAY”
Robbie Dupree, 1980
Is it real, or is it McDonald? Actually, it’s the best Doobies knockoff — a rinky-dink (but ingratiating) distant cousin to “What a Fool Believes” that almost inspired McDonald to take legal action.
“TAKE IT EASY”
Archie James Cavanaugh, 1980
Cult rarity by the late Alaskan singer-songwriter that crams in everything you’d want in a yacht song: disco-leaning bass, smooth-jazz guitar, sax, and a lyric that lives up to its title even more than the same-titled Eagles song.
“BIGGEST PART OF ME”
Ambrosia, 1980
Ditching the prog-classical leanings of earlier albums, this trio headed straight for the middle of the waterway with this Doobies-lite smash. Bonus points for lyrics that reference a “lazy river.”
“I CAN’T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO)”
Daryl Hall and John Oates, 1981
The once unstoppable blue-eyed soul duo were never pure yacht, but the easy-rolling beats and shiny sax in this Number One hit got close. Hall adds sexual tension by never specifying exactly what he can’t go for.
“COOL NIGHT”
Paul Davis, 1981
The Mississippi crooner-songwriter gives a master class on how to heat up a stalled romance: Pick a brisk evening, invite a female acquaintance over, and suggest . . . lighting a fire.
“KEY LARGO”
Bertie Higgins, 1981
Yacht’s very own novelty hit is corny but deserves props for quoting from not one but two Humphrey Bogart films ( Key Largo and Casablanca ).
“AFRICA”
The same year that members of Toto did session work on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, they released the Mount Kilimanjaro of late-yacht hits.
“SOUTHERN CROSS”
Crosby, Stills, and Nash, 1982
The combustible trio’s gusty contribution to the genre has choppy-water rhythms and enough nautical terminology for a sailing manual.
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Each week we’re featuring a playlist to get your mind going and help you assemble your favorites. This week we take a deep dive into the soft rock hits of the late ’70s and early ’80s, which have come to be known in some circles as Yacht Rock. The term Yacht Rock generally refers to music in the era where yuppies enjoyed sipping champaign on their yachts — a concept explored in the original web series Yacht Rock, which debuted in 2005 and has developed a cult following. Artists most commonly thought of in the Yacht Rock era include Michael McDonald, Ambrosia, 10cc, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Boz Scaggs, and Christopher Cross. Yacht Rock has become the muse of a great number of tribute bands, and is the current subject of a short-run channel on Sirius XM.
Here is a stab at the Top 100 Songs of Yacht Rock — not necessarily in rank order, with a few more added for honorable mention. We welcome your comments. What songs are ranked too high? What songs are ranked too low? What songs are missing? Make your case. Also, please let us know concepts for playlists you’d like to see — or share a favorite list of your own.
Artist | Title | |
---|---|---|
1 | Steely Dan | Hey Nineteen |
2 | Herb Alpert | Route 101 |
3 | Robbie Dupree | Steal Away |
4 | Jan Hammer Group | Don't You Know |
5 | Blues Image | Ride Captain Ride |
6 | Toto/Cheryl Lynn | Georgy Porgy |
7 | Gerry Rafferty | Right Down The Line |
8 | Paul Young | Every Time You Go Away |
9 | Boz Scaggs | Jojo |
10 | Johnny Nash | I Can See Clearly Now |
11 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | Sara Smile |
12 | Orleans | Dance With Me |
13 | Olivia Newton John | Magic |
14 | Seals & Crofts | Summer Breeze |
15 | Lionel Richie | All Night Long |
16 | Fleetwood Mac | You Make Loving Fun |
17 | Steely Dan | Deacon Blues |
18 | Christopher Cross | Ride Like The Wind |
19 | Little River Band | Cool Change |
20 | Jackson Browne | Somebody's Baby |
21 | 10cc | Dreadlock Holiday |
22 | Dr. Hook | When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman |
23 | Boz Scaggs | Lowdown |
24 | Player | This Time I'm In It For Love |
25 | Fleetwood Mac | Everywhere |
26 | Steely Dan | Peg |
27 | Todd Rundgren | I Saw The Light |
28 | Gerry Rafferty | Baker Street |
29 | Eagles | One Of These Nights |
30 | James Ingram | Yah-Mo Be There |
31 | 10cc | I'm Not In Love |
32 | Ambrosia | Biggest Part Of Me |
33 | Terri Gibbs | Somebody's Knockin' |
34 | Atlanta Rhythm Section | So In To You |
35 | Boz Scaggs | Lido Shuffle |
36 | Steve Miller Band | Wild Mountain Honey |
37 | Michael McDonald | I Gotta Try |
38 | Matthew Wilder | Break My Stride |
39 | England Dan & John Ford Coley | I'd Really Love To See You Tonight |
40 | Player | Baby Come Back |
41 | Kenny Loggins | This Is It |
42 | Michael McDonald | I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) |
43 | Toto | Rosanna |
44 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | Kiss On My List |
45 | The Doobie Brothers | What A Fool Believes |
46 | Christopher Cross | Sailing |
47 | Loggins & Messina | Watching The River Run |
48 | Eagles | The Long Run |
49 | Looking Glass | Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) |
50 | Bread | Everything I Own |
51 | Steely Dan | Reelin' in the Years |
52 | Joe Jackson | Steppin' Out |
53 | Jackson Browne | Doctor My Eyes |
54 | Sanford & Townsend | Smoke from a Distant Fire |
55 | Bobby Caldwell | What You Won't Do For Love |
56 | Fleetwood Mac | Rhiannon |
57 | Ace | How Long |
58 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | Rich Girl |
59 | Toto | Africa |
60 | Steely Dan | Do It Again |
61 | Bertie Higgins | Key Largo |
62 | Rupert Holmes | Escape (The Pina Colada Song) |
63 | Little River Band | Reminiscing |
64 | Jimmy Buffett | Margaritaville |
65 | Fleetwood Mac | Dreams |
66 | Firefall | Just Remember I Love You |
67 | Eagles | I Can't Tell You Why |
68 | Eagles | The Best Of My Love |
69 | Eagles | Take It To The Limit |
70 | Eagles | Tequila Sunrise |
71 | Chicago | Saturday In The Park |
72 | Bob Welch | Sentimental Lady |
73 | America | Sister Golden Hair |
74 | America | A Horse With No Name |
75 | Ambrosia | How Much I Feel |
76 | Alan Parsons | Eye In The Sky |
77 | Air Supply | Lost In Love |
78 | Steely Dan | Dirty Work |
79 | Steely Dan | Only A Fool Would Say That |
80 | Orleans | Still The One |
81 | Stephen Bishop | Sinking In An Ocean Of Tears |
82 | 10cc | The Things We Do For Love |
83 | America | Ventura Highway |
84 | Al Stewart | Year Of The Cat |
85 | Bread | Baby I'm A Want You |
86 | Firefall | You Are The Woman |
87 | George Benson | Gimme The Night |
88 | Barbara Streisand/Barry Gibb | Guilty |
89 | Christopher Cross | Arthur's Theme |
90 | Marty Balin | Hearts |
91 | Poco | Barbados |
92 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) |
93 | Al Stewart | Time Passages |
94 | Jay Ferguson | Thunder Island |
95 | Dr. Hook | Sexy Eyes |
96 | Donald Fagen | I.G.Y. |
97 | Michael McDonald | Gotta Try |
98 | Bread | Make It With You |
99 | Pablo Cruise | Whatcha Gonna Do |
100 | Doobie Brothers | Dependin' On You |
101 | Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Jackie Blue |
102 | Pablo Cruise | Love Will Find A Way |
103 | Starbuck | Moonlight Feels Right |
104 | Billy Ocean | Caribbean Queen |
105 | Linda Ronstadt | Ooh Baby Baby |
106 | Hues Corporation | Rock The Boat |
107 | Loggins & Messina | Danny's Song |
108 | Rupert Holmes | Answering Machine |
109 | Stephen Bishop | On And On |
110 | Bread | The Guitar Man |
111 | Seals & Crofts | Diamond Girl |
112 | Air Supply | Even The Nights Are Better |
113 | Ambrosia | You're The Only Woman |
114 | George Benson | Breezin' |
115 | Daryl Hall/John Oates | She's Gone |
116 | Dave Loggins | Please Come To Boston |
117 | Rickie Lee Jones | Chuck E.'s In Love |
118 | Captain/Tennille | Love Will Keep Us Together |
119 | Dr. Hook | Better Love Next Time |
120 | Chilliwack | I Believe |
121 | Crosby, Stills & Nash | Southern Cross |
122 | Climax Blues Band | Couldn't Get It Right |
123 | Gilbert O'Sullivan | Alone Again (Naturally) |
124 | America | Daisy Jane |
125 | Beach Boys | Sail On, Sailor |
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How does one describe yacht rock? The folks at MasterClass did a pretty good job. Essentially, it's a component of soft rock, adult contemporary, and Album-oriented rock (AOR) all rolled into one. Popular in the late 1970s and into the '80s, there are some notable tunes of the ilk (smooth rhythms, light or "breezy" vocals, well-polished and produced) from earlier in the '70s that fall into this category.
In the spirit of easy listening fare, here is our ranking of 22 great yacht rock tunes.
The Southern Californian's biggest hit, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yacht rock tracks often tell stories, and "Lonely Boy" is one of the great story songs. Whether it's autobiographical in nature has always been ripe for a casual argument. Though Gold, who passed away in 2011 at age 59, repeatedly claimed this song about a boy who felt left out following the birth of his sister was not depicting his life. The 1970s were ripe for one-hit wonders in the United States, and Gold is not still forgotten.
"I Love You" is a sweet, endearing ballad. The kind of song that probably sounded great via that portable 8-track cassette player on a catamaran during an early '80s' summer. From England, Climax Blues Band scored a top-15 hit with "I Love You." Love was a dependable and generally successful topic for artists within the soft/yacht rock genre. In fact, the song is still quite popular on lite rock and adult contemporary radio stations on your FM dial for those who still like to hear their music that way.
Toto rightfully has a place in the yacht rock world, but the band also broke into the top-40, FM radio, and MTV mainstream with the release of 1982's Toto IV . "Rosanna" was a big reason for the album's success, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard 's Hot 100 and winning the Record of the Year Grammy Award. Sure, it's not typical yacht rock fare, per se. It's certainly heavier than other popular tracks on this list, but it's certainly a product of AOR and still routinely played in dentist offices throughout America.
There are those historians who believe the first true example of yacht rock came with this popular '70s staple from the "Captain" Daryl Dragon and his wife Toni Tennille. Now, Neil Sedaka wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together" and originally recorded the song two years earlier. Still, the duo's version was more poppy, with a carefree vibe that's ideal for FM radio. While Captain & Tennille's cover won a Record of the Year Grammy Award, Sedaka has noted that the Beach Boys were one of the inspirations for the tune. This makes sense since many music critics, professionals, historians, etc.. have credited the yacht rock genre as somewhat of an offshoot from the Beach Boys' collective sound.
This No.1 Billboard Hot 100 hit for England's Rupert Holmes has achieved a steady cult following over the years. Perhaps, because of the unique title and conjured images of some warm, beach-laden paradise. Yacht rock's association with summer, water, and care-free living, as a backdrop to a romantic story, is one of its appealing aspects. This song is about a couple who ultimately patch up a rough relationship through personal ads . Any time somebody of a certain age sips one of these drinks, ideally at some Caribbean resort with the warm winds off the ocean blowing, "The Pina Colada Song" should come to mind.
Formed in Australia, the soft/pop rock and often yacht rock stylings of LRB were a hit in the United States. " Reminiscing " was the band's biggest hit in America, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Like many songs of this genre, "Reminiscing" is paced by the electric piano. Which also happened to be a staple of the Little River Band. Sure, it's not "breezy" like other yacht rock tunes, but Will Ferrell's Det. Allen Gamble is a big fan in The Other Guys (2010).
Yes, more from Toto. If there's one popular Toto hit that whole-heartedly falls under the yacht rock moniker, it's " Africa ." The group's only song to top the Billboard Hot 100, and made a resurgence with Weezer's popular cover in recent years , "Africa," is the proper combination of mellow and poppy. It continues the Toto tradition of shared vocals, while the consistent synthesizer and keyboard presence, though more pronounced than the typical soft rock/adult contemporary vibe.
L.A.'s Ambrosia, co-founded by vocalist/guitarist/songwriter David Pack and bassist Joe Puerta was all about the soft rock sound that surfaced in Southern California during the early 1970s. "How Much I Feel," from the group's third album Life Beyond L.A. , might have more of an adult contemporary vibe but certainly falls into the yacht rock category. It was one of the band's biggest hits, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's remained popular over the years, even being sampled by Kanye West.
Steely Dan was, in its prime, under the direction of celebrated songwriters Donald Fagan and Walter Becker, many things regarding a collective sound. Rock, pop, jazz, blues. Usually melodic, well within the soft-rock category. Songs like "Peg," from the 1977 masterpiece Aja , certainly has a yacht rock vibe, too. Perhaps most notably is that the great Michael McDonald, longtime frontman of the Doobie Brothers and driving singer-songwriter in the soft/yacht rock circles, provides backing vocals on the track.
It really does get more yacht rock than this—smooth , with a flowing rhythm, precise, but not overbearing, harmonies . Not to mention the subtly stellar keyboard work from David C. Lewis. Throw in sessionist Ernie Watts' sax solo, and we have one great soft/yacht offering. It was the second of Ambrosia's two top-5 hits, reaching No. 3 on Billboard 's Hot 100. The version from the 1980s One Eighty album runs about 5 1/2 minutes long. Talk about pure easy-listening joy.
Long considered one of the great "summer songs" ever recorded. And summer-themed tunes from the 1970s tend to lend themselves to the yacht rock moniker. That said, Seals & Crofts were definitely a soft rock outfit, but with elements of folk and pop. "Summer Breeze" peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1970s and, again, is notable for being one of the earliest yacht rock offerings. Several other prominent artists, such as Ray Conniff, the Isley Brothers, and a stellar metal version from Type O Negative.
It's safe to say that Christopher Cross is the king of yacht rock. A brilliant songwriter and above-average guitar player, Cross could rock, but it's his definitive soft rock numbers that made him a star with lite-FM, adult contemporary and yacht rock fans. "Ride Like the Wind" is the first single from Cross' stellar five-time Grammy-Award-winning self-titled debut from 1979. A more upbeat number about an outlaw running from the authorities, the track is less uplifting than other yacht rock tunes, but the vibe is the same. Of note, Michael McDonald provided backing vocals.
From John Friesen's steady drum intro to that durably underlaid bass line via Ron Moss to J.C. Crowley's keyboard presence begins the soft-rock brilliance of "Baby Come Back." With lyrics describing the yearning to reacquire a lost love and full-band harmonies, "Baby Come Back" just might be the quintessential offering of the yacht rock genre. It was the biggest hit for Player , the L.A.-based group that featured vocalist and song co-writer Peter Beckett, who was born in England. The tune topped the Billboard Hot 100 and still has a presence with its inclusion in films such as Transformers and Black Adam. Plus, various versions in popular TV shows like The Simpsons. American Dad and King of the Hill.
The Doobie Brothers were a rather hard-rocking outfit before Michael McDonald joined up in the mid-1970s. The band was in need of an established songwriter, and McDonald delivered. However, with a more mellow, synthesizer/electric piano-driven sound that produced soft-rock gems like this one. Co-written by Kenny Loggins, who put out a version for himself, "What a Fool Believes" hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in April 1979. Several critics have cited this as the best song in the vast Doobie Brothers catalog.
If you're going to be a one-hit wonder, why not make it count? More than 30 years since its release, " Steal Away " can still be heard in elevators and office buildings throughout the United States -- or in the third season of Better Call Saul . Undeniably yacht rock, Dupree, born in Brooklyn, enjoyed success with the song during the summer of 1980 -- always a perfect time to enjoy the smooth, soothing sounds of a piece within this genre that peaked at No. 6 on Billboar d's Hot 100.
Here's a case where middle-aged and baby-boomer music fans probably remember the song but perhaps not the group who performed the track. That's OK. Atlanta's Starbuck is essentially a one-hit wonder thanks to "Moonlight Feels Right," which topped out at No. 3 on Billboard 's Hot 100. For those who remember this track for its lite-flowing beat, with lyrical references to the ocean, "Baltimore," and 'Ole Miss," and band member Bo Wagner marimba solo, it might take them back to a simpler, more laidback time in their lives.
Perhaps more so than the previously mentioned "This Is It," "Heart to Heart" truly has all the requirements of a great yacht rock/soft rock tune. It was co-written by Michael McDonald, who also played the electric piano and provided backing vocals. David Foster, of Chicago songwriting and '80s ballad fame, also helped compose the tune, which features David Sanborn on saxophone. The track is one of Loggins' best-known hits, cracking the top 20 of the Hot 100.
Co-written by David Paich and featuring Jeff Porcaro on drums -- both of whom who go on to form the aforementioned Toto. One of Scaggs most well-known hits, "Lowdown" has a bluesy and almost disco vibe. And a number we can imagine being played at some swanky yacht club party where the dance floor is filled, and more than a few people are sporting captain's hats. The song reached No. 3 on Billboard 's Hot 100 and also topped the Billboard Cash Box chart in the United States.
Yacht rock and one-hit wonders seem to go hand-in-hand. Higgins scored one in the early 1980s with this number that reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Florida native was inspired to write this song about trying to avoid a romantic breakup by the 1948 movie of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, who are referenced in the tune. Though Higgins never enjoyed the same individual success as a musician, the song has had a solid shelf life and remains a definitive moment in the yacht rock genre.
Sure, "Ride Like the Wind" is a gem, but the undisputed star of Cross' aforementioned debut album is the Hot 100-chart-topper "Sailing." It might be the definitive yacht rock song, capturing what Cross described, at the time, the "West Coast sound," which was long being composed, produced and performed, but maybe didn't have an appropriate moniker. The song won Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Arrangement of the Year, and was a big reason Cross earned the same award for Best New Artist.
A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for parts of four decades. He was an integral member of award-winning sports sections at The Times of Northwest Indiana (Munster, Ind.) and Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, where he covered the NFL, PGA, LPGA, NCAA basketball, football and golf, Olympics and high school athletics. Jeff most recently spent 12 years in the editorial department at STATSPerform, where he also oversaw coverage of the English Premier League. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Jeff's work has also appeared on such sites at Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA.com. However, if Jeff could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High School and Grand Lakes University
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By david quantick.
By david quantick
According to the sleeve notes for this epically-detailed boxed set, “Yacht Rock is a neologism coined decades after the music’s heyday to corral like-minded mellowness into a petting zoo of smooth.” In other words, Yacht Rock doesn’t exist. Like “freakbeat” and other genres designed to make it easier to label music, Yacht Rock is a vague, newishly-minted label that enables people to find a link between apparently unconnected records.
That said, even people who hate labels have to admit that the criteria for what constitutes Yacht Rock are fairly clear: a vague sort of jazzy pop sound, a moderately catchy chorus that leaps out at the listener like a heavily-drugged salmon, a great deal of saxophone, the soft rain of tinkly keyboards, and Michael McDonald. It’s terrifying how often Michael McDonald turns up here: as a songwriter, as a backing vocalist, and as both a solo artist and member of the Doobie Brothers, McDonald is the Zelig of Yacht Rock. It’s tempting to imagine a timeline where Michael McDonald was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald and Yacht Rock never happened.
Not to set the catamaran among the pigeons, but Yacht Rock is one of the most divisive imaginary genres of all time David Quantick
Not to set the catamaran among the pigeons, but Yacht Rock is one of the most divisive imaginary genres of all time. When I mentioned to a few people that I was writing about a Yacht Rock compilation, their reactions were to say the least strong, and involved swearing. For many people, the sweet blandness of Yacht Rock and its associations (the 1970s, cocktails, swimwear, yachts) is infuriating, and the idea that this wafting, somehow heartless music is now being celebrated instead of, say, buried in the earth’s molten core for ever, is horrific to them. It is, as the older generation say, like punk never happened. Session musicians rule the day: instead of fiery passion and musical aggression, everything is the musical equivalent of a Harvey Wallbanger – overly sweet, brightly coloured, and liable to give you a terrible hangover. “Yacht” it may be, “rock” it isn’t. It’s not soul, either, or disco, and quite often it isn’t pop. The words are full of exhortations – ‘Move On’, ‘Hold On’, ‘Back Off’, ‘Turn Your Love Around’ – but the tunes send out the opposite message: stay still, give up, don’t move, leave your love in neutral.
Not every song is like that, of course. There are great songs here – Kool & The Gang’s ‘Too Hot’, Robert Palmer’s ‘Every Kind Of People’, Elkie Brooks’ ‘Fool If You Think It’s Over’ – but these are Yacht Rock in name only, and for many just bring to mind Albert Einstein’s famous line: if it’s good, it’s not Yacht Rock, and if it’s Yacht Rock, it’s not good. The musical range of this compilation is pretty consistent, but there are exceptions (one of which will be discussed imminently).
There’s also the faint reek of irony about Yacht Rock. Many remember the whole “ guilty pleasures ” trend of a few years back in which people celebrated “tacky” music from their youth in a half-genuine, half-raised-eyebrow kind of way. This was, they said, no way to consume music: if you love something, you should just love it without shame, and not be laughing at it at the same time as you are listening to it. And it’s hard not to be vexed by the legions of people with wry tears in their eyes punching the air to Leo Sayer : almost as hard, in fact, as a non-fan of this pseudo-genre to listen to an astonishing four CDs of yacht rock.
As a piece of archive, A Yacht Rock Odyssey is up there with the great 1960s garage band compilations, just substituting mellow sax for fuzz guitar David Quantick
But as that non-fan, I am paradoxically full of admiration for this project. It is compiler Katie Puckrik’s labour of love: presenter of a radio show devoted to Yacht Rock, Puckrik knows her stuff, as you might expect from someone who’s spent her entire life working in music, from dancing on a Pet Shop Boys tour to fronting the Lust For Life tribute band to DJing and presenting radio shows. Her research for this collection is mind-boggling: there are acts from all over the world, obscure and otherwise, representing funk, soft rock, jazz and “Japanese City Pop” (genres within genres). The sleeve-notes are fantastically informative, witty and sometimes surprising (apart from the fact that ace blandsman Christopher Cross wrote ‘Ride Like The Wind’ on acid, there’s also the little-known link between Yacht Rock and serial killers). This is far from being an ironic or silly collection: it’s put together with love and knowledge, and that’s all you can ask for. As a piece of archive, A Yacht Rock Odyssey is up there with the great 1960s garage band compilations, just substituting mellow sax for fuzz guitar: it’s a Pebbles for cokeheads. 76 tracks from the sublime – Carole Bayer Sager’ ‘It’s The Falling In Love’, Boz Scaggs’ ‘Lowdown’ – to the ridiculous…
Which brings us to the elephant in the room: well, not so much ‘elephant’ as ‘herd of freakishly large mutant space dino-mammoths” and not so “room” as “very small box.” The track that rises above the others like Olympus above the Serengeti. A song so big that it encompasses an entire continent.
‘Africa’, by Toto.
Calling ‘Africa’ a “Yacht Rock” song is like calling Bob Dylan’s ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ a folk song. It’s like calling The Beatles a Merseybeat group. It’s accurate, but also it doesn’t begin to even hint at the enormousness of the thing. ‘Africa’ isn’t Yacht Rock. If you played ‘Africa’ on an actual yacht, the yacht would explode, taking with it the entire Caribbean Sea and most of Florida. Next to some needle fluff like, say, Michael Sembello’s ‘Lay Back (Menage A Trois)’, ‘Africa’ is a mindless behemoth of a song, crushing everything in its path. Which is probably why it’s been placed, sensibly, at the end of CD1, where it both acts as a powerful finale and also is liable to cause the least amount of damage. Puckrik devotes a whole page of her sleeve-notes to ‘Africa’, detailing both its extraordinary renaissance in the 21st century and what she calls its lyrical “clunkiness.” She makes a great case for ‘Africa”s emotional resonance to a new generation, and points out that Toto thought it was “the weirdest song they ever did” (listening to Toto’s other, equally thrilling but marginally more unimaginative soupfests, you can see their point).
And so ‘Africa’ stands over its charges, like a lion king sworn to protect a lot of, I don’t know, cocktail monkeys and giraffes made of Doritos, safe in the knowledge that, like it or not, Yacht Rock has been anthologised, archived, and praised, definitively.
A Yacht Rock Odessey was reviewed by David Quantick. It’s released on Friday 30 August 2024, via Demon Music.
A yacht rock odyssey - limited 4cd set with signed print.
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20. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Looking Glass (1972) Like "Summer Breeze" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs), Looking Glass' tale of an alluring barmaid in a busy harbor town ...
Seals & Crofts - 'Summer Breeze'. Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft #1 Hit (1972) Before The Isley Brothers recorded a slick cover, 'Summer Breeze' was an irresistible folk pop song by Seals & Crofts. While mostly a folk song, its summer vibes and gorgeous melody make for a perfect yacht rock number.
Apple Music Classic Rock. In 2005, the actor/screenwriter J.D. Ryznar wrote, directed, and produced a TV series for the Los Angeles short-film festival Channel 101 called Yacht Rock. The idea was to tell comically overblown backstories about the creation of a strain of ultra-smooth music from the late '70s and early '80s.
Yacht Rock is the musical reflection of a golden era, an era in which luxury mixed with lightness of soul. Characterized by a masterly sound of quality, soft and refined, with impeccable harmonies and enchanting rhythms, this melody touches the strings of the soul, offering a sound refuge where time seems suspended.
Playlist · Yacht Rock - 100 Best Ever - Top Yacht Rock Songs · 114 items · 2.3K likes.
Putting aside its self-aware inauthenticity, "Africa" is an infectious, 8x platinum AOR monster. 5. "Reminiscing" by Little River Band. Released in the summer of 1978 and reaching up to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Reminiscing" was guitarist Graeham Goble 's nostalgic take on the swing band era.
Sailing: The Best Of Yacht Rock is the ultimate #YachtRock playlist of the smoothest classic rock songs ever written.
YACHT ROCK | TOP 100 SONGS. Filtr. Preview. 70s + 80s Soft Rock for a day on the boat. Island tunes, chill summer hits + nothing but smooth sailing while jamming to hits from TOTO, Looking Glass, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates + more. 101 Songs, 6 hours, 52 minutes. More By Filtr.
Yacht Rock Essentials · Playlist · 149 songs · 27.8K likes. Preview of Spotify. Sign up to get unlimited songs and podcasts with occasional ads.
5. Escape (The Piña Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes. The second tune in our top ten that found its way onto one of the three Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks—as well as its original LP release—comes from yacht rock icon Rupert Holmes. Escape (The Piña Colada Song) tells a story that feels more comical today than it might have in the ...
The first and best Yacht Rock playlist on Spotify. Serious boaters only.
Officially, to be considered Yacht Rock, the song must have been released between 1976 and 1984, and I adhere to this rule for the 101. That means no songs that are proto-Yacht Rock, such as Seals ...
A beginner's guide to yacht rock in five essential albums. By Jerry Ewing. ( Classic Rock ) published 1 July 2023. Yacht rock, soft rock - call it what you will. Here are five brilliant albums that define the genre in all its bearded, Hawaiian shirted glory. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross (1979) Cross' debut swept the 1981 Grammys for a reason: It's that rare yacht-rock album that's graceful, earnest, and utterly lacking in smarm. Songs ...
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Yacht Rock has become the muse of a great number of tribute bands, and is the current subject of a short-run channel on Sirius XM. Here is a stab at the Top 100 Songs of Yacht Rock — not necessarily in rank order, with a few more added for honorable mention.
Playlist · YACHT ROCK - CERTIFIED PLAYLIST · 629 items · 13.7K likes
Playlist · YACHT ROCK | TOP 100 SONGS · 153 songs · 52.9K likes
20. "Lonely Boy" (1977), Andrew Gold. The Southern Californian's biggest hit, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yacht rock tracks often tell stories, and "Lonely Boy" is one of the great ...
Best Yacht Rock Songs - Ultimate Yacht Rock Music (Playlist Updated in 2024) If you liked this playlist, we recommend you also listen to these music lists: 1...
Various Artists · Compilation · 2020 · 21 songs. ... Listen to Essential Yacht Rock on Spotify. Various Artists · Compilation · 2020 · 21 songs. Various Artists · Compilation · 2020 · 21 songs. Home; Search; Your Library. Playlists Podcasts & Shows Artists Albums. English. Resize main navigation.
Listen to Essential Yacht Rock by Various Artists on Apple Music. 2022. 20 Songs. Duration: 1 hour, 17 minutes.
Calling 'Africa' a "Yacht Rock" song is like calling Bob Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' a folk song. It's like calling The Beatles a Merseybeat group. It's accurate, but also it doesn't begin to even hint at the enormousness of the thing. 'Africa' isn't Yacht Rock. If you played 'Africa' on an actual yacht, the ...
Various Artists · Compilation · 2018 · 23 songs. ... Listen to Essential Yacht Rock on Spotify. Various Artists · Compilation · 2018 · 23 songs. Various Artists · Compilation · 2018 · 23 songs. Home; Search; Your Library. Create your first playlist It's easy, we'll help you. Create playlist.