Recommended For You
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
Featured artists, looking glass, earth, wind & fire, kenny loggins, christopher cross, the doobie brothers, daryl hall & john oates, rupert holmes, seals & crofts, bobby caldwell, africa, middle east, and india.
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.
Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
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.
“Get rid of the guitar player and get somebody else. Nobody cares.” Kiss' Gene Simmons urges Morrissey to reunite The Smiths without Johnny Marr, but there's a plot twist
Watch thrash legends Testament perform live with 11-year-old on guitar
“Our hearts are broken.” Jane's Addiction cancel US tour and announce hiatus, with bandmates claiming that Perry Farrell's “mental health difficulties” have left them them “no alternative”, for their own safety
Yacht rock is a smooth and polished music genre that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It features a blend of soft rock, jazz, and R&B with a focus on harmonies, catchy melodies, and laid-back rhythms. The genre is often associated with the luxurious lifestyle of yacht owners and the coastal cities of California. The songs typically have themes of love, relationships, and nostalgia.
Releases by year.
Here you can see the popularity of Yacht Rock genre over time. This graph shows albums and singles releases count by year and decade.
The Doobie Brothers
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Kenny Loggins
Robert Palmer
Rick Springfield
Fleetwood Mac
Neil Diamond
George Benson
Lee Ritenour
Little River Band
Barry Manilow
Explore yacht rock history by listening to songs from every decade. Click on the decade to view songs.
Here is a list of yacht rock artists on Spotify, ranked based on popularity, who exemplifies the yacht rock genre. You can find out what yacht rock genre sounds like where you can preview artists or sort them the way you want, just click the headers to sort.
# | name | popularity | followers | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 70 | 2565628 | --> | |||||
2 | 76 | 2499803 | --> | |||||
3 | 68 | 2287414 | --> | |||||
4 | 77 | 3029901 | --> | |||||
5 | 77 | 10942048 | --> | |||||
6 | 67 | 1115039 | --> | |||||
7 | 58 | 1032388 | --> | |||||
8 | 71 | 4178016 | --> | |||||
9 | 64 | 852884 | --> | |||||
10 | 57 | 1204694 | --> | |||||
11 | 63 | 1603685 | --> | |||||
12 | 60 | 729394 | --> | |||||
13 | 82 | 11962033 | --> | |||||
14 | 57 | 753291 | --> | |||||
15 | 48 | 294897 | --> | |||||
16 | 53 | 791624 | --> | |||||
17 | 68 | 2877865 | --> | |||||
18 | 57 | 816725 | --> | |||||
19 | 55 | 664174 | --> | |||||
20 | 63 | 1216457 | --> | |||||
21 | 42 | 188284 | --> | |||||
22 | 66 | 1051955 | --> | |||||
23 | 63 | 1707396 | --> | |||||
24 | 57 | 533650 | --> | |||||
25 | 46 | 161285 | --> | |||||
26 | 53 | 487420 | --> | |||||
27 | 62 | 372048 | --> | |||||
28 | 58 | 158265 | --> | |||||
29 | 56 | 394206 | --> | |||||
30 | 53 | 256433 | --> | |||||
31 | 53 | 174884 | --> | |||||
32 | 48 | 193618 | --> | |||||
33 | 45 | 141475 | --> | |||||
34 | 43 | 100497 | --> | |||||
35 | 41 | 167507 | --> | |||||
36 | 41 | 222129 | --> | |||||
37 | 65 | 825263 | --> | |||||
38 | 38 | 11464 | --> | |||||
39 | 38 | 17344 | --> | |||||
40 | 38 | 15777 | --> | |||||
41 | 37 | 5458 | --> | |||||
42 | 35 | 3644 | --> | |||||
43 | 60 | 105926 | --> | |||||
44 | 34 | 45182 | --> | |||||
45 | 59 | 336856 | --> | |||||
46 | 34 | 13876 | --> | |||||
47 | 34 | 3150 | --> | |||||
48 | 59 | 61215 | --> | |||||
49 | 53 | 398434 | --> | |||||
50 | 33 | 15009 | --> | |||||
51 | 33 | 13155 | --> | |||||
52 | 48 | 173310 | --> | |||||
53 | 52 | 224852 | --> | |||||
54 | 32 | 7376 | --> | |||||
55 | 31 | 2181 | --> | |||||
56 | 30 | 2722 | --> | |||||
57 | 30 | 6368 | --> | |||||
58 | 28 | 6133 | --> | |||||
59 | 28 | 4016 | --> | |||||
60 | 28 | 1171 | --> | |||||
61 | 53 | 60183 | --> | |||||
62 | 48 | 166394 | --> | |||||
63 | 28 | 1314 | --> | |||||
64 | 27 | 821 | --> | |||||
65 | 27 | 3127 | --> | |||||
66 | 26 | 1998 | --> | |||||
67 | 24 | 4401 | --> | |||||
68 | 24 | 2561 | --> | |||||
69 | 49 | 10213 | --> | |||||
70 | 24 | 1461 | --> | |||||
71 | 24 | 9193 | --> | |||||
72 | 23 | 1649 | --> | |||||
73 | 46 | 240418 | --> | |||||
74 | 47 | 59561 | --> | |||||
75 | 46 | 30500 | --> | |||||
76 | 44 | 11859 | --> | |||||
77 | 44 | 22599 | --> | |||||
78 | 44 | 13143 | --> | |||||
79 | 43 | 71102 | --> | |||||
80 | 42 | 17287 | --> | |||||
81 | 42 | 52978 | --> | |||||
82 | 39 | 72975 | --> | |||||
83 | 40 | 9660 | --> | |||||
84 | 37 | 10539 | --> | |||||
85 | 36 | 19078 | --> | |||||
86 | 36 | 6230 | --> | |||||
87 | 35 | 20939 | --> | |||||
88 | 35 | 7860 | --> | |||||
89 | 30 | 3988 | --> | |||||
90 | 28 | 17640 | --> | |||||
91 | 31 | 1749 | --> | |||||
92 | 30 | 7880 | --> | |||||
93 | 30 | 140647 | --> | |||||
94 | 29 | 4978 | --> | |||||
95 | 28 | 35072 | --> | |||||
96 | 26 | 29425 | --> | |||||
97 | 26 | 2773 | --> | |||||
98 | 24 | 364 | --> | |||||
99 | 23 | 3006 | --> | |||||
100 | 23 | 3064 | --> |
Enjoy this playlist of popular yacht rock music. We made this playlist using an algorithm created by our team.
Discover more related genres to genre. This list is ordered by similarity from left to right.
Popular music has always been complex. Different musical styles break up into infinite sub-genres — what started off as rock 'n' roll has splintered into dozens of sub-genres, and even the considerably younger musical genre of rap has splintered into several distinct styles. And each of those sub-genres then splinters as musicians innovate and reinvent the form.
None of this is science, though, so it's easy to get lost down rabbit holes when discussing what bands or songs belong in what genre or sub-genre. Yacht rock is a perfect example: None of the artists currently considered to be yacht rockers called themselves that at the time or were even aware that they were carving out a distinct sub-genre of rock music. The whole idea of yacht rock is a modern invention — and yet it perfectly describes a specific type of music that ruled pop culture roughly between 1975 and 1985.
What was yacht rock? It's a soft rock musical style, sometimes called the California sound, exemplified by smoothness and melody — these weren't exactly bangers, but that doesn't mean they were bad. Yacht rock could be very musically complex, incorporating elements of jazz into their compositions. The songs were usually introspective and did not engage with politics or current events at all — they were frictionless. Imagine a wealthy white man sailing on his yacht in 1980, and the music he's listening to in your imagination is what we're talking about. Here's the bizarre history of yacht rock.
Although the roots of yacht rock arguably go back to the 1960s, the history of yacht rock begins in 2005. That's because prior to that year, the term and concept of yacht rock simply didn't exist.
According to Rolling Stone , it all began on June 26, 2005, when the 12-episode web series "Yacht Rock" was released by Channel 101. As explained by Mental Floss , the series was a lovingly mocking look back at the smooth music of the late 1970s and early 1980s, written and directed by J.D. Ryznar, produced David B. Lyons and Hunter D. Stair, and hosted by Steve Huey, a former editor at AllMusic. MasterClass notes that the series was fictional — it depicted rockers like Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald as a bunch of goofy friends hanging out and composing the smoothest rock music possible.
Ryznar and company were making gentle fun of those soft rock musicians, but the concept of yacht rock was so obviously appropriate it became viral. They defined it as perfectly produced, with a high level of musicianship and harmonic sophistication (in fact, far from being bad music, many yacht rock songs have been sampled numerous times by modern artists ), and imbued with the vibe and sound of 1970s Los Angeles. Although many yacht rock songs do have nautical references, it's not necessary to be considered yacht rock.
Although not all yacht rock songs reference the ocean, yachts, or the beach, the distant roots of the sound and the vibe go back to 1961. That's the year The Beach Boys was formed. As noted by Jacobin Magazine , the cheerful fun in the sun beach aesthetic of The Beach Boys' sound provides the fundamental template for yacht rock's sound. What elevated The Beach Boys was the songwriting craft of Brian Wilson — without his subtle genius, all that was left was the perfect production standards and sunny vibe. As noted by Warm 106.9 , the band's classic song "Sloop John B" is often cited as a clear influence on the sailing-obsessed soft rock that hit the charts a decade later.
In fact, as noted by MeTV , The Beach Boys' 1973 song "Sail On, Sailor" is considered a proto-yacht rock song. Because it was co-written by troubled musical genius Brian Wilson, the song isn't really yacht rock, but it holds many of the seeds, from its perfect production to the jazzy complexity hidden under mellow good-time vibes. And everything came full circle in 1988 when The Beach Boys released their Number One hit, "Kokomo," a song Stereogum describes as "extremely boring and self-satisfied yacht-rock." Singer Mark McGrath cites "Kokomo" as probably the last legitimate yacht rock song to ever be released.
It wasn't just the California vibe and sailing imagery that yacht rock took from The Beach Boys. As noted by The Guardian , in the mid-1960s, a man named Daryl Dragon began playing keyboards with The Beach Boys as a backup musician. Dragon had a habit of wearing a ship captain's hat as part of his on-stage costume, underscoring the nautical theme and earning him the nickname "The Captain." According to Jacobin Magazine , Toni Tennille also toured with The Beach Boys. Dragon and Tennille married and, a few years later, formed the group Captain & Tennille, whose Grammy-winning song "Love Will Keep Us Together" is considered one of the earliest yacht rock hits.
Meanwhile, another foundational yacht rock band formed in 1972: Steely Dan . According to The Seattle Times , part of what defines yacht rock is the people involved. Members of The Doobie Brothers – especially Michael McDonald, Toto , and Steely Dan tend to be involved in some capacity (songwriting, background vocals, or performing) on most yacht rock songs. This was the inspiration for the original comedy sketch that birthed the whole concept . Steely Dan came to define the perfect production, jazzy musicality, and smooth melody lines of the genre. And as noted by Mental Floss , Steely Dan shared session musicians with many of their musical genre peers, explaining the somewhat similar sound produced by these different groups.
Many of the pieces that would form yacht rock existed long before the genre coalesced into a recognizable sound and vibe. Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina formed Loggins & Messina in 1971, and according to The Chicago Tribune , their 1975 album "Full Sail" is part of yacht rock legend. The album's cover art depicts Loggins and Messina on an actual yacht, looking pretty relaxed and very California. The album was held up at the very beginning of the "Yacht Rock" series to demonstrate what the creators of the series were talking about.
Loggins & Messina are crucial to the yacht rock story because they broke up. As noted by The Seattle Times , one of the features of yacht rock is the loose collaborations between a small group of musicians — and Kenny Loggins is a key member of that group. Loggins wrote many yacht rock classics recorded and performed by other artists, and Loggins himself often released his own versions of songs he gave to other artists, increasing his influence over the genre.
Loggins, now a free agent, worked with Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers several times as the core yacht rock musicians collaborated freely, ensuring a certain uniformity of sound and style that resulted in a recognizable sub-genre.
Mention the band Steely Dan in conjunction with the concept of yacht rock, and many people will have a passionate reaction . Yacht rock is often erroneously believed to be bad music and is frequently conflated with soft rock. But the opposite is true: According to MasterClass , part of what defines yacht rock is the harmonic sophistication and jazz influences of the music. In other words, yacht rock was often composed and recorded at a very high level of musical ability.
That's where Steely Dan comes in. Famed for their complex arrangements and overt jazz influences, the band produced smooth, melodic songs that perfectly captured the late-1970s California vibe. Rolling Stone considered the band's sixth studio album, "Aja," a pinnacle for the musical genre. The songs are intricate, the production is pristine, and the mood is mellow. Decider was even more enthusiastic in their praise, establishing the album as essential listening to any fan of yacht rock and notes that by the time Steely Dan (Walter Becker and Donald Fagan) recorded "Aja" they weren't really a band — they were two guys with a lot of session musicians, musicians who often played on other yacht rock bands' recordings, resulting in a similar sound on many of these records. And Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers even sings backup on some songs.
U ltimate Classic Rock ranks one of the songs from the "Aja," "Peg," as the second-best yacht rock song of all time and describes "Aja" as having "impeccable airtightness that falls somewhere between soft pop and jazz."
Movements in music and the evolution of sub-genres usually have deep roots that go back invisibly into the past. But they often also have a key moment that clearly marks their beginning. As noted by Mental Floss , for yacht rock, that beginning comes in 1978 with the release of "What a Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers.
The song was written by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. Not only did this song kick off the habit of collaboration between the artists that came to define this genre — IGN pegs it as number three on its list of the best yacht rock songs, describing the song as quirky and mellow, while according to Smooth Radio , the song is the ultimate example of what makes a yacht rock song. The song was a massive hit for The Doobie Brothers, one of the few non-disco hits that year.
The song is considered so "yachty," in fact, that according to Houstonia Magazine , the "Yacht Rock" series that defined the musical genre kicks off with an episode spoofing the writing of the song. The song is, indeed, kind of the platonic ideal of a yacht rock song: It's musically complex, smooth as heck, and lyrically focused on a lovelorn fool, a frequent topic of yacht rock songs. And, of course, it involves Loggins and McDonald.
M ark McGrath , the lead singer of Sugar Ray, calls "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes the ultimate yacht rock song and an inspiration for all future yacht rock songs to follow. The song's connection to the genre is so clear that ABC News reports it was chosen for inclusion in the "NOW That's What I Call Yacht Rock" compilation album.
It's easy to see why the song (and the album containing it, 1979's "Partners in Crime") is what a computer algorithm would create if tasked with composing a yacht rock song. As noted by Rolling Stone , Holmes displays the musicianship of Steely Dan while singing with the exuberance of Barry Manilow. That combination of mellow, smooth delivery and complex song arrangements, and a distinctly California vibe make this an iconic example of yacht rock. As MasterClass notes, the song's clean production links it to other yacht rock songs because it eliminates mistakes or rough spots and offers the illusion of smooth perfection.
The song is also one of the most enduring and well-known yacht rock songs of all time. If you're trying to explain yacht rock to someone, this is the song to use as an example.
The unquestioned high point of yacht rock came in 1980. Songs from bands associated with this genre of music had been big hits before, but that year a yacht rock album dominated pop culture, ensuring that this style of music would be remembered and defined decades later. We're talking about, of course, "Sailing" by Christopher Cross .
U ltimate Classic Rock reports the song was a smash hit, earning Cross several Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Arrangement. Its yacht rock cred begins with its title and themes — it's literally about sailing, presumably on some sort of yacht (Cross doesn't seem the type to sail on anything less). The song is smooth as glass but extremely complex, combining strings, open-tuned arpeggios, and what Rolling Stone calls "an elegant pop classicism." And as Jacobin Magazine notes, the song features backing vocals from none other than the artistic glue that holds the genre together, Michael McDonald.
"Sailing," and the album it hailed from, remain the most successful examples of yacht rock, a pinnacle of sales and awards both Cross and the genre never managed again. No one knew they were part of the yacht rock movement at the time or that it was all (slowly) downhill from there.
One of the characteristics of yacht rock, as noted by Mental Floss , is the extremely high level of musicianship on the records — largely due to the use of professional session musicians that were shared by yacht rock groups like Steely Dan. In the late 1970s, some of those session musicians decided to form their own band, and Toto was born. This was a key moment: As noted by the man who helped define yacht rock, J.D. Ryznar, one way to identify a yacht rock song is to ask if members of Toto played on it.
In 1982, Toto released "Toto IV," which Smooth Radio noted contains two all-time yacht rock classics in "Rosanna" and "Africa." Vinyl Me, Please calls "Toto IV" a perfect introduction to the musical genre, which makes sense since the members of Toto were involved in so many recordings we now consider to be yacht rock.
But Toto was involved in another project in 1982, one that proves how the yacht rock sound traveled through session musicians: Michael Jackson's "Thriller." As reported by NOW Magazine , Toto was heavily involved with the album, and Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro even contributed a classic yacht rock track that became the fifth Top Ten song from the album (per Rolling Stone ): "Human Nature." Porcaro originally wrote it for Toto but accidentally included it on a tape of demos for producer Quincy Jones — who immediately loved it.
The heyday of this musical genre was between roughly 1975 and 1985. By the late 1980s, musical tastes had shifted, and most yacht rockers found themselves fading off the charts. But there was one final gasp of the genre in 1988 when the legendary band The Beach Boys released their No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Kokomo."
Despite its success, the song is widely hated ( Mel Magazine shared their extreme dislike for the song and even Mike Love), but it's definitely a yacht rock song. According to Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath , it's likely the last yacht rock song to be released. By the time The Beach Boys began working on it, however, they weren't too concerned about quality — as noted by EW.com , the band hadn't been on the charts in years, didn't have a record contract, and had been reduced to playing Oldies tours to pay the bills. The band accepted the invitation to contribute a song to the soundtrack of the Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue romantic comedy, "Cocktail" largely for the money and actually left the composition of the song to John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, and Terry Melcher, giving the song the traditional session-player touch of all yacht rock songs.
The song's yacht rock bona-fides are pretty clear — in fact, as Stereogum notes, the original demo makes its yacht rock roots very, very clear. But even The Beach Boys' version with its earworm chorus retains the smooth, slickly-produced sound that marks all yacht rock tunes.
After being established as a distinct genre of music by the " Yacht Rock" web series in 2005 , yacht rock enjoyed a period of viral fame. Everyone who came across the term quickly realized it actually made sense to regard these songs as a specific style of soft rock, and there was a lot of buzz around the topic. But all buzz fades, and after a few years, yacht rock was no longer an exciting new idea — it was an accepted truth.
But in recent years, the genre has made a comeback, infiltrating pop culture for the second time. A seminal moment in this comeback was the release of "The Blue Jean Committee" in 2018. As noted by 100.9 The Eagle , "The Blue Jean Committee" is a "mockumentary" that has actually served as an introduction to yacht rock for a whole new generation of people. Esquire reports that the show (and the "fake yacht rock band" at its center) was created by comedians Fred Armisen and Bill Hader for their TV series "Documentary Now!" But they went as far as actually writing songs for the band — and even made a music video showcasing the very yacht rocky song "Catalina Breeze," eventually releasing an entire EP, according to Wired . Suddenly, yacht rock was on everyone's mind again, more than 15 years after the initial phenomenon and more than 40 years since the actual musical era ended.
As noted by The Guardian , yacht rock is experiencing a full-on reappraisal. Long considered to be trite and boring, emblematic of the insincere late 1970s and early 1980s era, a new appreciation for the very things that make these songs yacht rock is developing. One key reason is that clear production noted by MasterClass — yacht rock songs sound timeless and still slap today because they weren't thrown together. The bands spent a lot of time and money and care to make every song sound amazing, which has helped them pass the test of time. And recent years have seen bands like The Yacht Rock Revue achieve surprising success in the genre, as noted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
As InsideHook notes, the rise of Internet culture has helped people rediscover and appreciate yacht rock. Younger generations have grown up in a world where they can listen to anything, any time they want. The result has been a softening of genre edges, and the adoption of old, outdated musical trends. There's a whole new group of soft rock bands that aren't covering yacht rock songs; they're writing new ones.
And as reported by MTV , yacht rock original gangsters are also releasing new music, proving that the genre has fresh legs. According to NPR , in 2017, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald collaborated with bassist and singer Thundercat on the song "Show You the Way." Suffice it to say, this ship (or should we say yacht?) is still sailing.
Account Subscription: ACTIVE
Questions about your account? Our customer service team can be reached at [email protected] during business hours at (207) 791-6000 .
The Portland Yacht Rock Festival will feature soft-rock songs of the '70s and '80s.
You are able to gift 5 more articles this month.
Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more .
With a Press Herald subscription, you can gift 5 articles each month.
It looks like you do not have any active subscriptions. To get one, go to the subscriptions page .
Portland Yacht Rock Festival singers (left to right). Sean Slaughter, Owen Conforte, Gina Alibrio, Viva the Sensation, Don Campbell and Kris Rodgers. Design by Kate Beever Design by Kate Beever
If you love ’70s and early ’80s tunes from artists like Toto, Christopher Cross, America, Ambrosia and Bread, you’ll want to buy a ticket to the Portland Yacht Rock Festival.
The show is on Friday at Aura.
Yacht Rock is the tongue-in-cheek name given to soft-rock music that is loosely associated with southern California and boating. Mostly, it’s comprised of hit songs that you won’t bang your head to but will certainly sing along with. Best of luck with the those high notes in the refrain of Toto’s “Africa.”
Aura general manager Mark Curdo is a gigantic Yacht Rock fan, and the first planning meeting about the show took place at Three Dollar Dewey’s in January.
Curdo, with the help of guitarist Max Cantlin (Gina and the Red Eye Flight Crew, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Micromasse), assembled an all-star cast of 14 local musicians to perform a slew of classic Yacht Rock songs on Friday night. Advertisement
“I’ve been a fan of light and easy listening rock my whole life,” Curdo said. “Whether people think Yacht Rock is cheesy or not, at the end of the day, this stuff is well done and the musicianship is ridiculous.”
Singer Gina Alibrio. Design by Kate Beever
The idea for the Yacht Rock show has been mapped out in Curdo’s head for a few years. “I wanted to have a few lead singers, I knew certain ones could hit certain notes, and I actually had the whole set list.”
It includes hits like “Reminiscing” by Little River Band, “Ventura Highway” by America, “Midnight at the Oasis” by Maria Muldaur, “Eye In The Sky” by The Alan Parsons Project and “On and On” by Stephen Bishop.
Don Campbell. Design by Kate Beever
Lead vocal duties will be shared among Don Campbell, Gina Alibrio, Owen Conforte and Kris Rodgers. There will also be a couple of guest vocalists taking the stage.
The band is led by Cantlin and includes Tyler Quist on bass, Chris Sweet on drums, Emma Stanley on trumpet and flugelhorn and Kate Beever on percussion, among several others.
The Portland Yacht Rock Festival 8 p.m. Friday. Aura, 121 Center St., Portland, $25, $35, 18-plus. auramaine.com Advertisement
Musician Bitch. Photo by Dana Lynn Pleasant
Boston-based singer-songwriter Bitch (Karen Mould) is performing a Saturday night show on Great Diamond Island, the home of their longtime friend Dini Lamot.
“I’m gonna bring my bass and my violin, sing songs and tell some stories, and it should be really intimate and sweet,” said Bitch (known as Karen only to their mother, according to a 2022 interview.)
The show will feature a number of songs from the 2022 album “Bitchcraft,” including “Easy Target,” which they wrote in the aftermath of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, and the synth- and percussion-heavy breakup tune “Pages.”
The album was well-received, and Bitch enjoyed the boost after a several year hiatus from putting out music. “It gave me wind under my broomstick again. It has been a beautiful homecoming into being an artist again.”
They said they’ve also been writing new material. “I actually started laying a couple of songs down in the studio last month. There’s a new project on the horizon.”
Bitch has been performing a one-woman show since the release of “Bitchcraft” and was excited to share that it will have an off-Broadway run in New York City starting this winter.
To get to the show on Saturday, take the Casco Bay Lines Great Diamond Island ferry at 6 p.m. Return trips depart at 10:35 p.m. Tickets are $14 and be purchased at the terminal. Visit cascobaylines.com for details.
Bitch 7 p.m. Saturday. Elwell Hall, 1 Crescent Ave., Great Diamond Island, $10-$20 donation at the door. bitchmusic.com Note: Due to artist illness, this show has been canceled
We invite you to add your comments, and we encourage a thoughtful, open and lively exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . You can also read our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here .
Readers may now see a Top Comments tab, which is an experimental software feature to detect and highlight comments that demonstrate compassion, reasoning, personal stories and curiosity, and encourage and promote civil discourse.
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs .
Your commenting screen name has been updated.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Auburn couple ‘throwing hands up’ after trying to open day care near lake auburn, maine’s high court is about to weigh a major legal battle on beach ownership, gorham connector’s estimated cost is up, while traffic counts are down, body found in falmouth near presumpscot river identified as adult man, member log in.
Please enter your username and password below. Already a subscriber but don't have one? Click here .
Not a subscriber? Click here to see your options
Monday's arrest of Sean Diddy Combs by federal authorities comes after 10 months of allegations of sexual misconduct and other abuse by the music mogul
NEW YORK -- Sean “Diddy” Combs has been arrested by federal authorities in New York after a grand jury indictment, which prosecutors plan to ask a judge to unseal. The major move comes 10 months after allegations of sexual and other abuse against the music mogul, and an announcement from prosecutors that he was being investigated for sex trafficking.
Here is a look at the key events that have unfolded since late last year.
Cassie says in a lawsuit that Combs subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape. Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, signed to Combs' label in 2005, and the two were on-again-off-again romantic partners for more than a decade starting in 2007. The lawsuit filed in federal court says Combs was “prone to uncontrollable rage” and subjected her to “savage” beatings. It says he plied her with drugs, forced her to have sex with other men, and raped her in her home as she was trying to end the relationship in 2018. Combs, through his attorney, “vehemently denies” the accusations.
With staggering speed, Ventura's lawsuit is settled the day after it is filed. The terms of the agreement are kept confidential. “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably," Combs says in a statement. "I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Two more women accuse Combs of sexual abuse in lawsuits filed on the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act , a New York law permitting victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations. The lawsuits, filed by Joi Dickerson and another woman who was not named, allege acts of sexual assault, beatings and forced drugging in the early 1990s by Combs, then a talent director, party promoter and rising figure in New York City’s hip-hop community. Combs' attorneys call the allegations false.
Combs temporarily steps down as chairman of his cable television network, Revolt, because of the wave of sexual abuse allegations. It would be one of several business setbacks for Combs brought on by the lawsuits.
A woman alleges in another lawsuit that in 2003 when she was 17, Combs and two other men raped her. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan says she was living in a Detroit suburb and was flown to a New York studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol that made her incapable of consenting to sex, and the men took turns raping her.
The same day, Combs posts a statement on Instagram broadly denying all the allegations in the mounting series of lawsuits. “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” the post says. "I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
A music producer files a lawsuit alleging Combs sexually assaulted him and forced him to have sex with prostitutes. The lawsuit gives a long list of potentially illegal activities dealing with drugs and sex that the producer says he witnessed. A lawyer for Combs calls the allegations “pure fiction.”
Homeland Security Investigations serves search warrants in early morning raids on Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in what officials tell The Associated Press is a sex-trafficking investigation. Combs was at one of his homes in Miami at the time. His two sons, at his home in Los Angeles, were handcuffed during the search, Combs' attorneys said. Officials did not say whether the raids were prompted by the civil lawsuits, but Combs' attorneys said they believed they were.
Combs’ lawyer calls the raids “a gross use of military-level force” and says Combs is “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name. The attorney, Aaron Dyer, says there is "no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”
A lawsuit that names Combs as a co-defendant alleges that his son Christian “King” Combs sexually assaulted a woman working on a yacht chartered by his father. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court says Sean Combs created the circumstances that led to the assault and paid to cover it up afterward. An attorney for the two men calls the allegations “outrageous.”
In the first major piece of legal pushback from Combs and his team, they file a motion to dismiss several elements of Dickerson's lawsuit because they were not illegal in 1991 when the alleged incidents occurred. While the legal objections are procedural, the filing also slams the “numerous false, offensive, and salacious accusations” in the lawsuit.
Combs asks a federal judge to dismiss the Dec. 6 lawsuit that alleged he and two co-defendants raped a 17-year-old girl from Michigan in a New York recording studio. Again, the objections are procedural — alleging the lawsuit was filed too late under the law — but the court document calls its claims “false and hideous.”
CNN airs video that shows Combs attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely mirrors an assault described in her lawsuit, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke and came after her. In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Ventura, kicks her, and throws her on to the floor. The lawsuit alleges Combs paid $50,000 to take away the video at the time. Combs' representatives had no immediate comment.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office says it cannot prosecute Combs for the attack shown in the video due to statute of limitation, noting that no case had been presented to prosecutors.
Combs posts a video on Instagram and Facebook apologizing for the assault on Ventura. It's his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the recent stream of allegations began.
“My behavior on that video is inexcusable," Combs says. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”
At the request of New York Mayor Eric Adams, Combs returns a key to the city. Adams sent letters to Combs rescinding the honor as part of the fallout of the leak of the video of Combs beating Cassie. Adams says he was “deeply disturbed” by the video. Adams awarded Combs with the key at a ceremony in 2023.
A day earlier, Howard University announced it had rescinded an honorary degree given to Combs and disbanded a scholarship program in his name.
As part of a multi-faceted pushback against the lawsuits filed against him, Combs asks a federal judge to throw out the February lawsuit from the music producer. His lawyers say the suit was overrun with “tall tales,” “lurid theatrics,” “legally meaningless allegations” and “blatant falsehoods” whose intent is only to “generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement."
Diddy is sued by singer Dawn Richard in a case describing years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping, that she says she suffered as he helped launch her career. Richard, a member of the girl group Danity Kane and is well-known for appearing on the MTV reality show “Making the Band,” alleges in the suit that she witnessed Combs abuse Cassie and was afraid of the mogul.
Diddy's representatives accuse Richard of making “an attempt to rewrite history” by manufacturing “a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a pay day — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour.”
Combs is arrested on a Monday night in New York after a grand jury indictment. No details on the charges were made public, but federal officials say they will ask a judge to unseal the indictment a day later. Combs' attorney calls it was an unjust prosecution of an “imperfect person” who is “not a criminal."
The Associated Press doesn't typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as those named here have.
24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Yacht (stylized as YACHT, Y CHT or Y CHT) is an American dance-pop band from Portland, Oregon, currently based in Los Angeles, California. The core group consists of Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans, and when touring expands to include Bobby Birdman. Yacht has released albums on States Rights Records, Marriage Records, DFA Records, and ...
List of yacht rock artists The following is a list of yacht rock bands and artists.
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 pre-dates the classic yacht-rock era.
The singer was arguably the biggest success story of the relatively short-lived yacht rock era, and this one still sounds incredible. Eagles - 'I Can't Tell You Why'
Caldwell earned the opportunity to release his debut album as a singer/songwriter on the label in 1978. "Love" Story Caldwell wrote and recorded several songs he thought were prime candidates ...
Top 100 Greatest Yacht Rock Songs of All Time with Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, George Benson and More!
Tommy Marz counts down his Top 24 Yacht Rock Songs. There's one caveat: Only one song per band. Solo projects are treated separately. Michael McDonald mad...
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.
Top 100 Yacht Rock Songs. A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop.
The idea of yacht rock conjures up a particular lifestyle, but beneath the surface lies a trove of sophisticated hits that still resonate.
Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast sound[4][5] or adult-oriented rock[6]) is a broad music style and aesthetic [7] commonly associated with soft rock, [8] one of the most commercially successful genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Drawing on sources such as smooth soul, smooth jazz, [1] R&B, and disco, [7] common stylistic ...
Our list of the best yacht rock songs incorporates west coast style to make you feel like you're floating on a California coastal bay.
Yacht Rock: Album Guide. From Steely Dan to Christopher Cross to Carly Simon, these smooth summer jams will take you away to where you're going to. Walter Becker, left, and Donald Fagen are Steely ...
Yacht Rock: How the Smooth Sounds of the '70s and '80s Became a Genuine Genre. When the weather's warm, the weekends long, and the cocktails crafted using blue curaçao, there's no better music than yacht rock—the soft, smooth sounds released between roughly 1976 and 1984 that typically feature vocals and keyboards with guitars barely ...
Sailing: The Best Of Yacht Rock is the ultimate #YachtRock playlist of the smoothest classic rock songs ever written.
Reviewer Peter Nason counts down the greatest 101 YACHT ROCK HITS for your summertime listening pleasure.
Listen to the YACHT ROCK | TOP 100 SONGS playlist by Filtr on Apple Music. 101 Songs. Duration: 6 hours, 52 minutes.
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.
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
ROLLING STONE: 'People Don't Let Go of These Songs': The Surprising Evolution of the Yacht Rock Revue "If you asked me five years ago to do a full original album with this band, I'd say, 'Tear my heart out and leave it on the floor,'" Yacht Rock Revue singer Nick Niespodziani says.
This is the ultimate playlist of favorites from the 70's, 80's and in between. No fillers or obscure artists you've never heard of. Only the greatest rock, soft-rock and pop hits.
Yacht rock is a smooth and polished music genre that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It features a blend of soft rock, jazz, and R&B with a focus on harmonies, catchy melodies, and laid-back rhythms. The genre is often associated with the luxurious lifestyle of yacht owners and the coastal cities of California. The songs typically have themes of love, relationships, and nostalgia.
Yacht rock perfectly describes a specific type of music exemplified by cool, smooth, jazzy California vibes, but is it a modern invention?
The Portland Yacht Rock Festival will feature soft-rock songs of the '70s and '80s, and Bitch will play an intimate set Saturday on Great Diamond. ... "I wanted to have a few lead singers, I ...
Stream Full Concert with Passport: https://to.pbs.org/yachtrockA sneak peek of this nostalgic musical journey through the late 70s and early 80s, featuring h...
Diddy is sued by singer Dawn Richard in a case describing years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping, that she says she suffered as he helped launch her career.