There's a couple of lists of obscure yacht rock albums on page 21 of this thread, if you're interested. I'd also add in Archie James Cavanaugh's Black and White Raven album. That one's about as obscure as it gets; he was a South Alaskan Tlingit eskimo who put out a beautifully produced, fantastically performed yacht rock album on A&M in 1980… only to have the label decide to release it exclusively in Alaska.
I'd like to see more of folks' "definitive" yacht playlists. I don't really have what I'd consider a definitive list, but here is my current preffered selection of tracks that more or less fall within that genre: Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes Ricci Martin - Moonbeams Stephen Bishop – On and On Patrick Simmons – Sue Sad Art Garfunkel - Crying in my Sleep Ned Doheny – Get It Up For Love England Dan & John Ford Coley - I’d Really Love To See You Tonight Fleetwood Mac – Emerald Eyes Kenny Loggins – I’m Alright Jeff Harrington – Kristi Rupert Holmes – Him Doobie Brothers – It Keeps You Runnin’ Steely Dan – Dr. Wu Joni Mitchell – Help Me Robbie Dupree – Steal Away Diesel - Sausalito Summernight Fleetwood Mac – You Make Lovin’ Fun Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
"I'm Alright" is the antithesis of yacht rock... that song represents the moment when Kenny Loggins betrayed Michael McDonald by turning his back on 'really smooth music' in order to cash in on loud 80s Hollywood soundtracks. Review episode 3 from the "Yacht Rock" series: Yacht Rock - Wikipedia
I knew it would be controversial for just that reason, that track is in some ways a highway to the danger zone of uptempo '80s soundtrack fare. All I can say is, why you got to gimme a fight? Can't you just let it be?
Yup, Soundtrack Kenny ("I'm Alright", "Danger Zone", "Footloose") is an entirely different beast than Yacht Kenny ("This Is It", "Heart To Heart", "Keep The Fire").
According to the following article, this A&M is not the well-known Herb Alpert-related label, but rather the artist's own vanity label, which explains why it had such a limited release: Rediscover: Archie James Cavanaugh: Black and White Raven - Spectrum Culture "The album sounds so good that its Allmusic review (by Eugene Chadbourne of all people) is under the false impression that the A&M on the record label refers to the major label. But this A&M stands for Archie and Melinda (his wife and co-writer)"
Sure. Here's a list a posted earlier in this thread: Airplay: “Nothin’ You Can Do About It” Al Jarreau: “Breakin’ Away” Ambrosia: “Livin’ On My Own” Amy Holland: “How Do I Survive?” Archie James Cavanaugh: “Light Unto the World” Average White Band: “Love Won’t Get in the Way” Bill Champlin: “Satisfaction” Bill LaBounty: “Dream On” Boz Scaggs: “JoJo” Brenda Russell: “Deep, Dark, and Mysterious” Brian Elliot: “Queen of Clowns” The Brothers Johnson: “In the Way” Byrne & Barnes: “Love You Out of Your Mind” Carly Simon: “You Belong to Me” Dane Donohue: “Can’t Be Seen” David Pack: “That Girl is Gone” Danny O’Keefe: “Islands” Deniece Williams: “What Two Can Do” The Doobie Brothers: “You’re Made That Way” Dwayne Ford: “Lovin’ and Losin’ You” Earth, Wind, and Fire: “Can’t Hide Love” Frank Stallone (yes, really): "Waking Up (Staying Alive)" Gino Vanelli: “The River Must Flow” Hal Bradbury: “You Win, I Lose” Ian Matthews: “Don’t Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes” Jay Graydon: “What Good is Love” Kenny Loggins: “Heart to Heart” Larsen/Feiten Band: “Who’ll Be the Fool Tonight” Lee Ritenour (w/Eric Tagg and Bill Champlin): “Is it You?” Marc Jordan: “Margarita” Maxus: “Your Imagination” Michael Franks: “One Bad Habit” Michael McDonald: “I Keep Forgettin’” Narada Michael Walden: “Crazy For Ya” Ned Doheny: “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me?” Nielson & Pearson: “If You Should Sail” Niteflyte: “I Wonder” Pages: “O.C.O.E.” Patrick Simmons: “Why You Givin’ Up?’ Patti Austin: “I Can’t Stop” Peter Allen: “One Step Over the Borderline” Raydio: “A Woman Needs Love” Rickie Lee Jones: “The Real End” Robbie Dupree: “I’m No Stranger” Robert Kraft: “What Price Glory?” Sea Level: “Uptown Downtown” Steely Dan: “Peg” Stylus: “Live It On Up” Terence Boylan: “Tell Me” Toto: “Rosanna”
No. F'ing. Way. That's amazing. I mean, have you ever heard this album? The sound is amazing; that this guy somehow produced this in backwoods Alaska is nothing short of a miracle.
Nice list - but I still favor "Sue Sad" as Patrick Simmons' yacht masterpiece. How smooth are the vocals on the chorus?? McDonald must be in there, right? In other news, Marc Jordan is touring with a group of Canadian singer-songwriters, FYI: Lunch at Allen's Page
Oh, so, so good. The mockumentary is great, too. It seems to be a mix of styles, Fagan-esque vocal and elements of "Here at the Western World" paired with a more generic Westcosat soft rock sound. I think the Yacht Rock guys actually reviewed this song in their podcast.
They did. It even squeaked by at just over 50 on their Yachtski scale during a Yacht or N'yacht session. So by that rationale, it's officially yacht rock!
That song really frustrates me, because while the chorus, the solo, and the outro are the most yacht things in the world, the verses are… odd. An almost Nigerian Hi-Life fingerpick style, like something off a Peter Gabriel album. It just takes too long to get to the good stuff for my liking.
I would also suggest that although not strictly yacht, "I'm Alright" has a subversive element to it. "Here's the plan. We trick all the kids in with what appears to be a rockin' little number, but then, just when we've got them hooked, we cut the instrumentation and invite them to listen to their own heart beating."
If you want to get a handle on what is and isn't yacht rock, this site is a great resource. While I think the Yacht Rock guys are starting to lose their critical edge a bit (Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" as yacht rock? The fuh?), the material reviewed and ranked so far is pretty on point. Yacht or Nyacht?
Here's 691 songs worth of Yacht Rock smoothness: Yacht Rock, a playlist by Sonya Rigsby White on Spotify
I'm thinking why hasn't there been a yacht rock music festival? Bring together all of these artists just like those 80s Rewind music festivals.
