Michael McDonald's "No Lookin' Back" (1985) and Kenny Loggins' "Vox Humana" (1985) share that same kind of synth- and drum machine-heavy sound as that Pack album from the same year.
Yes, but Yacht rock- as a distinct subgenre of Westcoast - was over by then, at least as a dominant or influential form of music of the time.
This is a really good point. I suppose it could be my perception—since I was in junior high while yacht rock was at its peak and I wasn't actually going to shows or aware of some of the era's more obscure underground music—but I really felt a "we're all in this together" vibe in the music scene. It seemed as though you could go to a Black Sabbath concert one night, a Pretenders concert the next, and a Kenny Loggins concert the next, and no one would really bat an eye—you were just going to "rock and roll" shows. Of course, in the '80s your "scene" became much more important, and I suppose with the advent of MTV your look also did, which has continued to evolve today, where music is so rigidly, ludicrously segmented—symphonic prog metal, anyone?—that everyone and everything must be labeled and put into a specific bin. But back then, it just seemed as though you could simply enjoy what you enjoyed, play what you wanted to play, and no one would judge you for it.
Interesting; it sounds a bit like Robert Palmer covering Barry White's "Never, Never, Gonna Give You Up."
That's a good comparison. To me, the melody sounds very similar (almost a copy, frankly) to Johnny Bristol's great "Hang On in There Baby" from 1974. The Bristol song was very much in the vein of Barry White's material.
Does Al Jarreau's High Crime album (produced by Jay Graydon) count as one of these Techno-Yacht albums as well? To be honest, it doesn't sound very Yacht/West Coast to me, despite the pedigree. I think that, by 1985, the sound was pretty much a thing of the past, sadly.
Ah-ha! THAT'S the song I was trying to remember. It was waaaaaay in the back of my mind, but I didn't know the artist and I couldn't remember enough of the lyrics to do a Google search. Thanks—it was driving me insane.
Nope. Very smooth, but definitely an Adult Contemporary love ballad. Some good personnel, though; written by Carole Bayer Sager, and the album features yacht stalwarts David Foster, Mike Porcaro, Greg Phillinganes, Michael Boddicker, Chuck Findley, and, of course, Paulinho Da Costa.
Would this fit the West Coast bill more so than yacht? Regardless, it's fantastic, especially the lead vocals and section around the two-minute mark.
Wow, this is a tough one. This is an interesting song in that it combines both the yacht rock and Mellow Mafia sounds rather seamlessly; more of a Joni Mitchell folky sound and CSN harmonies on the intro and outro, with a pretty yachty center. I don't know if I'd call it yacht rock—although I'd say the argument could certainly be made—but I think it fits nicely under the Westcoast umbrella.
I’m bumping this thread only to say I read about an 80s soft rock cover band here called ‘Yachty By Nature.’ ‘You down wit Kenny G?/Yeah, you know me!’
As a fan of West Coast/AOR/Yacht Rock music, I’m going to try to write an occasional series of posts here – as time allows! – spotlighting standout albums in those genres. The purpose will be to generate discussion among fellow West Coast music lovers. This has been a great thread already, and I’d like to get the momentum going again. Up first is Bill Champlin’s “Runaway” album from 1981. Artist: Bill Champlin Album: “Runaway” Year released: 1981 Label: Elektra/Asylum Producer: David Foster (except “Take It Uptown” by Kenny Loggins) Engineered and mixed by: Humberto Gatica Arranged by: David Foster and Bill Champlin Recorded at: Sunset Sound, Monterey Sound, Santa Monica Sound, Davlin Studios, Sound Labs Horns arranged by: Jerry Hey Strings arranged by: David Foster (except “The Fool is All Alone” by James Newton Howard) Mixed at: Studio 55, Hollywood Side One "Runaway" (Written by Bill Champlin/Steve Lukather) "One Way Ticket" (Bill Champlin/George Sopuch) "Sara" (Bill Champlin/Alan Thicke) "Tonight Tonight" (David Foster/Ray Kennedy/Bill Champlin) "Runaway Reprise" (David Foster/Bill Champlin) "Take It Uptown" (Bill Champlin/Kenny Loggins) Side Two "Satisfaction" (Bill Champlin/Richard Page) "Stop Knockin’ On My Door" (Bill Champlin/Barron Abramovich) "Gotta Get Back To Love" (Tom Kelly/Kerry Hatch) "Without You" (Bill Champlin/Amber Di Lena) "The Fool is All Alone" (Bill Champlin/David Foster) Why is this album a West Coast classic? The main reason is that it was produced by David Foster, who was one of the key figures in the great West Coast sounds of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Canadian-born Foster was in his early 30s then and starting to make a name for himself as a producer. He was a creative, hard-working force and produced many classic LPs and songs in the “West Coast/Yacht Rock” vein. You’ll surely see his name time and again in these profiles. Foster also contributed as a songwriter and session man on numerous West Coast classics, including ones he produced. While later in his career Foster would be accused of being a purveyor of mainstream schmaltz, his work during the Yacht Rock era was immaculately produced West Coast ear candy of the highest order. He usually hired top-notch L.A.-based session players, and together they made some high-quality, tuneful pop that often featured touches of R&B and jazz. “Runaway” is a classic West Coast album that can be listened to all the way through and gone back to repeatedly, and I think a lot of that has to do with Foster’s production genius. I’m guessing the LP never sold many copies and it might have even been a staple of record store cut-out bins back in the day. But in the West Coast world, it’s a gem. Who are some of the key session players on this album? “Runaway” features many of the L.A.-based studio aces whose names frequently pop up on “West Coast/Yacht Rock” classics from that era. To name some of them: Foster (producer/keyboards/piano/Fender Rhodes/Moog bass); Humberto Gatica (engineer/mixer and percussion); Jerry Hey (horns); Gary Grant and Chuck Finley (trumpets); Steve Lukather (guitar); Jay Graydon (guitar); Abraham Laboriel (bass); Jeff Porcaro (drums); Richard Page (background vocals); Kenny Loggins (background vocals; producer on one track); and James Newton Howard (string arrangements). Put it all together and these guys crafted a very pleasing-to-the-ear album. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that some of those same artists listed above contributed in the songwriting department on this LP, too: Foster co-wrote three of the songs, and Lukather, Loggins and Page each chipped in on one apiece. What is unique about the artist, Bill Champlin? Even though I’ve been giving a lot of the credit to the producer and session players above, Champlin absolutely puts his stamp on this work, too. Before he joined the band Chicago and helped it record some huge-selling albums in the 1980s that were also produced by Foster and virtually defined the adult-contemporary genre, Champlin was a journeyman rock singer/songwriter/keyboardist/guitarist who had been kicking around the industry dating back to the 1960s. He had been most well-known for being the pivotal figure in the Bay Area-based Sons of Champlin group. “Runaway” was Champlin’s second solo LP. It followed 1978’s “Single,” which was produced by a then-emerging Foster and aimed for a Boz Scaggs-like “Silk Degrees” feel. Foster and Champlin were both busy on the Los Angeles session scene, sometimes working on the same projects. It was only natural that they got together again for a second solo Champlin LP. That record, “Runaway,” uses Champlin’s gruff, R&B-flavored pipes to good advantage. The album features a couple of white-boy R&B workouts in Side 1’s “Take It Uptown” and Side 2’s “Stop Knockin’ On My Door” (the former is a horn-heavy song that is the only track not produced by Foster on this album; the chore is handled by Loggins, who also co-wrote the tune and sings background vocals). The rest of the LP has several beautiful, well-produced ballads in the Foster style and some mainstream pop-rock tracks. Most of the songs feature themes of trying to fix love gone wrong, which again places it squarely in the Yacht Rock/West Coast tradition. Champlin co-wrote 10 of the 11 cuts on this album; played piano, guitar and Hammond organ on some of them; and added his background vocals on many. If you like Michael McDonald’s blue-eyed soul from this same era, you’ll probably dig Champlin’s vocals. The leadoff, titular track “Runaway” was co-written by Champlin and Lukather. It’s a nice pop-rock song that features some nifty guitar work from Lukather. The song’s theme is that Champlin had to run away from being a “small-town singer” (although I’m not sure if the Bay Area truly applies in that regard!) and move to L.A. and take a shot at the big time. The track also uses a “talking keyboard/synthesizer” (if I could describe it better or name it, I would), which must have been a new thing at the time. That effect is also used on the penultimate track of Side 1, “Runaway Reprise,” as Champlin performs scat vocals over the keyboards. Also on Side 1, “Sara” is a sweet ballad that was co-written by Champlin and the late Alan Thicke. Yes, that Alan Thicke, who co-wrote some TV show themes (“Diff’rent Strokes” and “Facts of Life”) back in those days and was a friend of fellow Canada native Foster. The next track is “Tonight Tonight,” an ultra-smooth ballad that Foster co-wrote with Ray Kennedy. In fact, the song was included on Kennedy’s Foster-produced album “Ray Kennedy” from the year before under the name “Everlasting Love.” That album is another West Coast gem. Highlights on Side 2 include the uptempo track “Satisfaction,” which was co-written by Champlin and Page and has some great horn charts by Hey; another gorgeous, smooth ballad in “Gotta Get Back To Love”; and the album-closing track, “The Fool Is All Alone,” yet another awesomely produced, sweeping ballad that was co-written by Champlin and Foster and features an epic, highly emotive guitar solo from Graydon. As students of “West Coast” know, Champlin also contributed background vocals to many classic albums and songs in the genre during the late 1970s and the early 1980s, just before he joined Chicago and made it to the big time. To name just one example, that’s him on background vocals on 1981’s “Is It You?” by Lee Ritenour and Eric Tagg. But “Runaway” was his shining moment as a solo artist before his days in Chicago, and the LP is well worth seeking out for those interested in the “West Coast/AOR/Yacht Rock” sounds of that era.
Wow, great write-up! I'd agree that Champlin is indeed one of the masters of the genre who—at least by the general rock-and-roll public—doesn't get enough credit for his work. I'd say the real standout yacht rocker here is definitely "Satisfaction." Great vocal performance, nice harmonies, cool changes, a soaring bridge, and a nicely in-your-face chorus. Nice performances all around, and the unusual (for yacht, anyway) synth over the electric piano really works. You can hear everyone trying stuff out here. There's EWF moments, Toto moments, hints of Foster's schmaltzy mid-80s ballad sound starting to take form. There's other styles here as well. "Runaway" and "One Way Ticket" are essentially power pop songs; "The Fool is All Alone," despite having the yachtiest title ever, is very adult contemporary. If nothing else, it's a great chance to hear some of the great writers and players from the yacht world set free to do whatever they wanted.
That's certainly a good thought, although for now I think I'll continue posting these "Yacht Rock/West Coast" album summaries/profiles on this thread since it already seems to have a following. And I should stress that this is an *occasional* series of posts from my end as time allows. If anyone else wants to get into the act, by all means, please do so. But I do love writing as well as music (including the great "West Coast/Yacht Rock" sounds of the late 1970s and early 1980s), so I intend to post further album synopses here when I can. Thanks.
Perhaps; I see Michael McDonald as the king and Cristopher Cross as a bit of a charlatan. As we've discussed a few times in this thread, I just don't particularly like Christopher Cross as yacht rock. All the elements are there—the musicians, the era, the location—but the end result just doesn't add up. Soft rock, certainly, but yacht? It seems to be missing the edge and irony of the best. And Rafferty is in the same boat. From 20 feet away, he seems like perfect yacht rock, but when you start to break it down, it just doesn't add up. No studio musicians of note. Wrong locale. But most importantly, wrong lyrical content. Most yacht paints an abstract portrait of a fool and his romantic loss or ennui. Rafferty, on the other hand, is a storyteller. You'll find plenty of people who will defend Rafferty as yacht rock, and almost everyone thinks Christopher Cross is, but when I analyze them objectively, neither seems to make their case.
Perhaps. But did you listen to the song? "Runaway" sounds like a Brian Adams b-side from the mid '80s or the best song The Tubes never recorded. It's got rock verses and synth all over it. The chorus is… kinda yachty… I guess? But to me, if it's yacht it's mid-50s on the Yachtski at best, and most of that is because of the musicians in question. Not buying it.
Cross is Yachty is spots, especially on the first two albums (more on the first). Rafferty? Nyacht. Soft Rock? Yes.
Oh wow, this is a good one—that chorus is killer. Alas, the hits did not keep on comin', did they, Far Cry?
