Wow, I'm just floored by this. I actually went and checked this out because I couldn't believe it was real. If you want the Cliff Notes on yacht rock and Westcoast, this is one of the most perfect expressions of both I've ever heard. I think ol' Thunder might be "taking the piss" a bit as the Brits say, but if this is the result, who cares? And this guy's tour starts next week 5 miles from my house! I'm in!
Okay. Ambrosia was prog before their yacht period (one eighty). But Toto was only proggy on a few tracks on 'hydra'. I agree that the Toto members played on a lot of yachtrock albums during that time, but their own stuff wasn't yacht. Maybe some songs like 'waiting for your love'. But they hadn't a yachtrock album during that period. Of course they had 'fahrenheit', but that was later. Don't get me wrong. I like yachtrock. But saying Toto is 'the yachtrock-band' is very misleading. Imagine someone doing a google-search for 'yachtrock'. He would find this thread thinking: i go and listen to a Toto-album of that period (77-84) to find out how yachtrock sounds. He would probably pick 'turn back' or 'isolation'. My examples for typical yachtrock would be 'if that's what it takes' from Michael McDonald or the first two albums from Christopher Cross.
My wife would probably agree with you- she loves that friggin' album. "Dark Star", probably not, but I reckon "Just A Song Before I Go", with it's smoooth Fender Rhodes and quintessential "dead" mid-70's L.A. drum sound would definitely qualify. IMO "Yacht Rock", in spite of the derisiveness the term implies, is still a going concern. Bands like State Cows (Jay Graydon and Michael McDonald have actually appeared on their albums) are still keeping the ol' Yacht Rock flag flying.
Can someone explain why acoustic guitars are not part of yacht rock? Seems arbitrary to me. I take the smooth notion. I'd also add that the melancholy is linked to an indulgent lifestyle. The late 70s was turning dark for all of these guys. I take it a bit like Drake today... "oh, it's so hard having another night in the club with women, brandy, champagne, and money.... oh, poor me..." Actually, Drake fits many of the criteria... there's even no acoustic guitar!
I think a lot of this "yacht rock" stuff could be also called Westcoast AOR, that's what I used to call it. For me, most of it was recorded on the West Coast, often the studios on that coast were better at getting the style. I love the music but oddly enough I'm not amused by Yacht Rock Cartoons, videos or memes. It's just music to me...
To me, State Cows is one of the definitive bands of the "West Coast" genre. So I'd really like to know ... what is the distinction between "West Coast" and "yacht rock"? I'm not ashamed to say that I like a bunch of this stuff very much.
So, maybe Motörhead are Yacht Rock, too? At least they used to headline the Motörboat cruise concerts, right? Anyway, I like both Motörhead and Yacht Rock. And Steely Dan.
I like this genre a lot too. You know, I don't know the difference, it might be the fact that "yacht rock" might include the songs that are more well-known.
I agree with all of these EXCEPT Steely Dan - Definitely NOT Yacht Rock - Waaaay to East Coast elite.
I'd never heard the term 'Yacht Rock' until I came on here. There's another long-running thread that seems to suggest every fairly soppy 70s and 80s MOR song is Yacht Rock... Glad to have learned something from this thread.
There isn't really IMO. Curiously, the OP also makes a distinction between yacht rock and west coast - to me it's pretty much the same. The term yacht rock, as we all know, was only coined circa the turn of the millennium, but it indicates the exact kind of music that they used to call West Coast back in the day. Or even AOR, but I think the latter has more emphasis on crunchin guitars, a kind of hard-rock lite in the vein of Journey et al.
I don't think acoustic guitars are exempt. They certainly have their place on the good ship. And lyrics don't have to be about any one thing either. Although yes. I think you hit on big point about the laments of aging and especially among those with enough money that they really shouldn't be complaining much. But if Michael McDonald is the captain of the yacht, then the first mate is certainly none other than Kenny Loggins. Who certainly knew when it was time to drag out an acoustic guitar to be played underneath the portable gas heater. And while not quite as electric and smooth as what we all know now as full on Yacht Rock, certainly much of its roots can be found on this album:
Yes. Grant was quite upset it seems. And wanted us to know it should be called "Southern California" or some other term he personally likes better. But if you like the music, then why care what it is called? Or is this just an exercise in making sure the bands you personally like aren't defined as "Yacht Rock" so that only the ones you dislike can be derided as such?
Whenever I hear the name Pablo Cruise it reminds me of when I saw Saga and Jethro Tull back in the early '80s. In between sets, these two finely dressed women got into a knock-down, hair-pulling, clothes-tearing brawl, during which the in-house P.A. was playing the song "Whatcha Gonna Do". But I digress...
The term "yacht rock" is derisive, probably created by some punk fan. To me, it conjures up images of wealthy, snooty people wearing preppy clothes being it's main connoisseurs.
Maybe the images are yours? I like most of the music that falls under the term. I can accept it tongue in cheek. Own it. I wish I was wealthy and snooty enough to have a yacht. And I'd be cranking "Minute by Minute" on it if I did!
I associate the music with most 70s soft rock, starting with James Taylor, Bread/David Gates, Lobo's Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend", and Carly Simon, including Seals & Crofts, up to Ali Thompson's "Take A Little Rhythm" or "I Love You" by Climax Blues Band. All those songs, and more like them, are part of the soundtrack to my life.
