what is the greates yacht rock song of all-time???

"According the Wikipedia [blather blather] defines Yacht Rock as such," even without the blather, is an absolutely terrible way to start anything at all.

-- jim wentworth (wenchv...), July 2nd, 2006. (wench) (later)

Truth.

Well, what a fool believes, he sees.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005QD8L/103-6519899-0887055?v=glance&n=5174

YES

"Magnet and Steel" By Walter Egan

Everything by the Little River Band, esp. "Cool Change" and "Reminiscing."

xpost

or Blues Image, "Ride Captain Ride" for that matter (Climax Blues Band might SOUND more yacht-rock, but Blues Image have the words.)

So what's the classic yacht-rock song of the '00s? Off the top of my head I'm thinking "Smooth" by Santana with Rob Thomas, but probably I'm forgetting something. (Kenny Chesney is probbaly too obvious.) (Though maybe Phil Vassar isn't. His songs have hot tubs in them!)

This thread is a service to mankind, by the way. Lots of great songs.

Sade
George Benson
Peaches and Herb

Bertie Higgins: Key Largo

Ironically, "Smooth" itself is insufficiently smooth - the guitar is sweet, but the horns kind of jump out of the mix and the drums are too high. Anyway, in terms of just evoking yachts, I'm thinking the whole Puffy/"Big Pimpin'" genre of luxury rap, which I guess is more a late-90s thing. And, come to think of it, "Smooth" also dates to '99.

I think the whole millenial "return of rock" explosion and the continuing incursions of emo-y bands have somewhat cleared the pop/rock decks of yachtyness, at least for now. These things are cyclical. I'm not sure if we're poised for a "Sailing" type of track, but something with more of a crossover feel - a "Rosanna" or "Throwing It All Away" could be right under our noses. Don't expect it to come from an indie band though - smooth don't come cheap!

xpost "Key Largo" is awesome! Clearly an essential to any broad-minded Yacht Rock collection (ie, one not just tracking the Loggins/McDonald axis of the films).

Indeed, sir. The Bertie Higgins community nearly spilled their Chardonnay when they got wind of the fact that their anthem was omitted.

Michael McDonald was huge on black radio in the late '70s, right through today. I can't think of many white musicians who are as influential on the black music of today.

Devin the Dude is a big fan of lots of Yacht Rock -- Ambrosia is one of his favorite bands.

Wait, what about Maroon 5?? (Assuming they're any good... They're funkier than Coldplay, either way. So is John Mayer. And, um, Jack Johnson, who is a SURFER. Don't think I've ever heard him, though.)

-- novamax (john.loma...), July 4th, 2006.

Thats HOW MUCH I FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL! (FEEL for you baaaaybeh)

Must go listen to that now.

But many consider Paul McCartny as the father of yacht rock. Afterall Pmac's 'with a little luck' was actually recorded aboard the motor yacht 'Fair Carol' just off the Virgin Islands...

http://www.channel101.com/shows/show.php?show_id=152

Chicago - Colour My World
Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind
James Taylor - Fire and Rain
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Mr. Bojangles
Brewer and Shipley - One Toke Over the Line
Elton John - Daniel
Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes
Jim Croce - Time In a Bottle
Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me
Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
Carly Simon - You're So Vain
Chicago - Just You 'N' Me
Jim Croce - I'll Have to Say I Love You
Chicago - (I've Been) Searchin' So Long
Chicago - Call on Me
Chicago - Wishing You Were Here
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun
Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue
Sammy Johns - Chevy Van
Boz Scaggs - Low Down
Dr. Hook - When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
Gary Wright - Dream Weaver
Seals and Crofts - Get Closer
Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight
10cc - The Things We Do For Love
Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
Paul Davis - I Go Crazy
Al Stewart - Time Passages
Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
Gerry Rafferty - Right Down the Line
Kenny Loggins - Whenever I Call You Friend
Little River Band - Reminiscing
Player - Baby Come Back
Cliff Richard - We Don't Talk Anymore
Herb Alpert - Rise
Quincy Jones & James Ingram - One Hundred Ways
Robbie Dupree - Steal Away
Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
Al Jarreau - We're in This Love Together
Paul Davis - Cool Night
Al Jarreau - Mornin'

Some of these probably don't qualify as yacht rock/pop properly but they seem to fit at least obliquely:

Chris Rhea, "Fool if You Think It's Over"
Steve Forbert, "Romeo's Theme"
Orleans, "Still the One," "Love Takes Time"
Firefall, "You Are the Woman," "Just Remember I Love You"
Jay Fergusen, "Thunder Island"
Gary Wright, "Our Love is Alive"
Starbuck, "Moonlight Feels Right"
Elvin Bishop, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love"
David Gates, "Took the Last Train (to St. Tropez)"
Randy Meisner, "Hearts on Fire"
Frankie and the Knockouts, "Sweetheart"
Dave Edmunds, "Slippin' Away"
King Harvest, "Dancin' in the Moonlight"
J.D. Souther, "You're Only Lonely"
Michael Johnson, "Bluer than Blue," "This Night Won't Last Forever"
Rocky Burnett, "Tired of Toein' the Line"
Some Mike Post t.v. theme music
Dennis DeYoung, "Desert Moon"
Steely Dan, "FM" or "Peg" "No static at all" = yachtitude in a nutshell.

And when the sun goes down I bet this is what yacht rockers spin to get their boogie on:

Patrick Hernandez, "Born to Be Alive"
David Naughton, "Makin It"

how about "I Can't Tell You Why", by the Eagles?

"Baby Ima Want You"
"Make It With You"
"If"
"Everything I Own"

Isn't this one almost like meta yacht-rock though?

There isn't one. This kind of soft rock really faded out in the mid-80s. I blame overcompression and that big, booming drum sound.

I would buy an AM Gold box set in a heartbeat. I.M., wanna tackle this one? :)

Lest we forget: "Sharin' The Night Together" by Dr. Hook. A fascinating, if mortifying, portrait of '70s courting rituals. Or: jerk tries to be sensitive but just comes off smarmy ("Do you wanna dance with me and hold me? You know I wanna be holdin' you. Ah yeah. All right. I'd like to get to know you better; is there a place where we can go?")

more dissing: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/10/this_post_conce.html

I think "Promises" is Eric Clapton's contribution to yatch rock, like "Miss You" was the Stones' turn at disco.

Toby Beau, "My Angel Baby"
Steven Bishop, "On and On"
Exile, "Kiss You All Over"
Robert John, "Sad Eyes"
Poco, "Crazy Love," "In the Heart of the Night"
Andrew Gold, "Thank You for Being a Friend," "Lonely Boy"
Nigel Olsen, "A Little Bit of Soap" - it has that "What a Fool Believes" rhythm to it. Also, "Dancin' Shoes"
Rex Smith, "You Take My Breath Away"
Nicolette Larson, "Lotta Love"
Kenny Nolan, "I like Dreamin'"
Randy VanWarmer, "Just When I Needed You Most"
Dr. Hook also had "Sexy Eyes" and "Better Love Next Time"
Paul Davis, "65 Love Affair"

I get a little iffy around the perimeter. Some of these seem too straight-up mellow gold to have that cocaine undercurrent to them, or are a bit too poppy like Paul Nicholas' "Heaven on the 7th Floor" or Alan O'Day's "Undercover Angel."

also
leo sayer, 'you make me feel like dancing'

Also, the awesomeness that is Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch" has been woefully overlooked on this thread. It's the sensitive 70's guy version of "I might like you better if we slept together" as far as I can tell, in the most roundabout self-serving way possible, like mike a pointed out upthread.

Christopher Cross - Sailing
The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes
Kenny Loggins - This Is It
Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen
Christopher Cross - Ride Like the Wind
Steely Dan - Peg
Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky
England Dan & John Ford Coley - I'd Really Love to See You Tonight
Toto - Rosanna
Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
Player - Baby Come Back
Toto - Africa
Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin'
Steely Dan - Do It Again
Little River Band - Reminiscing
Journey - Who's Crying Now
Joey Scarbury - Believe It or Not

(75:12, not chronological, haven't really thought about the proper playing order yet. obviously influenced by the show, but also by my own faves)

Maybe not yacht, but drunken, rich, rhode island summer home-owning, beach bonfire song.

i know i've always thought yacht rock is a lame term, but this video is amazing.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/100310/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-christopher-cross---ride-like-the-wind

I heard "You're the Biggest Part of Me" by Ambrosia at a Steak and Shake that was playing seventies music.

Yacht Rock is my favorite genre of music ever! Here is my playlist:

Frank Stallone-"Moody Girl"
Ambrosia-"You're the Only Woman"
Frankie Bleu-"Take Your Time"
England Dan and John Ford Coley-"Love is the Answer"
Frankie and the Knockouts-"Sweetheart"
Paul Davis-"Cool Night"
Michael Sembello-"First Time"
Bill Labounty-"Slow Fade"
Al Jarreau-"I Will Be Here for You"
Christopher Cross-"The Light is On"
Pages-"You Need a Hero"
Kenny Loggins-"Heart to Heart"
Lauren Wood and Robbie Dupree-"Work on It"
Paul Anka-"Walk a Fine Line"
Walter Egan-"Magnet and Steel"
Bugatti and Musker-"Mystery Girl"
Doobie Brothers-"Real Love"
Exile-"Kiss You All Over"
Climax Blues Band-"Couldn't Get it Right"

As to the previous post on any new yacht rock in 2010, I highly recommend the self-titled album/ band "State Cows":

http://www.statecows.com/

Another recommendation is the band Nightshift:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7k_gOIrn_c

hi johnrodrigu

Hi Johnrodrigu. Actually, there is no such thing as "Yacht Rock". "Yacht Rock" is a Youtube underground comedy series, originally made to make fun of the kind of music you like.

However, if you are a fan of soft rock, you are welcome. There are way too few of you guys. :)

It doesn't make fun,you humourless robot. It's an affectionate tribute.

I can't think of many white musicians who are as influential on the black music of today.

Judging from acts often namechecked by big black names: Phil Collins and Coldplay.

"Yacht Rock" is definitely different from "soft rock". When I think of "soft rock" I think of the bland music that is blared all over the soft rock stations like Mariah Carey, Michael Bolton, Michael Buble and the like. Another name for "Yacht Rock" is "Westcoast". There is a website called http://www.bluedesert.dk which is completely dedicated to this special genre of music. This website is both humorous and knowledgeable as you can really find some gems from the era to listen to.

What would you consider to be the ultimate yacht rock album? :)

Currently grooving on "Love Will Find a Way"....I had no idea Pablo Cruise were any good! You could be ostracized for liking them back in the day. The singer is pretty good! Also "Rich Girl", always hated this song!

yeah, pablo cruise's singles are okay. boz scaggs, too! (e.g., love, look what you've done to me, which i think of as a yahct rock song).

btw, answer to this thread is walter egan's magnet and steel.

I went out of my way to get Magnet and Steel only to find a terrible re-recording!! Great song!

does chevy van count as a yacht rock song? if so, might be that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bddd_xfZLYA

"Magnet and Steel" is definitely my pick as well for one of the best examples of yacht rock. I would also nominate "Sad Eyes" by Robert John.

I watched Christopher Cross perform Sailing on the Midnight Special a couple nights ago and

1) he played one of those guitars that was like, a double guitar
2) he was wearing a football jersey
3) he looked like a balder version of Jack Black. with a chinstrap beard

kind of disturbing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVubxEQHisQ

He looks like a less bald version of Frank Black to me.

Funny thing about all of this music paired together is that in my hometown back in the early to mid-80s there used to be an FM station that did this robotic playlist called "SOLID GOLD" that had no DJs at all and it pretty much played all of this stuff non-stop. You would have to mix in some Grover Washington Jr. "Just the Two of Us" and some Al Jarreau hits to this stuff, but it was pretty much all Yacht Rock all the time.

a lot of towns had stations like that (incl. mine)

Yes, "Heart to Heart" by Kenny Loggins is a great song, even though its not his most popular. But L.A. soft-rock/pop at its best.

poor Christopher Cross, the radio star killed by video

'Babylon Sisters' for #1 Yacht-Rachk imo

or my theme song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ennMD1fPtXA

which is more Yacht-Disco but whatevs

I'm partial to the yacht rock with the 'undercurrent' as mentioned previously--the songs with a darker sound i.e. Chris Rea "Fool(If you think it's over)",Jefferson Starship "Runaway", Eagles "Those Shoes", etc.

When I think of "soft rock" I think of the bland music that is blared all over the soft rock stations like Mariah Carey, Michael Bolton, Michael Buble and the like.

Aren't those MOR more than soft rock? I would say there needs to be some kind of rock element in soft rock.

One thing that puzzles me about the "Yacht Rock" series is there isn't even a mention of 10cc, Supertramp, ELO or similar bands. To me, those fit in with the rest, only they are much better.

they're British

So was Billy Ocean.

I thought he was from the Caribbean

they're British

Maybe. And surely not Westcoast, although neither are Steely Dan.

xp: born in Trinidad. Raised in Essex.

Steely Dan did a lot of recording in LA

Sure, right about that. A lot of the LA studio mafia are very much present on their late 70s/early 80s albums in particular.

Several indie bands have new albums out that venture into 70s AM gold/yacht rock territory

Iron and Wine-Kiss Each Other Clean
Band of Horses-Infinite Arms
Broken Bells-s/t
She and Him-Volume Two

^ ariel pink

always assumed "how long" by ace was a 10cc song.

I've skimmed through this thread, and I think I understand the concept of Yacht Rock: it's basically drawn from the music that showed up on Ronco compilations, the late-'70s successor to K-Tel. Anyway, re "Magnet and Steel": I linked to this on another thread, but it's brilliant enough for a revisit.

Josh Rouse - Love Vibration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1kZbQyGJ3Q

Not for nothing are the backup vocals credited to "The Sweathogs."

ha, when i saw this thread title i immediately thought of magnet and steel, having been inspired by revisiting boogie nights a few days ago. aside from being a great song on its own, it is stashed so perfectly in the film vibe-wise. also that thing you linked to is one of the funniest pieces of dialogue in the film imo

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti is a mix of garage rock and drug induced yacht rock, pretty good stuff.

I've skimmed through this thread, and I think I understand the concept of Yacht Rock: it's basically drawn from the music that showed up on Ronco compilations, the late-'70s successor to K-Tel. Anyway, re "Magnet and Steel": I linked to this on another thread, but it's brilliant enough for a revisit.

― clemenza, Saturday, February 5, 2011 2:42 PM (2 days ago)

the term itself comes from the title of JD Ryznar's internet TV series, but maybe you know that already.

Thanks--didn't know that, no. A friend and I wrote a book on the '70s, and we had a chapter on Ronco Records, which used to compile the late-'70s equivalent of what K-Tel compiled in the early '70s. When I started scrolling through this thread, it seemed like there was a huge amount of overlap between yacht rock and Ronco: Walter Egan, Pablo Cruise, Gerry Rafferty, Exile, Ambrosia, Little River Band, Player, Rupert Holmes, etc., etc.

always assumed "how long" by ace was a 10cc song
Well, the two chords of the intro sound much like the same two as in the intro to 'I'm Not in Love'.

Greatest yacht rock song? 'What a Fool Believes'. End of argument, surely?

I can't believe no one's posted this - The Yachts doing "Yachting Life"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGB9VvOrPgo

"Yachting Type", that is.

these are more also ran's than essential yacht rock classics, but here are some minor gems from the yacht rock canon i didn't see mentioned yet:

america - you can do magic, tin man
steven bishop - on and on
steve winwood - when you see a chance
ace - how long
gerry rafferty - baker street
dr hook - when you're in love with a beautiful woman

and if you were one of the rare yacht rockers down with the r&b charts

the manhattans - shining star

good list there, though i wouldn't call baker street an 'also-ran'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVubxEQHisQ&feature=player_embedded

i don't care how big a cheeseball this guy is, that song is just gorgeous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ennMD1fPtXA&feature=player_embedded

awww, an aging herb albert back in the charts and in love with some random milfy chick :) bless...

i totally ride for this genre

"i wouldn't call baker street an 'also-ran'"

fair enough, gerry rafferty was probably jack-white-cool in 1978

I have finally broken down and decided that "Yah Mo Be There" truly is worth ponying up the $6.49 for the entire James Ingram album.

it's on Michael Mcdonald's Sweet Freedom hits package too, which is hella good

I would love to have that....it is not on mp3 though, as far as I can tell, so I can't buy it through my plan.

I don't think that beautiful guitar is plugged in, in the Chris Cross video - what's up with that?

That slowed-down version of "Africa" that Eazy posts upthread - - wasn't this like two or three out of the ILX top trax poll for 2010? It's hazy but I remember some band getting a lot of love here that seriously sounded EXACTLY like this, although maybe not as good.

Just checked - "Fever Ray" they were called?

haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFmTs_i7ztg

early Hall & Oates to thread - Abandoned Luncheonette in its entirety (i.e. "When the Morning Comes" and "She's Gone").

I unapologetically and unironically love this music. Some more that haven't been mentioned, some from artists not generally associated with YR:

ambrosia - holdin' on to yesterday
player - this time i'm in it for love
andy gibb - love is thicker than water; I just want to be your everything; others...
eric carmen - never gonna fall in love again
firefall - strange way
heatwave - always and forever
dave mason - we just disagree
england dan & john ford coley - we'll never have to say goodbye again
maxine nightingale - lead me on
samantha sang- emotion
chicago - if you leave me now; searchin' so long; wishing you were here
gerry rafferty - high and dry
gordon lightfoot - beautiful; winter night
george harrison - blow away
bee gees - how deep is your love
bobby caldwell - what you won't do for love
anne murray - shadows in the moonlight (country div.)
livingston taylor - i will be in love with you
love is in the air - john paul young (not the disco version)
michael franks & brenda russell - when i give my love to you
rod stewart - tonight's the night; you're in my heart (the final acclaim)
war - summer

jim photoglo, "fool in love with you" i've been trying to remember this one since this thread started. straight "what a fool believes" rip.
robbie dupree, "hot rod hearts"
bellamy brothers, "let your love flow"
leblanc and carr, "falling," maybe? it's breezy though, i don't think the rex smith or randy vanwarmer songs i listed upthread are breezy enough.

i keep thinking there's a segment of new wavish/ pub rock songs of the era (cf the dave edmunds and rocky burnette mentions) that would appeal to a yacht rocker, like "cruel to be kind," "sausalito summer nights," "this beat goes on/ switching to glide," "driver's seat," "stepping out," "salt in my tears," "harden my heart" and so on. dunno why i think this except if you're doing more rails of coke than glasses of chardonnay you might wants something that bops just a little harder, but is still kinda cool.

jefferson starship, "count on me," "with your love"
marty balin, "hearts"

what about the commodores, "sail on," and "easy?"

When I see this thread title I think briefly of doing some kind of "greates fartpoop" type joke/dn but decide against it

yeah, this is serious business here, delineating the limits of a post-hoc imaginary genre. like if i were to make a yacht rock battle jacket i'd need a clear idea of which patches would or wouldn't be acceptable.

Just released, also on Spotify: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yacht-Rock-Various-Artists/dp/B00K3BUCC2

Pages-"You Need a Hero"

Yeah, this is good: http://youtu.be/kGCmKwAvhVg

I like that one, and also "O.C.O.E. (Offical Cat of the Eighties)"

This has to be the most yacht-y video ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru2tsT32pHA&feature=kp

"Right Down The Line" - all good vibes.

bill labounty livin' it up is my current favourite

oh wow hadn't heard this one before. all the earmarks of the extra-elegant, nearly-rockless early-80s version of this stuff.

he has another song called "nobody's fool" which reminds me of my brother and i realizing over christmas that every artist in this genre was obsessed with "fools," whether it's realizing they've been one, wondering who will be one tonight, how their lover is one (if they think it's over), etc. doobies obviously take the cake by having a single album contain both "What A Fool Believes" and "How Do The Fools Survive." what was going on with this?

hell yeah "nobody's fool" is my jam, what a sensation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJwt2dxx9yg

Always felt like stuff like "Steppin' Out" by Joe Jackson (despite his roots) was like the East Coast answer to Yacht Rock. Songs from Manhattan Apartments. All these super classy jazzy chord progressions.

When I was a little kid I was like, yeah, one day I'll be a smoof as Joe Jackson.

that labounti is beautiful

These haven't been mentioned and they're awesome:

Steve Parks - Just Ask Me

Rob Mehl - House On the Rock

Here's my playlist with a few more... not all of them are strictly Yacht Rock but sound good next to it:

https://open.spotify.com/user/moteldemoka/playlist/3ABXpnUlFH3ZbpDLTL3mxo

I Felt bad for Bertie Higgins. He's wearing the love medallion and butterfly collar, exposing his chest, as if it were still 1979 and he could still get laid in the post-New Wave era in that getup.

"The Captain of Her Heart" by Double

this showed up in my DW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX4sVYTVx7A
who is this guy?

I see it's been mentioned many times, but for my yachtheads here's How Long by Ace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_GMMLULXw

Donald Fagen keeps a piece of paper in his wallet with his favorite EQ settings (Denny Dias drew it out)

(The YR Twitter feed is very enjoyable )

I was rolling with some 'Lowdown' by Boz Scaggs in the truck last weekend. The production on that LP is exquisite. Clear as a bell and smoothe as Cutty Sark.

not sure that I'd consider it the greatest song that can fit within the ultraloose boundaries of yacht rock but for me the quintessential song of that era/sound is Player - "Baby Come Back".

1978 was a big radio year for me (I was 14/15) and the music that would later be jokingly/lovingly called yacht rock ruled the airwaves. another biggie is Bob Welch - "Sentimental Lady" (which can be compared to his earlier Fleetwood Mac version to get a sense of the production slickness that helps define yacht rock). Little River Band's album Sleeper Catcher contained 2 yacht rock hits: "Reminiscing" and "Lady". same could be said of Gerry Rafferty's City To City album but I find him a bit on the energetic/impassioned side (at times he's practically raw punk in yacht rock terms - still, for "oooman" we want him in). Steely Dan's Aja is probably the king of yacht rock era hits, again a bit too ambitious to be at the core - yacht implies a certain lightweight, guilty pleasure aspect to the music... (lovesongs with just a hint of saudade and a sense that the craft/production triumphed over raw expression). most yacht rock is well-produced funky soft rock.

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds are gods of soft/yacht rock for 1975's "Fallin' In Love" and come from the turn of & early 70's MOR (often rustic) pop-rock scene that pretty much evolved into mid to late 70's softer, more polished yacht rock sound. Starbuck's "Moonlight Feels Right" was another early highpoint and as some people have said sounds like aliens wanted a shot at the pop charts (The Residents must have been jealous).

The Eagles definitely deserve a mention and (their ballads especially) had to have helped inspire the spare/slick production style and vocal delivery of many of these records. "One Of These Nights" is so good it transcends yacht rock, but together with 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" probably made a few bands/producers strive for a lushness (specifically multi-tracked backing vocals) in the production. interestingly, "One Of These Nights" is directly inspired by and partly copped from The Spinners' "I'll Be Around", so could Philly International and Thom Bell have a small role in the sophisticated/quality production levels? some of The O'Jay's songs (thinking "Darlin' Darlin' Baby" and "Use Ta Be My Girl" especially) can easily fit in a yacht rock set. another r&b song that sounds yacht to the core (and gorgeous) is Delegation's "Oh Honey".

Sorry, Eagles are not yacht.

^^^ mention the Eagles to the yacht rock guys and they will end you

yeah, I get that The Eagles are not technically yacht rock, despite featuring in the original video series and "I Can't Tell You Why" appearing on many yacht playlists. nor are Fleetwood Mac or most of Steely Dan's songs (unless Michael McDonald is in da house).
but the success of their West Coast soft rock hits and the slickness of their productions helped create the environment in which yacht rock flourished, so think of them as fertilizer if that helps.

I remember the YR guys saying that Steely Dan inspired Yacht Rock but aren't really a Yacht Rock band in the same way that Slayer inspired Death Metal but are not a Death Metal band.

I'm pretty convinced now, especially after spending **mumble** amount of time watching YouTube covers of it, that it's Pablo Cruise "Love Will Find A Way."

i buy paul's sonic family-tree inclusion of the eagles. also reflects a longer cultural debt, yacht is basically self-involved turn-of-the-70s post-hippie peaceful-easy-feelings, plus material comfort and middle-aged relationship problems.

The one or two-hit wonder aspect of the big YR acts plays a big role, too. Robbie Dupree, Pablo Cruise, Ace, etc. That's why it's hard to accept Steely Dan or The Eagles as yacht rock imho.

The one or two-hit wonder aspect of the big YR acts plays a big role, too. Robbie Dupree, Pablo Cruise, Ace, etc. That's why it's hard to accept Steely Dan or The Eagles as yacht rock imho.

I dunno man, Toto? The Doobie Brothers? Kenny Loggins?

I mentioned this one on an album covers thread, but please take 5 minutes to bask in the smooooothness that is "Rio de Janeiro Blue." I can actually feel the saltwater spray in my face during the flute solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLkw2Uz3JuU

I want to change my vote from Pablo Cruise to "You Are The Woman" by Firefall. That song is the aural equivalent of a giant marshmallow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By_clrkw9C8

The Rippingtons - Tourist in Paradise

also perhaps the best music video ever

"I saw your face and that's the last I've seen of my heart" is such a great hook that the whole rest of "You Are The Woman" is essentially an in-between throwaway.

another quintessential tune of that era/sound: England Dan & John Ford Coley - "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight"

Eagles (save maybe "I Can't Tell You Why") not yacht, but Glenn's "The One You Love" surely is!

(bummer Youtube has taken down the so-bad-it's-awesome video)

"casablanca" by dane donahue is a good yachty eagles rip

this music is kinda more about what shirt you're wearing

and night driving

Rich Girl by Hall & Oates, no wait....anything by Hall & Oates.

except "downtown life", that's not very yacht

but it is very street and very good

some mention of Orleans' "Dance With Me" must be made

yeah, I get that The Eagles are not technically yacht rock, despite featuring in the original video series and "I Can't Tell You Why" appearing on many yacht playlists. nor are Fleetwood Mac or most of Steely Dan's songs (unless Michael McDonald is in da house).
but the success of their West Coast soft rock hits and the slickness of their productions helped create the environment in which yacht rock flourished, so think of them as fertilizer if that helps.

― Paul, M

You shall not pass

Summer breeze by seals and croft

My favorite contemporary soft rock pastiche is "You Can Feel It" by Young Gun Silver Fox

Greg Phillinganes on some good yacht funk w/ Lazy Nina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJMelsJukC0

Koko’s nodding his head along to this one

fresh

Wings' London Town isn't considered "yacht rock" but I just found out a lot of it was actually recorded on a yacht.

‘Sailing’ Was Supposed to Save Christopher Cross. It Drowned Him Instead

i think in this thread i have grossly misunderstood what delineates yacht rock from nyacht but aside from formal qualifications there's an underlying current of disco-era-hedonism-but-somehow-life-affirming vibe in the face of the overwhelming bummer-malaise heaviness that was the late 70s so the fundamental element that connects all the sleazy self-pitying certified yacht and nyacht is that pandora's box straggler that is hope. baby, come back. nothing left for me. there has to be something left over.

this is music of striving; another year and then you'll be happy, but you're crying, you're crying now. the sadness is palpable. what a weird time to be 13. even snowball skate stuff like emotion or wonderful tonight or sweet life have this at their core. there was this girl who sometimes went to my church and i'd skate with her when the time came. hair like farrah fawcett.i loved her so much when i was around her. i didn't know much about her. i had no idea how to talk to her.i'm trying to remember her name. she was so beautiful to me at the time. there was another girl, she was in the eighth grade and i was only in the seventh, she went to to other middle school in our town. i didn't talk to her either, but we skated together during snowball. i could have got her number; i could have gone to basketball games and waved to her across the court. what a gorgeous older woman. she was my barbara cooper. you know how much weight that name carries. this music, the non-yacht stuff, the schmaltzy love songs, the sad eyes, the i just want to be your everything. how deep is your love? so much doubt, so much hope.

yacht is just a subset. imho. it's def a vibe, not quite a genre, but there's a larger zeitgeist that encircles it that has yet to be defined, unless i actually did, but i dunno. liminalcore, between hope and despair.

“this is music of striving; another year and then you'll be happy,”
I don’t hear it, but love this take!

that was my late 70s, i was of a certain age and that was my thing during that time. a few years one way or the other and i'd be talking about other musics.i'm a very specific demographic.

Top 5 YR tracks go

i'd say right down the line but i've been muddling the waters about what is or isn't yacht.

sharing the night together because of the aforementioned "aw yeah, all right" factor.

turn your love around

baby come back

FM

i dunno if i want to hug j d ryznar or punch him in the face.

Yachty aughty aughty aughty aughty aughty aughty aughty
Yachty crazy curvy wavy

The greatest YR song is that David Foster one

i think we just sank the yacht into the marina. has tim heidecker done yacht yet?