Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I'm one of the 212.
Pablo is a tough band to pigeonhole. Some of their hits were certainly dance / disco oriented, but getting into their albums their music was really all over the place. They never made many inroads into AOR radio that I ever remember, although they had tracks that certainly could have fit that format.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
"Pontoon Rock" -DJ Jake Rudh
Yacht Rock from other countries, like Norway’s Lava:
And the Japanese “city pop” scene is kind of related:
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
I’m pretty sure the song Year of the Cat IS Yacht Rock.
Did one-hit wonder Randy (Just When I Needed You Most) Vanwarmer come up in the show?
How about Chris de Burgh?
Also, is Styx’ Come Sail Away considered YR? Not because of the title, but the overall song?
And not that he’s at all rock, but John Denver?
BTW, most podcasts are audio only - I think Sean’s show is kind of unique in being video as well. But are there any other “podcasts” including video that would be of interest to PE-ers? Prog-related?
John Denver has a song or two which country fans identify with. But John Denver, a military brat, was an American folk musician who paved his career with “Leaving on a Jet Plane” which was a gigantic folk hit. Interesting enough, American folk fans often consider him “pop folk” because of his commercial success. Not denying that some of his later songs are straight up Yacht.
The Windsong album by Denver is totally Yacht. This song is beautiful Yacht
The first two minutes are more of a power ballad/lounge lizard thing but the guitars come in with fury at 2:25. No yachts.Also, is Styx’ Come Sail Away considered YR? Not because of the title, but the overall song?
Last edited by Jerjo; 11-18-2020 at 09:51 AM.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Agree. Once you start placing Styx (and even Al Stewart) in the "Yacht Rock" category it has lost all credible meaning as a term. A song may have smooth elements and a laid back sound, but almost all bands do a number from time to time that is downtempo for them. For instance, Budgies album "In For The Kill" had a real mellow cut called "Wondering What Everyone Knows", but they are not Yacht Rock.
Getting into genre-lunacy here but there's a certain production sheen about everything deemed 'yacht rock'. I can see how you could fit in 'The Best Of Times' or 'Babe' in a playlist with- say- Christopher Cross, but 'Come Sail Away', no.
Al Stewart and (70s) Chris De Burgh, too 'lyrical' IMHO.
John Denver, not really 'rock' of any kind IMHO. I think even 'soft rock' is a stretch!
After reading more about Yacht rock, there seems to be a clique of people that defined it and if your song is on their playlist it’s Yacht rock. I certainly understand the production sheen and the lyrical theme requirements, and I think Kokomo meets that smooth aesthetic more than any other Beach Boy song, but it was 88 and not in the clique lists.
I can't imagine a worse clique to be a member of.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I'm one of the 212.
The 'yacht rock' genre was generally known at the time as 'soft rock', I think, though the latter might include some mellower things that wouldn't fall into the yacht rock definition now.
Generally, late '70s mainstream rock took a turn towards a lighter, more concise sound (with more sophisticated arrangements) that is a prime characteristic of yacht rock. Lots of records fall into that, even the first three records the Grateful Dead made for Arista--Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street, and Go to Heaven.
I happen to love that sound, including the apparently much-hated Michael McDonald. Partly what happened, I think, is that a lot of '60s and '70s artists got really good at what they did by the late '70s and started making lighter, more delicate records to reflect that. The recording industry also just got a lot better at making great-sounding records that could marry rock sounds with strings, horns etc.
Of course, the late '70s was a turbulent time where the suddenly grown-up baby boomers wanted musical comfort food like disco and yacht rock.
yup. Worse part would be that most of those categorized as such wouldn't even feel ashamed of being pigeonholed that way.
Different generation... they're the sons of the yacht captains.
Agree that Arsita was the worst label for rock (Jazz was OK), but to me Terrapin Station is not Yacht.
Of course, the late '70s was a turbulent time where the suddenly grown-up baby boomers wanted musical comfort food like disco and yacht rock.
Mhhhh!!!... Not the guys that went Hippies and Yippies in the late-60's, but the rest of the generation didn't go that way... and became the 80's Yuppies.
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Hey if it wasn’t for Arista, Ken Scott wouldn’t have produced the first two outstanding Happy the Man records
"I can't imagine a worse clique to be a member of."
I can't help but see a parallel between yacht and prog when it comes to pedantic musical qualifying. So...
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