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Yacht Rock

ZOK

By ZOK
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Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

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I think he sailed quite close on a couple of occasions, but his voice is all wrong for Yacht and he draws too much from disco rather than jazz and soul. Saying that, these two are nearly there based on personnel, and the sound is sort of right. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing is 100% nyacht though, that's madness.

 

 

 

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Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

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They sure have! There is an absolutely shocking version by Cashmere and this one I found a while ago which is very much a straight cover, by – I think – the guy who wrote it. Not sure it's any closer to the boat but it's certainly nice.

 

 

Just found this discofied one too which I'd not heard before. I appreciate the addition of a guitar solo, but that's offset somewhat by the disco high-toms. Seems to nail that weird vocal style Leo Sawyer has where it sounds like someone has contorted his little body into a microwave and forced him to sing. Close but no cigar.

 

 

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  • 11 months later...
Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

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This was a great late-era discovery. Right at the tail-end of the scene and maybe the last time you got a collection of players this stellar all together at once. The liner notes are just ridiculous – Toto, McDonald, Fagen, Walsh, Parker Jnr., it just goes on and on. If you'd have said that this commercial catastrophe from Diana Ross was a quintessential yacht rock album you'd think I were mad, but here we are.

 

 

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ZOK

ZOK

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That is a new one on me, I’ve never heard of it.

 

By the by, I got given free tickets to go and see Diana Ross in the summer at Longleat in the ‘VIP’ bit (ie you could actually stand by the stage) and it was flipping brilliant, even though the heavy lifting was done by her backing singers. She is so charming!

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Gotters

Gotters

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Love this thread, it combined with the Puckrick doc and couple of Apple playlists have me up to over 3h on my own Yacht playlist.

 

It's an odd one when I listen to it as most of my old playlists evoke a nostalgia where I can place myself with the songs/time period, and although I lived through during the late 70s & early 80s this stuff was never on my radar, so it almost evokes a time period and place I'm aware of but feel like something I never experienced or lived.

 

It's hard to put into words but I love the slick but melancholy nature of a lot of the songs, then every now and then get to add something I didn't have a clue existed from this thread.

 

Good work all. 

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Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

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It's a great genre as the more you listen the more you get a feel for it. Like after a while you understand why Hall & Oates aren't Yacht as they were more of a Philly Soul revivalist outfit, or The Eagles can't be as they're absolutely shit. I think the core of the original show was doing some goofs about how there was this clique of super talented dudes in California making really smooth music, but that's actually what was happening so you can see all these links appearing between them. It's sort of a made-up genre, but so is everything when you think about it. It's commercially minded pop music that's much better than it needs to be, by people massively overqualified to be making it. 

 

Anyway, here's over 30 hours of it.

 

 

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ZOK

ZOK

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24 minutes ago, Art Vandelay said:

It's a great genre as the more you listen the more you get a feel for it. Like after a while you understand why Hall & Oates aren't Yacht as they were more of a Philly Soul revivalist outfit, or The Eagles can't be as they're absolutely shit. I think the core of the original show was doing some goofs about how there was this clique of super talented dudes in California making really smooth music, but that's actually what was happening so you can see all these links appearing between them. It's sort of a made-up genre, but so is everything when you think about it. It's commercially minded pop music that's much better than it needs to be, by people massively overqualified to be making it. 

 

Anyway, here's over 30 hours of it.

 

 


 

Lovely list, but I think you’re stretching the ‘definition’ to breaking point a few times there. Through the Fire?! I’ll allow it because it should be on every and any playlist anyway!

 

I’m not one for modern Yacht Rock interpretations as a rule but this is one you should add…I mean it’s from 1999 so not exactly dust free, but it’s just lovely. I don’t know anything about these guys, I got this track on a sampler I bought back then:

 

 

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Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

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28 minutes ago, ZOK said:


 

Lovely list, but I think you’re stretching the ‘definition’ to breaking point a few times there. Through the Fire?! I’ll allow it because it should be on every and any playlist anyway!

 

I’m not one for modern Yacht Rock interpretations as a rule but this is one you should add…I mean it’s from 1999 so not exactly dust free, but it’s just lovely. I don’t know anything about these guys, I got this track on a sampler I bought back then:

 

 

 

It's a David Foster tune though! 

 

That Samuel Purdey one is amazing. I'd have no idea that's from 1999. Great find.

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Dapple

Dapple

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https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/oct/17/how-we-made-what-a-fool-believes-doobie-brothers

 

"I was flattered by the Yacht Rock YouTube series even though it wasn’t very accurate in depicting the people I knew. There was no real rivalry between Kenny and I, or the other bands, but it was funny – you could almost believe it"

 

I refuse to accept that the episode charting the genesis of Regulate is anything other than 100% fact.  "Warren, you lucky motherfucker.  You need a smooth groove?  Sample THIS."

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Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

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That full Samuel Purdy album is one of the yachtiest things I've ever heard. It seems to be pigeon holed into Acid Jazz as they're Jamiroquai's mates, but it's definitely not that. Even when it strays into a bit of disco they've been clever enough to rip off To Be Real, a Toto-aligned banger. Seems like a case of it being released at the wrong time as it's such a forgotten gem. Wade through their throwback website too for some testimonials from the best in the business.

 

Quote

 

Jay Graydon 

I am a sucker for quality pop with hints of jazz and R&B! The composition, musicianship, vocal performance, and production is as good as it gets! I am also a sucker for unexpected hip chord changes along with melodies that are memorable that float over the chord changes seamlessly! Very well done gentlemen!

 

 

 

 

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ZOK

ZOK

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Cheers, I’ll give that a listen. I don’t know why I haven’t investigated it further as I’m nuts about that track…I suppose when I got the sampler the idea of being able to listen to everything at will was in its infancy, and I forgot about it.

 

I think Santa Rosa is on the sampler as well.

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ZOK

ZOK

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2 hours ago, Art Vandelay said:

That full Samuel Purdy album is one of the yachtiest things I've ever heard. It seems to be pigeon holed into Acid Jazz as they're Jamiroquai's mates, but it's definitely not that. Even when it strays into a bit of disco they've been clever enough to rip off To Be Real, a Toto-aligned banger. Seems like a case of it being released at the wrong time as it's such a forgotten gem. Wade through their throwback website too for some testimonials from the best in the business.

 

 

 

 


Yes, it’s an interesting album! They hide their influences well…except maybe I Can’t Move No Mountains, which sounds like an advanced AI was asked to come up with a new track and the only input it had was Stevie’s Another Star and Bob James’ Night on Bald Mountain.

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Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

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Yeah it's definitely pastiche, but a really good attempt. If that's your plan then there's easier people to rip off than Doobies and the Dan too so fair play to them. Can totally see why it flopped though, when I think of what else was released in 1999 this is an album completely out of time. Seems like it's big in the Japanese reissue scene so hopefully that's keeping these two in hot dinners.

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