March 20, 2024 • 41 mins
Join me on my first SOLO flight this episode as I guide you through the soothing waves of Yacht Rock, sharing tales of my own life's journey alongside the genre's mellow tunes. This episode isn't just a musical expedition; it's a personal odyssey reflecting on how these jazz-tinged melodies have been my steadfast companion, from the sun-soaked shores of Southern California to quiet moments of introspection. You'll get an earful of nostalgia, a peek into my transition from the Navy to the FAA, and why Yacht Rock's velvety harmonies have been more than just a playlist – they've been a lifeline through life's peaks and troughs.
As your Xennial Aviator, I'm set to unravel the tapestry of Yacht Rock's smoothest hits, dissecting Kenny Loggins' velvety , to the Doobie Brothers' soulful anthems. We'll reminisce over Christopher Cross's "Sailing" and parse the intricate web of collaborations that tie these artists together. But it's not all serious business – I'll debunk a common genre myth and finally set the record straight on Jimmy Buffett's place in Yacht Rock history.
Before we make our approach to paradise, a shout-out to all you five-star reviewers and my call to arms: let's make this podcast the talk of the marina! If you're ready to trade in your life vest for a lei and a chilled beverage, you won't want to miss a beat of this episode. So tune in, cast off your worries, and let's find that perfect breeze to carry us into the serene harbors of Yacht Rock.
Links to my Top 5 Albums in Itunes:
5. Nightwatch https://music.apple.com/us/album/nightwatch/192660327
4. Christopher Cross https://music.apple.com/us/album/christopher-cross/1656697223
3. Minute By Minute https://music.apple.com/us/album/minute-by-minute-remastered/1110557228
2. Gaucho https://music.apple.com/us/album/gaucho/1715946508
1. Rumors https://music.apple.com/us/album/rumours/594061854
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
MUSIC, music.
What is up, everybody?
(00:45):
How's it going?
Thanks for listening.
This is Doug Pistorius.
I am the Xenial Aviator and wow, episode 5.
This is pretty awesome.
Thank you guys, very much forlistening and tuning in.
Once again, as always, please goto Apple podcast and leave me a
five star review.
I would greatly appreciate it,especially if you love the show.
(01:06):
If you don't love the show,please do that.
Anyway, please be a bro.
I would really much appreciatethat.
I'm gonna go ahead and put myoffer out there that I've put
out before.
If you do so, if I know you andyou leave a five star review, I
will hook you up with either afree beer or coffee of your
choosing.
I have no shame in buying votes.
If you like what you hear today, when you want to hear more,
(01:30):
please go ahead and startfollowing me on the socials.
I have all my information inthe show notes.
Also, if you would like tomaybe be on the show or you have
a suggestion for something, hitme up either on a DM or you can
email me at theseennialaviatorat gmailcom.
Either way works.
Just get a hold of me.
(01:51):
So this episode is gonna be alittle bit different than normal
.
I'm gonna be rolling solo thistime, but expect a few of these
here and there.
In between I'm gonna try toswitch it up.
Some gonna do some interviewsI've been enjoying doing that
but I'm also gonna do some solocontent as well.
With that said, I'm reallyexcited about today.
I think it's gonna be a lot offun.
We're going to be talking aboutYacht Rock.
(02:14):
For those of you who don't knowwhat Yacht Rock is, don't worry
, I'm gonna do a deep dive in ithere today.
I'm gonna explain it, thebackground of it, talk about
some of the people involved init, and I'm gonna give you, at
the end, my top five Yacht Rockalbums, just to kind of give you
an idea of what I think is thequintessential Yacht Rock sound.
(02:35):
So pour yourself a drink, getready for the sun and stick
around.
We're about to go sailing.
(02:55):
Alright, first and foremost, asI get into this, I just want to
prefix this whole episode with Ido not have any sound bites for
this.
I do not have the money to payfor licensing, nor do I really
want to pay the record companiesan egregious amount of money
for the sampling.
So all the songs and albums Imentioned today you can totally
(03:16):
find on iTunes, spotify, whathave you, however you're
listening?
Or go to your local recordstore.
That's what I recommend.
I love me some records.
Me and the wife have quite theextensive collection and for the
most part, as long as you'renot paying hipster prices, you
can usually get some prettycheap.
So that's my recommendation.
(03:37):
But anyhow, let's get into themeat and potatoes.
So I think, first and foremost,a start off.
It seems like from my Facebookpool, most of you guys might
have heard of what Yacht Rock is, but let's talk about what is
Yacht Rock.
So Yacht Rock is a broad,tongue-in-cheek category of
music.
It's mostly associated withsoft rock, some slight jazz
(04:01):
melodies and, have hinted, afolk rock.
It saw its initial peak ofpopularity in the mid 1970s to
the mid 1980s.
So if you think about it, it'salmost like the bridge of folk
and the bridge of rock kind ofmeet together and it varies on
that spectrum.
Some of your songs are going tobe very mellow and folky and
(04:22):
some of them actually rock out,even though they're considered
Yacht Rock.
It was initially mostly knownas Southern California Rock due
to the affiliation of theprevalent artists in the genre,
and we'll talk about those andyou'll see why that is.
But, aside from just loving themusic, it really does fit right
into the zennial generationwith those year groups or I
(04:45):
guess, to be more obtuse aboutit, this is likely the music
most of us were probably made to, and I'm gonna leave it just to
that.
So after the mid 1980s, yachtRock fell a bit dormant.
It wasn't until the mid 2000sthat the term was even coined.
This is thanks to a hilariousYouTube video series, also on
(05:06):
channel 101.
It was a streaming website.
I'm not sure if it's aroundstill, but it was called Yacht
Rock.
So back in 2005 a couple guysJD Reisner, hunter Stair and
Lane Farnham started a verytongue-in-cheek video series,
ended up making 11 episodes andbasically this, comically, is a
(05:30):
mock umentary that parodies allthe interactions of famous
Southern California artists inthe late 1970s, early 1980s and
how their lyrics and anticscreated the songs we know and
love, and it even jokingly showshow Yacht Rock sparked gangsta
rap and popularity whenever itgoes on one of the episodes that
(05:51):
talk about Warren G and MichaelMcDonald collaborating on the
track regulators.
So if you've never heard of theseries, I highly recommend that
you go take a listen to it.
Go on YouTube.
You can YouTube Yacht Rockvideo or Yacht Rock series and
the episodes will come up.
They are hilarious.
So I guess, before we go anyfurther, it's probably important
(06:13):
that I explain to you why Ilove Yacht Rock so much and what
it means to me.
So obviously, as a zenial and achild of the 80s and 90s, I
grew up hearing these songs onthe radio because it's what my
parents listen to going to andfrom school or going out and
about.
Obviously we didn't havestreaming or anything of the
(06:33):
sort back then.
Also in the 90s, you would hearthese music in elevators.
So while growing up I obviouslynever knew what the genre was
or that there was a genre at all, but I always did seem to
notice there was a starksimilarity in a lot of these
songs and they all featuredifferent artists, but somehow
(06:54):
they all seem just a little bitsimilar.
It wasn't until later on, andreally learning what Yacht Rock
was, that I learned about allthe connections with Yacht Rock,
and that further makes thisgenre of music very interesting
and just really a lot of fun tolearn about.
The 2005 YouTube series reallydrove this point home for me,
(07:14):
and while all those stories inthat are purely parody and not
based in any truth whatsoever.
It does very much display thesmall circle of artists and
songwriters in SouthernCalifornia at the time and in
that music scene and how theyleaned on each other for moral
support and other things in moreways than one.
Ultimately, yacht Rock to me isvery chill and mellow music.
(07:39):
It very much fits the style ofperson I think I am for the most
part, and once I realized whatit is and that there was an
actual genre of this music, Istarted to actively seek it out
and listen to it.
This was probably about the midto late 2000s.
Right around the time Idiscovered the series.
And once I learned about this Istart to really notice that
(08:03):
Yacht Rock really reflected mylife at the time as well as
beforehand, and I started togrow a really deep attachment to
the music.
So first, when I found it in themid-2000s just to give you an
idea where I was in life I justgot out of the Navy, I just
finished up my enlistment.
I was enlisted I think Imentioned in the intro episode
(08:25):
from 2000 to 2006.
I decided to go back to Tampa.
I didn't know what I wanted todo at the time and, honestly, it
was a little bit foolishbecause I didn't have a plan,
which is what I really emphasizeon my sailors nowadays and
really anybody else I talked to,like colleagues who are getting
out of the Navy.
Make sure you have a plan, makesure you have an idea of what
(08:46):
you want to do, because luckilyI was in my mid-20s so I had
time to flex, but it really did.
You know, I feel like I mighthave wasted a few years of my
life, but no regrets, I'm happywith where I'm at now Anyhow.
So I got out of the Navy and Iwas going back and forth between
(09:08):
school and work and what Iwanted to do.
Finally I kind of got my acttogether and realized that
hanging out with my friendswasn't my priority at 25, 26,.
So luckily, I got a job reallygood job with the FAA, started
working there and I started togo back to college and just
really take it seriously thistime and not just try to join a
(09:31):
fraternity and party.
So while I was studying I wouldalways throw on Pandora, or
while I was writing papers I wasa political science major.
Slowly my Pandora playlistwould evolve into basically the
quintessential Yacht Rockplaylist and it was purely by
accident or just subconsciously,and thank God for that, because
(09:56):
that's what I credit really tohelping me mellow out my beta
waves and really getting thezone to write lengthy papers.
I know a lot of my pilotbuddies are engineer majors or
STEM majors, so it's alwaysfunny whenever people cringe
especially some of my buddieswho haven't gotten their
graduate degree yet when theyhave to write lengthy papers.
It's not their cup of tea, sortof how I am the math, but I
(10:20):
just kind of laugh.
And my recipe for writing agood paper just give me a cup of
coffee or a glass of iced tea,throw on some Steely Dan, give
me a couple tracks and I willget in the zone.
I'll write you a 20-page paperin no time.
The other part of Yacht Rockonce I learned what it was and I
started to really listen to themusic and really reflect on the
(10:42):
lyrics was I started to reflecton my time when I was enlisted
in Southern California.
That's where I was stationedmost of my time from circa 2000
to 2003 or 2004.
And honestly, I was prettymiserable at the time.
Well, the second time I gotthere I was 21-22.
(11:03):
It wasn't too bad, but as an18-year-old kid in Southern
California there's not much youcan do.
Unfortunately, especially inSan Diego, all the clubs and
bars will not let you in unlessyou're over the age of 21,.
Unless you're a female, thenthey would totally let you in at
18, no problem.
So I spent a lot of time sittingon the boat, going to the
(11:24):
shopping malls and just reallydriving around and songs like
Bob Seeger's Hollywood Nightsjust really struck at home for
me when I'd be sitting on top ofa hill eating a California
burrito and just looking at thesunset and realizing, man, it's
a beautiful place, but this justreally sucks being here all by
myself.
Not to mention I didn't reallyhave that great luck of women at
(11:48):
the time, because most chicksweren't trying to really talk to
a guy who lived on a boat andpretty much lived out of a
coffin locker in a car.
So there's that too.
Additionally, later on, while Iwas out of the Navy and while I
was going to school and working, I did find myself into a
(12:10):
long-term relationship where meand the young lady lived
together for a while.
It eventually didn't work out,so we ended up breaking up and
Yacht Rock once again helped meand pulled me through that,
especially Hat Tip to DonaldFagan's the Night Fly album,
(12:31):
which is also used to be myDiscord name.
It's an amazing album We'lltalk about it on another episode
has a bunch of great tracks andonce you learn what Yacht Rock
is, I think you'll have a greatappreciation for it.
So what really defines the styleof Yacht Rock?
(12:51):
First and foremost, we need toget this out of the way and we
need to make this veryabundantly clear.
Jimmy Buffett is not Yacht Rock, no matter what anybody tells
you.
It's bullshit.
Don't believe it.
Jimmy's music is associatedwith having a good time,
partying the beach scenes,margaritaville, all that good
stuff.
But you'll understand a littlemore once I explain it to you
(13:15):
that in the Yacht Rock communityJimmy Buffett is very much
looked down upon and it's notconsidered Yachty.
And for those of you who'splaying at home, yachty is
spelled Y-A-C-H-T-Y.
So the term Yachty I think itwas coined by JD Reisner, the
creator of Yacht Rock, later onwhenever he launched his podcast
(13:38):
.
It was a term that he wouldcommonly use to rate songs and
artists and how they wouldmeasure up to the spirit of
Yacht Rock and the creator'seyes.
They would do a bunch ofepisodes and call it Yacht or
Not.
So let's talk about that.
What really defines if a songis Yachty or Not?
It's mostly subjective,obviously, because we're basing
(14:00):
this opinion on three dudes whocreated a show based off of
Southern California Rock.
But now that there's been avery cult following to it, I
think everybody kind of has arough idea or there's just
commonly associated themes withmusic that will allow you to
realize if something is Yachtyor Not.
(14:21):
So in my opinion, here are someof the telltale signs of a song
as a Yacht Rock song or Not.
First off, it's probably fromthe era of the mid-1970s and
mid-1980s, like we discussed.
So it's going to be in ourzenial era.
There's probably something todo in the lyrics about sailing
(14:41):
the sea, a boat, southernCalifornia or the Pacific Coast
in general.
Apparently, yacht Rock does notexist past California, which is
why Jimmy Buffett kind of getsdisqualified because a lot of
his music is about the Caribbeanand Florida lifestyle.
Still love you, jimmy.
(15:02):
Number three a smooth melodyranging with the soft folk rock
to light soft rock.
With a few exceptions, like Idiscussed before, this was kind
of the bridge of folk rock tosoft rock.
But there are a couple songs,and we'll talk about them here
in a couple minutes with myfavorite albums.
As to the exceptions whereYacht Rock can go a little bit
(15:23):
hard, let me tell you.
And number four, you havelyrics that deal with A making
love example how much I feel byambrosia.
B, enjoying said sailing sea orboat, or the Pacific Coast
sailing, by Christopher Cross.
(15:44):
C.
A lost love or breakup.
What a full beliefs by the Dububrothers and Kenny Loggins.
D.
You have a lot oftongue-in-cheek in your windows,
usually dealing with sex, drugsor a combination of both Rock
stars, of this one, steely Dan,especially in the song hey 19.
And then, finally, tabusubjects.
(16:04):
Probably the award for thecreepiest song most people have
ever heard Betty Mardone is, ifI Can Fly about, a grown dude
trying to hook up with a16-year-old.
The video is even creepier too,by the way.
And finally, what really kind ofembellishes the Yacht Rock
(16:25):
Yachty spirit to it is, althoughthese lyrics they all deal with
normal people, seemingly, ortroubled people, just the sound
and the lyrics combined.
They invoke a feeling of beingon a boat or enjoying a sunny
California day.
They ultimately have a veryupper-class feel to them, very
snooty, talking through yourteeth kind of feel.
(16:46):
But yet we all find ourselvesenjoying these songs.
So for me, my ideal vision ofYacht Rock, whenever I think
about a lot of these songs in myhead, is usually Close your
Eyes and it's 1979, a lateafternoon on a Sunday in the
(17:07):
spring or summer, probablyaround 4 pm, where the sun is
just it's just hanging therestill, but it's not too
blistering hot and you're on ayacht in a marina at Camino del
Sol which for any of you whoknow as Southern California area
and you're listening to some AMGold on the radio or the Advent
(17:28):
of FM radio, or you're spinningsome vinyl or listening to some
8 tracks in the deckhouse,sipping on a cocktail or a
gimlet because even though I dolove beer, I'm going to be the
first to tell you it is notYachty Definitely got to be a
cocktail or even just a straightvodka in the glass.
But you're sitting thereenjoying some music, libations
(17:52):
and that incoming sunset, with asmall group of all beautiful
people, and that seems to be therequirement, apparently.
But that's what I have in myhead when I hear some of these
songs.
So now that I've kind of givenyou my definition or my idea of
what Yacht Rock is and what itinvokes and what I see whenever
(18:15):
I think of Yacht Rock.
Let's talk about some of thenotables here.
Every time people talk aboutYacht Rock, there are a couple
staple artists and groups thatare constantly mentioned.
Among them you have MichaelMcDonald, the father, kenny
Loggins, the son, steely Dan,the Holy Spirit Amen, just
kidding.
Just kidding, mom, if you'relistening and you have
(18:38):
Christopher Cross.
Those are kind of the fourhorsemen of Yacht Rock.
There are plenty, plenty others.
We'll probably talk about someof them here coming down Also
talk about some and otherepisodes.
This episode I really just kindof went ahead and hit the
baseline and the foundation ofYacht Rock.
We can really get into somedeep cuts in this genre and I
(18:59):
love to.
I love to talk about music.
So there will probably beanother episode about this, just
to give you a heads up.
But these four artists they'resort of the pillars of Yacht
Rock Sound with their mellowsounds about love, life and the
open sea.
And it's important to note thatthere are famous groups who at
one time or another you may nothave thought of as Yacht Rock.
(19:22):
They dip their toes in thatwarm, smooth waters of Yacht
Rock as well.
Most notably, one of thecoolest, I think Yacht Rock
songs from a not consideredYacht Rock band is from the
Beach Boys with their 1973 hitSalon Sailor.
If you haven't heard it, it's agreat song.
Go take a listen.
So, in regards to a top five ofartists, that's really hard for
(19:44):
me.
Honestly, giving like puttingthese guys and gals in any sort
of order whatsoever is extremelydifficult and, like I said, I
have a lot of favorites to this.
But if I had to give you a topfive, it's probably in this
order and it's not too crazy ofa differential between number
five and number one.
(20:05):
But number five I got BobbyCaldwell.
This is the smoothest dude youwill ever hear in your life and
if you have no idea who this is,try not to look up his face.
Go listen to the song do forlove or coming down from love
both amazing songs from him andget back to me, leave a response
(20:28):
.
Let me know if you think thisdude is black or white.
I mean, give you a hint.
He's definitely not a brother,but he has the smoothest voice
in the world and he's been verymuch mistaken for one.
Number four you got Boz Skaggs.
He has really for having theChicago sound as you will.
(20:49):
He is well respected in the artrock community just due to his
heavy jazz riffs and his verystrong baritone voice.
He has a lot of great songs, alot of great tracks, and we can
definitely get into some of hisdeep cuts in another episode.
Number three you got RupertHolmes.
You probably don't know thisguy by name, but I guarantee
(21:13):
most of you have heard the song,the Pina Colada song.
That's him, and his one andonly album is a yacht rock story
.
On itself has a lot of deepcuts to it, but the Pina Colada
song just really is.
It's a staple classic.
Number two I have MichaelMcDonald.
(21:34):
I love Mike, I love his songs.
I love him with the DubbyBrothers.
I love his backup.
Anything Michael McDonald, I'mdefinitely on board for.
And number one you've probablyalready heard me talk your off
about him already enough, but Ilove Steely Dan, so that's my
top five.
All right, so top five yachtrock albums.
(21:55):
I really felt like using topfive songs would have been too
much of a deep cut for mebecause, once again, so many
songs I love in yacht rock andhonestly, I've gotten to the
point that I hit really deep cuttracks and I want this to be an
intro to yacht rock.
Like I explained before, forthose of you who don't know
yacht rock or for those of youwho need a little bit of
(22:18):
education to it, I want this tobe a baseline and then later on,
in another episode, we'll digdeep into the deep cuts.
I promise you that.
But in my opinion, these arethe top five yacht rock albums
and why I think that and when Isay top five I mean this is, I
guess, the top five baseline,which basically is the
foundation of yacht rock,because there are plenty of
(22:41):
other yacht rock albums that arestellar and they're actually
built upon these five albums.
So think of these as thebaseline and we'll definitely
talk about the other ones inanother episode.
So, number five I have KennyLoggins.
(23:03):
The Night Watch came out in 1978.
This is Kenny's second studioalbum away from Jimmy Messina.
Before that it was Loggins andMessina for quite a few albums
and they actually had quite afew hits on a lot of those
albums.
One of them was pretty yachtythe Heavilla.
It's what I put on theInstagram teaser for this
(23:24):
episode last week.
So what's important when wetalk about these tracks is, as
you can see, and as I mentionedbefore, this is the start of
connections with these people.
Everybody seems to knoweverybody in the yacht rock
genre and with the Night Watch,you're going to see that.
(23:45):
So first off, notable tracks yougot Down and Dirty.
It's got a rock and R&B feel toit.
It's very dirty and gritty, butKenny just still keeps it
smooth with his lyrics and withhis wonderful voice.
It's a nice smooth feel to it,even though it's pretty much a
Down and Dirty rock song.
(24:06):
Next, you got whenever I callyou friend, with Stevie Nicks.
So first connection right herewe have Stevie on the lyrics.
Kenny Loggins actually openedup for Fleetwood Mac on their
rumors tour, so this is wherethey met initially and Stevie
was just blown away with Logginsand his lyrics and she said hey
(24:28):
, anytime you want me on analbum, let me know.
So Kenny called in the favorfor this song.
Additionally, the song'sawesome because it's written by
Melissa Manchester and if youdon't know who that is, she
wrote the 1985 hit.
You Should Hear how he TalksAbout you Great 80s song.
We could totally talk about 80songs in another episode and we
(24:49):
definitely will, because I love80s music.
And then you got the next trackwhat a Fool Believes.
This is the Kenny Logginsversion.
Most of you have probably heardthe Duby Brothers version, but
this is the Loggins versionwhich came around the same time.
But this is a prime example ofhow the same song can have a
different feel depending on whoit is.
(25:09):
Kenny's is a more upbeat andpick it up and go move about
your life from a breakup,whereas the Duby Brothers and
Michael McDonald's voice it'smore remorseful, soulful and you
can almost feel like there'sregret in that song.
For album number four, we gotChristopher Cross and Sailing.
(25:29):
This dropped in 1979 and moreMichael McDonald for ya Notable
tracks.
For here we have I really don'tknow anymore, with Michael
McDonald.
He does some great backups forit.
I'll never be the same.
One of his hits from this trackRide Like the Wind, even more
(25:49):
Michael McDonald and of coursethe definitive Yacht Rock song,
sailing.
Just a smooth, mellow melodythroughout.
Coming in at number three, Ihave the Duby Brothers 1978 hit
minute by minute.
This time Kenny Loggins iscoming to help, so huge tracks
(26:10):
on this album.
This was also, I believe,michael McDonald's second album
with the Duby Brothers as leadvocalist, so he was just
crushing it.
And Michael McDonald owned 1978, for lack of a better term.
First track on there, it'sMike's version of what a Fool
Believes.
Like I mentioned before, thissong's just pure fire and it's
(26:30):
just heartfelt soul.
Comparatively to Kenny Logginsupbeat, nice and rocky version
of what a Fool Believes, thisone invokes just the heartbreak
and sorrow of a breakup anddefinitely the regret of a
foolish individual, and you canjust hear it in his voice.
It's probably more so becauseMike wrote this most of this
(26:53):
song, I should say due to hisfirst divorce, and you'll see a
common theme with a lot of thesesongs they're written either
about a drugs, the ocean,divorces or love.
I guess that's initially whereTaylor Swift gets her
inspiration from, though rightFrom breaking up with boyfriends
.
Anyways, next notable track onthere is Minute by Minute, which
(27:16):
is the titled album.
This is another soul forbreakup song, and this one
really hits a tune with mebecause it reminds me of my time
in Southern California where Idid breakup with a girl right
before I left and I headed hometo Tampa.
We dated for quite a bit and itjust kind of came out of the
blue.
So, ironically, I heard thissong on the radio probably a day
(27:39):
or two later and the lyricsstarted to just really stick
with me.
And then finally we haveDepending on you, this is a nice
smooth, fun and optimistic songwhich shows the positive facade
of Yacht Rock.
They're not just all doom andgloom and talking about
heartaches.
There are some nice positive,uplifting lyrics in this and
(27:59):
letting you know that friendsare there for you.
Coming in at number two, my alltime favorites, we have Steely
Dan and the album Goucho from1980.
Steely Dan's probably arguablymost famous album was from 1977,
asia has a lot of great trackson it, but Goucho is really the
(28:23):
staple and really set them intoYacht Rock fame, I believe, and
it really just embodies theYacht Rock spirit with a lot of
their tracks.
Additionally, this was the lastalbum that Steely Dan was gonna
put out together as a groupDonald Fagan and Walter Becker
in about 15 years.
They didn't get back togetheruntil the mid 90s due to
(28:47):
Walter's excessive drug use andDonald Fagan's very OCD style in
the recording studio, whichthere's a lot of hearsay,
stories, legends that go aroundabout how very meticulous he is
about sessions.
You see a lot of connections inthis album as well with a lot
(29:08):
of Yacht Rock singers andadditionally a lot of other
famous vocalists as well.
Michael McDonald did a lot ofbackups for Steely Dan
throughout the years and hereally crushes it in these.
But additionally we have PattyAustin on a lot of these lyrics
as well.
So with the first track we haveBabylon Sisters.
It's a great smooth Yacht Rocktrack.
(29:30):
It invokes the vision ofSouthern California once again
and just nice and chill.
One of its probably mostprofound lyrics comes towards
the end.
It's about a guy who'sbasically dating two girls at
once and the girls know eachother.
So it's a really weird lovetriangle some 70's stuff for you
(29:50):
.
But one of the lyrics that justreally hitches.
It's like a Sunday in TJ.
It's cheap but it's not freeand I'm not the man that I used
to be and love is not a game forthree.
It really kind of hits with theonce you have the kind of
melody to it.
It's a really deep song, butPatty Austin is backing up on
(30:12):
that and if you've heard ofPatty Austin, she was credited
with a lot of R&B songs, but oneof her most famous songs is A
Baby Come to Me From.
I believe it's 1984.
Next, one of my all-timefavorite songs is hey 19.
This whole song is about thetaboo of being involved with a
(30:33):
younger woman where thegentleman is probably in his 40s
or 50s and there's a lot ofculture differences.
The second verse really justsets it home, with him saying
hey, no, that's Aretha Franklin.
But this chick doesn't rememberthe queen of soul.
She has no idea who ArethaFranklin is at the time and he
(30:56):
talks about how she thinks he'scrazy with the things he says,
but he's just growing old.
Additionally, like I discussedbefore, steely Dan is the master
at tongue-in-cheek andwitty-in-the-window songs.
At the end they talk about theQuavo Gold and the Fine
Columbian and basically how, atthe end of the day, no matter
(31:17):
how crazy this chick is or howold he is, apparently cocaine
and tequila makes everythingbetter for everybody.
Back then the next track we gotis the glamour profession.
I really like this track a lottoo.
It's very upbeat and it's got avery nice poppy beat to it.
But it invokes the image of thelate 1970s and early 80s in
(31:40):
Hollywood and it's talked aboutfrom the eyes of a drug dealer,
basically, and how he's gettingcalls from LA scumbags to
basketball stars, to Hollywoodbig shots, and how he's just
going all over the town and it'sa glamour profession.
(32:00):
It's a really cool song.
And finally we have the titletrack from the album Goucho,
this one.
It's very lost in translationwith what it's about and it's
very open to interpretation.
Some people say it's about oneof Donald Fagan's friends openly
(32:21):
having a taboo homosexualrelationship.
Other people have said thatit's about Walter Becker's
excessive drug use.
Either way it's a great songand it very much has that nice
flow and a little bit of thatfull rock feeling that you find
in a lot of these songs.
And number one on my list of topYacht Rock albums Wait for it.
(32:46):
You're not going to see thisone coming, but Fleetwood Mac's
rumors from 1977.
So I know I mentioned earlierthat Fleetwood Mac very much is
Yacht Rock.
But, unintentional or not, thisentire album it embodies the
vibe of the late 70s SouthernCalifornia scene as well as it
(33:09):
gives a just a very yachty feelall around and it's based in a
lot of heart and soul by thesongs written.
So this is coming immediatelyoff of the stellar self-titled
album Fleetwood Mac back in 1975, which included newcomers
Stevie Nicks and LindsayBuckingham to the lineup, who
were previously just asongwriting duo.
(33:29):
They put out their own album aswell before.
It's alright, but they didn'treally get too good until
Fleetwood Mac in my opinion.
But this album is a livingtestament to the crash and burn
of close relationships andreally the aftermath of close
proximity with each other.
Basically it shows that associal relationships Fleetwood
(33:57):
Mac was falling apart and theywere in some dire straits but to
their credit, as a band theyall clung together and
professionally crushed it andbecame one of the biggest acts
ever.
That's definitely shown withinthe track list and just to give
(34:17):
you an idea of I guess this isthe down and dirty and if you
want to read more about rumors,there's plenty of it on the
internet and I think people haveeven written books about this
album.
But just to give you the downand dirty really quickly.
So Lindsay Buckingham andStevie Nicks were in a
relationship.
From what I understand, theybroke up roughly before rumors
(34:41):
started recording, but theystayed together in the band
because for professional reasonsand they were loving the gig.
Well, I think LindsayBuckingham was a little butthurt
about the situation.
Stevie Nicks was kind of movingon about her life and starting
to live a life of a rock star.
She dated Don Henley.
For let's be honest aboutStevie Nicks here for a second.
(35:03):
Stevie Nicks has pretty muchbeen all over the place in the
late 1970s, so I'm not going tobother naming off names of lists
, but pretty much you name thefamous rock star.
Stevie Nicks was probablyhanging out with him and having
some relations in one way oranother.
It is what it is and that's in1970.
(35:24):
She was having fun, but notablyDon Henley from the Eagles.
And what really was rubbingpeople the wrong way, especially
Lindsay, was whenever she wasstarting to have relations with
Mick Fleetwood, the leader ofthe band as well as the drummer
of the band, who was alsomarried at the time, by the way.
(35:45):
So that caused a lot ofemotional turmoil and waves
throughout the group as well.
Additionally, you had JohnMcVie and Christine McVie, also
members of the band, who weregoing through a divorce as well.
During this time, christineMcVie was screwing around with
one of the stage hands, which isalso where one of the songs
(36:08):
comes from on the album.
Oh, and in between all thisthere's a lot of cocaine and
there's a lot of alcoholinvolved as well.
So obviously you can seethere's judgment that is
impaired beyond belief, buteither way it made for one of
the most stellar albums of alltime.
So notable tracks on that.
First off, we talked about theback and forths between Lindsay
(36:29):
Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
Starting right off the bat, youhave second hand news which is
written by Lindsay Buckingham,who is a total jab to Stevie
Nicks, just basically saying hey, you just tossed me away and
you're on to the next one.
Stevie Nicks lashes right backwith her song Dreams and talks
(36:49):
about how players only love youwhen they're playing, and that's
a stab towards Lindsay.
It then goes on to a bunch ofamazing other tracks, go your
Own Way.
It's a rock song, not reallyyachty, but it definitely has
that vibe.
The chain I do consider is theyacht rock song, just due to the
(37:12):
beat, the flow and the lyricsinvolved in it and how it's
about depending on one another.
You have the song.
You Make Loving Fun.
That's the one I was talkingabout Christine McVie and the
roadie relationship, and thenfinally you have Goldust Woman.
It was written by Stevie Nicksand it has to do with basically
(37:35):
how she was having troublecoping with fame and Hollywood
in the scene and, additionally,how she became addicted to
cocaine.
So it got pretty crazy fromthere and obviously Fleetwood
Mack went on to make some morealbums and yep, that's history.
So ultimately, as you guys cansee, yacht Rock and the music
(37:57):
really fueled the scene for thelate 1970s into the early to mid
1980s.
Like I said before these albumsthat I listed off, I consider
these the foundational basis ofYacht Rock.
Like if you were to tellsomebody who's never heard of
Yacht Rock before hey, listen tothese.
This would be a good baseline.
(38:18):
There are definitely plenty ofother artists and other songs
I'd love to talk about.
Honorable mentions for thisepisode Robbie Dupri with Sail
Away, toto with quite a fewYacht Rock songs, the Captain
and Sneal I love them to deathand there's plenty of others.
(38:42):
So we'll definitely talk aboutthis in another episode.
We'll get into some deep cutsbut, like I said, this is
definitely the baseline forstarters.
But yeah, ultimately that's mytop five for you and that's
gonna do it for today.
I'm gonna keep this a little bitshort because, like I said, I'm
(39:02):
not interviewing anybody and Ifigure you guys can probably
take about 40 minutes of merambling on anyway.
Anyways, I really hope you guysenjoyed the show.
I'm gonna leave some links tothe songs and the albums over in
iTunes on the show notes.
If you haven't heard any ofthese, please go check them out.
Or if you just like a littlerefresher, go listen.
(39:22):
They're all nice and smooth andonce again, thank you guys very
much for listening.
Thank you guys very much forengaging on the socials.
Please, if you haven't done soalready, go leave a five star
review on Apple podcasts.
It'll take you no more than 30seconds and, additionally to
that, please tell somebody elseabout the show.
(39:43):
I really need those numbers toget up so I can beat one-handed
crocheting with so-and-so andthe how to do your taxes
correctly podcasts.
It would really make a.
It really be huge to me.
I'd really appreciate it.
But other than that, Iappreciate you guys for
listening.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Thank you very much.
See ya, he claimed to be thebest.
(40:32):
He insisted that we play somechess.
MUSIC, music.
What is up, everybody?
(00:45):
How's it going?
Thanks for listening.
This is Doug Pistorius.
I am the Xenial Aviator and wow, episode 5.
This is pretty awesome.
Thank you guys, very much forlistening and tuning in.
Once again, as always, please goto Apple podcast and leave me a
five star review.
I would greatly appreciate it,especially if you love the show.
(01:06):
If you don't love the show,please do that.
Anyway, please be a bro.
I would really much appreciatethat.
I'm gonna go ahead and put myoffer out there that I've put
out before.
If you do so, if I know you andyou leave a five star review, I
will hook you up with either afree beer or coffee of your
choosing.
I have no shame in buying votes.
If you like what you hear today, when you want to hear more,
(01:30):
please go ahead and startfollowing me on the socials.
I have all my information inthe show notes.
Also, if you would like tomaybe be on the show or you have
a suggestion for something, hitme up either on a DM or you can
email me at theseennialaviatorat gmailcom.
Either way works.
Just get a hold of me.
(01:51):
So this episode is gonna be alittle bit different than normal
.
I'm gonna be rolling solo thistime, but expect a few of these
here and there.
In between I'm gonna try toswitch it up.
Some gonna do some interviewsI've been enjoying doing that
but I'm also gonna do some solocontent as well.
With that said, I'm reallyexcited about today.
I think it's gonna be a lot offun.
We're going to be talking aboutYacht Rock.
(02:14):
For those of you who don't knowwhat Yacht Rock is, don't worry
, I'm gonna do a deep dive in ithere today.
I'm gonna explain it, thebackground of it, talk about
some of the people involved init, and I'm gonna give you, at
the end, my top five Yacht Rockalbums, just to kind of give you
an idea of what I think is thequintessential Yacht Rock sound.
(02:35):
So pour yourself a drink, getready for the sun and stick
around.
We're about to go sailing.
(02:55):
Alright, first and foremost, asI get into this, I just want to
prefix this whole episode with Ido not have any sound bites for
this.
I do not have the money to payfor licensing, nor do I really
want to pay the record companiesan egregious amount of money
for the sampling.
So all the songs and albums Imentioned today you can totally
(03:16):
find on iTunes, spotify, whathave you, however you're
listening?
Or go to your local recordstore.
That's what I recommend.
I love me some records.
Me and the wife have quite theextensive collection and for the
most part, as long as you'renot paying hipster prices, you
can usually get some prettycheap.
So that's my recommendation.
(03:37):
But anyhow, let's get into themeat and potatoes.
So I think, first and foremost,a start off.
It seems like from my Facebookpool, most of you guys might
have heard of what Yacht Rock is, but let's talk about what is
Yacht Rock.
So Yacht Rock is a broad,tongue-in-cheek category of
music.
It's mostly associated withsoft rock, some slight jazz
(04:01):
melodies and, have hinted, afolk rock.
It saw its initial peak ofpopularity in the mid 1970s to
the mid 1980s.
So if you think about it, it'salmost like the bridge of folk
and the bridge of rock kind ofmeet together and it varies on
that spectrum.
Some of your songs are going tobe very mellow and folky and
(04:22):
some of them actually rock out,even though they're considered
Yacht Rock.
It was initially mostly knownas Southern California Rock due
to the affiliation of theprevalent artists in the genre,
and we'll talk about those andyou'll see why that is.
But, aside from just loving themusic, it really does fit right
into the zennial generationwith those year groups or I
(04:45):
guess, to be more obtuse aboutit, this is likely the music
most of us were probably made to, and I'm gonna leave it just to
that.
So after the mid 1980s, yachtRock fell a bit dormant.
It wasn't until the mid 2000sthat the term was even coined.
This is thanks to a hilariousYouTube video series, also on
(05:06):
channel 101.
It was a streaming website.
I'm not sure if it's aroundstill, but it was called Yacht
Rock.
So back in 2005 a couple guysJD Reisner, hunter Stair and
Lane Farnham started a verytongue-in-cheek video series,
ended up making 11 episodes andbasically this, comically, is a
(05:30):
mock umentary that parodies allthe interactions of famous
Southern California artists inthe late 1970s, early 1980s and
how their lyrics and anticscreated the songs we know and
love, and it even jokingly showshow Yacht Rock sparked gangsta
rap and popularity whenever itgoes on one of the episodes that
(05:51):
talk about Warren G and MichaelMcDonald collaborating on the
track regulators.
So if you've never heard of theseries, I highly recommend that
you go take a listen to it.
Go on YouTube.
You can YouTube Yacht Rockvideo or Yacht Rock series and
the episodes will come up.
They are hilarious.
So I guess, before we go anyfurther, it's probably important
(06:13):
that I explain to you why Ilove Yacht Rock so much and what
it means to me.
So obviously, as a zenial and achild of the 80s and 90s, I
grew up hearing these songs onthe radio because it's what my
parents listen to going to andfrom school or going out and
about.
Obviously we didn't havestreaming or anything of the
(06:33):
sort back then.
Also in the 90s, you would hearthese music in elevators.
So while growing up I obviouslynever knew what the genre was
or that there was a genre at all, but I always did seem to
notice there was a starksimilarity in a lot of these
songs and they all featuredifferent artists, but somehow
(06:54):
they all seem just a little bitsimilar.
It wasn't until later on, andreally learning what Yacht Rock
was, that I learned about allthe connections with Yacht Rock,
and that further makes thisgenre of music very interesting
and just really a lot of fun tolearn about.
The 2005 YouTube series reallydrove this point home for me,
(07:14):
and while all those stories inthat are purely parody and not
based in any truth whatsoever.
It does very much display thesmall circle of artists and
songwriters in SouthernCalifornia at the time and in
that music scene and how theyleaned on each other for moral
support and other things in moreways than one.
Ultimately, yacht Rock to me isvery chill and mellow music.
(07:39):
It very much fits the style ofperson I think I am for the most
part, and once I realized whatit is and that there was an
actual genre of this music, Istarted to actively seek it out
and listen to it.
This was probably about the midto late 2000s.
Right around the time Idiscovered the series.
And once I learned about this Istart to really notice that
(08:03):
Yacht Rock really reflected mylife at the time as well as
beforehand, and I started togrow a really deep attachment to
the music.
So first, when I found it in themid-2000s just to give you an
idea where I was in life I justgot out of the Navy, I just
finished up my enlistment.
I was enlisted I think Imentioned in the intro episode
(08:25):
from 2000 to 2006.
I decided to go back to Tampa.
I didn't know what I wanted todo at the time and, honestly, it
was a little bit foolishbecause I didn't have a plan,
which is what I really emphasizeon my sailors nowadays and
really anybody else I talked to,like colleagues who are getting
out of the Navy.
Make sure you have a plan, makesure you have an idea of what
(08:46):
you want to do, because luckilyI was in my mid-20s so I had
time to flex, but it really did.
You know, I feel like I mighthave wasted a few years of my
life, but no regrets, I'm happywith where I'm at now Anyhow.
So I got out of the Navy and Iwas going back and forth between
(09:08):
school and work and what Iwanted to do.
Finally I kind of got my acttogether and realized that
hanging out with my friendswasn't my priority at 25, 26,.
So luckily, I got a job reallygood job with the FAA, started
working there and I started togo back to college and just
really take it seriously thistime and not just try to join a
(09:31):
fraternity and party.
So while I was studying I wouldalways throw on Pandora, or
while I was writing papers I wasa political science major.
Slowly my Pandora playlistwould evolve into basically the
quintessential Yacht Rockplaylist and it was purely by
accident or just subconsciously,and thank God for that, because
(09:56):
that's what I credit really tohelping me mellow out my beta
waves and really getting thezone to write lengthy papers.
I know a lot of my pilotbuddies are engineer majors or
STEM majors, so it's alwaysfunny whenever people cringe
especially some of my buddieswho haven't gotten their
graduate degree yet when theyhave to write lengthy papers.
It's not their cup of tea, sortof how I am the math, but I
(10:20):
just kind of laugh.
And my recipe for writing agood paper just give me a cup of
coffee or a glass of iced tea,throw on some Steely Dan, give
me a couple tracks and I willget in the zone.
I'll write you a 20-page paperin no time.
The other part of Yacht Rockonce I learned what it was and I
started to really listen to themusic and really reflect on the
(10:42):
lyrics was I started to reflecton my time when I was enlisted
in Southern California.
That's where I was stationedmost of my time from circa 2000
to 2003 or 2004.
And honestly, I was prettymiserable at the time.
Well, the second time I gotthere I was 21-22.
(11:03):
It wasn't too bad, but as an18-year-old kid in Southern
California there's not much youcan do.
Unfortunately, especially inSan Diego, all the clubs and
bars will not let you in unlessyou're over the age of 21,.
Unless you're a female, thenthey would totally let you in at
18, no problem.
So I spent a lot of time sittingon the boat, going to the
(11:24):
shopping malls and just reallydriving around and songs like
Bob Seeger's Hollywood Nightsjust really struck at home for
me when I'd be sitting on top ofa hill eating a California
burrito and just looking at thesunset and realizing, man, it's
a beautiful place, but this justreally sucks being here all by
myself.
Not to mention I didn't reallyhave that great luck of women at
(11:48):
the time, because most chicksweren't trying to really talk to
a guy who lived on a boat andpretty much lived out of a
coffin locker in a car.
So there's that too.
Additionally, later on, while Iwas out of the Navy and while I
was going to school and working, I did find myself into a
(12:10):
long-term relationship where meand the young lady lived
together for a while.
It eventually didn't work out,so we ended up breaking up and
Yacht Rock once again helped meand pulled me through that,
especially Hat Tip to DonaldFagan's the Night Fly album,
(12:31):
which is also used to be myDiscord name.
It's an amazing album We'lltalk about it on another episode
has a bunch of great tracks andonce you learn what Yacht Rock
is, I think you'll have a greatappreciation for it.
So what really defines the styleof Yacht Rock?
(12:51):
First and foremost, we need toget this out of the way and we
need to make this veryabundantly clear.
Jimmy Buffett is not Yacht Rock, no matter what anybody tells
you.
It's bullshit.
Don't believe it.
Jimmy's music is associatedwith having a good time,
partying the beach scenes,margaritaville, all that good
stuff.
But you'll understand a littlemore once I explain it to you
(13:15):
that in the Yacht Rock communityJimmy Buffett is very much
looked down upon and it's notconsidered Yachty.
And for those of you who'splaying at home, yachty is
spelled Y-A-C-H-T-Y.
So the term Yachty I think itwas coined by JD Reisner, the
creator of Yacht Rock, later onwhenever he launched his podcast
(13:38):
.
It was a term that he wouldcommonly use to rate songs and
artists and how they wouldmeasure up to the spirit of
Yacht Rock and the creator'seyes.
They would do a bunch ofepisodes and call it Yacht or
Not.
So let's talk about that.
What really defines if a songis Yachty or Not?
It's mostly subjective,obviously, because we're basing
(14:00):
this opinion on three dudes whocreated a show based off of
Southern California Rock.
But now that there's been avery cult following to it, I
think everybody kind of has arough idea or there's just
commonly associated themes withmusic that will allow you to
realize if something is Yachtyor Not.
(14:21):
So in my opinion, here are someof the telltale signs of a song
as a Yacht Rock song or Not.
First off, it's probably fromthe era of the mid-1970s and
mid-1980s, like we discussed.
So it's going to be in ourzenial era.
There's probably something todo in the lyrics about sailing
(14:41):
the sea, a boat, southernCalifornia or the Pacific Coast
in general.
Apparently, yacht Rock does notexist past California, which is
why Jimmy Buffett kind of getsdisqualified because a lot of
his music is about the Caribbeanand Florida lifestyle.
Still love you, jimmy.
(15:02):
Number three a smooth melodyranging with the soft folk rock
to light soft rock.
With a few exceptions, like Idiscussed before, this was kind
of the bridge of folk rock tosoft rock.
But there are a couple songs,and we'll talk about them here
in a couple minutes with myfavorite albums.
As to the exceptions whereYacht Rock can go a little bit
(15:23):
hard, let me tell you.
And number four, you havelyrics that deal with A making
love example how much I feel byambrosia.
B, enjoying said sailing sea orboat, or the Pacific Coast
sailing, by Christopher Cross.
(15:44):
C.
A lost love or breakup.
What a full beliefs by the Dububrothers and Kenny Loggins.
D.
You have a lot oftongue-in-cheek in your windows,
usually dealing with sex, drugsor a combination of both Rock
stars, of this one, steely Dan,especially in the song hey 19.
And then, finally, tabusubjects.
(16:04):
Probably the award for thecreepiest song most people have
ever heard Betty Mardone is, ifI Can Fly about, a grown dude
trying to hook up with a16-year-old.
The video is even creepier too,by the way.
And finally, what really kind ofembellishes the Yacht Rock
(16:25):
Yachty spirit to it is, althoughthese lyrics they all deal with
normal people, seemingly, ortroubled people, just the sound
and the lyrics combined.
They invoke a feeling of beingon a boat or enjoying a sunny
California day.
They ultimately have a veryupper-class feel to them, very
snooty, talking through yourteeth kind of feel.
(16:46):
But yet we all find ourselvesenjoying these songs.
So for me, my ideal vision ofYacht Rock, whenever I think
about a lot of these songs in myhead, is usually Close your
Eyes and it's 1979, a lateafternoon on a Sunday in the
(17:07):
spring or summer, probablyaround 4 pm, where the sun is
just it's just hanging therestill, but it's not too
blistering hot and you're on ayacht in a marina at Camino del
Sol which for any of you whoknow as Southern California area
and you're listening to some AMGold on the radio or the Advent
(17:28):
of FM radio, or you're spinningsome vinyl or listening to some
8 tracks in the deckhouse,sipping on a cocktail or a
gimlet because even though I dolove beer, I'm going to be the
first to tell you it is notYachty Definitely got to be a
cocktail or even just a straightvodka in the glass.
But you're sitting thereenjoying some music, libations
(17:52):
and that incoming sunset, with asmall group of all beautiful
people, and that seems to be therequirement, apparently.
But that's what I have in myhead when I hear some of these
songs.
So now that I've kind of givenyou my definition or my idea of
what Yacht Rock is and what itinvokes and what I see whenever
(18:15):
I think of Yacht Rock.
Let's talk about some of thenotables here.
Every time people talk aboutYacht Rock, there are a couple
staple artists and groups thatare constantly mentioned.
Among them you have MichaelMcDonald, the father, kenny
Loggins, the son, steely Dan,the Holy Spirit Amen, just
kidding.
Just kidding, mom, if you'relistening and you have
(18:38):
Christopher Cross.
Those are kind of the fourhorsemen of Yacht Rock.
There are plenty, plenty others.
We'll probably talk about someof them here coming down Also
talk about some and otherepisodes.
This episode I really just kindof went ahead and hit the
baseline and the foundation ofYacht Rock.
We can really get into somedeep cuts in this genre and I
(18:59):
love to.
I love to talk about music.
So there will probably beanother episode about this, just
to give you a heads up.
But these four artists they'resort of the pillars of Yacht
Rock Sound with their mellowsounds about love, life and the
open sea.
And it's important to note thatthere are famous groups who at
one time or another you may nothave thought of as Yacht Rock.
(19:22):
They dip their toes in thatwarm, smooth waters of Yacht
Rock as well.
Most notably, one of thecoolest, I think Yacht Rock
songs from a not consideredYacht Rock band is from the
Beach Boys with their 1973 hitSalon Sailor.
If you haven't heard it, it's agreat song.
Go take a listen.
So, in regards to a top five ofartists, that's really hard for
(19:44):
me.
Honestly, giving like puttingthese guys and gals in any sort
of order whatsoever is extremelydifficult and, like I said, I
have a lot of favorites to this.
But if I had to give you a topfive, it's probably in this
order and it's not too crazy ofa differential between number
five and number one.
(20:05):
But number five I got BobbyCaldwell.
This is the smoothest dude youwill ever hear in your life and
if you have no idea who this is,try not to look up his face.
Go listen to the song do forlove or coming down from love
both amazing songs from him andget back to me, leave a response
(20:28):
.
Let me know if you think thisdude is black or white.
I mean, give you a hint.
He's definitely not a brother,but he has the smoothest voice
in the world and he's been verymuch mistaken for one.
Number four you got Boz Skaggs.
He has really for having theChicago sound as you will.
(20:49):
He is well respected in the artrock community just due to his
heavy jazz riffs and his verystrong baritone voice.
He has a lot of great songs, alot of great tracks, and we can
definitely get into some of hisdeep cuts in another episode.
Number three you got RupertHolmes.
You probably don't know thisguy by name, but I guarantee
(21:13):
most of you have heard the song,the Pina Colada song.
That's him, and his one andonly album is a yacht rock story
.
On itself has a lot of deepcuts to it, but the Pina Colada
song just really is.
It's a staple classic.
Number two I have MichaelMcDonald.
(21:34):
I love Mike, I love his songs.
I love him with the DubbyBrothers.
I love his backup.
Anything Michael McDonald, I'mdefinitely on board for.
And number one you've probablyalready heard me talk your off
about him already enough, but Ilove Steely Dan, so that's my
top five.
All right, so top five yachtrock albums.
(21:55):
I really felt like using topfive songs would have been too
much of a deep cut for mebecause, once again, so many
songs I love in yacht rock andhonestly, I've gotten to the
point that I hit really deep cuttracks and I want this to be an
intro to yacht rock.
Like I explained before, forthose of you who don't know
yacht rock or for those of youwho need a little bit of
(22:18):
education to it, I want this tobe a baseline and then later on,
in another episode, we'll digdeep into the deep cuts.
I promise you that.
But in my opinion, these arethe top five yacht rock albums
and why I think that and when Isay top five I mean this is, I
guess, the top five baseline,which basically is the
foundation of yacht rock,because there are plenty of
(22:41):
other yacht rock albums that arestellar and they're actually
built upon these five albums.
So think of these as thebaseline and we'll definitely
talk about the other ones inanother episode.
So, number five I have KennyLoggins.
(23:03):
The Night Watch came out in 1978.
This is Kenny's second studioalbum away from Jimmy Messina.
Before that it was Loggins andMessina for quite a few albums
and they actually had quite afew hits on a lot of those
albums.
One of them was pretty yachtythe Heavilla.
It's what I put on theInstagram teaser for this
(23:24):
episode last week.
So what's important when wetalk about these tracks is, as
you can see, and as I mentionedbefore, this is the start of
connections with these people.
Everybody seems to knoweverybody in the yacht rock
genre and with the Night Watch,you're going to see that.
(23:45):
So first off, notable tracks yougot Down and Dirty.
It's got a rock and R&B feel toit.
It's very dirty and gritty, butKenny just still keeps it
smooth with his lyrics and withhis wonderful voice.
It's a nice smooth feel to it,even though it's pretty much a
Down and Dirty rock song.
(24:06):
Next, you got whenever I callyou friend, with Stevie Nicks.
So first connection right herewe have Stevie on the lyrics.
Kenny Loggins actually openedup for Fleetwood Mac on their
rumors tour, so this is wherethey met initially and Stevie
was just blown away with Logginsand his lyrics and she said hey
(24:28):
, anytime you want me on analbum, let me know.
So Kenny called in the favorfor this song.
Additionally, the song'sawesome because it's written by
Melissa Manchester and if youdon't know who that is, she
wrote the 1985 hit.
You Should Hear how he TalksAbout you Great 80s song.
We could totally talk about 80songs in another episode and we
(24:49):
definitely will, because I love80s music.
And then you got the next trackwhat a Fool Believes.
This is the Kenny Logginsversion.
Most of you have probably heardthe Duby Brothers version, but
this is the Loggins versionwhich came around the same time.
But this is a prime example ofhow the same song can have a
different feel depending on whoit is.
(25:09):
Kenny's is a more upbeat andpick it up and go move about
your life from a breakup,whereas the Duby Brothers and
Michael McDonald's voice it'smore remorseful, soulful and you
can almost feel like there'sregret in that song.
For album number four, we gotChristopher Cross and Sailing.
(25:29):
This dropped in 1979 and moreMichael McDonald for ya Notable
tracks.
For here we have I really don'tknow anymore, with Michael
McDonald.
He does some great backups forit.
I'll never be the same.
One of his hits from this trackRide Like the Wind, even more
(25:49):
Michael McDonald and of coursethe definitive Yacht Rock song,
sailing.
Just a smooth, mellow melodythroughout.
Coming in at number three, Ihave the Duby Brothers 1978 hit
minute by minute.
This time Kenny Loggins iscoming to help, so huge tracks
(26:10):
on this album.
This was also, I believe,michael McDonald's second album
with the Duby Brothers as leadvocalist, so he was just
crushing it.
And Michael McDonald owned 1978, for lack of a better term.
First track on there, it'sMike's version of what a Fool
Believes.
Like I mentioned before, thissong's just pure fire and it's
(26:30):
just heartfelt soul.
Comparatively to Kenny Logginsupbeat, nice and rocky version
of what a Fool Believes, thisone invokes just the heartbreak
and sorrow of a breakup anddefinitely the regret of a
foolish individual, and you canjust hear it in his voice.
It's probably more so becauseMike wrote this most of this
(26:53):
song, I should say due to hisfirst divorce, and you'll see a
common theme with a lot of thesesongs they're written either
about a drugs, the ocean,divorces or love.
I guess that's initially whereTaylor Swift gets her
inspiration from, though rightFrom breaking up with boyfriends
.
Anyways, next notable track onthere is Minute by Minute, which
(27:16):
is the titled album.
This is another soul forbreakup song, and this one
really hits a tune with mebecause it reminds me of my time
in Southern California where Idid breakup with a girl right
before I left and I headed hometo Tampa.
We dated for quite a bit and itjust kind of came out of the
blue.
So, ironically, I heard thissong on the radio probably a day
(27:39):
or two later and the lyricsstarted to just really stick
with me.
And then finally we haveDepending on you, this is a nice
smooth, fun and optimistic songwhich shows the positive facade
of Yacht Rock.
They're not just all doom andgloom and talking about
heartaches.
There are some nice positive,uplifting lyrics in this and
(27:59):
letting you know that friendsare there for you.
Coming in at number two, my alltime favorites, we have Steely
Dan and the album Goucho from1980.
Steely Dan's probably arguablymost famous album was from 1977,
asia has a lot of great trackson it, but Goucho is really the
(28:23):
staple and really set them intoYacht Rock fame, I believe, and
it really just embodies theYacht Rock spirit with a lot of
their tracks.
Additionally, this was the lastalbum that Steely Dan was gonna
put out together as a groupDonald Fagan and Walter Becker
in about 15 years.
They didn't get back togetheruntil the mid 90s due to
(28:47):
Walter's excessive drug use andDonald Fagan's very OCD style in
the recording studio, whichthere's a lot of hearsay,
stories, legends that go aroundabout how very meticulous he is
about sessions.
You see a lot of connections inthis album as well with a lot
(29:08):
of Yacht Rock singers andadditionally a lot of other
famous vocalists as well.
Michael McDonald did a lot ofbackups for Steely Dan
throughout the years and hereally crushes it in these.
But additionally we have PattyAustin on a lot of these lyrics
as well.
So with the first track we haveBabylon Sisters.
It's a great smooth Yacht Rocktrack.
(29:30):
It invokes the vision ofSouthern California once again
and just nice and chill.
One of its probably mostprofound lyrics comes towards
the end.
It's about a guy who'sbasically dating two girls at
once and the girls know eachother.
So it's a really weird lovetriangle some 70's stuff for you
(29:50):
.
But one of the lyrics that justreally hitches.
It's like a Sunday in TJ.
It's cheap but it's not freeand I'm not the man that I used
to be and love is not a game forthree.
It really kind of hits with theonce you have the kind of
melody to it.
It's a really deep song, butPatty Austin is backing up on
(30:12):
that and if you've heard ofPatty Austin, she was credited
with a lot of R&B songs, but oneof her most famous songs is A
Baby Come to Me From.
I believe it's 1984.
Next, one of my all-timefavorite songs is hey 19.
This whole song is about thetaboo of being involved with a
(30:33):
younger woman where thegentleman is probably in his 40s
or 50s and there's a lot ofculture differences.
The second verse really justsets it home, with him saying
hey, no, that's Aretha Franklin.
But this chick doesn't rememberthe queen of soul.
She has no idea who ArethaFranklin is at the time and he
(30:56):
talks about how she thinks he'scrazy with the things he says,
but he's just growing old.
Additionally, like I discussedbefore, steely Dan is the master
at tongue-in-cheek andwitty-in-the-window songs.
At the end they talk about theQuavo Gold and the Fine
Columbian and basically how, atthe end of the day, no matter
(31:17):
how crazy this chick is or howold he is, apparently cocaine
and tequila makes everythingbetter for everybody.
Back then the next track we gotis the glamour profession.
I really like this track a lottoo.
It's very upbeat and it's got avery nice poppy beat to it.
But it invokes the image of thelate 1970s and early 80s in
(31:40):
Hollywood and it's talked aboutfrom the eyes of a drug dealer,
basically, and how he's gettingcalls from LA scumbags to
basketball stars, to Hollywoodbig shots, and how he's just
going all over the town and it'sa glamour profession.
(32:00):
It's a really cool song.
And finally we have the titletrack from the album Goucho,
this one.
It's very lost in translationwith what it's about and it's
very open to interpretation.
Some people say it's about oneof Donald Fagan's friends openly
(32:21):
having a taboo homosexualrelationship.
Other people have said thatit's about Walter Becker's
excessive drug use.
Either way it's a great songand it very much has that nice
flow and a little bit of thatfull rock feeling that you find
in a lot of these songs.
And number one on my list of topYacht Rock albums Wait for it.
(32:46):
You're not going to see thisone coming, but Fleetwood Mac's
rumors from 1977.
So I know I mentioned earlierthat Fleetwood Mac very much is
Yacht Rock.
But, unintentional or not, thisentire album it embodies the
vibe of the late 70s SouthernCalifornia scene as well as it
(33:09):
gives a just a very yachty feelall around and it's based in a
lot of heart and soul by thesongs written.
So this is coming immediatelyoff of the stellar self-titled
album Fleetwood Mac back in 1975, which included newcomers
Stevie Nicks and LindsayBuckingham to the lineup, who
were previously just asongwriting duo.
(33:29):
They put out their own album aswell before.
It's alright, but they didn'treally get too good until
Fleetwood Mac in my opinion.
But this album is a livingtestament to the crash and burn
of close relationships andreally the aftermath of close
proximity with each other.
Basically it shows that associal relationships Fleetwood
(33:57):
Mac was falling apart and theywere in some dire straits but to
their credit, as a band theyall clung together and
professionally crushed it andbecame one of the biggest acts
ever.
That's definitely shown withinthe track list and just to give
(34:17):
you an idea of I guess this isthe down and dirty and if you
want to read more about rumors,there's plenty of it on the
internet and I think people haveeven written books about this
album.
But just to give you the downand dirty really quickly.
So Lindsay Buckingham andStevie Nicks were in a
relationship.
From what I understand, theybroke up roughly before rumors
(34:41):
started recording, but theystayed together in the band
because for professional reasonsand they were loving the gig.
Well, I think LindsayBuckingham was a little butthurt
about the situation.
Stevie Nicks was kind of movingon about her life and starting
to live a life of a rock star.
She dated Don Henley.
For let's be honest aboutStevie Nicks here for a second.
(35:03):
Stevie Nicks has pretty muchbeen all over the place in the
late 1970s, so I'm not going tobother naming off names of lists
, but pretty much you name thefamous rock star.
Stevie Nicks was probablyhanging out with him and having
some relations in one way oranother.
It is what it is and that's in1970.
(35:24):
She was having fun, but notablyDon Henley from the Eagles.
And what really was rubbingpeople the wrong way, especially
Lindsay, was whenever she wasstarting to have relations with
Mick Fleetwood, the leader ofthe band as well as the drummer
of the band, who was alsomarried at the time, by the way.
(35:45):
So that caused a lot ofemotional turmoil and waves
throughout the group as well.
Additionally, you had JohnMcVie and Christine McVie, also
members of the band, who weregoing through a divorce as well.
During this time, christineMcVie was screwing around with
one of the stage hands, which isalso where one of the songs
(36:08):
comes from on the album.
Oh, and in between all thisthere's a lot of cocaine and
there's a lot of alcoholinvolved as well.
So obviously you can seethere's judgment that is
impaired beyond belief, buteither way it made for one of
the most stellar albums of alltime.
So notable tracks on that.
First off, we talked about theback and forths between Lindsay
(36:29):
Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
Starting right off the bat, youhave second hand news which is
written by Lindsay Buckingham,who is a total jab to Stevie
Nicks, just basically saying hey, you just tossed me away and
you're on to the next one.
Stevie Nicks lashes right backwith her song Dreams and talks
(36:49):
about how players only love youwhen they're playing, and that's
a stab towards Lindsay.
It then goes on to a bunch ofamazing other tracks, go your
Own Way.
It's a rock song, not reallyyachty, but it definitely has
that vibe.
The chain I do consider is theyacht rock song, just due to the
(37:12):
beat, the flow and the lyricsinvolved in it and how it's
about depending on one another.
You have the song.
You Make Loving Fun.
That's the one I was talkingabout Christine McVie and the
roadie relationship, and thenfinally you have Goldust Woman.
It was written by Stevie Nicksand it has to do with basically
(37:35):
how she was having troublecoping with fame and Hollywood
in the scene and, additionally,how she became addicted to
cocaine.
So it got pretty crazy fromthere and obviously Fleetwood
Mack went on to make some morealbums and yep, that's history.
So ultimately, as you guys cansee, yacht Rock and the music
(37:57):
really fueled the scene for thelate 1970s into the early to mid
1980s.
Like I said before these albumsthat I listed off, I consider
these the foundational basis ofYacht Rock.
Like if you were to tellsomebody who's never heard of
Yacht Rock before hey, listen tothese.
This would be a good baseline.
(38:18):
There are definitely plenty ofother artists and other songs
I'd love to talk about.
Honorable mentions for thisepisode Robbie Dupri with Sail
Away, toto with quite a fewYacht Rock songs, the Captain
and Sneal I love them to deathand there's plenty of others.
(38:42):
So we'll definitely talk aboutthis in another episode.
We'll get into some deep cutsbut, like I said, this is
definitely the baseline forstarters.
But yeah, ultimately that's mytop five for you and that's
gonna do it for today.
I'm gonna keep this a little bitshort because, like I said, I'm
(39:02):
not interviewing anybody and Ifigure you guys can probably
take about 40 minutes of merambling on anyway.
Anyways, I really hope you guysenjoyed the show.
I'm gonna leave some links tothe songs and the albums over in
iTunes on the show notes.
If you haven't heard any ofthese, please go check them out.
Or if you just like a littlerefresher, go listen.
(39:22):
They're all nice and smooth andonce again, thank you guys very
much for listening.
Thank you guys very much forengaging on the socials.
Please, if you haven't done soalready, go leave a five star
review on Apple podcasts.
It'll take you no more than 30seconds and, additionally to
that, please tell somebody elseabout the show.
(39:43):
I really need those numbers toget up so I can beat one-handed
crocheting with so-and-so andthe how to do your taxes
correctly podcasts.
It would really make a.
It really be huge to me.
I'd really appreciate it.
But other than that, Iappreciate you guys for
listening.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Thank you very much.
See ya, he claimed to be thebest.
(40:32):
He insisted that we play somechess.
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