There Is A Yacht Rock Dockumentary Dropping on HBO Max Tonight That Looks Fantastic
Variety - Ask any two music fans what qualifies as yacht rock, and an argument is sure to ensue.
Does Steely Dan count? (Absolutely.) What about Hall & Oates? (No, too East Coast.)
In the late 1970s and early '80s, the term "yacht rock" was not yet a thing. But everyone knew the music of the Doobie Brothers, Toto and Christopher Cross - who swept the 1980 Grammys with his shimmering ballad "Sailing."
Those acts topped the charts in an era when slick production, smooth melodies and expert chops ruled the radio waves alongside the country-tinged hits of the Eagles. That would all change when MTV crashed the scene. Suddenly the likes of "What a Fool Believes" and "Africa" were consigned to the uncool "soft rock" heap. After the rise of Madonna and Michael Jackson, some of the earlier wave of musicians moved on to soundtracks, like Kenny Loggins with the "Top Gun" hit "Danger Zone."
More than two decades later, in 2005, comedians J.D. Ryznar and Steve Huey retroactively coined a term for the genre with their irony-drenched web series "Yacht Rock." With its lo-fi aesthetic, the show reimagined musicians like Kenny Loggins and Jimmy Buffett laboring to create the jazzy sounds that evoked a possibly cocaine-fueled yacht party. Naturally, the music itself figured heavily in each episode. The series wound up sparking a yacht rock renaissance, spawning three Sirius XM stations and tribute bands like Yachtley Crew.
One Gen X convert was director Garret Price, whose movie "Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary" premieres Friday as part of HBO's Music Box series.
This ain't your grandma's easy listening (though she probably digs it too). We are talking the smoothest, most impeccably crafted tunes ever to grace your earholes. And tonight, HBO Max is dropping a goddamn DOCKumentary about it all.
Make no mistake, this doc, ("Dock") is going to be fucking awesome. For so many reasons.
Now, some jabronis might turn their nose up at yacht rock. They'll call it "cheesy" or "soft." But those people are just squares who can't appreciate the finer things in life, like a perfectly mixed cocktail or a sax solo that could melt butter.
Yacht rock was born in the late '70s, a golden age of musical experimentation. These weren't just dudes strumming acoustic guitars and singing about heartbreak. They were studio wizards, blending jazz, R&B, and pop into a sonic tapestry that's both complex and undeniably catchy.
it's the perfect blend of sophistication and groove. It's music you can chill to, party to, or just lose yourself in. It's the soundtrack to good times, whether you're on the water, or just kicking back with a cold one on land.
Here's the official trailer.
Look at some of these names they mention started out as "session bands" in many cases back in the 70s in LA - Steely Dan, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Doobie Brothers, Cristopher Cross, and Michael McDonald just to name a few. These are also the names who get the official credit for pioneering the "Yacht Rock" sound.
The doc's director Price said, "I always wanted to stick with the Mount Rushmore - Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins and Toto,"
Advertisement
Those names shouldn't be surprising to see in the least, but it's interesting to see what's who Price considers the Mount Rushmore artsts.
Michael McDonald could sing the phone book and make it sound soulful as hell. And I think that's what really separates "Yacht Rock" from everything else.
It was music made by musicians, for musicians. These guys were session players, studio rats who could play circles around most of today's "artists." They weren't just chasing hits; they were pushing the boundaries of what pop music could be.
And let's not forget the influence of black music on yacht rock. These white dudes weren't afraid to wear their love of R&B and soul on their sleeves. They took those influences and spun them into something new, something uniquely Californian.
For my money, it doesn't get much better than whatever you want to call this genre of music. My mom insists it is called “lite rock” because that’s what it was called on the only radio station she’s every listened to in her car, “Lite 10”, since the dawn of time. She hates when I refer to it as yacht rock. So whatever the hell you call it, you know why it is.
Pound for pound Motown is my king of the mountain for me, followed closely by this stuff. As I wrote above, it's actual music, written by musicians, for musicians. When does that ever happen anymore? Plus, I am such a slut for a good saxophone, and the belief that "you cannot throw too much sax on a song" was no better exenplified than in yacht rock.
p.s- the same guy who directed the infamous "Woodstock 99" doc for Max, did this one. (Bill Simmons' boy). So it should be interesting to see if they find a way to take a woke angle on this for no reason, like they did with the Woodstock thing.
Advertisement
p.p.s. - Here's the official "playlist"
and here are the two Yacht Rock mixes I made years past on Soundcloud -