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Certified H00d Classic
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Bernie Sanders's yacht
Posts: 6,129
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier
Now that you're mentioning members of Toto, I'm waiting for a Toto album to appear on here  |
I've got a fun one in mind for them: may even do two. 
Anywho...
1. Soft Rock
The earliest form of what people normally associate with the yacht rock moniker, pioneered in the late 60's in part by people like Carole King, The Carpenters and Todd Rundgren but eventually associated primarily with acts like Seals & Crofts, Stephen Bishop and Andrew Gold. The roots of soft rock, of course, lie in a mix of folk and Motown R&B with a touch of Brill Building popcraft, along with samba and bossa nova to a lesser degree. Primarily acoustic with no embellishment, though you'll occasionally hear a sax, bongos, etc. in a lot of songs as the mid 70's came in full swing.
2. "Yacht" Rock itself
Soft rock with keyboards, electric guitar and a big emphasis on more nautical or beach-y atmosphere, as well as the cornerstone genre that this journal revolves around. Peaked in popular consciousness from 1977 through 1985 before falling into obscurity. Elements of this music continued to proliferate in R&B and some forms of "chill" out electronica over the following decade, but with the success of Daft Punk's Random Access Memories and other modern artists, the genre has seen something of a rebirth in recent years, along with Westcoast-AOR to a lesser degree. Key songs in this style include 'Steal Away' by Robbie Dupree, 'What A Fool Believes' by The Doobie Brothers and 'Sailing' by Christopher Cross.
3. Westcoast-AOR
Where yacht rock meets the more adventurous territories of jazz-fusion and prog. rock comes Westcoast-AOR, pioneered by bands like Ambrosia, Toto and Steely Dan in the mid to late-70's. Typified by jazzier, more expansive arrangements, big choruses, obtuse lyrical content and sleek production, this is my favorite subset of yacht rock by a country mile. Albums, songs and artists in this style tend to feature L.A.'s biggest and brightest session musicians of the 70's and 80's, especially guitarists like Michael Landau and Steve Lukather. A few key albums in this style include Aja by Steely Dan, Storm At Sunup by Gino Vannelli, Life Beyond L.A. by Ambrosia and (Forever In The) Arms Of Love by Karizma.
4. "Post" Disco
As the 70's came to a close and the 80's went into full swing, many R&B, funk and disco artists began hiring or co-writing with big producers and session players from L.A. to "get with the times". The result was a blend of yacht rock and Westcoast sensibilities and the dancefloor grooveage of past eras. The most commercially successful result of this process, of course, is Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', which featured all the members of Toto plus a large number of other guests and songwriting contributors from other L.A. natives. Jay Graydon in particular was a huge contributor to this trend, co-writing a lot of material with Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge and guys like Al Jarreau. A few key songs that represent this subset include 'Someone' by El Debarge, 'After The Love Is Gone' by EW&F, 'You (Are The Light)' by George Duke and 'Mornin' by Al Jarreau.
5. City Pop
Japan's answer to yacht rock and Westcoast-AOR basically, but with a heavier influence from 60's sunshine pop and acts like the Beach Boys. The 80's was Japan's golden era of economic prosperity, and the upbeat keyboard/guitar led beach-pop of that era's idols was the soundtrack to life in Tokyo for nearly a decade and a half. The best stuff in this style, however, is material produced by key songwriters such as Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshiki Kadomatsu -- both of whom are also incredibly skilled guitarists, vocalists and producers all in one. I'll be getting more in-depth on this particular subset on a later post, but key albums in this genre include Melodies by Tatsuro Yamashita, All Is Vanity by Toshiki Kadomatsu, First Light by Mokoto Matsushita and Adventure by Kikuchi Momoko.
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