Anteater's Yacht Rock Extravaganza

[Anteater]

Anteater's Yacht Rock Extravaganza

Albums, Songs, Weird Trivia & Smooooooovez

Music, just like porn, taxes and hard drugs, can come to us in many shapes and forms throughout our lives. We are the butterflies, and good music is the net of that pesky old woman who wants to pin you in her scrapbook.

However, there is one supreme style of sonic stylization that supersedes all others. What do you get when you combine the vocal arrangements and guitar dynamics of progressive rock, the lyrical depth of glam metal, the grooviness of classic Motown, and the virtuosity of jazz-based arrangements coupled with top notch players, songwriters and producers?

Lets put it another way: Do you like pina coladas getting caught in the rain? Have you ever mustered a smile for someone's nostalgic tale? Have you ever felt a burning desire deep inside to throw on a pair of aviators, squeeze into your super secret sailing uniform and sail off into the Californian sunset before the authorities arrive at your door?

If any of these things apply to you..or even if NONE of it applies to you...well, you MIGHT be a yacht rock fan just waiting to happen!

This journal is devoted to all things smooth and boat-friendly, that ever derided yet insidiously addictive genre of music known as Westcoast-AOR. Welcome aboard.

I will be dividing this journal into three main "post types". As I accumulate entries, I will be updating this first post here with links to keep navigation simple and convenient for future generations of readers.

Yacht Rock Cornerstones: The Essential Albums

Herbie Hancock - Lite Me Up! (1982)
Steve Kipner - Knock The Walls Down (1979)
Fleetwood Mac - Mystery To Me (1973)
Adrian Gurvitz - Sweet Vendetta (1979)
Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
Chris Rainbow - White Trails (1979)
Artist Spotlight: Bernard Oattes (1985 - 1997)



The Seafaring Adventures Of Captain Koko: Anteater Writes About Individual Songs And Constructs A Batshit Narrative To Accompany Them

Ch 1: Bon Voyage / 'JoJo'
Ch 2: Reading 'Between The Lines'
Ch 3: Ocean Crossing / 'Hibiscus Pacific'


The Smooth Factor: Yacht Rock Trivia, Nostalgic Tales And Interesting Genre-related Videos

Yacht Rock In The Modern Era I: Introductory Jamz
The Making Of: Steely Dan's Aja
Five Genre Variations Of Yacht Rock 101
5 Westcoast Gems With Michael McDonald On Backing Vox
"What Is Christcoast?" - A Subgenre Spotlight

Hope I get a good readership on this one. Should be a lot of fun!

Last but not least, here's the first episode of Yacht Rock for anyone looking for some good laughs.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by Anteater

Anteater's Yacht Rock Extravaganza

Albums, Songs, Weird Trivia & Smooooooovez

Music, just like porn, taxes and hard drugs, can come to us in many shapes and forms throughout our lives. We are the butterflies, and good music is the net of that pesky old woman who wants to pin you in her scrapbook.

However, there is one supreme style of sonic stylization that supersedes all others. What do you get when you combine the vocal arrangements and guitar dynamics of progressive rock, the lyrical depth of glam metal, the grooviness of classic Motown, and the virtuosity of jazz-based arrangements coupled with top notch players, songwriters and producers?

Lets put it another way: Do you like pina coladas getting caught in the rain? Have you ever mustered a smile for someone's nostalgic tale? Have you ever felt a burning desire deep inside to throw on a pair of aviators, squeeze into your super secret sailing uniform and sail off into the Californian sunset before the authorities arrive at your door?

If any of these things apply to you..or even if NONE of it applies to you...well, you MIGHT be a yacht rock fan just waiting to happen!

This journal is devoted to all things smooth and boat-friendly, that ever derided yet insidiously addictive genre of music known as Westcoast-AOR. Welcome aboard.

I will be dividing this journal into three main "post types". As I accumulate entries, I will be updating this first post here with links to keep navigation simple and convenient for future generations of readers.



Hope I get a good readership on this one. Should be a lot of fun!

Last but not least, here's the first episode of Yacht Rock for anyone looking for some good laughs.

Woo-hoo! New journal!
I'd just sound one small note of advice: trim down the title picture. It's pushing your text off the screen. Look forward to reading this, my insectivorious friend!

[Anteater]

On the top floor of the Columbia Records' L.A. headquarters, seasoned boat captain Koko "Slippy" Goldstein stood before his producer's highly furnished desk as a convict would before the gibbet: resigned and ready for the inevitable judgement that awaited those who failed to uphold the universal laws of smooth music.

But when his balding perpetually well-dressed boss finally swiveled around in his leather office chair to face Koko and speak, what the aspiring singer-songwriter got was something else entirely.

"Koko, Koko, Koko, brother from another mother...we just can't release this album to the public, man. The grooves are beyond reproach, your songwriting impeccable, your image classy and iconic...but the voice just doesn't cut mustard with what I was looking for. Everyone's been paid for their time in studio already, but your debut is DOA."

Koko sighed to himself under his breath. He was afraid that things would turn out like this. The best session players in L.A. had all showed up to do their little jig last week, but the weak link was oh so obvious once you got back outside the booth and listened to the demos. And there wasn't enough time to find a better voice and put everything together before the established deadlines.

Koko waited a bit before finally replying. "...so my maiden voyage is over before it even began? Lay it on me: what do I owe Columbia? I am prepared to sell my yachts-"

Amadeus "Blood God" Karmichael suddenly stood up and grabbed Koko's shoulder with such intensity it made him jump. "Nothing pal. Zip, zada, nada. I had a dream last night you see. And you were in it."

Koko only blinked in response behind his midnight shades in the dying afternoon light. He could only stand there and listen as one bizarre thing after another spilled from his old friend's lips.

"Look, you know me. I'm not one for believing in "signs" per se'. But I saw it so clearly amigo: I dreamed you were on one of those yachts you and I used to go deep sea fishing on weekends, sailing the many waters of the world and signing fresh new bands and artists to our label who could preserve smooth music for countless generations to come. Otherwise...all would be lost. And then I woke up. Your future as an artist is done, but a better path has opened..."

Amadeus let go of Koko's shoulder, this time grabbing his hands into a clasp. Koko resisted the urge to jump backwards.

"Koko, you are the only one in the world who hears what I hear in smooth music. Your songs are the ambrosia of the gods, if only the right voice could come along to sing them-"

"Actually, I'm pretty good friends with the guys in Amb-"

Amadeus just kept talking as if Koko hadn't said anything. "-and so I bid thee: set sail out into the world and find me the smoothest cats to sign. A worldwide talent search to find the best of the best and get them signed & recording here. We must save the era before *shudders* "heavy" metal and those ****ers over in Motown take radio over, destroying smooth music forever! WILL YOU DO THIS KOKO?!"

The sudden shift in volume caught Koko off guard. It was always like this was Amadeus. He responded "yes" before he could think of anything else.

Amadeus smiled. "I knew you wouldn't let me down pard'. Go home and sleep on things. We've got an expedition to plan...hehehehe...!"

Koko left in a daze as he took the elevator down, leaving his friend to wallow in his excitement. He left the building and called a taxi to take him toward Bluewater Sailing's main facility at the nearby marina. Some time by the water would let him clear his head and relax. Time to think.

As one of those reliable yellow transporters pulled up by the curb and he slipped in, Koko realized he wasn't alone in the backseat as the heart of L.A. faded into the background. Feeling suddenly distracted, he gave the cabbie the destination, and then they were off without a fuss.

Beside him a man in mink and burgundy stared out the opposite window with calm black eyes and a chiseled angular face that seemed uncomfortable atop his broad neck and shoulders. In one hand he held onto a cane, in the other a brick of what looked like hundred dollar bills.

Koko caught himself staring despite knowing better, and the man noticed. Without a word, he turned his odd, angular face to face Koko. Black, cold eyes like a fish. And yet they burned. Something in them filled the master of smooth music with mixture of queasy apprehension...and awe. No words were said: each looked at the other like two animals might when separated by glass walls in a zoo exhibit...

...and then the moment was over, as though it had never existed in the first place. The dandy man smiled silently, focused his odd intensity back toward the view outside, and after a few minutes asked quietly to be let out on the street.

Koko observed with a curiosity normally untypical to him that several beautiful women all converged upon the man from out of nowhere as soon as he had exited the taxi, as though inexorably summoned by some unseen order from above. Koko watched uneasily as they started lining up before the man like bowling pins ready to be knocked down. But then the taxi took a right, and that moment too was gone.

Koko slumped back into his seat, exhaustion seeping in like a slow leak in a boat's hull. The night was just beginning. Soon he would reach the waterline...

Boz Scaggs - Jojo (from Middle Man, 1980)

Boz Scaggs is one of the more interesting players of the classic "yacht rock" scene in L.A. during the genre's prime from '76 through '84: he got started in blues and playing guitar in the Steve Miller Band, but after a slow start to his solo career in the mid 70's and middling sales, the Boz moved to Columbia who promptly hooked him up with David Paich from Toto and they recorded the platinum selling 'Silk Degrees' in '76. This relationship opened doors to the rest of L.A.'s top session players and writers, culminating in 1980's album Middle Man and absolutely killer songs like 'Jojo'.

Let's be straight up: this is a song about a pimp. And not just any pimp: this guy's a firecracker, a baddass who doesn't take your **** and who can "get you all you want". He's a creature of the night, a boogeyman with a "gentle and soft" side. He's a thrill seeker and a dangerous, dangerous guy. As far as Westcoast goes, this song is filet mignon. And a co-write with the legendary David Foster of all people too, which might explain why it kicks so much ass.

I decided to start this journal off with a bit of swagger, and Scaggs' distinctive strutting vocal style combined with the godly backing combination of drummer Jeff Porcaro, bassist David Hungate and some of L.A.'s other top players results in an absolute beast of a song. There's even some subtle orchestral elements floating around the fringes to give the whole thing an extra layer of class and polish, elevating it even higher in my eyes. It's not the definitive L.A. yacht rock song, but its high up there and a good place to set sail in your explorations of the genre for those of you who thought I was going to be reviewing Bread or Orleans or crap like that.

Middle Man is a great album by the way (and fairly diverse too), but this singular glimpse into the nightlife of a gun-toting pimp is the "single" you'll want for your collection as we start our journey into the world of smooth, seafaring soft rock awesomeness...

[Chula Vista]

Great stuff. Made me think of this for some reason though...

[Anteater]

^ Lol. Classic movie moments, brought to you by Chula Vista!

Herbie Hancock - Lite Me Up (1982)

"We're at the ending of another day / No more working hours / Inhibitions start to slip away / Feel those moonlight powers / We'll find a nice place to dine / Get out the candlelight / A little music and wine / We're gonna do just fine."

We begin our journey into the whacky world of Westcoast Yacht Rock fun at a curious juncture known as Lite Me Up, the 33rd solo record from jazz legend Herbie Hancock and the album that Daft Punk stole 95% of their ideas from for last year's bumpy but excellent Random Access Memories.

Musically, its sits in a nameless country that borders the entertainingly lyrical jazz-rock of Steely Dan and the superstardom-level R&B of Michael Jackson's Thriller. And like a good child, it takes many of the best elements from both sides of the "black" and "white" funk divide and incorporates them into one helluva smooth presentation. The most obvious instance of what I'm talking about occurs in the sublime bridge section of 'Gettin' To The Good Part', one of the coolest songs ever made and simultaneously a classroom worthy example of commercial L.A. jazz-fusion. Flawless and slick to the point of sounding near-mechanical, yet so melodic and confident in its strut that you'll get ensnared by the sheer force of its methodical propulsion anyway.

But make no mistake: this album pissed off a lot of people despite being the Herbmeister's best pop album, the last one he'd do before jumping headfirst into MTV electro-tinged stardom with instrumental cuts like 'Rockit' from the mid 80's onward. The critics hated it because it was smooth and radio friendly, the "old" Herbie Hancock fans didn't think it was "jazz" enough, and others thought it was a case of an older artist trying too hard to achieve relevancy in a changing landscape.

All idiotic complaints of course, seeing as the songs were...you know, pretty fuckin' ace and the ideal soundtrack for a blitz down Sunset Boulevard. Or, alternatively, a boat ride with all your awesome yuppie friends. Rod Temperton was fresh off the previously-mentioned Thriller boat and married his infectious songwriting sensibility with Herb's virtuosic skills behind the keys. Couple this with some production juice from the classic David Foster/Jay Graydon tag-team and a huge range of top class guests, backing vocalists and even guitar god Steve Lukather and the results range from the very good to phenomenal. I've already mentioned Gettin' To The Good Part', but the jaunty title track and the slinking orchestral funk of 'Motor Mouth' are Grade-A radio fodder and immaculate examples of this dream team at the top of their game. A level of praise that can be applied to any song here really. And Herbie even sings clean and vocodor-less on the only traditional yacht rock number here, the shimmery aptly-named 'Paradise', which just goes to show you he never even needed any help to begin with to knock one out of the park.

At a time when the lines between African-American contemporary radio and more "white-oriented" programming was falling down around everybody's ears in the wake of MTV, Herbie put out a killer yacht rock album that also happened to be an awesome early 80's pop-funk time capsule, proving good music didn't need to cater to one audience or the other: you could have it all and stay smooth all the while.

[Anteater]

One key element in both writing and marketing (which I do a lot of) is establishing a sense of relevancy with your would-be prospects...or in this case, you my dear readers. "But Ant-" some might ask, "-how is yacht rock relevant when it died back in the 80's?"

Well, allow me to elucidate: it never died at all. Rather, smoove music simply melted into the collective's musical consciousness after the early 80's and, slowly but surely, has risen out of the darkness into something resembling mainstream viability here in the second decade of the 00's thanks to some key albums (*cough* Random Access Memories *cough*), bands and artists across the world. Evidence: some snapshot jams from 2012 to the present day with a lot of yachtage going on...

Mayer Hawthorne - 'Backseat Lover'
(from 2013's Where Does This Door Go?)

People originally pegged ol' Mayer as a Motown boy a couple years back, but his last album Where Does This Door Go? was a big surprise: the late 70's L.A. jazz-rawk aesthetic thrown into a contemporary juicer stuffed with danceable R&B and hip-hop...AKA, a great companion album to what the boys in Daft Punk cooked up and stormed the charts with. In particular, this song would have fit right in with anything Michael McDonald was doing in '82, and its not even the best song on the record. And the Kendrick Lamar fans are, of course, aware of 'Crime'.

Brian McKnight - 'Get U 2 Stay'
(from 2013's More Than Words)

What happens when Boondocks sex-icon and R&B legend Brian McKnight goes Steely Dan on an audience that wouldn't know 'Peg' from Meg? Pure ****in' magic son, that's what. Makes you wonder ($$s aside) why he's spent the majority of his career doing bland quiet storm when he absolutely slays in this sort of arena.

Paul Bertolino - 'Union Square'
(from 2012's Where The Buildings Hit The Sky)

Brooklyn based Paul Bertolino is an indie singer-songwriter in the Stephen Bishop / Gordon Lightfoot vein of things and crazily talented to boot. He's got the yacht rock look and style down to a science, but its kind of uncanny how evocative he is on his own merits as a soft-rock artist. Cool dude, plus he has this awesome bandcamp too.

Nate Williams - 'Show Me'
(from 2014's Got To Let Go)

Another interesting guy to keep an eye on, blending the whole dubstep-tinged R&B trend with a Westcoast-AOR arrangement sensibility. He's from some Welsh village I couldn't pronounce at gunpoint, but this guy is a yacht rocker at heart with more soul than a shaman at the summer's solstice.

[Anteater]

Steve Kipner - Knock The Walls Down (1979)

"Oh no, not another one / Not another romantic fool / Your all the same / Your just like me / Welcome to the school of broken hearts..."

Our next album voyage on the S.S. Wimp Rawk comes in the form of someone who actually become incredibly successful after the fact. Steve Kipner may not be a name most of you are familiar with, but I'd say pretty much everyone on planet Earth has encountered his songs at some point in their lives. Olivia-Newton John's 'Physical'? Chicago's 'Hard Habit To Break'? Christina Aguilera's 'Genie In A Bottle'? Those are just a few of the commercial juggernauts that this guy has penned. Gives guys like Max Martin a run for his money, and that's probably a bit modest.

Everyone, however, has a starting point in their careers no matter how successful (or relatively unsuccessful) they become later. In Kipner's case, his one and only solo outing Knock The Walls Down also marks the starting point for the production career of L.A. guitar messiah Jay Graydon, fresh off axe duties on Steely Dan's Aja and already in the midst of writing immortal tunes like 'After The Love Is Gone' for Earth, Wind & Fire alongside heavyweights like David Foster.

The creation of this particular record, therefore, is a very pivotal one in Westcoast-AOR / yacht rock canon: it literally catapulted the primary careers of two of the biggest names in early 80's L.A. pop-rock into platinum success stories.

But even if you took that fact out of the equation though and rated this album based purely on its own merits, this thing is a top flight yacht rock album on the songwriting end of things. Furthermore, the personnel is simply aces: you not only have Graydon in creative control, but also guys like Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton, two of the best guitarists of all time in any genre. This is one of the few times where all of these cats were actually on a record together, and the level of polish and performance you get as a result of that is out of this world.

The first thing you'll notice is that Kipner has a pretty decent voice: a bit plaintive, but its got a snarky touch of character to it. Sounds even better when Graydon applies his magic from behind the scenes to create those harmonies, which you get on 'The Beginning' and the foot-tapping title track. Speaking of which, the remastered version of this album absolutely jumps off a decent sound system, and Graydon's mixing & mastering of everything here is right up there with any of Toto's best stuff or Michael Jackson's Thriller in terms of clarity. Things like that can't usually save bad songwriting of course, but when you've got cuts as good as 'I've Got To Stop This Hurting You' to work with, the results speak for themselves.

Another interesting thing you'll notice as you listen through is a sense that Kipner intended Knock The Walls Down to be a loose concept record in some respects about not only life and romance in L.A., but about the pursuit of success in the music industry too. Nobody typically steps into this sort of genre for anything besides the sheer joys of hearing these immaculate productions play out, but Donald Fagen and Dan Fogelberg this ain't in the lyrical department. The former writes about gangsters and the latter mediated on numerous occasion about grander concepts (more on that later), but Steve Kipner is mostly interested in wry observations on intrinsically shallow relationships and feelings of bitter isolation on both sides of the gender divide.

The album's best moment, interestingly enough, actually comes in on the sardonic closer 'The Ending', which thanks the listener for sitting through the album before erupting into one of the best extended guitar solos you'll ever have the pleasure of hearing outside the realms of hard rock or heavy metal. Wonder why I gush on Jay Graydon all the time? From 1:35 onwards I think you'll be suitably impressed...heh.

There's a lot of classics floating around the backlog of the yacht rock vaults, but Kipner definitely stamped his own unique mark in the world of smooth music world before sailing off towards more commercially viable horizons. And honestly, I kind of wish he'd stuck around for another album or two...

[Anteater]

"Hey mister, you gonna keep me here all night? We're at the marina now."

Koko snapped awake to the cabbie's voice. By the smooth grace of Michael H. Christ McDonald, had he really fallen asleep in only five minutes? That weird pimp getting off earlier must have been some kind of unconscious stress relief. Either that or that last week in studio was finally catching up to him.

"Here's two fives. Have a good night."
"No problem buddy. Don't do anything tonight I wouldn't do eh?"

As the cabbie drove back toward the main drag, Koko surveyed the nearby dock and a tiki bar ahead that connected to the pier's walkway: there was a small crowd, mostly young couples. A scruffy disc jockey was setup on stage, vinyl lined up like dominoes beside him. The sun had set and nobody was sailing, but that was fine. Sometimes a good view, a few drinks and music was all you needed.

"The usual, cap'n?" asked Leroy Haus from his usual place behind the counter. He was mixing shots left and right, his eyes on the job at hand, but he knew his regulars before they even sat down.

Koko pulled up a stool. "Any Patrón back there?"

"You bet'cha."

"Let's do a Viridian tonight then. Two kiwis"

"Got'cha. Just don't tell that guy-" he motioned at the person asleep in a filthy looking jersey at the opposite end. "He owes me a tab two lifetimes couldn't make right."

Koko raised an eyebrow from behind his smooth shades. "...and you still let him drink? That's a surprise."

Leroy shrugged, sighed as he massaged his left temple with a resigned kind of irritation. "He was my brother's best mate when they served in 'Nam together. Two of a kind: Big bro Nick and Lt. Steven Harter. But Stevie there, he hasn't had work in five years. Too angry and messed up inside, can't hold anything down. Its hell watching him come here every night. But I'm afraid if I don't keep him boozed up I'll wake up one day and see his name in the obituary."

"Sounds like your trying to plug leak after leak in a boat that's destined to sink."

Leroy rolled his eyes. "Are you going to be making those stupid boat puns at me til I'm dead from cancer? Anyway-"

"Sorry Leroy, quiet a sec would ya?" Koko cut in, raising a finger.

Some disco long player had ended a minute ago, and the DJ had slipped on a new '12 record after briefly naming the group and the jam in question over his mic as Leroy had gone into Stevie's story. But despite not paying attention at first, in the space of one minute or so Koko found himself sucked in completely. This song...it was so strange...but so smooth. Who were these guys? The DJ said they were from Germany or something...

And then the lyrics came, and Koko's attention was suddenly pulled toward Steven Harter, who had stood up from his stupor at some point after the song began. Tears were running uncontrollably down his cheeks before the first chorus had run its course. As the song played out over the next ten minutes, Koko realized he felt a little misty eyed himself, a rare event under most circumstances.

"Take my life and write it down
Sure won't take much time
Won't be so much there to see
It's all between the lines.

Tried my hand at better things
Never worked out right
Spent 10 years to find the dream
Was there before my eyes

And now I try to make up for those days
Make a new start
Can't be worse than that day.
Try to forget all those times..
Make a new start
And live out the lie
And live out the lie..."

As Steven let his tears flow and the couples continued to dance (with the occasional uneasy sideward glance) and the smoothness of the jam petered off into quiet, Leroy handed Koko his drink. Koko nodded, threw in a few bucks. After an exchange of nods, the sailor-turned-wannabe singer/songwriter walked out toward the water and left the music behind him. His mood had turned around unexpectedly: seeing a broken war veteran actually start crying to the sort of music Koko loved was...actually very sombering. And yet it made him happy too.

And most importantly, it made him feel like maybe he could really pull this off for Amadeus despite his initial misgivings. If a song that smooth could come from some bunch of landlocked Krauts he had never even heard of before, who was he to feel discouraged? The talent was out there all over the world...he just had to find it. Simple as simple could be. He just had to stay focused!

He watched the water for awhile, smiling a bit without realizing it. As the stars flickered like dim apparitions above the L.A. haze, he downed his Viridian and eventually made his way along the shore toward his private boathouse. He would rest, stay positive, and prepare for the coming day ahead...

Lake - Between The Lines (from Lake, 1977)

This delicious hybrid between progressive rock and vintage L.A. jazz-rock groovage was the closing number on German rock band Lake's self titled debut from '77, and its quite a doozy truth be told. Texturally its not all that different from the kind of stuff Fleetwood Mac and Ambrosia were churning out in the first part of the early 70's, but the huge vocals of James Hopkins-Harrison and that killer interplay between the Hammond organ and that modular keyboard motif is the stuff of legends. And for those who care about lyrics, the song tells the story of a man running from a regretful past and, desperately, trying to achieve some semblance of an upstanding life despite a poisonous guilt eating him alive from the inside out. Not the typical sort of thing you run into when your looking for a disposable Anglo-funk breezer to play on your boat, but these are the gems that make this genre worth exploring and talking about.

[Anteater]

The Making Of: Steely Dan's Aja

Instead of the madcap adventures of Captain Koko or a new album spotlight, lettuce take a look at the making of yacht rock's equivalent to 'Sgt. Pepper's Club', the immaculate pinnacle of L.A. Westcoastiness known as Aja, courtesy of Steely Dan.

I'll be giving this baby a review of it's own down the line at some point, but this hour long look into the album's background is both wryly amusing and quite fascinating in equal measure. Enjoy!

[Chula Vista]

^^^^

That whole "Classic Albums" series is great.

Really like that Steve Kipner stuff.