Mixtapes Of Today
In this podcast I will talk about all types of music, different genres, different decades, themes, and soundtracks of our lives. Discussing personal experiences and cultural nostalgia. We will build a playlist every week and share it with the listeners.
Mixtapes Of Today
Episode 13: Yacht Rock Favorites
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Yacht Rock Favorites Spotify Playlist
Is Yacht Rock really a genre of music? Several streaming services, books, and documentaries seem to think so. We all have our favorites. I wanted to share mine this week in this episode of Mixtapes of Today.
Welcome to Mixtapes of Today, Episode 13. I am your host, Suze Jones. This week we are going to sail into the soothing sounds of yacht rock. Yacht rock, originally known as the West Coast Sound or Adult-Oriented Rock, is a broad music style and aesthetic commonly associated with soft rock, one of the most commercially successful genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Drawing on sources such as smooth soul, jazz, RB, and disco, common stylistic traits include high-quality production, clean vocals, and a focus on light catchy melodies. The term Yacht Rock was coined in 2005 by the makers of the online comedy video series Yacht Rock, who connected the music with the popular Southern California leisure activity of boating. Yacht Rock is listed as a genre on Spotify, Amazon Music, Accu Radio, and Pandora. Since 2015, Sirius XM Satellite Radio has even had a Yacht Rock channel. In 2018, Jawbone Press released the Yacht Rock book, The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s by author Greg Prato, which explored the entire genre's history. And in 2024, HBO released Yacht Rock, a documentary, which was a fun and informative look at the so-called genre, directed by Garrett Price. I have 10 tracks this week of my favorite songs that might be considered part of the Yacht Rock genre, so check out my Spotify playlist link in the description. Track 1, Sailing by Christopher Cross. Christopher Cross, born Christopher Charles Geppert, on May 3rd, 1951, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Kurt Geppert, bassist Andy Salman, and keyboardist Rob Moyer met in San Antonio when they were still teens. Gepphert and Salman became bandmates in Flash with Gepphert on guitar. Together they formed Christopher Cross as a band and moved to Austin, where they added drummer Tommy Taylor. Sailing is a 1979 sock rock song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter that also started going by the name Christopher Cross. It was released in May 1980, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 30th of that year. And then it stayed there for one week. Sailing is considered one of the quintessential yacht rock songs from the sound, the mood, and of course the mention of sailing on a boat. Known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies, the band has been active for over five decades, with their greatest success taking place in the 1970s. Michael McDonald joined the band in 1975 as a keyboardist and additional lead vocalist, and his soulful voice and work on other soft rock songs has made him the most recognizable voice in Yacht Rock. What a Fool Believes was written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by the Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald singing lead vocals for their eighth album, Minute by Minute, in 1978. Steely Dan was an American rock band formed in Annandale on Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker, guitars, bass, backing vocals, and Donald Fagin, keyboards and lead vocals. Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagan chose to stop performing live by the end of 1974 and continued Steely Dan as a studio-only duo, and the band disbanded in 1981. Reelin in the Years was written by Donald Fagan and Walter Becker and features Fagin on vocals released as the second single from their 1972 debut album Can't Buy a Thrill. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1973, and at number 15 in Canada. Kenny Loggins is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been part of a band called The Second Helping, part of a duo as Loggins and Messina, and has had an incredible solo career as the king of movie soundtracks, as well as collaborating with other artists like Michael McDonald. In 1979, Loggins and Michael McDonald wrote This Is It, and the song features additional vocals by McDonald. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song won a Grammy Award in 1981 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Track 5. Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo formed in 1969 by Jim Seals and Dash Crofts in Los Angeles, California. They first met when Crofts was a drummer for a local band. Later, Seals joined a rockabilly band called Dean Beard and the Crew Cats, in which he played Saks. Later on, Crofts joined Seals and the band. They both spent time in different bands moving from Texas to Los Angeles before settling as a duo in 1969. They wrote and released Summer Breeze in 1972, which reached number six on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. that same year. Robbie Dupree is an American singer, best known for his hit songs like Steal Away, which hit number six on the Billboard Hot 100, and Hot Rod Hearts. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. While growing up, his biggest musical influences included RB musicians Robin Gay and Sam Cook. He released his self-titled album in 1980, and Steal Away is a song from that album. Released as the first single from the album, it became his biggest hit, peaking at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the adult contemporary chart. America is a British American rock band formed in 1970 by Dewey Bennell, Dan Peak, and Jerry Beckley. America, the band, had early success from 1970 to 1973. They had ups and downs from 74 to 79. In 1978, Dan Peak issued a solo album and it merged in the Christian popular music genre. Beckley and Bennell continued as America and ended their Warner Brothers contract. America continued to evolve as the 1980s began. Player is a British American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in the late 1970s. Player first came together in LA, and the original members include Peter Beckett on vocals and guitar, JC Crowley, Vocals, Keyboard, and Guitar, Ron Moss, Vocals and Bass, and John Friesen on drums. Baby Come Back is a song that was written by the band. It was released in late 1977 as the lead single from their self-titled debut album and was the breakthrough single for the band, gaining them mainstream success, hitting number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the three consecutive weeks of January 14th, 21st, and 28th of 1978, and reached number 10 on the RB charts, also in 1978. Track nine Dance With Me by Orleans. Orleans is an American pop rock band formed in 1972 in Woodstock, New York by John Hall, Larry Hoppen, and Wells Kelly. Larry's younger brother, bassist Lance Hoppen, and drummer Jerry Morata, joined the band in 1972 and 1976, respectively. Dance With Me was written by John Hall and his wife Johanna Hall, and the band recorded it on their second studio album, Orleans 2, and also on their third album, Let There Be Music, in 1975. The song featured a melodica solo by Larry Hoffman. The Melodica is a handheld free-read instrument, similar in sound to a pump organ, a harmonica, or even an accordion. It features a musical keyboard on top and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece.
SPEAKER_02The music is just starting.
SPEAKER_00Track 10 and the final track this week, and this is one of my favorites, Reminiscing by Little River Band. Little River Band is a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March of 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. The group has gone through numerous personnel changes with over 30 members since their formation. The song was written by the band's rhythm guitarist Graham Goebel and sung by their lead guitarist Glenn Shorek. Reminiscing peaked at number 35 on the Australian Kent Music Report and at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
SPEAKER_05That's the way it began.
SPEAKER_00This concludes this episode of Mixtapes of Today. 10 tracks that are my yacht rock favorites. Please check out my Spotify playlist link in the description. Thanks for listening to Mixtapes of Today. We will be back next week. Talk to you soon.