Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary

If, like me, you need a quick lesson in what defines Yacht Rock, allow me to help.

The genre is based on a 2005 web series of the same name which gently mocked a range of 1970s / 80s soft rock bands but in doing so spawned a sub-culture movement that came to revere them.

In short, these are now Yacht Rock music acts: Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Toto, Ambrosia.

These are not: Air Supply, The Eagles (West Coast sound), Hall & Oates, Jimmy Buffett, Fleetwood Mac -but there is some debate around that.

In the new HBO film Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary it is aptly described as “perfect sitting down music.” It is not just music heard in the elevator, dentist or shopping centre (although it definitely can be), but it has its roots in black musical influences.

In the doco directed by Garret Price and produced by Bill Simmons, the white bands are described as not just musical tourists …they were musical cosmopolitans who knew their stuff.

King of the Yacht Rock genre is Michael McDonald, a member of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, and whose voice is so unique he was an intermittent backing vocalist for Toto, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins.

Wikipedia also described the characteristics of Yacht Rock as having:

High production value
Use of “elite” Los Angeles–based studio musicians and producers associated with yacht rock
Jazz and R&B influences
Use of electric piano
Complex and wry lyrics about heartbroken, foolish men, particularly involving the word “fool”
An upbeat rhythm called the “Doobie Bounce”

Think songs like What a Fool Believes, Sailing (the Christopher Cross not Rod Stewart song), Ride Like the Wind (which Cross reveals he wrote on acid), I’d Really Love to See You Tonight, Peg, Heart to Heart, This is It and even Africa.

Sadly The Captain & Tenille don’t make the cut, even though The Captain actually dressed like a sailor. Nor does The Love Boat theme. Too too twee.  I kept waiting for The Pina Colada Song and Key Largo, but they never came. Nor did Little River Band despite their stellar success in the US in the ’70s. So  much for that Las Vegas Hilton….

The doco features new interviews with Michael McDonald, who seems like a perfectly lovely bloke, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, members of Toto (who knew Rosanna was named after Rosanna Arquette?), Steely Dan, Ambrosia, as well as music producers, DJs and current artists.

There is acknowledgment of other artists who had songs influenced by the pioneers including Boz Scaggs, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Pointer Sisters, James Ingram, Ray Parker Jr., Chaka Khan and more.

In archival footage you’ll spy Olivia Newton-John & Peter Allen, Countdown producer Michael Shrimpton and the voice of Molly -and even a glimpse of Don Lane.

The era ended with the arrival of MTV and Thriller. While some artists such as Kenny Loggins moved to soundtracks, others could not compete with the demands of video production. It indeed killed the radio star…

But what the Yacht Rock web series and movement has done is restore music appreciation for artists who were sometimes scorned or dismissed (to be fair there was chart success Grammy wins however). But it has been revived with bar singalongs with the audience decked out in yachting attire. Go figure.

For all but Steely Dan keyboardist Donald Fagen, Yacht Rock is here to stay. Wait for the closing credits for his opinion on that.

Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary 12:30pm Saturday November 30 on Foxtel / Binge.