{"id":423652,"date":"2024-11-28T15:00:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T15:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=423652"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Yacht-Rock-A-Dockumentary-Director-on-Genre-s-Unique-Origin-and-Misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Yacht-Rock-A-Dockumentary-Director-on-Genre-s-Unique-Origin-and-Misconceptions\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary\u2019 Director on Genre\u2019s Unique Origin and Misconceptions"},"content":{"rendered":"

To paraphrase crooner Michael McDonald, one of the signature players of the music style, Yacht Rock has a place in our lives.<\/p>\n

The smooth-sounding music from the West Coast, a mix of pop\/rock with jazz and R&B melodies, popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s (think Christopher Cross, Toto, Kenny Loggins among others), is explored in Music Box\u2019s Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary<\/em><\/a>, available Friday, November 29 on Max<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cQuoting someone in the documentary, \u2018Almost all Yacht Rock is soft rock, but not all soft rock is Yacht Rock,’\u201d director Garret Price (Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage<\/em>) says of the genre. \u201cIt\u2019s smooth and polished music, while also having a ton of heart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And there\u2019s also a ton of misconceptions about Yacht Rock. The worst one? \u201cA lot of people assume something is Yacht Rock if the song has any nautical themes or lyrics,\u201d notes Price. \u201cIn fact, there\u2019s very few Yacht Rock songs that actually deal with boats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, the genre\u2019s name is definitely silly. But that\u2019s because it came from a low-budget comedy web series released in June 2005, responsible for reigniting a passion for the style. \u201cI thought it was so unique that you have this \u2018genre\u2019 invented 25 years after this music was dominating the pop charts,\u201d says Price. \u201cI wanted to speak to the musicians themselves and let them finally define the music they made during this time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Ask<\/a><\/p>\n
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The film features interviews with McDonald, Cross, Loggins, members of Toto, Fred Armisen, rock critics, and more. \u201cIt was the contemporary artists that surprised me the most,\u201d notes Price of the contributors. \u201cArtists like Questlove, Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, and Prince Paul were so eager to talk about how much this music meant to them and how it influenced their own work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s a legitimate genre with impressive vocalists and a style that is uniquely its own. Price adds: \u201cAnd while the name originated from comedy, the music itself was anything but a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n

A joke? That\u2019s what a fool believes.<\/p>\n

See below for Price\u2019s dream Yacht Rock mixtape:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n
    \u201cWhat A Fool Believes\u201d by The Doobie Brothers (Written by McDonald and Loggins, it is \u201cthe gold standard for all Yacht Rock songs,\u201d according to Price.)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n
    \u201cRide Like The Wind\u201d by Christopher Cross<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n
    \u201cPeg\u201d by Steely Dan<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n
    \u201cGeorgy Porgy\u201d by Toto<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n
    \u201cHeart to Heart\u201d by Kenny Loggins<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary<\/em>, Documentary Premiere, Friday, November 29, HBO, Max<\/strong><\/p>\n

    More Headlines:<\/strong><\/p>\n