Not directly related to yacht rock, but I had a thought. You know, venues like Twitch might be a nice place for this little Star Hits community to convene. We get someone to DJ the hits of the 80’s for us while we chop it up in the chat room. Any thoughts on that?
I'm not where you are with Yacht Rock (yet), but lately I've dialed down the music snobbery, and I sometimes ponder the wonders of a pure pop hit. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's finally keeping an open mind. But more good music is always welcome.
I tell you, I would not have willingly listened to most of this music had it not been for a combination of nostalgia, a need to expand my nostalgic listenings (how much ‘80s can even I take??), and the excellent explanation of the roots of Yacht Rock. That really gave me an appreciation for the songs and the music. But, yeah, the nostalgia factor: big!
Suzan, I LOVE that you mentioned this - my husband and I just watched the "dockumentary" too! Loved the description of what defines yacht rock (jazz influences, certain session players and or musicians, among other things).
I may be an 80s new wave kid and Star Hits devotee but I loved a lot of yacht rock too - sometimes because it was the music of my older siblings, and sometimes just because the songs were solid.
Upbeat songs with melancholy lyrics or lyrics full of longing......ingredients for a great song going back to ABBA and certainly going forward into new wave, too!
But WAIT! I've decided that we should all name (and promote) a subgenre not unlike Yacht Rock! We all know new wave and 80's pop but there was that whole subgenre that hit around 1983-84 and then was around for a few years. This is when sophisticated pop blended with jazz sounds (there's that jazz thing again) emerged from a lot of bands in the UK. I'd say Paul Weller (Style Council) and Sade were the king and queen of this sound, with other bands like Everything But the Girl, Prefab Sprout, Alison Moyet and others in the mix.
What can we call this sub-sub-sub genre? Cappuccino Pop? I mean, it could totally be as catchy as Yacht Rock, no? 😄
Patrick, I LOVE this! You’re starting a new musical subgenre!! 🙌 (I made sure to pronounce “genre” the way Alex Trebek did on Jeopardy, bless ‘im.) I’m with you on Cappuccino Pop—anyone else? ☕️
And yes, solid songs, no matter the genre, are eternal. 💖
Much like yacht rock, sophistipop was a somewhat late name for the subgenre. But yeah, it encompasses Sade, Style Council, Prefab, Everything But the Girl, Swing Out Sister, Blow Monkeys, Haircut 100, Matt Bianco / Basia, and many more. If any of you are on Twitch, look for DJ Jake Rudh (djjakerudh)...he spins a lot of 80's music, and now and then he has dedicated sophistipop shows. They are wonderful.
Will definitely have to check out the Twitch show, thanks, Mike!
I know one of the Yacht Rock connections is the shared session players on many songs. Haven't done a deep dig to look for the same but I can think of a few examples....Robin Millar producing Sade and EBTG for one....will have to snoop around and see what I can find!
Around age 10-11 I used to sit up at night with my little mono radio, waiting for songs like "Give Me the Night," "Rock With You," "Africa," and "Just the Two of Us." While hard rock was my first love, I loved that kind of music as well, especially when it was night, but my energetic young self wasn't ready to sleep yet.
Around age 14, though, I got heavily into top 40 music, and that smooth stuff suddenly seemed old and stale. I sneered not only at yacht rock, but at early sophistipop...when I first heard Sade crooning about that smooth operator I was like, "This is NOT for me." However, I was an open Toto fan. I had this drummer buddy, and while Alex Lifeson was his muse, he also worshiped Jeff Porcaro. He would go on about fills and ghost notes and other stuff I still don't understand, but his enthusiasm was infectious. Thanks to him I did recognize that "Rosanna" was a master class in great musicianship, and no hipster hate could deflect me from that.
The sophistipop got me first, though. Who among us could resist the sinuous groove of "Digging Your Scene" in '86? Whose heart did not wrench to Danny Wilson's "Mary's Prayer" the next year? And George Michael, whom I have loved since literally the first day I ever heard his voice, dropped "Kissing a Fool." Then Sade hit us with "Paradise" and that bassline lived in my head until I finally just bought the cassette. The sophistipop had me fully by then. I even forgave Paul Weller for the Style Council.
Then one late 80's day I randomly caught the video for Fagen's "New Frontier" on VH1 and I dug it. I'd remembered it from back in the day, and I couldn't hate it then, but as an older lad, I was much more ready to recognize its greatness. It was an easy path from Fagen's solo material back to Steely Dan, and since then, the yacht rock has laid an ever-increasing hold on me and has never let go. And I don't want it to.
You didn't mention the satirical Yacht Rock web series from the mid 2000's...it's required viewing. Here it is in all its lofi glory...
Mike! I love everything you said, and the way you said it. I could picture you listening to that little radio, which brought me back to listening to our clock radio—my source of music, besides my mother’s albums—when I was young.
Thanks for posting the links to the YouTube Yacht Rock series that started all of this! I knew I forgot something. I’m looking forward to watching these.
Sophistipop is a name I didn’t know for a genre I know well; we all loved it at Star Hits. That seemed to be a natural evolution from the way things had been going before, with Weller and Sade especially driving that bus. And George Michael will live in my heart forever 💖 Interviewing him and Andrew right before they hit it big in America was one of the highest points of my interviewing life.
And yes, “Roseanna” is a great song—though if we’re talking Toto, “Africa” is my ultimato.
The series features Steve Huey as the host, JD Ryznar as Michael McDonald, and Hunter Stair as Kenny Loggins. The show is recognized as the yacht rock trope namer, and it features some brilliant performances. Keep an eye out for cameos by Justin Roiland, Drew Carey, and Jason Lee.
One warning I will share: the series does contain some dark humor, most of it involving Steve Huey's increasingly strange host character. The stuff Hollywood Steve gets up to might be a little rough on more sensitive viewers.
Suzan! I'm obsessed with Yacht Rock. The guys (Steve and JD) who were on the dock host a podcast I've been listening to for years so I already knew their theories about the Dan and Michael McDonald. It was so wonderful to see them finally getting the credit for all their research and I can't wait to read the book they're writing! Whoo hoo let's get on the boat!
Misha! Of COURSE you’re on the boat—you know what good sounds are about! I love “The Dan.” That’s it from now on. And Steve and JD are writing a book? YES to that. So glad we’re on the same boat! 🛥️💕💕 And happy holidays to you and your honey!
Not directly related to yacht rock, but I had a thought. You know, venues like Twitch might be a nice place for this little Star Hits community to convene. We get someone to DJ the hits of the 80’s for us while we chop it up in the chat room. Any thoughts on that?
I 💖 that idea major!! I’ll pose it to the Star Hits crewe next week on the FB fan page!
I'm not where you are with Yacht Rock (yet), but lately I've dialed down the music snobbery, and I sometimes ponder the wonders of a pure pop hit. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's finally keeping an open mind. But more good music is always welcome.
I tell you, I would not have willingly listened to most of this music had it not been for a combination of nostalgia, a need to expand my nostalgic listenings (how much ‘80s can even I take??), and the excellent explanation of the roots of Yacht Rock. That really gave me an appreciation for the songs and the music. But, yeah, the nostalgia factor: big!
Suzan, I LOVE that you mentioned this - my husband and I just watched the "dockumentary" too! Loved the description of what defines yacht rock (jazz influences, certain session players and or musicians, among other things).
I may be an 80s new wave kid and Star Hits devotee but I loved a lot of yacht rock too - sometimes because it was the music of my older siblings, and sometimes just because the songs were solid.
Upbeat songs with melancholy lyrics or lyrics full of longing......ingredients for a great song going back to ABBA and certainly going forward into new wave, too!
But WAIT! I've decided that we should all name (and promote) a subgenre not unlike Yacht Rock! We all know new wave and 80's pop but there was that whole subgenre that hit around 1983-84 and then was around for a few years. This is when sophisticated pop blended with jazz sounds (there's that jazz thing again) emerged from a lot of bands in the UK. I'd say Paul Weller (Style Council) and Sade were the king and queen of this sound, with other bands like Everything But the Girl, Prefab Sprout, Alison Moyet and others in the mix.
What can we call this sub-sub-sub genre? Cappuccino Pop? I mean, it could totally be as catchy as Yacht Rock, no? 😄
Patrick, I LOVE this! You’re starting a new musical subgenre!! 🙌 (I made sure to pronounce “genre” the way Alex Trebek did on Jeopardy, bless ‘im.) I’m with you on Cappuccino Pop—anyone else? ☕️
And yes, solid songs, no matter the genre, are eternal. 💖
Ah, but see Mike’s comment below and the term “Sophistipop”—is that already an acknowledged genre? Hmmm… 🤔
I did see that, and I've heard that term before, too! Maybe it just needs a catchier name? 😉
Much like yacht rock, sophistipop was a somewhat late name for the subgenre. But yeah, it encompasses Sade, Style Council, Prefab, Everything But the Girl, Swing Out Sister, Blow Monkeys, Haircut 100, Matt Bianco / Basia, and many more. If any of you are on Twitch, look for DJ Jake Rudh (djjakerudh)...he spins a lot of 80's music, and now and then he has dedicated sophistipop shows. They are wonderful.
Will definitely have to check out the Twitch show, thanks, Mike!
I know one of the Yacht Rock connections is the shared session players on many songs. Haven't done a deep dig to look for the same but I can think of a few examples....Robin Millar producing Sade and EBTG for one....will have to snoop around and see what I can find!
Around age 10-11 I used to sit up at night with my little mono radio, waiting for songs like "Give Me the Night," "Rock With You," "Africa," and "Just the Two of Us." While hard rock was my first love, I loved that kind of music as well, especially when it was night, but my energetic young self wasn't ready to sleep yet.
Around age 14, though, I got heavily into top 40 music, and that smooth stuff suddenly seemed old and stale. I sneered not only at yacht rock, but at early sophistipop...when I first heard Sade crooning about that smooth operator I was like, "This is NOT for me." However, I was an open Toto fan. I had this drummer buddy, and while Alex Lifeson was his muse, he also worshiped Jeff Porcaro. He would go on about fills and ghost notes and other stuff I still don't understand, but his enthusiasm was infectious. Thanks to him I did recognize that "Rosanna" was a master class in great musicianship, and no hipster hate could deflect me from that.
The sophistipop got me first, though. Who among us could resist the sinuous groove of "Digging Your Scene" in '86? Whose heart did not wrench to Danny Wilson's "Mary's Prayer" the next year? And George Michael, whom I have loved since literally the first day I ever heard his voice, dropped "Kissing a Fool." Then Sade hit us with "Paradise" and that bassline lived in my head until I finally just bought the cassette. The sophistipop had me fully by then. I even forgave Paul Weller for the Style Council.
Then one late 80's day I randomly caught the video for Fagen's "New Frontier" on VH1 and I dug it. I'd remembered it from back in the day, and I couldn't hate it then, but as an older lad, I was much more ready to recognize its greatness. It was an easy path from Fagen's solo material back to Steely Dan, and since then, the yacht rock has laid an ever-increasing hold on me and has never let go. And I don't want it to.
You didn't mention the satirical Yacht Rock web series from the mid 2000's...it's required viewing. Here it is in all its lofi glory...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMTI8vg7A5U&list=PLeYsjZ9XP_bQHak6Dr_BEJx8UgijPnMv5
Or if you must have a higher def remaster, here you go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNTARSM-Fjc&list=PLBEB75B6A1F9C1D01
Mike! I love everything you said, and the way you said it. I could picture you listening to that little radio, which brought me back to listening to our clock radio—my source of music, besides my mother’s albums—when I was young.
Thanks for posting the links to the YouTube Yacht Rock series that started all of this! I knew I forgot something. I’m looking forward to watching these.
Sophistipop is a name I didn’t know for a genre I know well; we all loved it at Star Hits. That seemed to be a natural evolution from the way things had been going before, with Weller and Sade especially driving that bus. And George Michael will live in my heart forever 💖 Interviewing him and Andrew right before they hit it big in America was one of the highest points of my interviewing life.
And yes, “Roseanna” is a great song—though if we’re talking Toto, “Africa” is my ultimato.
The series features Steve Huey as the host, JD Ryznar as Michael McDonald, and Hunter Stair as Kenny Loggins. The show is recognized as the yacht rock trope namer, and it features some brilliant performances. Keep an eye out for cameos by Justin Roiland, Drew Carey, and Jason Lee.
One warning I will share: the series does contain some dark humor, most of it involving Steve Huey's increasingly strange host character. The stuff Hollywood Steve gets up to might be a little rough on more sensitive viewers.
Thank you for that! 🙏
Suzan! I'm obsessed with Yacht Rock. The guys (Steve and JD) who were on the dock host a podcast I've been listening to for years so I already knew their theories about the Dan and Michael McDonald. It was so wonderful to see them finally getting the credit for all their research and I can't wait to read the book they're writing! Whoo hoo let's get on the boat!
Misha! Of COURSE you’re on the boat—you know what good sounds are about! I love “The Dan.” That’s it from now on. And Steve and JD are writing a book? YES to that. So glad we’re on the same boat! 🛥️💕💕 And happy holidays to you and your honey!
Happy holidays to you and yours and I hope you're feeling better 💜