The Sad Tale of Jackie Blue

Wow. Jackie Blue. Amazingly awesome AM gold 70's hit.



I would have jumped on this song as classic Yacht Rock. However, look at the beard! And the name! Ozark Mountain Boys?!

Hardly yacht. Hardly smooth. As awesome as this song is: Yacht = no!

Musical Stew's List of Yacht Rock Classics

A few months ago, Musical Stew posted a pretty solid list of AM Gold Yacht Rock classics:

1. Peg – Steely Dan
2. I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You Are Near) – Michael McDonald
3. Steal Away – Robbie Dupree
4. Rich Girl – Hall & Oates
5. Rosanna – Toto
6. Hold Me – Fleetwood Mac
7. Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) – Looking Glass
8. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes
9. Magnet And Steel – Walter Egan
10. Summer Breeze – Seals & Croft
11. Nassau/Baby I Love Your Way – Peter Frampton
12. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
13. Lowdown – Boz Scaggs
14. Human Nature – Michael Jackson
15. The Finer Things – Steve Winwood
16. Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
17. Somebody’s Baby – Jackson Browne
18. This Is It – Kenny Loggins
19. Africa – Toto

Check it out at http://musicalstewdaily.com/2009/05/05/yacht-rock

What a Fool Believes vs. Steal Away

Hmmm ... the curious case of What a Fool Believes vs. Steal Away. Both Yacht Rock classics. But, are the lilting pianos TOO similar?







Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins wrote What a Fool Believes in 1978. Robbie Dupree wrote Steal Away in 1980. Was Robbie copying McDonald/Loggins?

Take a listen, Yacht Rock fans. Decide for yourself. Either way: smooth hits for both.

Fleetwood Mac

So ... how do we "handle" Fleetwood Mac? Somehow not usually thought of in the Yacht Rock vein. Still, they have some super-smooth songs, like DREAMS.

Just sit back and listen to this smooth sound.



OK, perhaps not "oily" enough for Yacht Rock. But, where does one draw the line? Doesn't matter what it is; doesn't matter where it's from. Comments from the peanut gallery?

Steely Dan: Rent Party Tour

Yacht Rock Central Committee Member Andrew Snowdon III caught Monday night's Steely Dan doing Aja show at the Beacon Theater in NYC. Awesome show.


Here are some videos of PEG and DO IT AGAIN.

Toto: Rock Yacht or Not?

Toto's RAIN IN AFRICA. Rock Yacht or Not? Let's consider.



Smooth? Yes. White? Yes. Smoother still? Yes.

A little late in the chronology? Unfortunately, yes.

We might have to allow Toto, if only for this video and remembrance.

However, if we allow Toto are we obliged to consider Lionel Ritchie. And, if Lionel, what about Asia? The Snowdon-Piggot Committe has serious problems with Asia. And justifiably so.

Because a key difference between Toto's RAIN IN AFRICA and Lionel's ... say ... ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) is the admittedly-hard-to-quantify "awesomeness factor." But, like Justice Potter Steward once said about pornography, "I know it when I see it."



Let's be honest. He looses points for the horrendously redundant title.

Independence Day Shout-Out to Nightworm

Nightworm Yacht Rock's it right. On a glorious Independence Day, he's picking up butter cream for his mother, rocking some awesome shades, and treating us all to a very solid (we can quibble about a few songs, but let's be generous) Top Ten Yacht Rock selection.



10: Kenny Loggins - This Is It
9: George Benson - Breezin'
8: Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin'
7: Eagles - New Kid In Town
6: Robbie Dupree - Steal Away
5: Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
4: Christopher Cross - Ride Like The Wind
3: 10cc - I'm Not In Love
2: Chicago - Saturday In The Park
1: Doobie Bros - What a Fool Believes

Boz Scaggs LOWDOWN

Another beautiful Yacht Rock track. This one by Boz Scaggs. LOWDOWN.



Two points: another mostly "one chord" song and some early hints of disco in both the drums and the flute melody, as well as the string swell during the first instrumental break.

Wonderful song. Yacht Rock to the core.

Love Boat Theme

Here's a puzzler for you Yacht Rock followers out there. LOVE BOAT theme song: Yacht Rock or not?



Yes, its a little (little?!) disco. But, it certainly is smooth.

And -- c'mon -- it's pretty frigging "yachty", right? I mean, the whole damn show is on a boat. Half the cast is in crisp white pants.

William T. Piggot, Jr., fondly remembers watching this on Saturday nights (ABC) at 9, followed by the "darker" Fantasy Island at 10 pm.

Ace? One of the earlist Yacht Rock hits?

So, here's a candidate for one of the earliest Yacht Rock hits: Ace's HOW LONG?



This was a hit for them back in 1975. Interestingly, another "most one chord" Yacht Rock song (cf. Steely Dan's DO IT AGAIN). Do we detect a theme?