MUST WATCH!!!! Yacht Rock "Dock"umentary! Reaction! This Was a History Lesson!

[@debibailey2968]

Until recently i had never even heard of Yacht Rock, and had no clue what it even was. So again you guys have schooled me! Now i need to watch this documentary! Thanks guys, as always!!! ❤❤❤

[@thisisitreactions]

Much love! It was so interesting to hear the artist talk about their journey!

[@MarkL1968]

I’m 56 and when I was growing up, we always just knew that music as “soft rock”. I became a DJ in the Air Force and the term used in radio for that style of music was “adult contemporary”. But “yacht rock” is funny, and you can clearly see the love the creators of that term had for the music they were poking fun at. Really, a lot of it was music I largely ignored growing up, but developed an appreciation for in my later years.

[@bigboycombo6342]

It was either called eazy listening or soft rock like you said.

[@thisisitreactions]

Absolutely. It was was pejorative term for a while, but now it is a truly admired genre of music!

[@MarkL1968]

@@thisisitreactions Love your videos, by the way! I don’t know if you’ve reacted to them yet, but it would be cool to get your reaction to some of the Native Tongues rap groups like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. Maybe you have and I just missed them. A couple of other music documentaries worth checking out would be Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Muscle Shoals, and The Wrecking Crew, all about studio musicians behind the hit singles, but who never got the credit they deserved back in the day. Even if you don’t post your reactions to them, you might find them really interesting just the same.

[@SoniT]

Yes, I call it soft rock. I enjoyed the documentary.

[@marvelharris9540]

People don't realize the level of musicianship, production, and writing in this genre is high level, despite the pejorative term. Same thing with the term "hair metal".

[@MikeCoggan]

What surprised me most was Christopher Cross dealing weed to help finance his debut album and tripping on acid when he wrote "Ride Like the Wind". As far as Michael McDonald and the Doobies - the Doobies were a hometown band (San Jose, California) and "Listen to the Music" came out when I was in middle school and we loved it. I also remember people singing along with "Black Water" on the bus. "Taking it to the Streets" came out my junior year of high school and we played the shit out of it. Maybe it was knowing that Michael McDonald was replacing Tommy Johnston due to illness that made it an easier to be open to a different sound and we loved it. 1976 - 1978 (I was 17-19) was seeing the start of what would become "Yacht Rock" in real time, with some great, great music - Boz Scaggs' "Silk Degrees", "Aja", Toto's debut, Doobies' "Taking it to the Streets", Player on and on.

[@thisisitreactions]

All of what you said!!! We loved to hear the legends give us insight!

[@MarkL1968]

@@MikeCoggan And if you listen to the guitar solo at the end of “Ride Like the Wind” and realize Christopher Cross was the one playing it, you realize he’s a badass guitar player. It kind of gets buried in the mix, but once you pick it out in the song, you always listen for it after that.

[@christinahilt2978]

My dad was a studio musician in the late 60’s and early 70’s in Ohio. He used to get us free 45 records as part of his payment package from to record companies. He played saxophone, piano, or keyboards mostly.

[@thisisitreactions]

That is so dope!

[@TheDivayenta]

I’m surprised they skipped over Boz Scaggs- the first white man to ever top the R&B charts! Guys- we had a Yachty Supergroup- The Dukes of September- Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs and Don Fagen ( of Steely). The concert showcases their biggest individual hits with all of them jamming together! “ Lowdown” “ My Old School” are fantastic. A must react!

[@thisisitreactions]

That's so dope! They mention Boz Scoggs for a hot second in the doc!

[@richardconnolly4835]

The cross-pollination or collaboration of these musicians lends credence to the saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The genius of these guys together was so incredible. The fact that people are listening to their music 50 years later says it all.

[@thisisitreactions]

Super top tier comment!!!

[@richardconnolly4835]

Thanks guys. You might like a BBC CBC 3 part doc called Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music about the exploitation of black artists by the music industry on U Tube.

[@brandy6281]

I watched it the other day. Fantastic I rememeber when yacht rock was just labeled easy listening.

[@berry9286]

I'm so happy you guys are talking about how great Kenny Loggins is again. Will you please, please react to Celebrate Me Home, Live from The Grand Canyon, 1992? It really shows how great his vocals are during a live performance. I've seen him in concert many times and I've never been disappointed. He really gives his all.

[@thisisitreactions]

Thank you for the recommendation!

[@SoniT]

This Is It by Kenny Loggins, What a Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers, and Baby Come Back by Player are my top 3 favorite "yacht rock" songs.

[@thisisitreactions]

Super solid list!

[@jadalan1047]

Great, interesting commentary and reaction, fellas. Keep up the good work!

[@PRWOMENHERE]

Check out the group Bread and the song is called "If" and Paul Davis song called, I Go Crazy " if you haven't yet. Young Rascal song, "Grovin". The Eagles song , " I can't tell you way" If you already have. That's great

[@TheDivayenta]

And David Paich of TOTO wrote Human Nature.

[@thisisitreactions]

Simply amazing!!

[@christinahilt2978]

Recommend Ambrosia “You’re the Only Woman”, Orleans “Still the One.”

[@laurakali6522]

Great documentary. Heads up, there will be a tour with a few of these artists happening this summer. Can’t say more than that but it will be a fun one.

[@thisisitreactions]

That is awesome!!!

[@jimmoore8951]

Glad the documentary connected the dots for you. Though a lot of the artists were prominent in my music library, I’m embarrassed when “Yacht Rock” is applied to so many of my albums (the logo used for the doc is even pulled from a Pablo Cruise t-shirt I had). The irony of the term Yacht Rock (I picture Christopher Cross’ Sailing track as the musical definition…🤮) is that when I’m out on the water now I hear as much rap as anything else blaring from the big boats. So is Lil Wayne joining the genre? Or can we just change the name now?

[@destinyreelly2974]

I used to get laughed at for listening to this music. Who’s laughing now??❤😂😂😂

[@TheDivayenta]

Why? People who dislike it are unsophisticated musically.

[@SeaMark782]

The doc. was a view into my teen age years. Who knew when I was in high school with the Porcaros, Lukather and Paich, what was going to happen. The stars aligned when Jeff got hired to play drums with Steely Dan in 1973, it was them, or continue with Sonny and Cher. Jeff was 19. He really started the ball rolling. He recommended Paich and Michael Mcdonald to SD. Mike P. started playing and touring with Seals and Crofts through Jeff. Steve P. and Lukather also got a recommendion. It was a kick to see them interviewed. Steely Dan was the grand daddy, Jeff Porcaro had the original genetics of the genre.

[@thisisitreactions]

A true history lesson! We love every second of it!

[@cla9085]

You MUST do Love Will Follow by Kenny Loggins. Pure soul!

[@KevinCowden-ow5to]

Some member of Toto played on just about all the hits in the 80s

[@thisisitreactions]

Amazing!!!

[@SeaMark782]

My high school bros., Grant High School, featured in the doc. What a time.

[@MarkL1968]

@@KevinCowden-ow5to And some member of Chic produced half of those!

[@nastynick8709]

Best sample ever is Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache". The National anthem of Hip-Hop.

[@thisisitreactions]

Top Tier Comment! SHG!

[@merrinielsen4248]

You’ve intrigued me. I’m going to go watch it. Another good documentary you might like is Echo in the Canyon. It’s interesting for me to watch my son enter this realm. He plays drums, piano, guitar and bass. He also produces and mixes and has a degree in sound engineering. He is in a band and has done a little touring. His roommate and band mates dad is the touring manager for My Chemical Romance and Rise Against. 🤞🏻They find their dreams 🩷

[@thisisitreactions]

Mutually intrigued! We will check out Echo in the Canyon!

[@kbrewski1]

Covering a song is not stealing because royalties are paid to the writers of the original. "Sampling" portions of songs without credit and payment of royalties to the original artist is stealing. That's the difference.

[@thisisitreactions]

Sampling without permission results in the original artist receiving all the royalties and the sampling artist doesn't get a dime. SD loves the song Deja Vu by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. This was one of the biggest hip hop songs of the 90s. SD didn't clear the sample and they did any released in anyway. They took everything with glee (as they should have).

[@kbrewski1]

@thisisitreactions I think we're saying the same thing. Sampling without permission = stealing. That's why SD got compensated.

[@thisisitreactions]

No doubt! Love the banter! All love! Thanks for rocking with us!!!

[@davidtullis2810]

The whole yacht rock classification is bs. Steely Dan and Christopher Cross music is not even similar

[@pixelrancher]

The use of studio musicians, production level, fusion, electric piano, tempo and rhythmic style are all hallmarks of yacht rock and sum up Steely Dan and Christopher Cross to a T. AOR produced from the mid-70s to mid-80s, mostly out of L.A..

[@thisisitreactions]

Yep great comment! before the documentary, we felt he same way about the sound. But afterwards, it all tied together. Not because we could just hear it, but hey said it themselves.

[@judithrunyon186]

Its the vibe that makes it Yacht Rock.

[@cptight88]

It's what used to called "soft rock." The bands all used a lot of the same players, and were in the same SoCal scene.

[@onsesejoo2605]

The whole yacht rock name is an idea brought on by some oh so witty journos. At the time no one spoke about yacht rock. It was soft rock or middle of the road music.

[@bigboycombo6342]

Yacht Rock term was not created by those kids. The term was coined in the late 80's by those infomercials that would sell a greatest hits collection of soft rock songs.

[@thisisitreactions]

We looked it up after the doc to confirm. All sources say that yacht rock was 2005. Soft rock was coined in the 80s. We thought it was the 80s as well

[@bigboycombo6342]

They were similar to this and I am 100% sure it was in the late 80's. Even my wife remembers them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2nZqqmfiN2tabcsi=M4Tyul7qavdIKqRX

[@geffryg]

It's not on Netflix It is on HBO.

[@thisisitreactions]

Thanks for the correction!

[@kbrewski1]

Steely Dan never worked with Christopher Cross. They had nothing to do with each other.

[@thisisitreactions]

Misspoke he CC declined but was heavily influence by SD per the CC's own words in the doc.

[@jimmoore8951]

Michael Omartian was prominently featured on many of the Dan’s tracks and also Cross’ producer. Other than that, as a Dan fan, I don’t like the correlation

[@kbrewski1]

Steely Dan is NOT the "Fathers of Yacht Rock". They are a jazz rock fusion band. Always has been. As you now know, there was no such thing as Yacht Rock in the 70s. It was a made up term created in the 2000s by some comedians to denigrate music THEY DIDN'T LIKE and wanted to poke fun at. They especially picked Micheal McDonald as the object of their ire. Steely Dan has nothing to do with Yacht Rock. Please don't perpetuate the derogatory manufactured stereotype.

[@thisisitreactions]

No perpetuation on our part. Just breaking down their the documentary and how all the others said SD influence them and their musical style. Don Fagen definitely hated the box of Yacht Rock per his two word statement in the doc.

[@KiaGrace1]

Not yacht rock - soft rock

[@garykatz775]

Sorry Olli. You’ve been smoking too much weed. Christopher Cross had his own sound and it was great. His debut album was fantastic from start to finish, and his second album was damn good too. Commercial success is not the only measure of a great artist. I saw Christopher in concert in 2019 and he was awesome. You’ve heard 2,maybe 3 of his songs and you’re slamming his music. Well, you admitted you’re a hater, so haters gotta hate . . .

[@gerhardbraatz6305]

I'm 68 and can not stand that stupid term.

[@thisisitreactions]

Fair enough. So does Donald Fagen!

[@seanwinstead3463]

Ollie coming hard with the trash takes again…