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What is ‘Yacht Rock’? Yacht Rock is the affectionate nickname for the lush West Coast sound of the 1970s and ‘80s. Broadly speaking, it’s soft rock jazzed up with soulful flourishes, twinned with aspirational lyrics yearning for a better life. An evocative grouping of songs with a shared DNA, years after they were originally recorded. Yacht Rock is enjoying reappraisal by a new generation of music lovers driven by the genre’s sonic sophistication, as well as nostalgia for a Miami Vice-tinted past.
A Yacht Rock Odyssey has been curated by broadcaster, writer and performer Katie Puckrik into four separate musical voyages of discovery that are the epitome of smooth — gently funky grooves polished to perfection by blue chip session musicians and producers. Katie’s intro to the genre sets the scene, with track-by-track annotation providing background, recalling her critically-acclaimed BBC TV series I Can Go for That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock.
Featuring artists long associated with the genre including Michael McDonald, Toto and Average White Band, they sit alongside Carly Simon, Robert Palmer, Robbie Dupree, Stephen Bishop and the Pointer Sisters, with a sprinkling of stardust by Olivia Newton-John and Christopher Cross, all performing the kind of music piped through quadrophonic speakers on a seventies Sunseeker as it heads out to sea.
Katie has gathered 24 of the smartest, deepest cuts in the Yacht canon, along with classic tracks from the masters of mellow. In compiling this set, her choices reflect compatibility of vibes, a musical kinship across the era, and a whiff of adults-only ennui.
Tracklist
2LP
LP1
Christopher Cross: Ride Like The Wind [45 Version]
Average White Band: Whatcha Gonna Do for Me
The Pointer Sisters: He’s So Shy
Bobby Caldwell: What You Won’t Do For Love
Maxus: Nobody’s Business
Lauren Wood: Save The Man
Toto: Africa
Robbie Dupree: Steal Away
George Benson: Turn Your Love Around
Stephen Bishop: Save It For A Rainy Day
Carly Simon: It Keeps You Runnin’
Bill Champlin: Keys To The Kingdom
LP2
Michael Sembello: Lay Back (Menage À Trois)
Maria Muldaur: Open Your Eyes
Paul Anka: Walk A Fine Line
Little Feat: Red Streamliner
Robert Palmer: Give Me An Inch
Lonette McKee: Maybe There Are Reasons
Michael McDonald: I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You're Near)
Olivia Newton-John: Magic
Diane Tell: Tes Yeux
Kenny Rankin: Creepin’
Pages: The Sailor’s Song
Christopher Cross: Sailing
4CD
Disc One
Christopher Cross: Ride Like The Wind [45 Version]
Starbuck: Moonlight Feels Right
George Benson: Turn Your Love Around
Carly Simon: You Belong To Me
Kenny Loggins: This Is It
Raydio: You Can’t Change That
Average White Band: Whatcha Gonna Do for Me
Bobby Caldwell: What You Won’t Do For Love
Boz Scaggs: Lowdown [Single Version]
Robbie Dupree: Steal Away
Al Jarreau: Mornin’
Pablo Cruise; What'cha Gonna Do?
Gino Vannelli: People Gotta Move
Ace: How Long
Stephen Bishop; Save It For A Rainy Day
The Pointer Sisters: He’s So Shy
Steve Winwood: Valerie (original 1982 recording)
Player: Baby Come Back
Chaka Khan: Through The Fire [45 Version]
Toto: Africa
Disc Two
Olivia Newton-John: Magic
Nicolette Larson: Lotta Love
Laura Allan: Opening Up To You
Carole Bayer Sager: It’s The Falling In Love
Carly Simon: It Keeps You Runnin’
Curved Air: Touch Of Tequila
Lauren Wood: Save The Man
Samantha Sang: Emotion
Rajie: Last Chance
Evie Sands: Lady Of The Night
Maria Muldaur: Open Your Eyes
Holly Near: Back Off
Kiki Dee: Love Is A Crazy Feeling
Akiko Yano: Telephone Line
Diane Tell: Tes Yeux
Wendy Waldman: Cold Back On Me
Karla Bonoff: Someone To Lay Down Beside Me
Elkie Brooks: Fool If You Think It’s Over
Disc Three
Maxus: Nobody’s Business
Toto: Georgy Porgy
Average White Band: Isn’t It Strange
Greg Guidry: Show Me Your Love
Dane Donahue: Freedom
Randy Crawford: That’s How Heartaches Are Made
Paul Anka: Walk A Fine Line
Robbie Dupree: Brooklyn Girls
Little Feat: Red Streamliner
Robert Palmer: Every Kinda People
Larsen-Feiten Band: Who’ll Be The Fool Tonight
Lake: Key To The Rhyme [Album Version]
Leo Sayer: Easy To Love
Amy Holland: How Do I Survive
Pages: The Sailor’s Song
Airplay: Nothin’ You Can Do About It
Bill Champlin: Keys To The Kingdom
Disc Four
The Jones Girls: Nights Over Egypt
Michael McDonald: I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You're Near)
Grover Washington Jr: And Bill Withers: Just The Two Of Us
Kenny Rankin: Creepin’
Steve Winwood: Hold On
Chicago: Wishing You Were Here
Lonette McKee: Maybe There Are Reasons
Ned Doheny: Get It Up For Love
Loggins & Messina: Move On
JD Souther: Midnight Prowl
Michael Sembello: Lay Back (Menage À Trois)
Robert Palmer: Give Me An Inch
Kool & The Gang: Too Hot
Pousette-Dart Band: Winterness
Bernie Leadon: Glass Off
Steve Miller Band: Sacrifice
Christopher Cross: Sailing