Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary

Well-researched and edited survey of the sound that dominated the AM airwaves in the late 1970s and the musicians and technicians who were part of the scene. There are many interiews with members of Toto, Doobie Bros, and contemporary artists that reveal and trace both well and little known connections between diverse artists and bands. The contencious issue of whether or not Steely Dan can be considered Yacht Rock is covered. No spoilers but it's hillarious. As for my husband and I, we are of the belief that Steely Dan can never be considered Yacht Rock because they are such haters. The proof is in the lyrics: Royal Scam, Showbiz Kids, Only a Fool Would Say That, Haitian Divorce, to name a few. They even hate on themselves, and we love them all the more for it!

YACHT ROCK: A DOCKUMENTARY (2024) One can be forgiven for still not understanding what the definition of this sub-genre is supposed to represent even after watching this enjoyable documentary. "Yacht Rock" is an invented term by a couple of comedians about a slice of music from the 70s and 80s with Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald being the patron saints.

A broader definition would be soft rock from that era with an emphasis on the "L. A. Sound". The term is both too broad and too restrictive - Steely Dan are the forefathers even if they rebel against being lumped in (in an amusing clip, Donald Fagan hangs up on Director Garret Price when he tries to interview him by phone). The Doobie Brothers weren't Yacht Rock until Michael McDonnell joined them. The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac aren't members because they don't have enough jazz. Hall & Oates were too Philly etc.. Some of Michael Jackson's work is Yacht Rock, but not most. The contradictions never cease.

Regardless of the silly definitions, YACHT ROCK is a pretty enjoyable piece. Cross, McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Toto (almost by definition, if a member of Toto played on your record, you were an honorary Yacht Rocker) and others who participated have their careers covered in good detail and are allowed the time to speak for themselves. Even if the early inspiration (a web series) began with a mocking tone, the artists here are treated with respect. Cross, in particular, comes off as a very human character. One monster hit album and then never able to come close to duplicating it again. Still, he perseveres and seems content to just doing what he loves.

YACHT ROCK may have a dubious premise, but it's an enjoyable look at a place in time which had a certain sound that many still find warm and comforting to this day.

As "Yacht Rock: A Documentary" (2024 release; 96 min) opens, we are in "1982, Santa Barbara, California", and the Doobie Brothers are on stage doing "Taking It To the Streets". A number of talking heads, including Questlove, talk about the LA music scene in the 70s and early 80s. We then go to "1976" and examine the unlikely influence of Steely Dan on what would become Yacht Rock, a term not invented until decades after the facts. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from director Garrett Price ("Daisy Jones & the Six"). Here he examines the phenom that has become a musical subgenre called Yacht Rock. If you are a certain age and familiar with/grew up with SoCal music from the mid-70s and early 80s, much of this music is quite familiar, but you probably had never thought of this music as being its own genre. The Doobie Brothers (led by Michael McDonald), Toto, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, and other such acts are among the big names in Yacht Rock. "It rocks, but not too hard, but it rocks!" claims one talking head. I will not spoil how exactly Steely Dan fits in all this, you'll just have to see for yourself. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised how insightful and entertaining this all was. (At the very end of the documentary, the director ends up speaking with Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. Just watch!)

"Yacht Rock: A Documentary" started streaming on Max a week or so ago and I just watched it the other night. If you are a music fan, young or old, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Omg did I love this. I am not into the music so much, but as a person born in 1974 - it was the backing track to my entire childhood. It was so interesting to learn about all of the studio musicians but most of all ...what a group of sweethearts. Really. I was dying of cuteness. It's not that often that you see a bunch of men just full of joy. It was interesting to revisit that time and learn how the sausage was made. Everyone was just a bunch of goofy looking nerds! But SUPER TALENTED NERDS. Even if you hate the music, definitely give it a watch. I promise you - you will be full of smiles at the end.

Fantastic explanation of how this phenomenon came to be. Great recap of some unique moments in entertainment with amazing characters from our very own music world.

Not seen a rockumentary done so well in a long time using old fashioned storytelling and a retrospective that wasn't used before.

And if you are a fan of this genre you will relish in the scores used and hopefully discover new ones.

Questlove dives deep with the audience to bridge many gaps that we did not even know existed and that is what makes this doc so special. I hope it wins that Emmy if just to maybe see all those musicians in one place together again.