In the interview Daryl described War Babies as "squirrels on acid". Yet it is much liked by many, including Fernando Perdoma who calls it his fave record of all time and who recently did a complete tribute you can find on YouTube. It is trippy, Todd power all over the place
Hall and Oates had more soul (Philly style) than most of the other "yacht rock" artists. I always thought yacht rock was about Christopher Cross, so Yacht like his Sailing.
Good for him. Anyone that thinks that Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and Hall and Oates belong to the same (invented) genre needs a little education. Donald Fagen actually had the best comment, included in the doc and aimed at the maker . “Go fuck yourself”.
I think it's tapping into a production aesthetic. Steely Dan and Christopher Cross and Hall & Oates et al are part of that 70s/80s studio sheen. It's a deluxe sound, hence the luxurious suggestion of "yacht." It ain't lo-fi. And I think it's a particular vibe the music tagged with that name can evoke, esp in that era. But I get why he hates it. Most artists hate labels on their music and being grouped with others. I'm just surprised he says "us" as opposed to "me." :)
‘The web series eventually inspired Garrett Price’s 2024 “Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.” (Not to split hairs, but Price doesn’t think Hall & Oates qualify as Yacht Rock because they weren’t West Coast-based.)’ - Variety. Unlike the YouTube series, the documentary was very complimentary about the artists and their music. Smooth jazz/R&B influence with elite west coast-based studio musicians (see Michael McDonald and Toto) and high production values being the common thread. While no one enjoys labels, many of the artists are grateful for the increased attention/appreciation of the music (i.e. John Oates). Thundercat’s ‘Show You The Way (feat. Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins)’ from 2017 - https://youtu.be/Z-zdIGxOJ4M?si=SKTQuVUvaHOF9ryQ Eric :)
‘And, to be fair, Price still got to feature Steely Dan in the film. He said right after Fagen hung up on him, the musician’s manager called him back and gave him permission use six Dan songs in the documentary.’ - Rolling Stone I recall reading the liner notes of the CD reissues. Steely Dan essentially tells everyone to ‘GFT!’ Lol! :)
Yeah, I think Hall's being quite disingenuous when he rails on about this. The Beatles didn't sound like the Stones or the Who or the Kinks, etc. but everyone understands what's meant by the British Invasion. The Ramones didn't sound like Blondie or Talking Heads or Television but everyone gets the NY mid-70s punk scene notion. It's fair to note the slick (regardless of coast), mellow, and, yes, often r&b-influenced music of the time. Worse, to me, is to get panties abunch over the original Yacht Rock series, which are some of the funniest skits I've ever seen, completely and knowingly over the top; that enough folks noticed this and ran with it is not worthy of the outrage, which seems as over the top (albeit not knowingly) to me as the original skits. And, while I'm ranting, Daudder's comment about appropriation of black music, unless meant to be sarcastic (and I suspect it wasn't), is pathetic, too. Unless Daudder either listens to no music, or only tribal chants, every kind of music he/she listens to incorporates influences from other musics/cultures. Golly gosh, that's one of those kwazy things about human beings -- they absorb cues from their environment as they go thru life, and artists consistently so. Are we supposed to ignore what moves us, or ask permission for our curiosity? I didn't/don't care for much of what's been categorized as yacht rock, but I recognize the skill and passion the folks who did it had/have, and it seems churlish to me to question their motives. Not for me. C in California
Here's the thing: I've been an ardent supporter of all things Hall & Oates, if not since Day One, at least since Day Three. But, Daryl has always been an arrogant prick and has only gotten worse as he approaches 80. Fans of Yacht Rock are no more or less annoying than metal heads, power popsters or Todd Rundgren freaks. As Duke Ellington said, "There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind." And anyone who has been paying attention to this here blog since 2008 will know this, I am not a fan of labels. I'm more confused by people who don't like Motorhead, Hall & Oates, Hank Williams AND Public Enemy, than by those who love them all. "Sailing" is a great fucking record, by the way!
Presumably, the guys behind this web series (or some guys who were inspired by the web series' thesis, blatantly stated in the first 20 seconds of the first episode): Here's episode 1, and, honestly, if one can't see the humor behind this, then it's pulse-checking time. There are numerous follow-up episodes, some better than others, and horizons expanded to incorporate Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen, so the concept of 'yacht rock' (the term and the series) clearly wasn't stuck on just skewering the music that's come to be called by that name. C in California
18 comments:
Daryl speaks for me. Yacht rock? What a load of condescending shit.
Amen, brother Daryl.
In the interview Daryl described War Babies as "squirrels on acid". Yet it is much liked by many, including Fernando Perdoma who calls it his fave record of all time and who recently did a complete tribute you can find on YouTube. It is trippy, Todd power all over the place
Nowadays, the only time I do listen to Hall & Oates is when I'm sailing around in my yacht in Monterey. :-)
Lighten up Daryl.
Yacht rock aka white appropriation of black music, phase 2.
Hall and Oates had more soul (Philly style) than most of the other "yacht rock" artists. I always thought yacht rock was about Christopher Cross, so Yacht like his Sailing.
I also forgot the Dave Brubeck rip-off of The Soviets Are Coming. Love it!
Daryl Hall can be a prickly fella, but he's spot on here.
Young Gun Silver Fox - Pleasure (2025)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_njWnkpP3B2JjBWbWm3jXWa-9iJfUFhIpg&si=OjuX6r0zszWCrgKF
:)
Good for him. Anyone that thinks that Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and Hall and Oates belong to the same (invented) genre needs a little education. Donald Fagen actually had the best comment, included in the doc and aimed at the maker . “Go fuck yourself”.
I think it's tapping into a production aesthetic. Steely Dan and Christopher Cross and Hall & Oates et al are part of that 70s/80s studio sheen. It's a deluxe sound, hence the luxurious suggestion of "yacht." It ain't lo-fi. And I think it's a particular vibe the music tagged with that name can evoke, esp in that era. But I get why he hates it. Most artists hate labels on their music and being grouped with others. I'm just surprised he says "us" as opposed to "me." :)
‘The web series eventually inspired Garrett Price’s 2024 “Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.” (Not to split hairs, but Price doesn’t think Hall & Oates qualify as Yacht Rock because they weren’t West Coast-based.)’ - Variety.
Unlike the YouTube series, the documentary was very complimentary about the artists and their music. Smooth jazz/R&B influence with elite west coast-based studio musicians (see Michael McDonald and Toto) and high production values being the common thread. While no one enjoys labels, many of the artists are grateful for the increased attention/appreciation of the music (i.e. John Oates).
Thundercat’s ‘Show You The Way (feat. Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins)’ from 2017 - https://youtu.be/Z-zdIGxOJ4M?si=SKTQuVUvaHOF9ryQ
Eric :)
‘And, to be fair, Price still got to feature Steely Dan in the film. He said right after Fagen hung up on him, the musician’s manager called him back and gave him permission use six Dan songs in the documentary.’ - Rolling Stone
I recall reading the liner notes of the CD reissues. Steely Dan essentially tells everyone to ‘GFT!’ Lol! :)
Yeah, I think Hall's being quite disingenuous when he rails on about this. The Beatles didn't sound like the Stones or the Who or the Kinks, etc. but everyone understands what's meant by the British Invasion. The Ramones didn't sound like Blondie or Talking Heads or Television but everyone gets the NY mid-70s punk scene notion. It's fair to note the slick (regardless of coast), mellow, and, yes, often r&b-influenced music of the time.
Worse, to me, is to get panties abunch over the original Yacht Rock series, which are some of the funniest skits I've ever seen, completely and knowingly over the top; that enough folks noticed this and ran with it is not worthy of the outrage, which seems as over the top (albeit not knowingly) to me as the original skits.
And, while I'm ranting, Daudder's comment about appropriation of black music, unless meant to be sarcastic (and I suspect it wasn't), is pathetic, too. Unless Daudder either listens to no music, or only tribal chants, every kind of music he/she listens to incorporates influences from other musics/cultures. Golly gosh, that's one of those kwazy things about human beings -- they absorb cues from their environment as they go thru life, and artists consistently so. Are we supposed to ignore what moves us, or ask permission for our curiosity? I didn't/don't care for much of what's been categorized as yacht rock, but I recognize the skill and passion the folks who did it had/have, and it seems churlish to me to question their motives. Not for me.
C in California
He's right! It's about time someone said it.
Who are the "two jerkoffs" he's referring to?
Here's the thing: I've been an ardent supporter of all things Hall & Oates, if not since Day One, at least since Day Three. But, Daryl has always been an arrogant prick and has only gotten worse as he approaches 80. Fans of Yacht Rock are no more or less annoying than metal heads, power popsters or Todd Rundgren freaks. As Duke Ellington said, "There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind." And anyone who has been paying attention to this here blog since 2008 will know this, I am not a fan of labels. I'm more confused by people who don't like Motorhead, Hall & Oates, Hank Williams AND Public Enemy, than by those who love them all. "Sailing" is a great fucking record, by the way!
Presumably, the guys behind this web series (or some guys who were inspired by the web series' thesis, blatantly stated in the first 20 seconds of the first episode): Here's episode 1, and, honestly, if one can't see the humor behind this, then it's pulse-checking time. There are numerous follow-up episodes, some better than others, and horizons expanded to incorporate Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen, so the concept of 'yacht rock' (the term and the series) clearly wasn't stuck on just skewering the music that's come to be called by that name.
C in California
Oops, forgot to paste the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMTI8vg7A5U
C in California
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