Re-The Yacht Rock Documentary

Spot on...halfway through I wondered, "what's Bob going to make of this dreck?"
I too was looking forward to this, and settled in to enjoy almost as soon as it "came online", but what a disappointment.
A subject/genre with so much potential to enlighten and entertain.
I agree that Michael Mc Donald and Christopher Cross were probably best value for money, but my favourite quote came from Steve Lukather.
"Where's my f*cking yacht?" (or something like that - not going to watch again to confirm)
Cheers,
David Thompson
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Amen.
The trope of ironic distancing boomeranging back to (in)sincere appreciation has no meat left on the bone, and the opining of some dudes from UPROXX and Blender won’t convince me otherwise.
I would have rather watched Luke and Jay together in a room, talking about all the records they played on, but instead…well, Donald said it best at the end of the doc(k).
Best, Erick Haight
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Interesting comment about the Beatles documentary on Disney+.
You’re right. I don’t have it because I don’t need Star Wars or kid’s TV. And I can’t imagine Disney has a lot of Boomers, unless they have it for their grandkids. So I’ll never see it. And strangely, even though the Beatles are my all time favorite band, I don’t care. I guess that’s the new world of content overload on streaming.
John Parikhal
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It was awful.
But at least someone from Ambrosia made an appearance.
And where was Little River Band?
I wanted the “ahem" real stars of Yacht Rock, the one or one, two and three hit wonders.
And Questlove telling me how great Yacht Rock was when I was listening to Chocolate City by P Funk? And dancing to Donna Summer? And then off to CBGB’s for real music?
Please. I'm embarrassed now to say how much I liked Orleans, because they’re considered Yacht Rockers, even if Jon Hall followed Yacht Rocking as a Congressman from NY and prior to yachting, wrote "Half Moon" with his wife Johanna Hall, recorded by Janis Joplin.
Thank you, Bob for putting this doc into perspective. Along with the genre.
Amy Kraków
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The worst!
Jeff Laufer
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Could tell it would be awful from the trailer
Ashley Milton
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Well I thought it was great and a doc that has every right to exist!
Al Walser
GRAMMY® WINNER
www.alwalser.com
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Aye man, you starting to sound like the grumpy old guy
Best,
Bob McNeil
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Right. A heaping pantload.
Paul Lanning
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Mahalo Bob… I was gonna get HBO just for this but was hoping you’d review it first…
I’m out….
Tom Clark
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The Beatles doc was disappointing but there were some prime moments: Sid Bernstein on booking them then the Stones into Carnegie…
And seeing Murray the K. made to look like a putz was great.
Giles Martin cleaned up the Washington D.C. concert sound miraculously. Was worth watching just for that. Ringo was amazing…
Not great especially if you lived through it as a teen as I did …
Michael Fremer
TrackingAngle editor
The Absolute Sound Editor at Large
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I was born in 74, so pretty much right at the beginning of this genre of music now known as Yacht Rock. My earliest musical memories were listening to Chicago’s WLS on a Sesame Street radio when I was about five years old. This music was everywhere. I distinctly recall hearing Baker Street a lot (not sure if that falls in the Yacht Rock genre or not), as well as What A Fool Believes and Ride Like The Wind.
I’ve loved all this music before it was branded Yacht Rock. Prior to that pejorative, it was simply known as soft rock. I’ll admit, I never did a deep dive into the scene, which is unusual for me. I knew the artists, but was unaware (other than McDonald) how intertwined they all were. It’s not terribly surprising, I suppose, since the hair metal scene was similar. Bands swapping members. Guys who’d grown up together, gone to high school together and they’re now either in a band together, or in competing bands.
When I fired up the Max app to watch this last night, I was initially disappointed when I saw that this was only an hour and a half, give or take. Truthfully, I was hoping for a Ken Burns style deep dive, but would have settled for four episodes. Hell, Paramont + put together three episodes on their recent doc about the aforementioned hair metal scene. I’m glad I watched it, but it was definitely a brief overview and could have gone so much deeper (what was going on culturally at the time).
Regardless, the songs and production were incredible.
Neil Johnson
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I don’t understood the “Yacht Rock” label. Back in the day it was just called ”soft rock”.
And there’s nothing wrong with soft rock. I bought a lot of those 45’s: “Guitar Man” by Bread? Brilliant! “Feel Like Making Love” by Roberta Flack? Hell, that was practically audio porn for a 14 year old. Almost anything by the early Carpenters is godhead. And there’s the hidden treasure of ‘Something’s Wrong With Me’ by Austin Roberts. F@cking heartbreaking.
But you won’t hear these Yacht Rock cover bands going into those deep cuts because basically they’re still moored in the shallow waters of Firefall and The Little River Band.
Lame scene. Nostalgia without any sense of passion for the real pearls of the time.
Lee Elliott
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Agreed x ten.
The doc is all prose and no poetry. Lest we forget that boomers dated and mated to these songs. Not a word here about what it was like to actually live and love in that era.
Most of this was covered in other docs. Kind of sick of this deconstructionist stuff. The 'critics' they interviewed were barely alive back so zero cred there. Fred Armisen is 57. Still too young to get the gestalt.
I was there as a young critic. Steely Dan made great records but didn't tour and they paid for that distance. Kenny Loggins sold out. Toto's production doesn't hold up against Boston's in terms of car audio firepower. Blah blah blah.
Will Ferrell said more just wearing a Pablo Cruise t shirt in the legendary 'More Cowbell' sketch on SNL.
Right on Bob,
Jonathan Gross
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“Lighten up Francis!”…Come on Bob.
Great Storytelling and Vulnerability from the Artists themselves.
“Lighten up Francis!” - 2.0 - Bethany Cosentino is my cousin.
Best Coast was formed & named when she moved back to LA from New York paying her homage to the California “Yacht Rock” sound.
Keep on Writing - I’ll keep on reading.
TA
Terry Anzaldo
TA Entertainment
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Sorry about Yacht Rock docu….
I Recommend 2 brand new music documentaries coming from the U.K.:
First, BBC found lost film footage of the BandAid session and it’s very moving and fabulous. Especially when you were so acquainted with many of the folks involved. You’ll dig it, especially when ignorant, know nothing idiots like Ed Sheeran criticize BandAid these days.
Second, Sky released a comprehensive history of the Yardbirds, featuring interviews with ex-band members and people like Alice Cooper.
You’ll enjoy both cuz you were there.
Cheers, Keith Zimmerman
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Lighten up. Whike the doc missed a lot, it was entertaining. I guess Fagan doesn't like the moniker either. F@ck you.
Ron Cori
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You don’t get it. We’ll take anything.
Recalling when there were actual melodies and harmonies is better than the drivel they beat us over the head with today.
The runway is getting short. Let us enjoy something we can still remember.
Rick Osswald
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Watched new Beatles documentary last night, awful. It was mostly other people talking about the Beatles and not enough footage of them at that time. Jackson's Get Back is officially the last word
Bob Kalill
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Thanks for saving me the trouble of watching this.
It seems emblematic of the disrespect these musicians have endured for years, starting with the stupid name. They created some of the most sophisticated pop music that ever graced the airwaves. They may not have been the “tortured artists” that some people claim to love, but virtually everyone enjoyed them, even if they claimed to hate them. As is so often the case, most have found a resurgence among younger people who don’t know they are not supposed to be hip, and they have gone from being loved ironically for a time to being loved admittedly.
I do take issue with the assertion that Kenny Loggins did his best work with Messina, though. Forget “Footloose” and “Danger Zone"; “Heart to Heart” and “This is It” are amazing songs, productions, and vocal performances. The lyrics of the latter should be taken as an anthem for these times. And speaking of lyrics, many of those on Michael McDonald’s debut solo record are as deep as any singer/songwriter’s. These people were spectacular craftsmen to the point where craft becomes art.
Hope someday someone will make a good doc about them.
Best
Michael Ross
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I have a problem with the Yacht Rock moniker in general, but including Steely Dan in that group is a huge insult to the talent and output of that band. They’ve never sounded like any other band that I’ve heard, and it is especially true when considering the other bands that a couple of idiots roped into the Yacht Rock category.
Tom Scharf
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So, I spent the evening watching an excellent documentary on HBO with my wife last night. I found the connections drawn between various session musicians and groups that had hits in the early 80s fascinating.
I then read my email... and found your latest missive...
Do you know what people dislike about critics of various times? They are rarely proficient in what they are criticizing... Surprise. You're not even a musician.
Alas... I enjoy what you write. But perhaps instead of dissecting all the minutia of what you didn't like (misspelling of an obscure name), you could credit the documentary with the homage to Toto (did I spell that right?) All those session musicians and what they did for some perfect music. What's the beef with Questlove, too? Lord man...
Keep up the excellent work.
Jim Anderson
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I was excited for this documentary and I didn’t expect much. What I got was not a deep dive but I did get fun and light. And some of us need that at this moment.
Scotty Elyanow
NYC
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I haven’t see this yet, probably never will but you have to give Max credit for Stax Records. It is fantastic.
Bill Gerber
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I didn’t expect such anger about yacht rock; you been hanging out w Donald Fagen? Completely disagree w you; this doc is an easy and entertaining watch; light fare about light fare. Is it in the pantheon w other great rock docs, no way but who cares. What were you hoping for, Gettysburg?
This wasn’t made for you; you are too in it. All I’m hearing from 30 and 40 year olds is how great this is as it’s a vibe and time they weren’t familiar with and the music and pop culture references fill the gaps.
Happy Thanksgiving !
Mark Burrell
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I put it on thinking I’d watch 10 minutes.
Watched the whole thing and quite enjoyed it- including the comedy/satire angle. Well suited for the genre.
Lighten up.
Rand
PS They should edit it immediately with Mo’s actual name.
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I felt the same way about “Yacht Rock” as even the title is disparaging but disagree about Kenny’s work post Loggins and Messina.
The Celebrate Me Home Album kicks off with “Lady Luck” with Richard Tee, Hiram Bullock, Tommy Tedesco, Lee Ritenour, Eric Gale, Robben Ford and Steve Gadd kicking ass right from the opening notes. I recall listening to this album while on tour with Natalie Cole and even the 6 week ‘79 tour with The Stones supporting the Some Girls release
Rob
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Not surprised.
The term “Yacht Rock” has always been used pejoratively by people who are tone deaf.
Critics are typically writers so their concept of thoughtful music focuses on lyrics. And since the most sophisticated music of the rock era is influenced by R&B and Jazz (which can be, but often isn’t striving for poetry) we can see where a lot tracks featuring Michael McDonald’s voice go sailing over the heads of the scribbling set.
Also these types tend to segregate music which is why incredibly complex music by black artists (like EW&F) are spared the put-down of being called Yacht Rock. But Blue-eyed Soul is fair game.
When it comes to your consumer, I believe many people don’t like to venture beyond “Three Chords and… (‘the Truth’ or ‘a Blues Lick’ or ‘an Attitude’).
They might be able to handle diminished chords in a Garth Brooks song, but only because it leads to a “big dumb chorus”.
Anything that hints at Jazz is confusing and a little scary.
That’s why when someone sneers about Yacht Rock I immediately dismiss them as simpletons, in the purest sense of the word.
KISS isn’t just a mediocre band, it’s an acronym for the unadventurous.
Keith Brown
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BBC did a 2-parter 5 years ago that dug deeper…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHawFYv_Vts
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Zach Goode
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Oh Bob…
We’ve stomached a few weeks of your takedowns of MSNBC and the yesteryear Dems, but now you’ve gotta take down our Yacht Rock!??
I just keep thinking while reading your review of this “POS” (your term) Yacht Rock “dock”…
Lighten up, man!!!!
Yeah they misspelled “Ostin”. For the 6 industry insiders that care. And yes they should have gotten it right.
But does that really discount the whole affair….?
I WAS there, as a kiddo… I was inspired by these musicians, I friggin’ BECAME one of these musicians!
And they’re all having fun reflecting on their canon, their reputations, their image (or lack thereof), their hits and misses. Even Kenny Loggins comes around to recognize why people parodied and also celebrated the genre and cast of characters.
I’ve gotten more texts about “have you watched the Yacht Rock doc” since it dropped 24 hours ago than anything in years! No one cares where it streams. We find what we want to watch. And everyone’s getting a kick out of this thing.
The film casually references KNX-FM, twice. As a kid, my ears recognized that station to epitomize what high class deep stereo-store adult rock radio should sound like.
Luke, Steve Porcaro, Mike McDonald, Paich (all guys you’ve had on your podcast in recent months) are proud of this documentary. Because they have SENSES OF HUMOR, Bob! Because, even though they worked their asses off to make polished records, like the genre, maybe this documentary doesn’t have to take itself too seriously and neither do they. Maybe it can just be 90 minutes feeling good about “feel good music”.
By the way- you point out exactly what you didn’t seem to get from the doc. Kenny Loggins indeed made great music with Messina, but it was basically in the folk vein, which he pointed out, and when he went solo, the genre morphed into something else. White R&B? Soft soul rock? Who knows. Who cares. (And is it coincidence that Jim’s career didn’t exactly “sail smoothly” post duo?)
Kudos to Bill Simmons, a great guy and a fan, and to the participants.
I had FUN watching this f@cking thing. God forbid!
Jeff Babko
The Valley
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You straight up trippin', bro .
That was a perfectly serviceable rock doc..It does what it set out to do..I'm sorry you're disappointed.. Sounds like a "you" problem..
Paramount Plus did a three part take on Yacht Rock..("Sometimes When We Touch")..Pretty much identical..You're looking for a there that just ain't there..Those studio cats looked kinda' nerdy..Not sure they were privy to the same level of debauchery as a Motley Crue..
Maybe a movie/book about the Porcorro family dynamics would yield more dramatic possibilities..Maybe NOT, it could just be all about the work..
At least, they (Max) devoted twenty seconds to the unsung hero, the FENDER RHODES.. Finally! "Rhodes Rock" would be the better moniker for the genre..When the DX7 (Yamaha digital synth) got featured on "Sweet Freedom", that (yacht rock) shark had jumped..It was all about the ANALOG..
At least it wasn't as woke as the Little Richard (Max) doc..Boomer talking heads talking about the MUSIC..Zoomer talking heads complaining that Little Richard didn't do enough for the LGBTQ community..Woke apologists claiming he could have done more for the black community..
Wanna' try being an openly gay black person in the 1950s!? Those kids have NO idea..
And so it goes..MAGA trying to copy and paste yesterday's values onto the present moment.. Social Justice Warriors trying to copy and paste today's values onto the past..Yeah, THAT will end well..
James Spencer
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“My dad's music is so lame, I’m going to make fun of it.” -Fred Armisen. This guy's music mocking schtick is pure sh*t. Not funny. Not inventive. Just lazy. He has milked Portlandia as far as it can go. Like these yacht racketeer film makers.
What goes on here?
Every generation makes fun of the one before. Sinatra was considered lame for his last few attempts. Have you heard LA Is My Lady? Pure sh*t. Quincy of course wrote for and conducted the Count Basie Band for Frank in the 50’s-60’s but LA Is My Lady came out only because Quincy was back on top cause of Michael Jackson. There’s no way that album would have otherwise been made. I remember the nausea watching Frank trying to be relevant in the pop culture. 'Bad Bad Leroy Brown.’ McCartney’s ‘Something’ where Frank sings “Stick around Jack! It might show…..”
He had no need to. Go back to the Capital years conducted by Nelson Riddle where Sinatra was at the peak form. No need to try and keep up. Time to retire and play golf. Tour if you want. But only if you can hit the notes. If you can’t sing, please. STOP. We all know the remaining 70’s music artists currently whose voices fail them before our eyes. Just like Sinatra’s.
So the Doobies and Boz and Steely are now the new Sinatra. But instead of sitting it out they’re gonna let Fred and some lame ass music bloggers define an entire generation with no push back? F@ck that. Honor what you did, don’t be part of the joke.
Why not step down and let the new generation come in, maybe changing it up after a time like Tony Bennett Unplugged or Robert Plant and Alison Kraus. He knows he can’t hit those notes in the Zep years. Why should we want him too? Music is an art form that has to come from the muse. That’s it.
Thundercat is singing their praises but the whole doc comes off like “we tried to make fun of them but we were caught with our lame joke so now we’re going to back-peddle. Just PLEASE pay attention to us and our opinion cause this is all we’ve got. Talking about someone else’s music.”
This is not music journalism. This is media whore roulette. Pick an obvious music culture that’s easy to mock cause of the mustaches and tube tops and run with it.
Michael McDonald is so humble which is admirable but he’s almost apologizing for his amazing voice and songs because some lame yacht web site poked fun. It’s always best to be in on the joke but please do not lay down, Michael. You are our generation's Ray Charles. Your touring with the Doobies again and acknowledging them in the Beato interview (especially Keith Knudsen on Minute by Minute) shows your humility but please do now lump yourself in this lame ass genre doc. As Joni Mitchell says, “Honor the gift"
Questlove places judgment on what is soft rock (what, because it’s not blazing Van Halen, it's therefore soft?) while HIS music is NOT to be called into question? An entire generation doesn’t play musical instruments but samples and performs with turntables because it was music of the streets and there was no money to buy instruments? So you just piggy back on the previous hard working musician's content? The same lame tired ass beats and non singers “singing” “ye ye yeh.”
I guess Quest has a few years before HIS documentary Subway Rock comes out. Hip hop is art but the Doobies and Steely are white guy rock? Please. This is an old conversation that is likely to gain speed in the new Trump era. I heard an NPR interviewer ask Michael McDonald if he was appropriating black music with his voice? What? Stevie Wonder mentions the Doobie Brothers on his album Songs In The Key Of Life! Smokey Robinson loved The Beatles BEFORE they covered “You Really Got A Hold On Me”
Musicians and singers, composers don’t think in those terms of black and white. Media does. They did in the 50’s when Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti was too sexed up for the white radio but Pat Boone’s version is legit?
Patsy Cline was one of the most soulful singers ever and she was white.
Music is colorless.
This doc is a lame attempt to categorize more than one style of music into a genre because everyone who created the music was afraid to take it on as an insult. No backbone. (Except I love when Lukather yells, “Where’s my f*cking yacht?”) Jeff Porcaro would NOT have just let his entire career be sized up as a genre reflecting a boat at the marina because of the Loggins & Messina album cover.
Their managers must have said, “Just go with it, you’re not selling CD’s or downloads anymore, all you’ve got left is touring, maybe you can take part in the Yacht Rock tour and we can sell more tickets. It’s a sad commentary on how music artists are able to earn.
Thank God the doc ends with Donald Fagen saying “Go f*ck yourself” to the director.
Michael Koehler
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I meant to write on Friday regarding your Mike Pinera item....simply to highlight your comments on Yacht Rock. What IS Yacht Rock? THEN, along came the doc we both saw Friday.
I am a student of all things Toto. I love the fact Lukather reads and responds to your column. I spend half my life preaching from the pulpit about their reach, their depth, their endless contributions to the fabric of the music we all listen to. Been lucky to see them live dozens of times and meet every surviving member so I can thank them personally for being part of my life's soundtrack. The only one I never met was Jeff Porcaro. I did meet his widow at a record store I worked at in Orlando, she was buying up all the Toto memorabilia she could for her kids, so they'd remember dad. Only when she paid did I realize her name and who she was. Will never forget that. So to be able to get any of the band members to participate in this doc is remarkable, considering what they went thru in 2019.
I was introduced to this Yacht Rock deal, just like many, in 2005 when a friend sent me the web series in email. What stood out was their inclusion of Hall & Oates "Portable Radio", from their much-overlooked 1979 album X-static. I'd never heard the term before and, frankly, until the doc I didn't have any one clear definition on what this genre is. I don't get the Yacht Rock tribute bands and all of that, not my thing. It has evidently struck a nerve with the general public, and I think this doc was essentially made for that audience. It is actually quite good, but I understand your desire to dive deeper.
According to the doc, Hall & Oates and Fleetwood Mac aren't bonafide Yacht Rock. I guess that's up for debate, I can see why Fleetwood Mac might not be, despite their SoCal appeal, but the series' own creators lampooned Hall & Oates in episode one. Let's talk about what ISN'T Yacht Rock. The Hues Corporation "Rock The Boat". The Jacksons "Give It Up". Al Wilson "Show & Tell". Lionel Richie "All Night Long". I have a very long list. All tunes our beloved Sirius/XM plays with unmerciful regularity on their Yacht Rock channel, which has a huge audience. How do we now change that mindset? This doc helps. The "Yacht Rock Deep Cuts" variant on the app is far more to the point, and makes that deep dive we crave, but still offers some bonafide R&B cuts. The doc connects the dots for these folks that may be still pondering that point. And the references in other shows/outlets helps illustrate the impact of this music.
Diving deeper. Would a general audience appreciate the fact that Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" was based on the Toto demo that was passed over? Would they be interested to hear that the Al Jarreau classic "We're In This Love Together" was meant for the Larsen-Feiten Band? Will they appreciate that Steve Lukather has a writing credit on George Benson's "Turn Your Love Around"? Well, THAT they could have mentioned, since the song is highlighted in the doc....but no. It's like you say, we live in a sound bite world now, attention spans can only absorb so much. This doc has everything the inquiring mind wants to know. Those of us interested in what makes the music, how its designed and recorded, sliced and diced, made ready for public consumption...likely already know.
Thanks for your input. I was glowing about the doc and already showed it off to a couple people who did like it. The phone call with Donald Fagen being the mic drop.
Kevin Andrusia
Orlando, FL
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I haven't even finished your letter and you are so 1000% WRONG...
As a guy who has listened to ALL Yacht Rock podcasts with JD, Hunter, Dave and Steve, I can tell you without hesitation that these guys LOVE this music. I just can't believe what I'm reading here. It is laughable. They read every liner note, know ALL the connections.. .they have MUTLIPLE podcasts about music and know this stuff backward and forward!
You don't put that much effort into something you're making fun of.
You are so off the mark here. I loved every minute of it. The discussion on the 'Doobie Bounce' was exactly the kind of analysis that nobody talks about.
That rhythm motif from 'What A Fool Believes'? Michael McDonald was emulating The Four Tops, 'Sweet Understanding Love':
The Four Tops - Sweet Understanding Love
Beyond Yacht Rock
Yacht or Nyacht
Billion Dollar Record Club
Listen to these podcasts by JD, Hunter, Steve, Dave and tell me they don't love this music.
Bananas, sir. What you said is bananas and so out of touch.
Bill Seipel
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