The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Music
The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s Details
Review "Greg Prato's oral history tells of the rise, fall and semi-ironic resurgence of the genre, including new interviews with John Oates, Jim Messina, and more." --Rolling Stone"Mitigated by endless enjoyable trivia and conversational dish, an unapologetic compendium of guilty pleasures" --Classic Rock"First-hand tale of soft rock's golden age...an impressive raft of interviewees - Walter Becker, John Oates, Christopher Cross - and clever editing ensures that Prato skillfully charts yacht rock's voyage through pop, prior to being spectacularly capsized by the punk tidal wave." --TeamRock"Prato's masterful oral history of the soft, smooth sounds of the '70s and '80s steers from Hall & Oates to Steely Dan by way of the Doobie Brothers, Orleans, Loggins & Messina, and more." --Vintage Guitar"Greg Prato's The Yacht Rock Book tells the story, from its evolution to its recent ascent, through the words of some of its dedicated practitioners...it's often very funny; sometimes intentionally, sometimes not." --Uncut "The Yacht Rock Book is probably my favorite of Prato's work...Prato took the time to interview many of the genre's leaders within this oral history, giving readers an educational yet entertaining perspective on things." --The Hype Magazine "Even if you don't enjoy the occasional soft rock jam (you're obviously lying and we all know it, by the way), the musicians and their stories in The Yacht Rock Book - The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s are enjoyable enough to have appeal way beyond the genre boundaries. Climb aboard, skipper!" --InnocentWords"For this book, Prato spoke with dozens of YR bands, fans, and journalists tracing the history of the music from its '60s seeds, to prime chart-hitting heyday, to the mid-'80s fizzling out on the charts." --HoustonPress"I grew up in Southern California during yacht rock's heyday in the late 70's/early 80's. It was everywhere. From Ambrosia to Firefall, from Christopher Cross to Michael McDonald, from Little River Band to Rupert Holmes, these bands and artists were the soundtrack to my childhood. Greg Prato's book, The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70's and 80's, is a fascinating look into what makes a certain pop song 'yacht rock,' and why many of those hit makers embrace the term today. He talks to the key players and gets the inside scoop behind some of their biggest and most endearing hits. If you like piña coladas, you'll love this book!!" --Ted Garcia, San Diego's Morning News, AM 600 KOGO"How did this cultural cat-nap happen? Were we hungover from late'60s bacchanalia, or did we need some California sunshine to dispel the five o'clock shadows of Watergate? Greg Prato's The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s goes straight to the sources for answers. Through interviews with its demigods--Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, John Oates, Daryl "The Captain" Dragon, and more--Prato's book explores the Yacht Rock universe from its inception and mellow rise to its recent revival, including its elusive definition." --Amazon Book Review"The Yacht Rock Book was a very pleasant surprise. Then again, I'm a fan of Greg Prato's past books, so I knew there was way more to it then the title. This genre was linked to so many fascinating and shocking stories. A great read!" --Keith Roth, The Electric Ballroom Radio Show & Ozzy's Boneyard SiriusXM Radio"Thanks to writer and music scholar Greg Prato and his new book on the subject, we now know everything there is to know about the style...a fun book about a very fun time in music." --CurledUp"Thanks to rock writer Greg Prato, we finally have the Yacht Rock Bible, told by the creators of the genre (named decades after its peak) in their own words." --SiriusXM Radio"The Yacht Rock Book is a well-compiled, well-deserved tome to a genre that had been all but forgotten." --Under the Radar"Slip on a pair of boat shoes and turn your dial to the smooth sounds of the '70s, because the summer isn't over yet and this book is the recipe for a good time." --Winnipeg Free Press Read more About the Author Greg Prato is a New York-based writer and author, whose books include MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video, Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, and Shredders!: The Oral History Of Speed Guitar (And More). His writing has also appeared in such publications as Rolling Stone, Songfacts, and Vintage Guitar. Read more
Reviews
The term Yacht Rock is catchy and attention getting, but no matter what you call it, there was a time when soft/mellow Rock seemed to be abundant and from the early seventies, on into the early eighties, some very enjoyable music was hitting the airwaves.Now, 30-40 years later it’s being called Yacht Rock and gaining a bit of traction. This book has some insights into the artists of the time and how they saw their music, as it was being made and as they toured to support their releases.There are no shocking revelations in the book, but there are some interesting insights and a guided tour of music I loved as a young man. Perhaps what I find the most satisfying is that it reminds me of just how special some of this music was. I played some of these songs in a Top 40 cover band, back when they were fresh off the charts and to realize that others still love this music is, for lack of a better expression, music to my ears. :)So, who’s this book for? If you’re of the era, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you were literally a child and your parents listened to this music, you’ll probably like this book as well. Lastly, if you are fairly young and tired of formulaic music written to the track of a beat box, you may find new horizons you never before imagined if you listen to some of the material covered in this book.I’d write more, but I gotta go listen to Sanford & Townsend’s Smoke From A Distant Fire. :)
