1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,640 Welcome to the album nerds podcast with your hosts, Andy, Don, and Dude. 2 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:14,080 Ahoy. 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,200 It is indeed health nerds podcast time. 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:17,840 I'm dude. 5 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:19,440 I got Andy and Don with me. 6 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,080 Andy, how you doing my friend? 7 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:22,080 You ready to set sail? 8 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:22,440 Dude. 9 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:22,880 Yeah. 10 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:29,760 Got the anchor stowed and sails are at full mast. 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,760 I don't know all the jargon here. 12 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:35,520 The sails are full mast. 13 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:37,520 Oh boy. 14 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:38,560 Yeah, I'm excited. 15 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:42,960 Going to find out if yacht rock is not rock or rock. 16 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,440 A three hour tour. 17 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,320 A three hour tour. 18 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,320 That's Gilligan's Island reference everyone. 19 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:55,600 So welcome to the show where the album nerds, we love talking about the albums and album 20 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,480 format and got a great show for you today. 21 00:00:58,480 --> 00:00:59,840 We're each picking an album. 22 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:00,720 We're going to talk about it. 23 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,240 Going to answer a question. 24 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:06,800 And then at the end of the show, we're sailing into some special waters and 25 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:09,840 It's like international waters. 26 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:10,400 At the end of the show. 27 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:11,600 Yeah. 28 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,600 At the end of the show, we'll fill you in on what we're doing on the next episode. 29 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:17,840 But this week it's time to rock. 30 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:19,840 Yacht rock. 31 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:21,840 That's what I'm talking about. 32 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:30,000 The term yacht rock was coined in 2005 by the makers of an online video series called 33 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:36,080 yacht rock refers to a broad music style and aesthetic commonly associated with soft rock 34 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,760 of the 1970s and 1980s. 35 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:45,280 The name refers to a stereotypical yuppie yacht owner enjoying smooth music while sailing. 36 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:50,080 Many yacht rockers included nautical references in their lyrics, videos, and album artwork. 37 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,880 The creators of the yacht rock web series identify the following elements of the genre. 38 00:01:54,880 --> 00:02:01,120 High production value, use of elite Los Angeles based studio musicians and producers associated 39 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:07,680 with the genre, jazz and R and B influences, use of electric piano, complex and rye lyrics 40 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:13,120 about heartbroken foolish men, particularly involving the word fool and an upbeat rhythm 41 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:14,880 called the doobie bounce. 42 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:16,880 Doobie bounce. 43 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:17,840 Oh my gosh. 44 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:18,560 Yeah. 45 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:22,480 So today each of us will present an album from an artist that has been associated with 46 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,400 the term yacht rock. 47 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:30,240 This was a tough one because it's not really a genre and it can kind of be anything as 48 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:36,720 long as one song fits those criteria or the majority of those criteria. 49 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,880 I was a fool to think that this would be easy. 50 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:43,840 So yeah, I mean, there were some obvious things. 51 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,120 I mean, I went for 70s singer songwriter type stuff. 52 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:52,080 I mean, Michael McDonald, the Doobie Brothers, which he's a member of. 53 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,080 Steven Bishop, Careless, I was really close on. 54 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,480 That's a good record from that time. 55 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,960 So I listened to the album by Rupert Holmes, which was a bit of a chore besides the single 56 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:13,040 Escape, which was a very famous, very yacht rocky song from that period or the Pina Colada song. 57 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:13,760 Oh, yeah. 58 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:19,760 It's a super essential, yacht rocky beachy tune. 59 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:21,920 So I did enjoy listening to that song. 60 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:26,000 The rest of the album had some clever little stories like that too, but none of them were 61 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,440 as magical as the Pina Colada song, Getting Caught in the Rain. 62 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:30,080 What about you guys? 63 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:30,720 How'd you do? 64 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:35,360 Oh, well, oh man, this was a bit of a struggle for me, but I did find a couple of things I'll 65 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:35,680 mention. 66 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:42,000 They're interesting jazz record from bassist George Duke called Brazilian Love Affair. 67 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,520 Came out in the late 70s. 68 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,880 It's kind of a concept record about a trippy took to Brazil. 69 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,240 Pretty interesting jazz kind of funk record. 70 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,840 Quincy Jones put out a record called The Dude in 1981. 71 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:54,800 Back to that one, huh? 72 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,200 Couldn't do that one for obvious reasons. 73 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,760 Yeah, copyright, I'd have to sue. 74 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,120 We just talked about Michael Jackson last episode, so I felt a little same-sy. 75 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,760 We got to mention any touch on Michael McDonald, but he is kind of one of the giants in this 76 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:12,080 space. 77 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:17,760 His 1982 record, if that's what it takes, is a pretty quintessential yacht rock material. 78 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:19,280 He's the captain of yacht rock. 79 00:04:19,280 --> 00:04:20,080 Yeah, seems to be. 80 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:26,160 I originally, the first thing I thought of was Jimmy Buffett, just because a lot of his 81 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,400 songs have nautical themes. 82 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:33,120 But then when I started reading about the yacht rock stuff, some people were like, nope, 83 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:34,720 Jimmy Buffett is not yacht rock. 84 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:35,920 He's kind of his own thing. 85 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:36,400 Yeah. 86 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:41,200 And then as I was looking at lists, I saw names like Duran Duran and stuff. 87 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:42,240 I'm like, what is this? 88 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,000 This doesn't make any sense. 89 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:44,880 So I got frustrated. 90 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:49,840 But then I saw a name of a group that I've kind of avoided for a long time. 91 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:54,240 And I thought it was, you know, this was finally an opportunity to get into their stuff. 92 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:56,880 So I made my pick actually pretty quickly. 93 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,240 Yeah, would you quickly mention that website you came across, dude? 94 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:01,840 Yacht or not? 95 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:02,960 So yeah, check that out. 96 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:09,680 I believe it was a podcast, but the members of it do a rating system of different songs. 97 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,840 And it determines what songs are yacht rock and which ones are not. 98 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:17,600 And that was a good compass for me to navigate these waters. 99 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:18,800 So why don't we get to it? 100 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,800 You choo choo choose me. 101 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:31,760 I'm like Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan. 102 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:32,640 Let me rock you. 103 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:33,200 Let me rock you. 104 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,600 All right, we'll get things started off here with a bit of a dance party on the boat here. 105 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:38,480 Chaka Khan. 106 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:39,760 Chaka Khan. 107 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:40,260 Also? 108 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:42,560 Yeah, I'm just going to hit that throughout. 109 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:47,680 Talking about Chaka Khan, if you haven't guessed. 110 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:48,720 Chaka Khan. 111 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:49,760 Yes, Chaka Khan. 112 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,200 And our 1984 record, I Feel For You. 113 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,720 Let's play the most yacht rock track on the record. 114 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:08,720 This is a little bit of 3 to 5. 115 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:14,640 Man, I don't know how you do it, Andy. 116 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,240 It's a stretch, but you followed the rules. 117 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,640 That song was rated very highly on the yacht rock scale. 118 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,400 Pretty popular song for her was the third single from the record covered by Pippo Bryson 119 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:30,160 in the 90s and then sampled again by Kanye West in the 2000s. 120 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,400 I would say a pretty influential song for Chaka Khan. 121 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:33,200 Chaka Khan. 122 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:34,000 Chaka Khan. 123 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:44,720 So I Feel For You is the fifth studio album from the R&B singer from Chicago, Illinois. 124 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:46,960 A bunch of different co-writers on the record. 125 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:52,160 The record was produced by Araf Mardin who produced a whole lot of popular records 126 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:56,880 in the 70s and 80s for artists like David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, 127 00:06:57,600 --> 00:06:59,280 among dozens of others. 128 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:01,840 Yeah, the record garnered a bunch of hits for Chaka Khan. 129 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:03,520 We're going to play a couple of them in a moment. 130 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:08,800 But the three words that I would use to describe this record are dancing on the decks. 131 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:11,920 I'd say at its heart, it's primarily a dance record, 132 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:15,200 though there are elements of pop and soft rock in here. 133 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,480 I think what I found most interesting about it is 134 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:22,320 it's kind of adventurous in some of its production choices. 135 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:28,080 There's some stuff you wouldn't expect to hear in an early to mid 80s dance record. 136 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,640 And we'll get into some of those details in a moment. 137 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,120 But why don't we play another clip? 138 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,520 This is a little bit of My Love Is Alive. 139 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:39,440 My love is alive. 140 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,440 My soul's like a wheel that's turning. 141 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:47,120 My love is alive. 142 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,720 So that song is actually written by Gary Wright. 143 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:56,080 His version called Love Is Alive appeared on his 1975 album, Dreamweaver. 144 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:56,800 Oh, no way. 145 00:07:58,080 --> 00:07:58,880 Yeah, yeah. 146 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:02,160 Uh, you son of a gun. 147 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:03,680 I've got that stuck in my head now. 148 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,960 Dreamweaver. 149 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:08,240 That's kind of yacht rocky. 150 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:09,440 Totally. 151 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,720 Yeah, so this one is a, you know, very electronic dance treatment. 152 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,080 That's one of those songs that has like one of those breaky stutters, right? 153 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:22,320 Where it's like, I don't know, I can't, yeah. 154 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:22,800 Breakbeat. 155 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:23,600 I guess how I call that. 156 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:23,840 Yeah. 157 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:24,640 Is that a breakbeat? 158 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:25,120 I don't know. 159 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,840 Like was that around much in the early 80s? 160 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:29,840 This is when it hit really, right? 161 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,480 I heard that kind of sound in like break dancing. 162 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:38,960 And that was my only at the time entree into the world of hip hop or rap was breakdancing 163 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:40,320 compilation tapes. 164 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:42,160 It seemed like it. 165 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:43,760 Maybe it was earlier in hip hop. 166 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:44,400 I don't know. 167 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:48,560 And those kinds of sounds were there, but they weren't in pop records, which is part 168 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:50,960 of what made me think this was so cool at the time. 169 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:55,040 I kind of thought a little bit about how Whitney Houston-y she sounds at times. 170 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:00,800 And also how Tina Turner-y, like, you know, private dancer came out the same year. 171 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:07,600 And there's some parallels, but I feel like Chaka took more chances in terms of like the 172 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,280 album may be a little uneven in its sounds, but that's because she was trying a bunch 173 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:12,320 of new stuff. 174 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:13,040 That's funny. 175 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:14,560 Those are two albums. 176 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:18,720 I kept comparing it to the Whitney and the Tina Turner. 177 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:23,200 Yeah, Whitney came around to 85, right, with their first album. 178 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,200 This probably was the same year as the Herbie Hancock record, right? 179 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:28,000 The Rocket. 180 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,680 The Rocket, and that had kind of that breaky beat thing. 181 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:38,320 Anyway, yeah, so the three words I chose to describe the album was electro jack swing. 182 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:45,120 So this actually reminded me of the new jack swing records that we listened to. 183 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:49,120 But with just a more electronic approach. 184 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:55,360 It ended up reminding me of stuff like New Order was doing at the time. 185 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:59,440 I'm also reminded of like Pet Shop Boys and Erasure and stuff like that. 186 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:03,680 So yeah, you know, I found some common areas here. 187 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:06,960 Overall, I think it's a good record. 188 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:14,800 I do think maybe because musically the album is kind of ambitious, maybe it takes away 189 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:19,680 or distracts from her voice a little bit or her personality. 190 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:21,200 Yeah, I think that's fair criticism. 191 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:25,120 I feel like, at least from my listening on headphones, like the music is mixed evenly 192 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:29,600 with her voice and at times it almost does overwhelm it because there's so much going on 193 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:30,480 like sonically. 194 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:32,240 And her voice is just, she has a great voice. 195 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:33,200 It's very powerful. 196 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:34,720 It's very fairly emotive. 197 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:39,440 Well, let's make it clear too, though, that there's a moment she's on the yacht through the fire, 198 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:45,120 but she she docks and gets off and hits the streets for the majority of the record. 199 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:46,880 She's in the club, I think a lot of the time. 200 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:48,240 Yeah, yeah. 201 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:48,960 Totally. 202 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,280 Well, let's hear one of those more club ready tracks, I guess you could say. 203 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,600 Chaka Khan. 204 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,040 It's one of the more popular songs on the record. 205 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:05,120 It's a bit of a feel for you. 206 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:17,200 Now, of course, that song is most recognizable with the Chaka Khan rap that starts off the song. 207 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:18,240 Yeah. 208 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:24,560 A Melly Mel from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which is what drew me to this 209 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:25,840 when I was a youth. 210 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:33,040 This is probably the first pop song I heard with a rap interlude or maybe one of the first 211 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:39,200 times I ever heard rap music really, except again for my breakdancing cassettes. 212 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:43,040 And I, God, I loved this album. 213 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:48,960 My aunt had it and I made a dub copy of it in my grandmother's bathroom because the 214 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:50,080 acoustics were the best. 215 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:55,280 I took my aunt's boombox and played it and then had my tape recorder microphone up against 216 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:55,840 the speaker. 217 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,400 But I used to enjoy that song quite a bit. 218 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:04,960 I picture you popping and locking to that. 219 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:09,680 I had to stay still during the recording process, but afterwards, absolutely. 220 00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:15,440 The three words I used to describe the album were make me break because I would break the 221 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:16,480 breakdance to that. 222 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,560 And then I ended up making cuts where it was just the rap part over and over again. 223 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:21,120 Oh, really? 224 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:26,720 But on what we just listened to, I wanted to make sure I get Chaka's voice in there. 225 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:33,840 So this song was written by Prince, recorded on his self-titled 1979 album. 226 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,840 I hear Prince's influence all over this album, not just at the time. 227 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,360 I think at the time, I just thought that music was changing. 228 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,000 I underestimated his influence. 229 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:50,960 I think New Jack Swing and all the stuff that came after wouldn't have existed without Prince. 230 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:58,800 Hearing these Prince influenced albums and then throughout the 80s, all these songs written 231 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:00,960 by him that were done by different artists. 232 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:06,000 In the 80s, there was this whole conversation about Prince's influence. 233 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,200 In the 80s, there was this whole conversation about Michael Jackson or Prince. 234 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:10,560 There's no contest. 235 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:11,200 It's Prince. 236 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,360 Prince was the king of that era. 237 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:17,760 He's the king of influencing R&B and soul music, in my opinion. 238 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:19,520 What do you guys think about that take? 239 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:22,640 I think that's actually a really good point because I remember, I don't remember what 240 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:23,920 year we did for a theme. 241 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:25,680 Was it 82 or 81 or something? 242 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:30,160 I remember listening to the Chaka Khan album from that year. 243 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:32,960 And it just had a very different sound. 244 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:37,360 I mean, it was still very much of that 70s disco vibe. 245 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:38,480 And I think you're right. 246 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:44,800 I think it's the Prince influence that took us into the 80s, into that New Jack Swing era. 247 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,960 Let's just take a little listen to Prince's version of that song. 248 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:55,200 ["Better Than I Got For Your Baby"] 249 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,920 A little more late 70s funk on that. 250 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:04,320 But so I really appreciate what Chaka and her production team were able to do with that song 251 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:09,280 and get Melly Mel on there and really, like we talked about a few weeks ago, 252 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:18,720 elevating, taking that original version of a song and elevating it, making it something new and great. 253 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,640 So yeah, really appreciated listening to this album as a whole. 254 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,400 Wasn't as awesome to me as it was when I was a kid. 255 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:28,800 I think because of sort of the unevenness. 256 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:35,280 But I do just remember popping and locking in the spare bedroom at my grandma's house 257 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,880 to this song, showing off to my cousins all my moves. 258 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:40,560 Yeah, sure. 259 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,920 Yeah, I mean, just to kind of back up that point, I think the record is a little bit uneven, 260 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:47,440 especially as you get towards the end of it. 261 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:52,480 There's a couple maybe misses there, but the handful of hits I think are pretty great. 262 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,760 And it's definitely a product of the 80s. 263 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,520 It sounds very 80s. 264 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,920 But I think there's enough interesting things going on and you have the great voice of Chaka Khan 265 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,360 who I think is an underappreciated talent. 266 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:08,800 And she just has a good personality. 267 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:09,840 I like listening to her voice. 268 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,680 I think that makes me happy to hear her sing as opposed to some artists just seem to have 269 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:15,760 like a sadness to her voice and she's very happy. 270 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,800 So maybe it's from reading Rainbow as a kid. 271 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,520 She's just been subconsciously implanted in my head. 272 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:23,040 Oh yeah. 273 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:24,080 I didn't know that was her. 274 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:24,720 I didn't either. 275 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,960 But now that I do, I can't stop hearing her voice and like everything. 276 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:29,200 All right. 277 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:35,360 So once again, the record is I Feel For You, Chaka Khan, 1984. 278 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,240 If you're out on the boat or going to dance clubs, it's a good choice. 279 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:39,280 I'm good enough. 280 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,360 I'm smart enough and doggone it. 281 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:42,560 People like me. 282 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:46,880 If you're enjoying the show and we hope you are, do us a solid and leave a review on Apple 283 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,120 podcasts or your favorite podcast app. 284 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,320 Maybe we made you laugh or you discovered an album you enjoy. 285 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:56,240 Leaving a review keeps the show going and helps other music fans find us. 286 00:15:56,240 --> 00:16:00,160 If I ever listen to Steely Dan, I want you to slice my head off with an Al Jarreau LP. 287 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:02,160 Okay. 288 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:11,280 So my pick from the world of yacht rock is Steely Dan and their 1977 album Asia. 289 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,240 Here's the title track, Asia. 290 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:15,040 That's how it's pronounced. 291 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:15,520 Asia. 292 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:16,240 Asia. 293 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:16,880 Asia. 294 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:29,680 I thought it was aha. 295 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:31,680 I guess they say Asia right in the. 296 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:41,200 So that song supposedly is kind of like an interior monologue of a guy 297 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:48,720 contrasting the shortcomings of his like regimented, passionless life with the space occupied by, 298 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:55,920 I guess Asia is a Korean woman or wife or something who he visits to get relief from 299 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:57,120 like his existence. 300 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:00,880 It actually has backing vocals from Timothy B Schmidt. 301 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:05,840 He joined the Eagles for the long run album. 302 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:07,040 He's the one that sings. 303 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,840 I can tell you why that's on. 304 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:12,480 Okay. 305 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:13,200 Yes. 306 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:13,760 He was in that. 307 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:15,280 That vocal is kind of yacht rocky. 308 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:15,840 Yes. 309 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:16,080 Yeah. 310 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:20,080 That song is definitely, I would say that's high on the yacht or not scale. 311 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:28,000 Anyway, so it's the sixth studio album by the jazz rock band founded in New York in 1971 312 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,240 by Walter Becker and Donald Fagan. 313 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,120 So initially the band was a sextet. 314 00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:34,080 I bet they were. 315 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:42,240 That just means there were six of them, but over time it just became just Walter Becker 316 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:48,000 and Donald Fagan and just the sea of like, you know, the best jazz and pop musicians 317 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,160 they could find kind of like the Beatles. 318 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:55,920 They stopped touring after a couple of albums and really just focused on studio work. 319 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:02,160 The three words I chose to describe the album are balancing soul and perfectionism. 320 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,720 All right. So there is kind of like a contrast here. 321 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:11,120 So these guys are just these meticulous studio nerds. 322 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:13,600 Yeah, they're nerds, right? 323 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,960 They look kind of nerdy too, but so they're nerds. 324 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:21,840 They've got the sound in their head and they're bringing in these great musicians to try to 325 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:25,680 find it and they know when they don't have it and they move on. 326 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,040 So, I mean, they're telling them like the, you know, the best guitarist out there, like, 327 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:30,320 no, this isn't going to work. 328 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:35,040 But yeah, so they're really striving for this perfectionism, but somehow, you know, 329 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,360 there's still soul in it. 330 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:43,280 You know, it's not so overproduced that it loses, you know, that jazz and bluesy vibe. 331 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:47,520 You know, it still, you know, just very much has a soul and life to it. 332 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,800 But yeah, so well, let's keep going. 333 00:18:50,800 --> 00:19:01,280 This is a song called Peg. 334 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:10,480 Yeah, this whole album has these moments where like I just picture privileged dudes doing the overbite. 335 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:12,880 Like, you know, sort of, you know. 336 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:13,840 That's what I was doing. 337 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:15,440 Strutty head thing. Yeah. 338 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:20,240 Yeah. So Peg, the reason I picked it was because it's highly praised. 339 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:29,840 It's often called the ultimate Steely Dan song, but mostly because De La Soul on Three Feet High and Rising sampled this song on the track I Know. 340 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:31,840 That's why it sounded so familiar. 341 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:33,040 Oh my gosh. 342 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:42,640 Yeah, kind of made it interesting to listen to the actual song and kind of synthesize that in the world of De La Soul. 343 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:45,840 But Don, you're talking about the musicians. 344 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:58,240 The song's guitar solo was attempted by seven different studio session guitarists, including Robin Ford and Larry Carlton before Jay Graydon's version became the one that they kept. 345 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,840 So that's why I wanted the guitar solo in the clip that we played. 346 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,040 In 2020, Donald Fagan said there's no hidden meaning. 347 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:10,640 They just wanted a dotted half note for that spot and used the name Peg because it fit. 348 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,040 Because that's what they wanted, the perfect sound. 349 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:23,040 Yeah. So within the sound, the reason it's Peg, the name Peg is just because it fit where they wanted it, not because it's a person or anything special. 350 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:24,240 Could have been Don. 351 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:26,240 Yeah, it should have been Don. 352 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:27,040 Seriously. 353 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:34,240 The song basically takes place at a CD photo shoot in LA from the perspective of a jilted boyfriend. 354 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:40,240 But their lyrics are very repetitive and the music carries it and where you don't even notice. 355 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:46,240 Like only reading through it do you realize that the lyrics kind of repeat themselves a bunch. 356 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:51,440 The three words I used to describe the album are the whole shipyard. 357 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:52,640 It's more than yacht rock. 358 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:54,240 It's got everything. 359 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:59,040 And it's jazz and rock and that meticulous precision. 360 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,440 So it's really good stuff. 361 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:02,240 It's super interesting. 362 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,440 I'll keep listening to them because I think there's a lot more to learn. 363 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:13,440 I've never really, I mean I've heard their songs but I've never given them much time because of that reputation of being kind of nerdy jazz rock. 364 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:23,440 But I really did enjoy the record and I will continue to try to expand my listening horizons with their discography and see what else they got. 365 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,840 Okay, well let's hear a little more. 366 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:39,440 This is the opening cut called Black Cow. 367 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,440 Andy, please. 368 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,040 What the hell does that mean? 369 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:45,040 I have no idea, man. 370 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:47,040 I was thinking of my mind. 371 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,640 The Black Cow is a drink, yeah. 372 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:49,440 It's like a... 373 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,440 Is it like a coffee drink or something? 374 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,440 Yeah, it's like one of those things you would... 375 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,040 They're from New York. 376 00:21:55,040 --> 00:22:00,640 So it's one of those things you would have gotten at one of those like old fashioned soda fountain places. 377 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:01,840 You know, kind of like... 378 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:03,040 Like an egg cream? 379 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:04,240 Yeah, kind of like an egg cream. 380 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:10,240 It's like soda, like Coke or root beer with ice cream and whatever. 381 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,040 Okay. 382 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,240 Well, I'm conflicted on this record here. 383 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,640 Let me start with my three words. 384 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,640 I chose subtle, spacious, and subdued. 385 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:26,640 Yeah, I definitely agree with the intricateness of all these...the composition here feels very tight. 386 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:29,840 Some songs like Black Cow I found pretty interesting. 387 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:34,440 They go to some pretty cool places from like a jazz perspective, I guess. 388 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:42,040 Other songs, I'm gonna get more into that pop adult contemporary space like Peg and some of the other records, tracks later on the record. 389 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,440 I have a harder time with where it gets a little bit... 390 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:53,440 It's so subdued and it doesn't really feel like the songs are really given much space to grow or flourish. 391 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,640 Kind of like you were saying, Don, how they feel so meticulously put together. 392 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,840 They almost lose a little bit of their soul from my perspective. 393 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,440 Like they don't feel quite as alive as the other two records we're talking about today. 394 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:07,240 But it is interesting to listen to from just like a technical perspective. 395 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,840 And I think the recording is awesome. 396 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,640 Like it sounds so good. 397 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,240 You really can hear every little instrument and it sounds huge too. 398 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:20,840 I put it on speakers and actually it sounded like almost like an orchestra I was listening to. 399 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,440 It's really a big sound they captured here, which is awesome. 400 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,240 And it has like that cool 70s tone to the music too, which I appreciated. 401 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:30,840 There's like moments that are kind of like funky almost. 402 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:34,040 It's like some cool bass that I appreciated. 403 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:38,440 But a lot of it is pretty subdued is the word I would come back. 404 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:43,040 I almost wish the vocals were less at times. 405 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,440 They feel superfluous on some songs. 406 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,640 Like it's more interesting what's going on musically than what they're like. 407 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,040 Like the dude said, like they just repeat a lot of words over and over again. 408 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:56,640 So I don't know. I did enjoy it more than most of these Yacht Rock records. 409 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:57,840 But I don't know if I love it. 410 00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:58,640 Interesting. 411 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:00,440 Well, I understand what you're saying. 412 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:03,240 I think, I mean, other than the Michael McDonald vocals. 413 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:07,640 Oh, yeah. I wanted to mention that too because Michael McDonald is on this record. 414 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:08,840 My background vocals. 415 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:10,040 He's everywhere in this. 416 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:11,240 He can't get his fingers out. 417 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:17,440 But yeah, the moments that I love most on this record are just the instrumental parts. 418 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:21,040 You know, like in Asia as it goes on, you know, I kind of get lost in it. 419 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:26,040 And I think sometimes the choruses and the, I don't know, just the vocals themselves, 420 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:28,240 I think kind of annoy me. 421 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:34,240 I got to say, I mean, you know, my whole life I've rebelled against this sound. 422 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:37,440 Sort of that easy listening smooth jazz. 423 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,840 Like the thought of Steely Dan, you know, just kind of grossed me out. 424 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,240 But I got to say, I'm a believer now. 425 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,440 I love this record. 426 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:52,440 And I feel like every time I listen to it, there's just more there to unpack. 427 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:59,640 And I would put it way above like anything else in the, you know, sort of in that Yacht Rock realm. 428 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:02,440 So I'm going to nominate it for the album Nerd's Hall of Fame. 429 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:03,440 Oh my God. 430 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:04,240 Yeah. 431 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:05,440 Steely Dan. 432 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,440 He's doing it. 433 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:13,440 18 year old Don would be cringing. 434 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:19,440 So yeah, so, you know, sort of, I don't know if you, do you call it a rock jazz fusion? 435 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,440 I don't know, but there's something, it's unique. 436 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:26,440 You know, I mean, we've listened to other sort of fusion records before 437 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,440 and it doesn't quite sound like this. 438 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:32,440 And I just feel like whatever this is, they've perfected it on this album. 439 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:34,440 So what do you guys think? 440 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,440 I feel very similarly to you Don. 441 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,440 I don't know how I'll feel in the future. 442 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:41,440 In the morning? 443 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:42,440 As I, yeah. 444 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:49,440 As I try to dig in more on Steely Dan, but based on what I read and based on what I heard 445 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:54,440 and being more into it every time I listen to it, I think I'm going to say yes. 446 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:55,440 Oh boy. 447 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,440 It is unique. 448 00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:58,440 It's got its own sound. 449 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,440 There's no one else like it. 450 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:04,440 And its attention to detail, I think is what drew me in the most. 451 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:05,440 Andy. 452 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:08,440 And here comes the shot between the eyes. 453 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:16,440 You know, like in my head, I'm like thinking about, you know, what defines an Andy Hoff record. 454 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,440 And like this probably does qualify. 455 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,440 Like it probably is the best yacht rock record, realistically. 456 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:23,440 And it's well made. 457 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:25,440 It just doesn't speak to me. 458 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:30,440 Like I would even say that that jazz rock record that we listened to, the Tony Williams 459 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,440 experience record felt much more alive to me than this record does. 460 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:35,440 Yeah. 461 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,440 But you know, the subtlety and the attention to detail is impressive. 462 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:39,440 Oh boy. 463 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:40,440 I don't know. 464 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:41,440 I think I might. 465 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:42,440 Oh no. 466 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:43,440 I think I might say yes. 467 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:45,440 I'm going to kind of trust down a little bit on this one. 468 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:46,440 Yeah. 469 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:47,440 I'll say yes. 470 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:48,440 Wow. 471 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:49,440 You're right. 472 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:50,440 Wow. 473 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:55,440 I think that's really cool that you brought something that regardless of our experience 474 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:57,440 with it, we were able to recognize some greatness. 475 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:58,440 Yeah. 476 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:02,440 Convinced us on the quality of this music, which is pretty impressive because if you 477 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:05,440 asked me when we first heard this, if I would have picked any of these records, I would 478 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:06,440 have said, hell no. 479 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:07,440 All right. 480 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:12,440 Well, congratulations to Steely Dan with their 1977 record Asia. 481 00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:14,440 Excuse me. 482 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:20,440 I'd like to ask you a few questions. 483 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:22,320 That's right, y'all. 484 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:23,320 It's time. 485 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,320 We're going to ask ourselves a question. 486 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:32,440 Now if the album nerds podcast makes us millionaires, it's like when it makes us millionaires, I 487 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:33,440 guess. 488 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:34,440 Right. 489 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:35,440 Yes. 490 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,120 I think we're a penny airs right now. 491 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:42,920 What expensive toy like a, you know, with a like yachts, you know, rich people throw 492 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,200 around their, their cake and they get a yacht. 493 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:47,520 What expensive toy would you buy? 494 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,120 That's a good question. 495 00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:51,400 I would not buy a boat, man. 496 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:55,040 I had a boat growing up and they are a pain in the ass. 497 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:56,040 I would not do that. 498 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:00,760 Well, what, what if, but you can afford a boat with a cabin in it and all that stuff 499 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,080 and you hire a captain to. 500 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:04,920 Oh, like crew take care of it. 501 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:05,920 Yeah. 502 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:06,920 Yeah. 503 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:07,920 Yeah. 504 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:08,920 Yeah. 505 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:09,920 That could be fun. 506 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:10,920 It could be fun. 507 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:11,920 Travel the world maybe. 508 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:12,920 Yeah. 509 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:16,680 A 3d printer would be kind of fun to make like a little, little head of myself next to myself 510 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:21,400 or a little, little mini Andy plastic. 511 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:25,800 I don't know much about 3d printers, but I feel like if you're a millionaire, you probably 512 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:26,800 could do better than that. 513 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:35,880 Well, you probably, most of your millions will be spent on the filament for it. 514 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,880 So probably, yeah, that's, that's expensive. 515 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:40,920 Oh, I've got a more exciting answer. 516 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,120 No, I wouldn't say a more exciting one. 517 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:47,800 I don't think I would, I would get a boat either, but I just really want to pool, you 518 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:54,400 know, our, our summers just seem to get more oppressive as time goes on or as I age and 519 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,160 you know, I just want to kind of drift in a pool all summer long. 520 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,160 I'm fine with even, you know, taking care of it and checking the pH levels. 521 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:04,960 You know, I feel like I could spend my summers doing that. 522 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:05,960 Yeah. 523 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:06,960 It's like your own little personal lake. 524 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:07,960 Yeah. 525 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:09,720 You can get your own little raft as a boat. 526 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:12,280 And I would listen to yacht rock, I think. 527 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:16,160 Also maybe some, maybe an arcade cabinet or something like an, like a real one. 528 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:20,940 I have like in my office at school, I have like a two thirds size Pac-Man, but I want 529 00:29:20,940 --> 00:29:21,940 like the real thing. 530 00:29:21,940 --> 00:29:22,940 Oh, nice. 531 00:29:22,940 --> 00:29:25,720 So this stuff would be all in your palatial mansions, right? 532 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:29,200 I mean, we're, we're assuming we have palatial mansions. 533 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:31,000 Of course that would be the first thing. 534 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:32,000 Okay. 535 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,760 The album nerds mansion. 536 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,520 I'd probably open a record store. 537 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:38,520 Nice. 538 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:39,840 Good idea. 539 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:40,840 Start a business. 540 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:44,640 And not worry too much about making money, just having it be cool. 541 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:46,840 A cool place to hang out. 542 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:48,360 Maybe not even let customers in. 543 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:54,160 Just a place to hang out, you know? 544 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:58,160 So this is like an expansion of your record collection in like a bigger area. 545 00:29:58,160 --> 00:29:59,160 Exactly. 546 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:03,080 But when, when artists come to town, they would get an exclusive invitation to come 547 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:10,080 shop at my record store that no one else could shop in. 548 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:11,080 What would you call this place? 549 00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:12,080 What would I call it? 550 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:13,080 Let's see. 551 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:14,080 Hmm. 552 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,080 Like dude's den or something. 553 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:23,800 The dude hole. 554 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:24,800 I don't know. 555 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:25,800 The dude hole. 556 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:26,800 Okay. 557 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:27,800 No one's going there anyway, man. 558 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:28,800 Don't worry about locking the door. 559 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,240 That's my problem. 560 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:33,520 So maybe I, yeah, I don't know. 561 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,740 Maybe I would just combine a bunch of names of famous old record stores. 562 00:30:37,740 --> 00:30:38,740 So what about y'all? 563 00:30:38,740 --> 00:30:44,880 If you got that Skrill and you're a millionaire, what expensive toy, like a yacht or a mansion 564 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:45,880 or whatever, what would you get? 565 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:46,880 Let us know. 566 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:47,880 Albiners.com slash discord. 567 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:48,880 Oh, I sail. 568 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:49,880 I'm a sailor. 569 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:50,880 I sail. 570 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,880 The wind of the wind with the sky and everything. 571 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,480 Oh, I love that movie. 572 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:57,480 All right. 573 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:07,720 It is my turn and as usual, I pick the album that is the most well-known, the most obvious 574 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,400 mainstream pick you can do. 575 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:15,840 So I went with Christopher Cross self-titled album from December of 1979. 576 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:22,280 And why don't we start off with what is sometimes considered the penultimate got rock song, 577 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,680 mostly because it's about sailing and it's called sailing. 578 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:43,280 And he's wearing a sunglasses, captain's hat combo and swaying back and forth to this. 579 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,520 And I wear on the deck of a giant sailboat right now. 580 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:50,200 Feel the waves rocking me gently to sleep. 581 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:52,600 I'm just drifting in my pool. 582 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:58,180 The seagulls are pecking my eyes out. 583 00:31:58,180 --> 00:32:05,720 So yeah, Christopher Cross, born Christopher Charles Gepert in May of 1951 from San Antonio, 584 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:06,720 Texas. 585 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:08,880 Does not sound like a Texas boy to me. 586 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,560 He won five Grammy awards for this album. 587 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:12,560 Wow. 588 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:13,560 Holy moly. 589 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:15,040 That's a Laugh-R-One record. 590 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:16,040 I mean, that's... 591 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:17,040 Wow. 592 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:18,040 Yeah. 593 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:22,800 His other notable hits include Ride Like the Wind, Arthur's Theme, the best that you can 594 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,400 do and Think of Laura from some other albums. 595 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:28,520 He's known for his soothing voice, melodic hooks. 596 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:29,960 It's a little more guitar based. 597 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:30,960 He's a guitar player. 598 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:35,920 There's a little more guitar on this than typically exists in the rock space. 599 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:41,320 But his songs often evoke a sense of breezy escapism, romantic nostalgia, making him a 600 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:45,220 key figure in a yacht rock genre in finger quotes. 601 00:32:45,220 --> 00:32:52,060 The song itself was about escape from the mundane and just sailing off and forgetting 602 00:32:52,060 --> 00:32:53,060 your troubles. 603 00:32:53,060 --> 00:32:54,960 And he captured that really, really well. 604 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:56,480 I loved this song as a kid. 605 00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:58,840 Every time I heard it, it made me feel happy. 606 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,920 And I remember him winning those Grammys and thinking that was pretty cool. 607 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:06,120 It was inspired by sailing trips he took as a kid with his friend Al, whose last name 608 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,720 I'm not going to say. 609 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:09,760 Because it might not be true. 610 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:10,760 It was on Wikipedia. 611 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:15,520 It says his name is Al Glasscock. 612 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:20,800 I can't do it. 613 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:33,800 The three words I used to describe this album are sailing against the wind. 614 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:37,660 I think this is like the end of the soft rock 70s. 615 00:33:37,660 --> 00:33:39,040 This may have been the final voyage. 616 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:44,560 I think winning all those Grammys was the top of that. 617 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:49,440 And pop music started to change dramatically shortly after this. 618 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:51,480 The musical tides were changing, you might say. 619 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:52,480 All right. 620 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:56,340 So why don't we listen to another track from Christopher Cross? 621 00:33:56,340 --> 00:33:59,840 This one is called I Really Don't Know Anymore. 622 00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:01,840 I really don't know. 623 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:04,840 I really can't see. 624 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:09,840 I really don't know anymore. 625 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:15,400 I really can't see. 626 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:24,560 With those strained voices, I feel like this is two dudes in neighboring stalls trying 627 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,560 to relieve themselves. 628 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:28,560 Right, seriously. 629 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:34,200 I wonder if it was one of those in the studio, if they were staring at each other as they 630 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:35,200 were singing. 631 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:38,200 Like just nose to nose. 632 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:40,200 Oh man. 633 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:44,520 Yeah, Michael McDonald, man. 634 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:46,800 He's just popping up everywhere all over this. 635 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:47,800 All right. 636 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:49,800 My three words describe this record. 637 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:50,800 Is it in? 638 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:51,800 Question mark. 639 00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:54,800 The reason I chose those words. 640 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:55,800 Wow. 641 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:56,800 Ouch. 642 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:57,800 Geez, man. 643 00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:06,360 I feel like this record is just, it's very well composed. 644 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:11,800 It has a good structure to it, but I didn't get any emotion from this. 645 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:15,800 It feels very castrated, I guess. 646 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:18,800 Oh my goodness. 647 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,800 Oh man. 648 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:24,080 Christopher, I'm sorry. 649 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:28,760 This track is well constructed and it's composed in a very logical manner. 650 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:35,240 In a way that you would expect a more mainstream pop record to be composed where you have like, 651 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:38,200 here's your verse, here's the refrain, here's the other verse. 652 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:44,080 I just found it a little bit, I guess, a little boring, I guess I would say. 653 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:45,800 Lyrically, there's some good stuff. 654 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:46,800 He's efficient. 655 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:52,800 I like his lyric writing, but yeah, it is, I guess Sailing was one of the first songs 656 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,520 digitally recorded and it sounds it. 657 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:59,480 I mean, like with Steely Dan, you expect the sheen because everything's perfect. 658 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:02,080 With this, some rough sounds, a little more. 659 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:03,560 Yeah, it's a little more lively. 660 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:05,560 Yeah, yeah, I agree. 661 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,880 It doesn't help that there's like almost zero low end on this at all. 662 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:14,040 I know there is like some drums and bass, I assume on here, but you can hardly hear 663 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:15,240 them at all. 664 00:36:15,240 --> 00:36:20,320 So why don't we jump to another one of the songs, a little more well known and no Michael 665 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:21,320 McDonald, right? 666 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:23,040 I don't believe so. 667 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:26,000 It's probably creeping in the background somewhere. 668 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,480 Maybe he's giving Christopher a light shoulder rub while he's singing. 669 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,040 This is Never Be The Same. 670 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:37,040 Never be the same without you here. 671 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:42,400 I'll live alone and hide myself behind my teeth. 672 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:47,400 I feel like a lot of these songs could have been like television sitcom themes. 673 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:54,560 I feel like a lot of themes from the 80s were sort of of this genre and this style. 674 00:36:54,560 --> 00:37:03,200 So the three words I chose to describe the album were soft, sweet, and sincere. 675 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:08,920 So I think maybe the point of contention is the sincerity of the record because it does 676 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:12,000 feel just very, very polished. 677 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,960 But I think it's his voice or something. 678 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:20,080 I think there's a vulnerability or something that kind of comes out in his voice that I 679 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:24,640 think gives the songs some emotion. 680 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:30,480 Whereas if somebody else was singing it, I think maybe it wouldn't work. 681 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:35,600 It feels like he means what he's singing, but I think it's just the production and the 682 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,640 arrangements and the time period of how they were making music that, again, won five Grammy 683 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:40,640 awards. 684 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:41,640 So someone like that. 685 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:42,640 Yeah, they sure did. 686 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:43,640 A lot. 687 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:44,640 Yeah. 688 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:51,040 And so I think when this genre is kind of at its worst, it's like I described it as 689 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:55,120 sweet, but you could call it saccharin or something. 690 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,120 It's like artificial sweetener. 691 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:00,360 It tastes sweet, but it's, I don't know. 692 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:01,880 It's not the same as sugar. 693 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:03,960 It doesn't, I don't know. 694 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:10,020 There's some sort of aftertaste or something that isn't quite right, and it's not real. 695 00:38:10,020 --> 00:38:16,880 But I think, at times listening to this record, maybe I kind of thought that. 696 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,720 But overall, I think it's an album that's from the heart. 697 00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:26,160 I think he is a talented songwriter. 698 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:28,680 Like you said, he's efficient with the lyrics. 699 00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:31,720 All the songs are hooky. 700 00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:32,720 It almost did it. 701 00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:37,920 It is like the prototypical kind of yacht rock or soft rock album. 702 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,000 Yeah, it's nine tracks. 703 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,600 The three highlights will probably never be the same. 704 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:44,400 Ride Like the Wind and Sailing. 705 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:50,160 And Ride Like the Wind does get a little groovy, a little strutty, unlike the other tracks. 706 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:51,160 It's got a little toad. 707 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:56,920 I mean, no one you'd be afraid of, but there's some toad. 708 00:38:56,920 --> 00:38:59,060 Taste of toad. 709 00:38:59,060 --> 00:39:00,320 That one has Michael McDonald too. 710 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:01,320 Yes, it does. 711 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:02,320 Yes, it does. 712 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:10,240 So, Yacht Rock King, Christopher Cross, the self-titled Grammy winning album, Christopher 713 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:11,240 Cross. 714 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:16,040 Go check it out if you feel like doing some sailing. 715 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:17,040 Yacht Rock. 716 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:18,040 Here's what I learned. 717 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:19,040 Not a genre. 718 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:20,040 It's a playlist. 719 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:25,320 Yacht Rock feels like more of a title of a playlist of a bunch of songs that fit those 720 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,040 criteria Don mentioned at the top. 721 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:34,040 And when it's so long after the fact, I don't really think of it as a genre because no one 722 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:35,560 intended to be that. 723 00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:38,200 Yeah, no one set out to make a Yacht Rock record. 724 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:39,960 What do you guys think? 725 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:44,440 I think this episode reaffirmed the value and what we're doing on this podcast, I think, 726 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:45,440 for me. 727 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:54,040 I expected to just be in a state of terror for the last week listening to these records. 728 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:59,080 I think that Asia record really from Steely Down there really showed me that there could 729 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:03,600 be, I mean, I knew that there was the potential for something more to be in any of these genres. 730 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:09,640 And I think that kind of restored my hope in this type of music and what we do here. 731 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:13,880 So thanks for saving the show Don. 732 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:19,600 I do think genres and labels and stuff like that, I mean, for the most part, they're just 733 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:23,280 there to kind of help market music. 734 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:24,840 Not the case for this genre. 735 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:29,080 This just seemed like, it's like a pejorative term, right? 736 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:35,400 Yacht Rock, it was kind of like making fun of all of this music from the 70s and 80s. 737 00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:40,120 But yeah, so I mean, I enjoyed going on this journey. 738 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:41,120 Voyage. 739 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:42,120 Thank you. 740 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:43,120 Voyage. 741 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:44,120 Enjoying the boat. 742 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:50,080 I'm glad I finally spent some time with Steely Dan and even Christopher Cross. 743 00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:55,940 I only knew a handful of songs, so it was good to spend time with an entire record. 744 00:40:55,940 --> 00:40:57,840 So Yacht Rock, not rock. 745 00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:00,880 Yacht or not, not yacht. 746 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:04,480 It's just gibberish. 747 00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:09,480 It's kind of a stroke. 748 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:18,460 When it comes down to it, it's all just music and it's fun to use genres as a way to navigate 749 00:41:18,460 --> 00:41:19,460 these waters. 750 00:41:19,460 --> 00:41:22,720 And that's one to grow on. 751 00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:26,680 I'm your density. 752 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:31,440 I mean, your destiny. 753 00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:33,880 All right. 754 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:40,720 Well, Wodbot is out on the yacht right now, getting some rays. 755 00:41:40,720 --> 00:41:41,720 Yachtbot. 756 00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:42,720 That's right. 757 00:41:42,720 --> 00:41:43,720 Yachtbot. 758 00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:50,280 She will be back next week, but in the meantime, we have a special edition album nerds episode 759 00:41:50,280 --> 00:41:51,280 for you. 760 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:53,200 Next week is our 200th episode. 761 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:55,080 So we are doing something a little special. 762 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:56,080 Wow. 763 00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:57,480 You guys have been doing this a long time. 764 00:41:57,480 --> 00:41:58,480 Yeah. 765 00:41:58,480 --> 00:42:00,280 Doing it and doing it well, some would say. 766 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:02,720 Doing it and doing it and doing it well. 767 00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:07,660 We're going to be taking a look at Rolling Stone's list of top albums of all time. 768 00:42:07,660 --> 00:42:08,840 They put out a list of 500 records. 769 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:13,800 We're going to be picking three records from the top 200 records of all time according 770 00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:16,800 to Rolling Stone to be featured next week. 771 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:17,800 What's the twist? 772 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,760 Well, the twist is they have to be albums and artists that we've never spoken about 773 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,160 previously in our 200 episodes. 774 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,000 So something new coming to you boys and girls next week. 775 00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:31,840 Also, I want to mention there's an ongoing Einhoff vote in the works. 776 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:37,840 If you have an opinion on Michael Jackson's 1979 album, Off the Wall, and you should, 777 00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:43,000 please go to the Album Nerds Discord, albnerds.com slash Discord, or our website, albnerds.com 778 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:44,240 to cast your votes. 779 00:42:44,240 --> 00:42:45,560 Yay or nay. 780 00:42:45,560 --> 00:42:48,640 Does Michael Jackson's record belong in the Album Nerds Hall of Fame? 781 00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:49,640 All right. 782 00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:51,480 Well, what was your favorite Yacht Rock album? 783 00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:54,720 Have you read Rolling Stone's top 500 albums? 784 00:42:54,720 --> 00:42:55,720 What's your favorite? 785 00:42:55,720 --> 00:42:56,720 What else are you listening to? 786 00:42:56,720 --> 00:42:57,720 Let us know. 787 00:42:57,720 --> 00:43:01,320 Join fellow Album Nerds on Discord at albumnerds.com slash Discord. 788 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:04,440 You can email us at podcast at albumnerds.com. 789 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:08,000 You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Album Nerds. 790 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:11,560 Also please subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast app. 791 00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:16,560 If you want to support the show, you can do so via PayPal at albumnerds.com slash support. 792 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:19,160 Thank you as always for listening to the Album Nerds podcast. 793 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:25,040 We'll catch you next week for our 200th episode with three of the greatest albums of all time. 794 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:26,040 Whoa. 795 00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:27,040 All time. 796 00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:28,040 Catch everybody next week. 797 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:29,040 Yep. 798 00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:30,040 Shuck the corn. 799 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:31,040 Shuck the corn. 800 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:32,040 Shuck the corn. 801 00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:33,040 Let me shuck you. 802 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:34,040 Let me shuck you. 803 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:35,560 I've been hating my family for years. 804 00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:41,360 Every time we have corn on the cob over the summer, I'm going to shuck the corn. 805 00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:42,360 Shuck the corn. 806 00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:43,360 Okay. 807 00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:44,360 Go shuck yourself. 808 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:45,360 Wow. 809 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:46,360 Aw shucks. 810 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:47,360 Shuck a corn. 811 00:43:47,360 --> 00:44:04,960 Shuck a corn.