Do the Monkees presage a Prog resurgence?

[A. Scherze]

http://www.salon.com/2016/08/31/year...-their-legacy/

"But the growing respect for the Monkees is also part of a larger trend toward ingrained musical biases falling away and fading, as newer generations take stock of what came before. Look no further than critics’ punching bags Journey and Toto becoming cool or the way the Yacht Rock phenomenon has transformed overly earnest ’70s and ’80s soft rock into a beloved cult fascination. The Monkees’ legacy is being shaped (or maybe it’s better to say continually reshaped) by fans who never thought any backlash or scorn had merit and newer loyalists who may not be aware of (or care about) the band’s baggage."

[3LockBox]

Bias: the perspective you lose when you choose to refuse another point of view.

[Mikhael]

I always thought there were some great songs in their catalogue. After all, they had some of the best songwriters of that generation working for them.

By the way, what the heck is "Yacht Rock"?!? I've never heard that term before.

[A. Scherze]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_Rock

"Yacht rock" is a pejorative name[6][7] used retrospectively to refer to the soft rock format that peaked in popularity between the years of 1975 and 1981. In part, the term relates to the stereotype of the yuppie yacht owner, enjoying smooth music while out for a sail. Additionally, since sailing was a popular leisure activity in Southern California, many "yacht rockers" made nautical references in their lyrics, videos, and album artwork, particularly the anthemic track "Sailing" by Christopher Cross. Notable artists also include Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan and Toto.[8]

Ryznar commented that the term was intended to refer to the "more elite studio artists" of the period, such as Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins.[9] David B. Lyons, who co-produced the show and played Koko Goldstein, noted that a friend of his devised the term "marina rock" in college to refer to a more "working-class" group of artists that didn't achieve the same high profile, such as Seals and Crofts, Bertie Higgins, Rupert Holmes, and Looking Glass. Marina Rock is actually a term for soft rock of the same era with a nautical subject matter. Therefore, there aren't specific Marina Rock artists as much as there are songs that fall into the category such as "Ride Captain Ride" by Blues Image, "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" by Grand Funk Railroad, "Thunder Island" by Jay Ferguson and "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills and Nash.[10] Despite the show's intentions, music journalists have begun using the term yacht rock for all of the similar-sounding music of the period, including bands such as Ambrosia, 10cc, Pablo Cruise, Firefall, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Orleans, Ace, and Player.[11] The artists retrospectively grouped under the yacht rock umbrella dominated the Grammy Awards, with Christopher Cross and Toto sweeping the major awards in 1981 and 1983 respectively.[12] However, these artists were not a hit with most rock critics at the time, who dismissed their music as being corporate rock that was overproduced, generic, and middle of the road instead of being yacht rock, instead favoring punk and new wave acts such as The Clash, Blondie, Patti Smith, and Elvis Costello.[13]

While Ryznar and the show popularized the term "yacht rock," it had existed previously. Its earliest-known appearance came in 1990 from Dave Larsen, popular music critic for the Dayton Daily News, describing an upcoming Jimmy Buffett concert in Cincinnati.

[A. Scherze]

Yacht Rock - episode 1

[A. Scherze]

Yacht Rock - Jethro Tull episode

[spacefreak]

The best Yacht Rock album ever... Hauntingly beautiful.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^
Oh, I simply adore that album! To believe it took some 20 years for this to attain the status of a "classic"... But then again it took 30 for the same thing to happen to If I Could Only Remember My Name.

[Mikhael]

"Yacht Rock"... you learn something new every day...

[3LockBox]

I'd put Gerry Rafferty in this category. Not meant as a slight but I do think his mega-hit Baker Street typifies the vibe and helped perpetuate the overuse of saxophone in pop and adult contemporary afterwards. BTW, I love Gerry Rafferty.

[arturs]

^
Oh, I simply adore that album! To believe it took some 20 years for this to attain the status of a "classic"... But then again it took 30 for the same thing to happen to If I Could Only Remember My Name.

Two great albums indeed. I have wondered why the Crosby solo debut was so hated in the past. Robert Christgau once called it something like "the worst rock album ever released by an artist of any stature". About 20 years ago a guy sitting next to me on a plane loaned it to me. I couldn't believe how good it was after hearing only horrible things about it.

I don't quite place the Monkees in the same league as the Dennis or Crosby debuts, but the singles are great. And the new Monkees album has been in my car cd changer for the entire summer and shows little chance of being removed anytime soon.

[JJ88]

I always find Christgau's reviews to be very eccentric and dogmatic.

Pacific Ocean Blue was not easy to get until 2008 when it had that 2-cd release. I think it had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it CD release before that...and that was before my time!

[arturs]

Pacific Ocean Blue was not easy to get until 2008 when it had that 2-cd release. I think it had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it CD release before that...and that was before my time!

I had certainly never heard POB before the deluxe reissue. But well worth the wait!

[Mascodagama]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_Rock

"Yacht rock" is a pejorative name[6][7] used retrospectively to refer to the soft rock format that peaked in popularity between the years of 1975 and 1981. In part, the term relates to the stereotype of the yuppie yacht owner, enjoying smooth music while out for a sail. Additionally, since sailing was a popular leisure activity in Southern California, many "yacht rockers" made nautical references in their lyrics, videos, and album artwork, particularly the anthemic track "Sailing" by Christopher Cross. Notable artists also include Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan and Toto.

Spot the odd one out in this list. What Steely Dan were actually doing as usual being entirely missed by those who don't really listen to music or pay attention to lyrics. Which was of course a feature, not a bug, in their whole subversive enterprise.

[flytomars]

I was sure Yacht music refers to the Close to the edge cruises

Spot the odd one out in this list. What Steely Dan were actually doing as usual being entirely missed by those who don't really listen to music or pay attention to lyrics. Which was of course a feature, not a bug, in their whole subversive enterprise.

If you take the perfect production at face value and listen to the lyrics without actually interpreting them, then they definitely fit the description above.
But then when you dig deeper you see the lyrics are exactly against that yuppy yacht culture.

[A. Scherze]

Yacht Rock - Steely Dan vs The Eagles

[A. Scherze]

https://www.youtube.com/user/yachtrockmusic

https://www.youtube.com/user/yachtrockmusic

[A. Scherze]

Yacht Rock Revue

The Yacht Rock Revue™ is the Greatest Show on Surf and the finest tribute to ‘70s light rock to ever perform anywhere. Ever. Their spot-on renditions of Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, and the rest of the Time-Life Infomercial Catalog have enthralled fans across the United States. It goes without saying they have taken their act to the high seas, performing showcase sets on music cruises with Weezer, Kid Rock, Train, Zac Brown Band, Sister Hazel, and fitness guru Jillian Michaels.

[arturs]

^^^ watching that video made me remember how much I actually liked a lot of that music. All those warm sweet tunes emanating from moms' station wagon AM radios while all of us kids would pile in the back.