RIP: Jim Steinman

[garrow]

So now that this song is on my mind

From longtime Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk, featuring Joe Walsh.

 

[Huggy]

Call me a philistine, I don't care, but these two belong on any yacht rock playlist I am compiling:

 

[cyclingwriter2]

Thunder Island is a great song
Two nominations
Tired of Toeing the Line
Born to be Alive

I don't think there was any cocaine left in Branson after that show.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Back to Steinman, this was the quintessential Steinman song, especially at the end with Rick Derringer, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and Rory Dodd (the falsetto guy on Total Eclipse) all going over the top but it's great stuff

 

[cyclingwriter2]

OK...

Yacht rock qualifiers
- almost always a man sings
- distinct 70s flavor
- guitar, drums mother forker
- has to have enough of an edge that people playing it want people to think they are rockin
- a lot of these songs are very, very good in the correct setting

SJ.com Yacht Rock

This a great list and will add one more qualifier:
— the music is made for someone in their late 20s and older. There is no teen rebellion, angst, anti-authority to it. The songs are about lost love, pressures of adulthood, escaping stress, etc.

 

[cyclingwriter2]

Hidden in this mishmash is someone who would become one of the defining stars of the 80s and 90s. Looking good as well.

Ok, I've watched it several times now. Who is in there? Is it one of the background dancers?

 

[Slacker]

I mentioned somewhere that the mix in the 80s top 40 was crazy.
You might have Pet Shop Boys and Suzanne Vega in at the same time.

Three "downer" songs that are absolute gems from the '80s era* ...




* Released in early 1990, but yeah it's an '80s tune, right?

 

[Tighthead]

Ok, I've watched it several times now. Who is in there? Is it one of the background dancers?

Blonde is Madonna.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Three "downer" songs that are absolute gems from the '80s era* ...

"Got a great idea for a top 5 song."
"Something about love in the summertime?"
"No."
"A '60s cover?"
"No."
"Some other sort of feel-good topic?"
"It's about a child being horribly abused."

 

[Scout]

Jesus, he says "tired towin the line" 87 times in that song.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Also, that Concrete Blonde album is forking great. Such a unique sound.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Call me a philistine, I don't care, but these two belong on any yacht rock playlist I am compiling:

Big Chuck Mangione fan here ... not sure they're yacht rock. One critic somewhere labeled Mangione's music "intentionally lightweight." Sounds about right ... it's not minimalist, it's not easy listening and there's much more to it than his nastiest critics might realize.

All you have to know that he came up with countless hours of material for the film "Children of Sanchez." From there, it was winnowed down to about an hour ... and similar to Earth, Wind & Fire's "That's The Way of the World," the album and music ended up being better and lasting while the corresponding films were quickly forgotten.