My quiet passion: Yacht Rock
Christopher Cross shows how it is done.
Please hear me out on this, but Yacht Rock gets a bum rap.
Seriously, there is a lot of amazing music in this synthetic genre. You might think it is just Parrot heads and stoned Boomer vibes, but the truth is that there are just killer musicianship all over this space. Toto (Steve Lukather), Steely Dan (too fucking many great guitar players to ignore), and many others.
But one artist stands out; Christopher Cross.
Seriously, the man is a fucking monster of a player. How good? In 1971, Deep Purple was supposed to play in Texas, and the band was told to get a vaccination (I think it was the then new “Flu” shot) and Ritchie Blackmore had a bad reaction. Instead of canceling the show, there was a local hot player that was tapped.
Yes, Christopher Cross of Yacht Rock fame played, and played amazing as a stand in.
The show went on.
If you look at Christopher Cross today, he is late middle aged, looks a bit like me (older, a bit heavy, hair thinning) but back in the early 70’s he was a player in the club scene.
In 1979, he released an album, and on that album is a Yacht Rock staple, “Ride Like the Wind”. And it is a good song. But buried in it is an absolutely amazeballs guitar solo. Something that is way out of what you expect from Yacht Rock (but you should expect it).
YouTuber Rick Beato did a takedown, where he segregated the guitar track, and increased its level so you could hear it.
And, it SMOKES.
Check it out:
Isn’t that just an ass kicker?
the single reason i pay for siriusxm is for the yacht rock station!
Thank you so much! I had this album in vinyl and almost wore it out without really keying in on his excellent guitar work. The Larry Carlton solo you played brought to mind some of the riffs in Jeff Beck’s Freeway Jam on his Blow By Blow album (YMMV). Thanks again, I have never played guitar, but listening to the folks over the years that you highlighted have informed my heart and soul. Cheers!