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The Next 100 Songs from 1975, aka Sanbornpalooza. #1: Black Friday (1 Viewer)

Here are the songs I considered but cut from the list by artists that appear in entries 79 to 70. In spoiler text for those who don't want to know what's not on the list. 

The Blackbyrds:

Rock Creek Park (from City Life)

The loopy synth noises, chugging funk guitar and congas from this one have always done it for me. Apparently this has been sampled a bunch in hip-hop. 

Stephen Stills:

My Favorite Changes (from Stills)

The first five songs on this album are Grade A yacht rock, and this is the best of them. (As I Come of Age is on side 2.) The guitar interplay between Stills and Donnie Dacus stands out, Stills turns in a compelling vocal and I can never resist the "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bas" from Crosby, Nash and others.
 
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71. Walking in Rhythm -- The Blackbyrds (released as a single)

This appeared on a late 1974 album but wasn't released as a single until early '75. It's a breezy soul song with vocal arrangements I find really compelling and a flute solo! The electric piano and the vocal treatments on the "get back hooooome" part hint toward disco, but don't really cross the line. 

The Blackbyrds consisted of guys who met in a class taught by jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd at Howard University. Byrd played on some of their records; this song has a trumpet part but I don't know for sure if it's him. They had several R&B hits, but this was by far their biggest success on the pop charts, hitting #6 on the Hot 100. 
yacht soul

 
69. Fascination -- David Bowie (from Young Americans)

I'm gonna be upfront, Young Americans is not a Bowie fave of mine, and Tim took its two best tracks. I'd have much more from him if this were the early '70s or the late '70s. But the deep funk of this one is undeniable. It makes total sense that he co-wrote this with Luther Vandross. Willie Weeks and Andy Newmark keep a bumpin' groove, and the sounds coming from Carlos Alomar's guitar and Mike Garson's clavinet are otherworldly. There's even a David Sanborn sax solo because it was 1975 and that's what everyone was doing. 

 
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Love the picks so far. One qualification- I wouldn’t call “When Will I Be Loved” Yacht Rock. Too energetic, not laid back enough. 

 
Teaser: Song #58 also has a David Sanborn sax solo, and it's not an artist you'd expect Sanborn to appear with. 

 
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Love the picks so far. One qualification- I wouldn’t call “When Will I Be Loved” Yacht Rock. Too energetic, not laid back enough. 
Thanks! 

As I've said, there's no strict definition of yacht rock, and there's certainly more of a case to be made against that one than, say, Fallin' in Love. If we focus on the sonic side of things, Peter Asher's production of Ronstadt's albums is the height of slick, professional, ultra-high-quality production. Some of my musician friends with ears much more attuned than mine tell me her albums with Asher are even more polished than Steely Dan's 1975-81 albums, which I didn't think was possible. 

 
Thanks! 

As I've said, there's no strict definition of yacht rock, and there's certainly more of a case to be made against that one than, say, Fallin' in Love. If we focus on the sonic side of things, Peter Asher's production of Ronstadt's albums is the height of slick, professional, ultra-high-quality production. Some of my musician friends with ears much more attuned than mine tell me her albums with Asher are even more polished than Steely Dan's 1975-81 albums, which I didn't think was possible. 
Right, but the polished, well produced part is only one aspect of Michael McDonaldland, Totoworld, Kenny Loggin’s Place, etc. The other part is chill. 

 
70. Fascination -- David Bowie (from Young Americans)

I'm gonna be upfront, Young Americans is not a Bowie fave of mine, and Tim took its two best tracks. I'd have much more from him if this were the early '70s or the late '70s. But the deep funk of this one is undeniable. It makes total sense that he co-wrote this with Luther Vandross. Willie Weeks and Andy Newmark keep a bumpin' groove, and the sounds coming from Carlos Alomar's guitar and Mike Garson's clavinet are otherworldly. There's even a David Sanborn sax solo because it was 1975 and that's what everyone was doing. 
Right, and Somebody Up There Likes Me are two great songs off this album as well.

 
68. To the Last Whale (a. Critical Mass b. Wind on the Water) -- Crosby & Nash (from Wind on the Water)

As I mentioned in the Stephen Stills entry, 1974 was a strong year of songwriting for all of C, S, N and Y, as they were trying to one-up each other for the reunion tour and album. The latter never happened, which led to their respective 1975 efforts being full of good songs. Wind on the Water, the second duo album from Crosby & Nash, was released to enthusiastic reviews in which critics remarked that they did not expect such a good album to come from the "George and Ringo" of CSNY. Featuring crack session players such as Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Craig Doerge, Danny Kortchmar and David Lindley, much of the record is unexpectedly rocking, but arguably its finest moment is the closing suite, which pairs David Crosby's wordless canon Critical Mass with Graham Nash's sweeping ballad about saving the whales, Wind on the Water. The former is a stunning, chill-inducing piece, while the latter makes fantastic use of piano and strings to pull at the emotions. 

I have seen this performed live; Critical Mass is played over the PA system because it's probably too difficult to reproduce in person. Once I saw them use the Critical Mass recording as the intro to Nash's Cathedral from the 1977 CSN reunion album. 

 
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69. To the Last Whale (a. Critical Mass b. Wind on the Water) -- Crosby & Nash (from Wind on the Water)

As I mentioned in the Stephen Stills entry, 1974 was a strong year of songwriting for all of C, S, N and Y, as they were trying to one-up each other for the reunion tour and album. The latter  never happened, which led to their respective 1975 efforts being full of good songs. Wind on the Water, the second duo album from Crosby & Nash, was released to enthusiastic reviews which remarked that they did not expect such a good album to come from the "George and Ringo" of CSNY. Featuring crack session players such as Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Craig Doerge, Danny Kortchmar and David Lindley, much of the record is unexpectedly rocking, but arguably its finest moment is the closing suite, which pairs David Crosby's wordless canon Critical Mass with Graham Nash's sweeping ballad about saving the whales, Wind on the Water. The former is a stunning, chill-inducing piece, while the latter makes fantastic use of piano and strings to pull at the emotions. 

I have seen this performed live; Critical Mass is played over the PA system because it's probably too difficult to reproduce in person. Once I saw them use the Critical Mass recording as the intro to Nash's Cathedral from the 1977 CSN reunion album. 
Those session players you mentioned keep showing up on all the songs I love from the era. About 5 years ago I saw James Taylor and Carole King at the Hollywood Bowl- the Troubadour Reunion Tour. Their band consisted of Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Danny Kortchmar.  

 
69. To the Last Whale (a. Critical Mass b. Wind on the Water) -- Crosby & Nash (from Wind on the Water)

As I mentioned in the Stephen Stills entry, 1974 was a strong year of songwriting for all of C, S, N and Y, as they were trying to one-up each other for the reunion tour and album. The latter  never happened, which led to their respective 1975 efforts being full of good songs. Wind on the Water, the second duo album from Crosby & Nash, was released to enthusiastic reviews which remarked that they did not expect such a good album to come from the "George and Ringo" of CSNY. Featuring crack session players such as Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Craig Doerge, Danny Kortchmar and David Lindley, much of the record is unexpectedly rocking, but arguably its finest moment is the closing suite, which pairs David Crosby's wordless canon Critical Mass with Graham Nash's sweeping ballad about saving the whales, Wind on the Water. The former is a stunning, chill-inducing piece, while the latter makes fantastic use of piano and strings to pull at the emotions. 

I have seen this performed live; Critical Mass is played over the PA system because it's probably too difficult to reproduce in person. Once I saw them use the Critical Mass recording as the intro to Nash's Cathedral from the 1977 CSN reunion album. 
great pick - I love this one, wasn't expecting it

still a couple great AOR albums that have remained untouched by either list but I have a feeling we'll be seeing them in your top 50

 
great pick - I love this one, wasn't expecting it

still a couple great AOR albums that have remained untouched by either list but I have a feeling we'll be seeing them in your top 50
Thanks.

The album that struck me by its absence on Tim's list was Katy Lied, and I have already posted something from that. I do have a few songs to come that might fit your description.
 
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Thanks.

The album that struck me by its absence on Tim's list was Katy Lied, and I have already posted something from that. I do have a few songs to come that might fight your description. 
yeah I figured SD was going to be on your list (and we're a year away from seeing anything from APP)

tbh I'm not a huge fan of your list or timschochet's bc I find both to be too compromising - but that's on me, I'm not a fan of mindless pop, disco, yacht rock or most big brass *(though I love all other forms of jazz)

but stepping back to view the big picture of music in 1975 it's no doubt correct to make eclectic lists which includes what I think of as dreck; there's no accounting for taste, and the world would be awfully boring if we all thought alike

there were a ton of great albums in 1975 and it's difficult to do it justice no matter what the criteria - really appreciate the thoughtful effort by you and timmay, it's super fun to reminisce 

 
67. Ophelia -- The Band (from Northern Lights-Southern Cross)

This song was a throwback not just to The Band's late '60s/early '70s sound, but also to styles in vogue much earlier. "The chord progression on ‘Ophelia' was something that could have come out of the 1930s," guitarist Robbie Robertson, who wrote the song, said. "The storytelling was ancient and modern in the same breath." The story is about a man trying to find a woman named Ophelia; some have interpreted Ophelia as a Black woman who has left a Southern town to escape prejudice (or maybe retribution for an interracial relationship), but that's not made explicit. 

It's notable for a gruff, exuberant lead vocal by Levon Helm and a powerhouse performance by Garth Hudson on synthesizer and various brass instruments. 

A faster, bigger-sounding version appeared in the Last Waltz film and on its soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRap5ta6k9k

 
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68. Ophelia -- The Band (from Northern Lights-Southern Cross)

This song was a throwback not just to The Band's late '60s/early '70s sound, but also to styles in vogue much earlier. "The chord progression on ‘Ophelia' was something that could have come out of the 1930s," guitarist Robbie Robertson, who wrote the song, said. "The storytelling was ancient and modern in the same breath." The story is about a man trying to find a woman named Ophelia; some have interpreted Ophelia as a Black woman who has left a Southern town to escape prejudice (or maybe retribution for an interracial relationship), but that's not made explicit. 

It's notable for a gruff, exuberant lead vocal by Levon Helm and a powerhouse performance by Garth Hudson on synthesizer and various brass instruments. 

A faster, bigger-sounding version appeared in the Last Waltz film and on its soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRap5ta6k9k
Great pick - love it.

 
65. Boogie Shoes -- KC and the Sunshine Band (from KC and the Sunshine Band

The first KC and the Sunshine band album spawned three massive singles, which IMO remain their three best songs. They are among the best rhythmic pop of their era. This one is the leanest of the three, packing in a punchy bass line, chunky guitar and perfectly timed horn blasts in just over 2 minutes. When I was a kid I thought they were singing "I want to put on my mama's mama's boogie shoes." 😂

 
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66. Boogie Shoes -- KC and the Sunshine Band (from KC and the Sunshine Band

The first KC and the Sunshine band album spawned three massive singles, which IMO remain their three best songs. They are among the best rhythmic pop of their era. This one is the leanest of the three, packing in a punchy bass line, chunky guitar and perfectly timed horn blasts in just over 2 minutes. When I was a kid I thought they were singing "I want to put on my mama's mama's boogie shoes." 😂
:excited:   Where is @simey?!

 
🤣

66. Boogie Shoes -- KC and the Sunshine Band (from KC and the Sunshine Band

The first KC and the Sunshine band album spawned three massive singles, which IMO remain their three best songs. They are among the best rhythmic pop of their era. This one is the leanest of the three, packing in a punchy bass line, chunky guitar and perfectly timed horn blasts in just over 2 minutes. When I was a kid I thought they were singing "I want to put on my mama's mama's boogie shoes." 😂
Not a fan 

;)

 
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66. Boogie Shoes -- KC and the Sunshine Band (from KC and the Sunshine Band

The first KC and the Sunshine band album spawned three massive singles, which IMO remain their three best songs. They are among the best rhythmic pop of their era. This one is the leanest of the three, packing in a punchy bass line, chunky guitar and perfectly timed horn blasts in just over 2 minutes. When I was a kid I thought they were singing "I want to put on my mama's mama's boogie shoes." 😂
Love this song and it was originally on my list, but then I learned that it didn’t become well known until the SNF soundtrack a couple years later, so I hesitated. Glad you picked it. 

 
67. Once Bitten, Twice Shy -- Ian Hunter (from Ian Hunter)

The first song on (and first single from) Hunter's first solo album after he left Mott the Hoople, this is a prime mid-70s chugger that gets better as it goes along. It became a hit again when Great White covered it at the height of the hair metal era. 
Hunter continues to perform good music. I highly recommend “Man Overboard” from about 10 years ago. Great song. 

 
64. Drink of Water -- Ambrosia (from Ambrosia)

More yacht rock? Not really. Ambrosia didn't jump on the yacht rock train until their third album, 1978's Life Beyond LA. Before that, they were tough to categorize, but best fit under the prog umbrella. The four original members were immensely talented -- they played 52 instruments between them, and they met at the UCLA School of Music in the late '60s/early '70s. Drummer Burleigh Drummond was a protege of Ruth Underwood, Frank Zappa's percussionist. They began in 1970-71 as an eclectic group strongly influenced by CSNY, but by the time of their debut album in '75, they had shifted their main focus to prog, inspired by seeing King Crimson in concert.

The debut is their most consistent album and arguably their best. It ends with this song, which when I first heard it I described as "Madman Across the Water on crack." Gospel-influenced chrous vocals mix with Rick Wakeman-like organ and synthesizer flourishes and a spacey Floydian middle section. It's a grand conclusion to a very strong album. 

Also differentiating this song from their big hits is that it was sung by bassist Joe Puerta; guitarist David Pack sang their best-known yacht rockers. Puerta spent most of the '80s in Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Hornsby was in Ambrosia's 1982 touring band (and appears in the music video for their final single), and after Ambrosia broke up, Hornsby and Puerta joined Sheena Easton's backing band. After a few years doing that, they left her to form the Range. 

 
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63. The Wanton Song -- Led Zeppelin (from Physical Graffiti)

Zep's double album opus was heavily represented on Tim's list, but it has so much good stuff that there was plenty left over for me. John Bonham delivers a towering performance on this one. The riffage from Jimmy Page is huge and the instrumental sequence that first appears between 1:00 and 1:23 is incredibly cool and memorable. This would be a career-making song for most hard-rock bands, but for Zep it was just a mid-level track on a double LP. 

 
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64. The Wanton Song -- Led Zeppelin (from Physical Graffiti)

Zep's double album opus was heavily represented on Tim's list, but it has so much good stuff that there was plenty left over for me. John Bonham delivers a towering performance on this one. The riffage from Jimmy Page is huge and the instrumental sequence that first appears between 1:00 and 1:23 is incredibly cool and memorable. This would be a career-making song for most hard-rock bands, but for Zep it was just a mid-level track on a double LP. 
 Between the 2 lists almost every song off PG could be included somewhere. Unlike many double albums it wasn't just a single stretched out with filler.  LZ used material from a period of years to complete it. 

 
62. P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) -- Parliament (from Mothership Connection)

The opener of Parliament's masterpiece Mothership Connection may be the first example of a trope that became common on funk and hip-hop albums: spoken intros/interludes from someone pretending to be a radio DJ. But the real reasons it's here are the bass bombs from Bootsy Collins, the chorus vocals and the indelible lyrical contributions "I want the bomb" and "doing it to your earhole." This is another example of a first single from an album that had a much bigger second one (Give up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker), included on Tim's list). 

Note the syntax of P. Funk despite the much more common use of "P-Funk". 

 
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61. Bob Seger -- Travelin' Man (from Beautiful Loser)

As with the Frampton entry, the definitive rendition of this song is a live version released later (in this case, as part of a medley with the title track of Beautiful Loser), but the studio version is excellent in its own right. In just 2:40, it builds from a sensitive musing to a kickass rocker, and when the drums and guitars kick up around 1:50, you just wanna pump your fist in the air. It also offers a glimpse of Seger's entire vocal range and his abilities as a lyric writer. 

 
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60. Keith Don't Go (Ode to the Glimmer Twin) -- Nils Lofgren (from Nils Lofgren

Lofgren's first solo album, coming a year after he disbanded Grin, was full of catchy hard rock, and its standout track was a plea to Keith Richards to stay alive.

We miss our father Jimi
It's hard to breathe with that loss
But I still got you brother
Don't nail yourself to a cross
I watch you lead the pack
You put the drive into my soul
You bring a message to millions
Says Keith don't go


&

As you might expect, there is tough riffage and even a tease of Satisfaction, but Lofgren also shows off some nimble lead guitar work closer to what we might hear from Richards' then-bandmate Mick Taylor. Lofgren's voice is just the right blend of sensitive concern and rock and roll bluster. 

 
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59. Fire on High -- Electric Light Orchestra (from Face the Music)

This mostly instrumental track was ubiquitous in the '70s, not necessarily because of radio play, but because the passage with the main riff (featuring a rapidly played acoustic guitar) was the theme for the CBS weekend show Sports Spectacular, and has appeared as background music in many sports and other contexts. It's a dynamic mix of rock and classical flourishes and is notable for including backwards vocals at the beginning, which Jeff Lynne threw in there to tweak the Fundamentalists who claimed their previous album, Eldorado, contained hidden Satanic messages. When played forward, the vocals say "The music is reversible but time is not. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back." 

This is the rare prog song that has a good beat and you can dance to it. 

 
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Here are the songs I considered for but cut from the list by artists who appear in entries 69 to 60. In spoiler text for people who don't want to know what's not on the list.

The Band:

Rags and Bones (from Northern Lights-Southern Cross)

This one has always fascinated me because it's so modern-sounding compared to most of their stuff, even though the lyrics are about old-time music. The electric piano at the forefront, the jazzy guitar licks from Robbie Robertson and the inflections in Richard Manuel's voice almost make this pass for a Steely Dan song. 

David Bowie:

Somebody Up There Likes Me (from Young Americans)
This is one of the most Sanborn tracks that have ever Sanborned. His sax is all over this soul ballad. As for Bowie's vocal, it's like he took the anguished parts of the title track and made a whole song out of them. 

Crosby and Nash:

Low Down Payment (from Wind on the Water)
This is a fun rocker from Crosby. The final verse is about a car that turned out to be a lemon. Could be a subtle parody of Neil Young's obsession with cars, who knows. The other two verses appear to be about other things entirely; the first verse may refer to the fallout from the 1974 CSNY tour; Nash's Take the Money and Run, also from this album, is entirely about that. The star session players I mentioned in the To the Last Whale entry bring their A game on this one.

Mama Lion (from Wind on the Water
An uncharacteristic hard rocker from Graham Nash, this makes great use of David Lindley's slide guitar. 

Bob Seger:

Katmandu (from Beautiful Loser)
This fierce rocker became an FM radio favorite. The lyrics are downright silly but Seger sings them as if his life depends on it.
 
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60. Fire on High -- Electric Light Orchestra (from Face the Music)

This mostly instrumental track was ubiquitous in the '70s, not necessarily because of radio play, but because the passage with the main riff (featuring a rapidly played acoustic guitar) was the theme for the CBS weekend show Sports Spectacular, and has appeared as background music in many sports and other contexts. It's a dynamic mix of rock and classical flourishes and is notable for including backwards vocals at the beginning, which Jeff Lynne threw in there to tweak the Fundamentalists who claimed their previous album, Eldorado, contained hidden Satanic messages. When played forward, the vocals say "The music is reversible but time is not. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back." 

This is the rare prog song that has a good beat and you can dance to 
 Great song that as you said provided the backdrop for many sports moments. Jeff Lynne really is a talented guy that other musicians seen to like more than most rock critics.

 
63. P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) -- Parliament (from Mothership Connection)

The opener of Parliament's masterpiece Mothership Connection may be the first example of a trope that became common on funk and hip-hop albums: spoken intros/interludes from someone pretending to be a radio DJ. But the real reasons it's here are the bass bombs from Bootsy Collins, the chorus vocals and the indelible lyrical contributions "I want the bomb" and "doing it to your earhole." This is another example of a first single from an album that had a much bigger second one (Give up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker), included on Tim's list). 

Note the syntax of P. Funk despite the much more common use of "P-Funk". 
My favorite cut off an awesome album. This LP is probably the best angle of entry into the P Funk universe for the uninitiated. It hit like a nuclear bomb and George Clinton said "all right, the gloves are coming off now". The next two Parliament studio LPs REALLY get into his vision and can be off-putting for novices, though they are my favorites.

Also, after this, the spread between Parliament's sound and Funkadelic's began to narrow aside from the odd 132 minute guitar solo. Bootsy's solo LPs of the time were.......something entirely different.

 
My favorite cut off an awesome album. This LP is probably the best angle of entry into the P Funk universe for the uninitiated. It hit like a nuclear bomb and George Clinton said "all right, the gloves are coming off now". The next two Parliament studio LPs REALLY get into his vision and can be off-putting for novices, though they are my favorites.

Also, after this, the spread between Parliament's sound and Funkadelic's began to narrow aside from the odd 132 minute guitar solo. Bootsy's solo LPs of the time were.......something entirely different.
One other thing George was doing that almost no other band at the time (or before & after, for that matter) did - they sang their choruses in unison instead of in harmony. 

 
58. Initiation -- Todd Rundgren (from Initiation)

Power changes hands in the unseen worlds
'Cause in '75 something comes alive


&

Here we go, @Binky The Doormat. Todd was fully on the prog train by 1975, having released the super-spacey first Utopia album shortly before the close of 1974. He carried some of those ideas over to his next album, which he released under his own name. The title track distills ideas from the likes of Yes and Mahavishnu Orchestra but sets them to a hard-driving rhythm, paced by drum tracks from Bernard Purdie and Rick Marotta. It includes spectacular solos from Todd on guitar, Utopia's Roger Powell on synthesizer and, you guessed it, David Sanborn on saxophone, and became a concert favorite for many years. Certain of its elements were first developed in Hall and Oates' Can't Stop the Music, from their 1974 album War Babies, which Todd produced. 

Tomorrow's four posts are all mellow, but I don't think any of them qualify as yacht rock unless

you consider Quiet Storm to be a form of yacht rock.
 
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59. Initiation -- Todd Rundgren (from Initiation)

Power changes hands in the unseen worlds
'Cause in '75 something comes alive


&

Here we go, @Binky The Doormat. Todd was fully on the prog train by 1975, having released the super-spacey first Utopia album shortly before the close of 1974. He carried some of those ideas over to his next album, which he released under his own name. The title track distills ideas from the likes of Yes and Mahavishnu Orchestra but sets them to a hard-driving rhythm, paced by drum tracks from Bernard Purdie and Rick Marotta. It includes spectacular solos from Todd on guitar, Utopia's Roger Powell on synthesizer and, you guessed it, David Sanborn on saxophone, and became a concert favorite for many years. Certain of its elements were first developed in Hall and Oates' Can't Stop the Music, from their 1974 album War Babies, which Todd produced. 

Tomorrow's four posts are all mellow, but I don't think any of them qualify as yacht rock unless

you consider Quiet Storm to be a form of yacht rock.
Binky helped me out in the Desert Island Jukebox year-draft-thingie by giving me some Todd songs from 1974 and 1975 so I could fill in a hole there.  I don't remember if this is the one I ultimately chose, but I remember loving it.

 

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