It’s ten days and counting until we christen the pina colada-drenched schooner that will be the Yacht Rock for Puget Sound tribute night at Neumo’s on July 26th! In honor of the event, we offer a pleasant spritzer for the uninitiated, counting down the very best of the Yacht Rock canon. I’m sure we’ll forget as many classic bands and songs as we include, so please add your two cents!
Part I: Bread
There may be no softer rocking band than Bread.
Formed in LA in 1968 by David Gates and Jimmy Griffin, Bread released five albums between 1969 and 1973. Their combination of gentle acoustic guitars, mellow lead vocals, falsetto harmonies, moist strings, moustaches, and creepy come-on lyrics make Bread the golden ascot by which all soft rock should be calibrated.
Did you know?
- David Gates, the main songwriter from Bread, wrote the song "Saturday's Child," which was issued by the Monkees on their first album.
- Telly Savalas took his cover of Breads "If" to the top of the UK charts.
Softest masterpiece
It might be easier to find their hardest masterpiece, but “Baby I'm a Want You” might just be their softest of the soft.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Bread/dp/B00005JGA4
It’s a less sex-driven rewrite of “Make It With You,” almost like the second try, an hour later at the yacht club party. While “Make It With You” sounds like a come-on taking place in a well-appointed bathroom after an intentionally-accidental spill of the Chablis on a blouse, “Baby I’m a Want You” has more of an arm-around-you-on-the-dock, stroking your feathered hair, vibe. “I’m sorry it’s not working out with Ted, but baby, I’m a want ya…”
Bread's ship ran aground when…
David Gates and Jimmy Griffin each wrote and sang about half of the songs for the band, yet only Gates' songs were picked as singles – which made Gates much more wealthy than Griffin, and presented Gates as the leader, much to the chagrin of Griffin, who felt that they were co-leaders and wanted a little single time himself. The tensions eventually tore them apart.
Private Beach Picnic Playlist (the five essential Bread tunes):
- Make it With You
- Baby I'm a-want you
- Everything I Own
- If
- Diary
{Stay tuned for more great moments in Yacht Rock…. and save the date for July 26th, when you can see Dudley Manlove Quartet, the Dusty 45s, the Leisure Suits (members of Central Services and Math & Physics Club), Tim Seely, and many more rock out (in a soft Yacht Rock way) at Neumos.}