Yacht Wars: The Harbor vs. SXM Yacht Rock

When fans of “Yacht Rock” aren’t killing time by deciding what songs qualify and don’t, there’s always a secondary question to ponder. What would you call it if not “Yacht Rock”? While the term’s creators have a relatively narrow definition, listeners and radio often use the term to define any soft pop from the mid-‘70s-through-early ‘80s. I sometimes hear that music referred to as “AM Gold,” after the compilation albums, but that’s not quite accurate for songs that were being heard on FM through headphones by 1981. Or Steely Dan’s “FM.”

On his new syndicated format, “The Harbor,” station owner/GM/programmer Steve Clendenin is positioning his mix as “Yacht Rock and Smooth Classics.” The good-sounding new format is being made available to stations as either a 24/7 format or for weekend/specialty programming.  

The Harbor differs from other Yacht Rock channels in two significant ways. There’s more of a ‘70s pop component, including some early ‘70s “lost hits.” The imaging is also more straightforward/atmospheric without the irony of SiriusXM’s Yacht Rock Radio or other outlets. “A sunset state of mind all day long,” promises one sweeper. “Smooth Classics. Warm Vibes. Zero Turbulence” says another. Clendenin can be reached here.

Over the years, I’ve sometimes tried to recreate the “Punch Wars” that used to play out between two stations in a radio person’s car by showing two stations back-to-back. I’ve been wanting to put SiriusXM’s original Yacht Rock Radio up against WTWV (The Wave) Norfolk, Va., since their recent conversion, but even though WTWV’s breaks are short, there still would have been rounds that SXM would have won by being against a stopset.

The Harbor’s feed, however, is currently commercial free. That’s why I’ve put two 45-minute segments of the stations from 7 a.m., March 12 against each other, so that you can make the call. Even the biggest hits of the Yacht Rock canon—“Lowdown,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Peg”—are often songs that haven’t tested for Classic Hits in some time (and aren’t usually tested anymore). So I’m leaving it to the reader to decide what a “win” looks like: the song that best defines the genre? The one you just like better? You make the call. 

As we head into Country Radio Seminar week, it also seemed like a good time to monitor SiriusXM Yacht Country. The early ‘80s time of Yacht Rock’s dominance at Top 40 was also the time of Country crossover’s greatest dominance—at least until recently. It was also the “Urban Cowboy” moment when Country and AC melded together sonically. 

The Yacht Rock years were also the years that I discovered Country radio as a teenager, something then little heard of outside “lifegroup” markets. I’ve heard Yacht Country going from Glen Campbell’s “Sunflower” to Earl Thomas Conley’s “Chance of Loving You” to Dolly Parton’s “Two Doors Down.” I don’t know if those songs qualify sonically, but they’re in my personal sweet spot and I’m happy to have a Classic Country station focusing on those years.

Yacht Country also plays a few ‘70s soft pop titles that were either played on some of the format’s more crossover-minded stations like WHN New York or eventually became part of the format library retroactively—e.g., England Dan & John Ford Coley qualifying when Dan Seals became a Country star. 

Here’s SiriusXM Yacht Country, monitored on March 12. I listened at 4 p.m., but the channel is a non-time-sensitive playlist:

• Juice Newton, “Queen of Hearts”
• Ozark Mountain Daredevils, “Jackie Blue”
• Oak Ridge Boys, “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight”
• Jerry Jeff Walker, “Sangria Wine”—a great call; even a pop hit in some Texas markets at the time; wouldn’t be a bad choice for Yacht Rock stations either
• Atlanta Rhythm Section, “So In To You”
• Merle Haggard, “That’s The Way Love Goes”
• Eagles, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”
• Crystal Gayle, “Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For”
• Dobie Gray, “Drift Away”
• Ronnie Milsap, “Where Do the Nights Go”
• Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler”
• Orleans, “Dance With Me”