My first post: how do you define Westcoast music?

[Bernard]

Okay, here we go. That's my first post here. I'm 32. I usually like my music a little bit harder. For example, I rate the band Boston as my ultimate favorite. I have a strong interest in AOR/Melodic Rock a la Survivor, Journey, Night Ranger, etc. Among the newer bands, I like Harem Scarem. I also dig some classic prog like Yes. Only recently, I discovered that some of the smoother acts I like belong to the Westcoast genre (ie. Toto, Chicago, Christopher Cross, etc.).

But what is Westcoast exactly? It does not necessarily have to come from L.A., isn't it? How could one make a distinction between smooth pop/rock and westcoast? What are the ingredients? And when did it all start?

Enlighten me, as I'm not familiar with the concept.

[André Lindberg]

Interesting topic you've started. To me, westcoast music is just a feeling. When I listen to it, I always picture myself driving near the coastline with the breeze in my hair. If I was to speculate chords and melodies it would be pointless, cause I think that there is no definition of how it really should be like.
I, on the other hand, am more for the jazzier sound. And I will always consider Gino Vannelli and Al Jarreau ect, to be my favorites. But if you say POP music, one crowd will think of The Beatles and another one will think of Britney Spears, so I think it's the same thing here.
And you're also right about the geographical speculation: It does not necessarily have to come from L.A. Even though I think L.A. is a great place for setting the mood for the songs.

I'm really into japanese "westcoast music" (here we go again), and even though it's from Japan I couldn't care less, cause it makes me want to sit in that same car. :)

[Roger Öhrström]

This is very interesting issue, as it always is speaking of tagging music. When it comes to the "westcoast" genre it all started out i L.A., therefore the name of it. As we all know it has spread all over the world and more and more people is discovering the beauty of the westcoast music. A purist (and there are some of you out there) would definetly say that only music from the L.A. area is to be called westcoast, everything else is pop or jazzy poprock, but I don't give a...
Although I don't put Boston as my all-time favourite band I do have a lot in common with you in terms of musical references, and I often listens to AOR, prog and even some metal bands from time to time. Music isn't always about tagging, I say it's about melody and feeling. But closest to my heart is the westcoast music and I always keep coming back to this wonderful music.

[Bernard]

Yeah, tagging music is not the best part. The listening experience is.

I've listened to some great tunes on this site, and I've found them all classy and melodic. My new interest in this genre (that I've yet to fully discover) mainly comes from that classiness and the efficient melodies. Also, I notice that Westcoast always has smooth lead vocals, something I tend to look for when I listen to "harder" AOR/melodic rock. I also notice that every note is in the right place, nothing shocking music-wise as well as in the lyrics department. That's what I appreciate from the get go. You get the feeling that every song is familiar. There also seems to be some kind of purity in the arrangements. The production appears to be very important in Westcoast music. Everything is crystal clear. The electric guitar is there most of the time, but rarely on the front line. Every instrument stands out. There's also this jazzy feeling. Very classy genre indeed. I must say that discovering Westcoast music is very refreshing to me and I can't wait to continue to journey.

[rudy bosmans]

westcoast and aor music is the music who was play on the a.c. and fm-rock and top 40 stations from 1976 to 1985 in the usa.
But the soft westcoast going away in the 80's and the aor going harder and harder and on the end of the 80's .
In the beginning from the 90's take grunge and post punk the album charts over and aor was away and it never came back on the album charts.
As you see that the new journey was only played on the a.c. stations then you must know that there is much changed.
A year ago was there the new eagles album who had succes on the country and the a.c. charts but not on the album and top 40 stations.
Westcoast and aor can be country (ronnie milsap, eddie rabbitt, juice newton, ) can be fusion (lee ritenour,
david sanborn, al jareau, george benson) can be soul disco (ray parker & raydio, pointer sisters dionne warwick,) can be singers from yesterday (paul anka, frankie valli, neil sedaka) can be arena rock (journey , boston, foreigner) can symphonic rock (styx , kansas, alan parson project)
Almost from every style BUT not every song of album from these artist are westcoast or aor that's the reason that it is so difficult to explain , what is westcoast or aor and what is not.
It's really a feeling ( a good feeling) when you hear these songs, a couple of these artist are dying the last years. john o'banion, greg guidry, dan fogelberg, roby duke, nicolette larson ) but there music still live with the westcoast and aor fans.

[Bernard]

Thank you for shedding some light on the concept. Anyway, if I talk about a particular song on this Web site, and it's neither AOR nor Westcoast, don't hesitate to let me know! :-)

[Peter Olsson]

Westcoast music is for me defined as "slick".
Slick as in perfect balanced productions. Slick as in perfect fitted harmonies. Slick as in cool syncopations.
So AOR isnt the same as westcoast for me. AOR is more straightforward rock than westcoast, without the complex harmony changes and the syncopations.
But thats just my 2 cents on the subject ;)

[westcoast fan]

rudy bosmans said:

westcoast and aor music is the music who was play on the a.c. and fm-rock and top 40 stations from 1976 to 1985 in the usa.
But the soft westcoast going away in the 80's and the aor going harder and harder and on the end of the 80's .
In the beginning from the 90's take grunge and post punk the album charts over and aor was away and it never came back on the album charts.
As you see that the new journey was only played on the a.c. stations then you must know that there is much changed.
A year ago was there the new eagles album who had succes on the country and the a.c. charts but not on the album and top 40 stations.
Westcoast and aor can be country (ronnie milsap, eddie rabbitt, juice newton, ) can be fusion (lee ritenour,
david sanborn, al jareau, george benson) can be soul disco (ray parker & raydio, pointer sisters dionne warwick,) can be singers from yesterday (paul anka, frankie valli, neil sedaka) can be arena rock (journey , boston, foreigner) can symphonic rock (styx , kansas, alan parson project)
Almost from every style BUT not every song of album from these artist are westcoast or aor that's the reason that it is so difficult to explain , what is westcoast or aor and what is not.
It's really a feeling ( a good feeling) when you hear these songs, a couple of these artist are dying the last years. john o'banion, greg guidry, dan fogelberg, roby duke, nicolette larson ) but there music still live with the westcoast and aor fans.

But is Michael Jackson considered westcoast? Or Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, etc.

[westcoast fan]

Also there is nothing on Wiki for westcoast music (just the rap kind probably)

[rudy bosmans]

Lionel Richie have many songs who you can say they have a westcoast or aor feeling.

westcoast fan said:

rudy bosmans said:

westcoast and aor music is the music who was play on the a.c. and fm-rock and top 40 stations from 1976 to 1985 in the usa.
But the soft westcoast going away in the 80's and the aor going harder and harder and on the end of the 80's .
In the beginning from the 90's take grunge and post punk the album charts over and aor was away and it never came back on the album charts.
As you see that the new journey was only played on the a.c. stations then you must know that there is much changed.
A year ago was there the new eagles album who had succes on the country and the a.c. charts but not on the album and top 40 stations.
Westcoast and aor can be country (ronnie milsap, eddie rabbitt, juice newton, ) can be fusion (lee ritenour,
david sanborn, al jareau, george benson) can be soul disco (ray parker & raydio, pointer sisters dionne warwick,) can be singers from yesterday (paul anka, frankie valli, neil sedaka) can be arena rock (journey , boston, foreigner) can symphonic rock (styx , kansas, alan parson project)
Almost from every style BUT not every song of album from these artist are westcoast or aor that's the reason that it is so difficult to explain , what is westcoast or aor and what is not.
It's really a feeling ( a good feeling) when you hear these songs, a couple of these artist are dying the last years. john o'banion, greg guidry, dan fogelberg, roby duke, nicolette larson ) but there music still live with the westcoast and aor fans.

But is Michael Jackson considered westcoast? Or Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, etc.

[Grace]

MY 2 CENTS.....another important thing to consider is : what most of this records have in common? the answer is the musician...the A-class musicians! when i was 14 years old and I was crazy with Steely Dan, Stephan Bishop, James Taylor, Airplay,Pages,TOTO,George Benson...and many many others, I discover the same 'feeling' or 'sound' that's were made from the musicians coming from the L.A. scene : Jeff Porcaro and his brothers, Steve Lukather, Nathan East, Leland Sklar, Antony Jackson or Abe Laboriel...the horns section from Chicago...or Tower of Power, Greg Phillinganes, David Foster....Graydon, Landau.....and many others. West-Coast is for me a typical sound, with a lot of contaminations from Jazz and a special harmony or melodies...someone call it also easy -listening...but i want to say...easy to hear but not easy to play!
a lot of good records are coming also from Europe (Peter Friestedt at first) and if you notice who's playng....you find....Joseph Williams....Abe Laboriel sr. Bill Champlin.....and the sound became...the perfect west-coast...
Humble opinion...

[The Exclusive Collector]

Westcoast is: a little of soul, jazz rhythm & blues, funky, rock, aor mellows, ballads, country, easy listen, christian, pop, rock, etc. The best of this kind of music, artist since 1974 to 1985 has been create the best music, the best albums it's on that epoche, great sounds!! the best, since dave grusin, funky communication committee, the limit, ambrosia, different styles join to bring Westcoast, in short, westcoast is the best music...

[Tony Onstad]

Hey,Bernard-tough question,having any kind of defined criteria for this genre,but personally,I feel Westcoast has its roots in Steely Dan(especially the album "Aja")and Boz Scaggs' "Silk Degrees".Core rhythm sections made up of the guys from Toto,with jazz guys like Victor Feldman,Tom Scott,etc.,CCM masters like Michael Omartian,blue-eyed soul monster Michael McDonald(I could bore you with a long list) started really gelling,getting hired out for thousands of sessions,gradually evolving and cultivating this new pop/jazz,easy listening thing,with shades of R&B and Pop,with an extra smooth groovicality to it.It incorporates so many influences,there's no point in citing them,it's like the chicken or the egg speculation,right?But there's no doubt that without The Beatles,Chicago,Blood Sweat & Tears,the Motown sound,Gospel and Jazz,R&B,Westcoast wouldn't exist in its present form,but that's not saying much.For me,Westcoast has always been this beautiful little secret.It's always been a real personal thing for me,only knowing a handful of people who really "got it". Sure,it's yielded many chart-toppers,and that's great,but the feeling,the spirit of invention,the sometimes schmaltzy romanticism of it,the fantastic textures created with synths,rhodes piano,moog bass,the subtle sonic incidentals that occur as a result of a marriage btwn the acoustic & electronic ,are only part of what makes it great.A lot of casual listeners might say,"Oh,that sounds like so-and-so" or "That's very pretty",but most of us know that when you're really digging it,it's like another planet.And that goes for all genres of music & art as well,with the possible exception of gangsta rap,bad country,trance & dance,most grunge,pablumy new age like Yanni(IMHO-sorry if I offend).I could go on and on(and it looks like I am!LOL).I'll end by stating what'll be obvious to most of the folk on this site,which are what are considered "definitive" Westcoast albums,the icons-"Airplay",Marc Jordan's "Blue Desert",Jay Graydon's "Airplay For The Planet",Jarreau's "Breakin' Away",Vannelli's "Brother To Brother",Pages('78 AND '81)..ok,I'm starting to nod off,so I'll end by saying,"Listen to Ole Borud's new album-if this isn't a clear case of a guy taking and revitalizing this genre,I don't know what is.Best album I've heard in a long while!!Adios,& Merry Christmas to all!!!