Black Cat Bone

I see the Doobies as the Northern California compatriot to Little Feat's Southern California 2nd 70s' wave west coast rock.

The Doobie Brothers Behind The Music

I'm not ready to commit myself as a Doobies Fan. BUT

nathan wrote:You are totally right that they sound great in a car.

They can and they do. This is what the offensive American 70s Rock is all about, and a good chunk of the reason maybe it doesn't translate. It's all about being in the car with the stereo on LOUD, hauling ass indefinitely without really worrying about much. That's a feeling to experience, and it's the basis for my love of a lot of stuff that would rightly come in for critical stick.

Flower wrote:I had left my husband and was driving from New Orleans to California. I stopped at a motel in Seguin, Texas as China Grove was playing on the radio .. it struck me that I was in China Grove (sort of) and it really freaked me out at the time.

My hometown!
(about 30 miles northeast of China Grove, as it happens)

Great story!

double post

Phenomenal Cat wrote:

Matt Wilson wrote:An excellent album as well. Aside from "Listen to the Music," Rockin' Down the Highway," and "Jesus is Just Alright" (better than the Byrds), there's "Mamaloi," the title track and the cool cover of "Don't Start Me to Talkin."

But...

The Captain and Me has not only "China Grove" and "Long Train Runnin," but also "Natural Thing," "Dark Eyed Cajun Woman," "Without You" "South City Midnight Lady" and "Ukiah!"

My wife and I have spent Sunday afternoons cleaning the house and running through Deja Vu, Songs for Beginners, Toulouse Street, The Captain & Me, Notorious Byrd Brothers and Tea for the Tillerman. This is our music.

Great list, but what it's missing is a little Young or Dylan...

They got better when Michael MacDonald joined. This is as good as anything by Steely Dan

Just like fange, I adore Michael Mac but the music/arrangement/choice of instruments on that ^^ wouldn't survive a Becker/Fagen first cut - terrifically fruity!

The Modernist wrote:They got better when Michael MacDonald joined.

The got different. Michael MacDonald was the commodore of the yacht rock vessel they became.

sloopjohnc wrote:

The Modernist wrote:They got better when Michael MacDonald joined.

The got different. Michael MacDonald was the commodore of the yacht rock vessel they became.

Yes this is spot on.

I can imagine Hells Angels getting down to China Grove and Long Train Running. I can imagine them surrounding the Doobies and making them play those two songs all night until someone remembers they also did one called Rockin' Down The Highway.

In the same way, I can imagine bikers throwing shit at Michael McDonald.

Snarfyguy wrote:

sloopjohnc wrote:The intro to Black Water sounded as good as anything I ever listened to when it came on the radio. Perfect song when you're in the mood.

That was the only song everybody could agree was good, one time back in the day. No one disliked it.

That's my story, mos def.

Baron Bobob wrote:I'm not ready to commit myself as a Doobies Fan. BUT

nathan wrote:You are totally right that they sound great in a car.

They can and they do. This is what the offensive American 70s Rock is all about, and a good chunk of the reason maybe it doesn't translate. It's all about being in the car with the stereo on LOUD, hauling ass indefinitely...

...then turning it down at the stop lights. At least that's me.

bobzilla77 wrote:

sloopjohnc wrote:

The Modernist wrote:They got better when Michael MacDonald joined.

The got different. Michael MacDonald was the commodore of the yacht rock vessel they became.

Yes this is spot on.

I can imagine Hells Angels getting down to China Grove and Long Train Running. I can imagine them surrounding the Doobies and making them play those two songs all night until someone remembers they also did one called Rockin' Down The Highway.

In the same way, I can imagine bikers throwing shit at Michael McDonald.

Probably. But who cares what they think. They have shit taste in music.

sloopjohnc wrote:

The Modernist wrote:They got better when Michael MacDonald joined.

The got different. Michael MacDonald was the commodore of the yacht rock vessel they became.

Only after he made Dave Mason walk the plank...

If I was to compile a "Best of", it would just about be a solid EP

Matt Wilson wrote:Are we in agreement that The Captain & Me is their best?

For me, yes, but albums two to five, have all got merit.

I like them a lot.

Matt Wilson wrote:Are we in agreement that The Captain & Me is their best?

From my opinion, yes it is. Toulouse Street is very good as well and it's a close second. It's funny, I've never heard the first one either though I may have played part of a song on youtube. Stampede I heard at friend's houses back in the 70s and Listen To The Music got too much airplay and I ignored the album. I like a little of the Michael McDonald era band. I like what Jeff "Skunk" Baxter did on those albums. He expanded their sound.

Six String wrote:I like a little of the Michael McDonald era band. I like what Jeff "Skunk" Baxter did on those albums. He expanded their sound.

Yeah, ditto and me too, and probably why Modernist is picking up on the Steely Dan comparison.

sloopjohnc wrote:

Six String wrote:I like a little of the Michael McDonald era band. I like what Jeff "Skunk" Baxter did on those albums. He expanded their sound.

Yeah, ditto and me too, and probably why Modernist is picking up on the Steely Dan comparison.

When Baxter (one of THE great guitar players of all time) joined the Doobies, I thought "Why?". Years later, I ask myself "Why????!!!!".

I think I told this story on a Doobies thread a few years ago.....

Summer of '71, I was 13 and went to a week-long Safety Patrollers (crossing guards) camp. At one of the nightly dances, I was paired with a Toronto cop, and we won a spot dance. I got to go up on stage to receive a prize - a choice between an Anne Murray album, or a band I'd never heard of, the Doobie Brothers. As an avid radio listener, I was like WTF? But Anne was the furthest thing from cool, and these guys at least looked the part.

It was decades before I met someone who had even heard it. Until then I felt like I was the only one on the planet who had.

The Johnston era was more acoustic, and never more than on their first LP. I think that's what I liked most about it, other than the solidly-constructed tunes.






And this, probably the most-known from the album, which is my favourite tune of theirs~





The McDonald years were less appealing to me, but I don't dislike him as much as I used to.

slightbreeze wrote:

sloopjohnc wrote:

Six String wrote:I like a little of the Michael McDonald era band. I like what Jeff "Skunk" Baxter did on those albums. He expanded their sound.

Yeah, ditto and me too, and probably why Modernist is picking up on the Steely Dan comparison.

When Baxter (one of THE great guitar players of all time) joined the Doobies, I thought "Why?". Years later, I ask myself "Why????!!!!".

Indeed. they essentially left their old sound behind. It was a total change up for them.