The Doobie Brothers

[DragonAttack]

I could not find a thread, so I'm starting this one, for the unfamiliar, and for those who heard the Michael McDonald era and never gave this band a chance afterwards.

My wife and I found an internal calm over the past month or so listening to my version of their 'best of'.  It makes for a fun ride while 'rockin' down the highway' on a sunny Sunday afternoon, as well as lounging in the living room. 

I have read many a comment on DTF regarding the sounds of MM's drums on recent releases and live shows, and those comments took me back to listening to various Genesis concerts.  It also took me back to 'The Captain and Me' (one of my 50 favorite albums) because of my remembrance of them having two drummers from the few TV appearances I saw them on.  John Hartman and Michael Hossack do not disappoint.  Check out the crazy vid for the  'Without You' live version (btw...who the hell sketches a band during a live show around the 3:20 mark?), listen to the jam afterwards, envision a tune taking hold of a crowd and using modern pyrotechnics in this day, and you have some kick axe r 'n r.

The beauty (and often the horrible beast) of older music, was the different way WE had to listen to it.  Put a vinyl on the turntable (or cassette into the deck), and one had to suffer through the non hits or crap filler. 

Or.....be exposed to various songs and styles one would not normally hear.  Thus, there are the Top 40 hits 'Long Train Runnin'', 'China Grove' (sorry that 'Midnight Cajun Woman' is not on my 'best of'), followed by 'Pure As The Driven Snow'. 

Flip the vinyl over after drifting away to the sleigh bells, and the 'Without You', perhaps their ballsiest song ever, bashes you over the head, while the following track, 'South City Midnight Lady'....is semi C&W and as lovely and dramatically opposed as the rocker before it. 

The hits and albums that followed did not reach their prior success.  Tom Johnston left due to health problems, and then McDonald replaced him on LVs.  The band lost me entirely.  Well, I have to admit, 'Minute By Minute' and 'What A Fool Believes' are as catchy and guilty pleasures as most Bee Gees' hits were later on.

I would be remiss in not mentioning: 'I Cheat The Hangman'.  If there is anything that you have ignored during this post, please go to youtube, put your headphones on, and give this a listen.  'Stoner', 'evening', AOR at its best.  I wish DT could come up with something like this.....in the same amount of the time frame. 

Tiron Porter:  as a youngster, other than Sly Stone, all the long hairs played rock 'n roll.  (geez, does Patrick Simmons fit the bill?   Standing next to Simmons, is this tall, handsome black man having a ball playing bass and doing BVs .  That was an eye opener at the time.  Things seemed so 'unified' way back when.

Hope you give some of these tracks a try, and to hear from some experts that hopefully add on to this, because I am just a very casual fan who needed to hear this timeless music at this time.

Listen To The Music
Rockin' Down the Highway
Jesus Is Just Alright
Natural Thing
Long Train Runnin'
China Grove
Clear As the Driven Snow
Without You
South City Midnight Lady
Evil Woman
Nobody (from their first LP, but received heavy airplay after 'The Captain and Me')
Black Water (just as Another One Bites The Dust for Queen, one begrudgingly includes it on a 'best of)
Eyes Of Silver
Another Park, Another Sunday
Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)
I Cheat The Hangman
Flying Cloud

bonus:  Without You (live)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7cNC002G6g

thanks for reading

[TAC]

I actually had The Best Of The Doobie's Vol 1 when I was younger. Never got any deeper than that. But I remember really liking it, though I was more of a hard rock fan.

I have no use for the Michael McDonald era.

[bl5150]

Love the Doobies - one of 2 or 3 very wimpy (relative to my normal taste) bands that I grew up with thanks to Dad and still enjoy to this day.   The diversity of their material is often underplayed too and Patrick Simmons doesn't get his due IMO.   I enjoy both eras - McDonald has one of the most distinctive voices of all time , as does Tom Johnston really.

Some of their deeper cuts don't do much for me (esp in the McDonald era) but I could put together an awesome 20-30 track "Best Of"

In amongst all the metal in my DTF Top 50 albums was The Captain and Me.

[KevShmev]

I've never really dug deep into the Doobies deeper tracks, but I love most of their well known hits. 

Long Train Runnin' is one of my favorite songs by anybody.

Other favorites include Black Water, China Grove, What a Fool Believes, I Cheat the Hangmen and Takin' It to the Streets.

Incredible harmonies and sense of melody.

[TAC]

Love the Doobies - one of 2 or 3 very wimpy (relative to my normal taste) bands that I grew up with 

Only 2 or 3?? Not according to your last podcast!

[bl5150]

Love the Doobies - one of 2 or 3 very wimpy (relative to my normal taste) bands that I grew up with 

Only 2 or 3?? Not according to your last podcast!

2 or 3 thanks to my Dad       

Thankfully Blondie wasn't one of them 

[TAC]

 

Can't even blame my father for that!

[DragonAttack]

Had to comment, and then give this a rest.  I do know there a few ol' farts, almost as old as me, here on the board.  The beauty of timeless music:  newbies and future gens can appreciate these tunes, regardless of age.  To think that the band originally had the bikers and metalheads as their big fans, but it crossed over all genres as time passed.

Oh, to be 15 to 25 years younger.  It would be fun again to light a joint and put these tunes on.  (psssst...don't tell anyone I said that)

[Kwyjibo]

Very cool band although I mostly know only the hits. Had some of their records on casette in the 80s but they are long gone and now I only own a greatest hits cd.

We played Long Train Runnin' in my cover band for a long time and it was fun to play and almost everybody knew the song, but only a handful could name the band. 

And just because they are not rocking at full shred they aren't wimpy at all 

[Architeuthis]

Just saw the Doobie Bros with Journey last summer and they were amazing! As good as any band out there in their own right. They really know how to get the funk out with their crazy rhythm and horn sections, yet really rock at the same time. Great vocals too!

[Cool Chris]

Dang, this band had some turnover.

[Stadler]

Not sure why "Black Water" is "grudgingly" put on a best of.  It's far and away my favorite Doobie song.  Not that the others are bad, but I love that song.

Oh, and I want to be known as "Skylark" from now on.   Not my screen name, but in real life.

[dtvoices94]

I'm a fan.  My two favorite albums by them are The Captain And Me followed by Livin' On The Fault Line.  Also, What A Fool Believes is one of my all time favorite songs.
The Southbound album from 2014 was a pleasant surprise a modern country take on a few Doobies Classics.

[SoundscapeMN]

anyone a fan of the Yacht Rock Parody videos?

Michael McDonald is portrayed in many of them.

Maybe my favorite: 3:03 of this one:
https://youtu.be/hnahCol3lXs?t=183

[KevShmev]

Not sure why "Black Water" is "grudgingly" put on a best of.  It's far and away my favorite Doobie song.  Not that the others are bad, but I love that song.

I remember, back in my days of listening to classic rock, that was the most played Doobies song on the radio by far, so I am guessing that many consider it an overplayed song they are tired of hearing.  For my money, even though there are probably one or two Doobies song I love more, it is still pretty damn awesome. 

[DragonAttack]

Not sure why "Black Water" is "grudgingly" put on a best of.  It's far and away my favorite Doobie song.  Not that the others are bad, but I love that song.

Oh, and I want to be known as "Skylark" from now on.   Not my screen name, but in real life.

Skylark , I would hear this on an AM station before getting on my bus, in my drafting class on a FM easy listening station, the next hour in shop class, and then on the car radio home, and then an AOR station at night......every day for about two months.  Took me until this year to finally enjoy it.

[bosk1]

Grew up just up the highway from their stomping grounds, but never was a fan.  I can't really point out any given reason.  Just didn't really care for their sound.  This last year, the guys in the band wanted to do Long Train Running and China Grove, so we worked those up.  They are both a lot of fun to play, so I definitely gained a new appreciation for those two songs at least. 

[Orbert]

You can even hear the music at night.  And then the piano line which follows is pentatonic.  You know, like you might hear if you passed by China Grove on a quiet night.

I've actually been to China Grove, TX.  A coworker and I went to San Antonio for a conference, and the car rental place at the airport gave us a map of the area, which he checked out as I drove.  "Hey, China Grove!   Like in the song!"  Of course we both knew the song, and there we were down around San Antone, so obviously we had to go there.  With nothing scheduled until the next day, we figured we'd go find somewhere to eat in China Grove, just to do it, and to be able to say we'd been there.

It was less than a ghost town.  We took the highway out of town and after nothing but emptiness for a few miles, we saw a sign proclaiming "China Grove City Limits", followed by more emptiness.  Like, nothing significant.  Came over a hill, and the first thing we see is an old abandoned gas station, at least 20 years gone and overgrown with weeds.  Then more nothing for a while.  Eventually, we came to the General Store which was also a restaurant/diner place, next door to the bank, which oddly looked relatively new.



Crappy picture taken on my old flip-phone.  Oh well.

We checked out the restaurant.  In the parking lot, I jive you not, were six pickup trucks, five of which had rifle racks in the back window.  Texas is an "open carry" state.  We go inside and are assaulted by the smell of cigarette smoke.  Texas does not have laws against smoking indoors, either.  Couple of cowboys shooting pool in the "restaurant" (more of a bar, really), some dudes hanging out, and every one of them looking at me.  It suddenly strikes me that I'm deep in the heart of redneck country, and I'm an Asian hippie.  Big guy nearest the door looks at me and doesn't say a word, but he's obviously wondering why the hell I'm there.  "Um... just need to use the bathroom."  He points at the door pretty much right next to me.  Both bathrooms are right there.  "Thanks."  I go, I go, then we go.  We got back on the two-lane highway, followed it for a while, and saw literally nothing significant.  No other buildings, stores, anything.  Just empty road and empty space.  Then a sign telling us we were leaving China Grove.  That was it.

According to Wiki, Tom Johnston has never been to China Grove, but saw the name of the town on a sign and thought it sounded like something, so he wrote a song about a transplanted Asian community deep in the heart of Texas.  The sheriff and his buddies with their Samurai swords don't exist, which makes sense because Samurai are Japanese, not Chinese, so why would they be in China Grove?

But it's a fun song to play.

[bosk1]

[Kwyjibo]

 

When there is a song where Orbert doesn't come up with a nice story around it, then the song is probably not worth listening too. 

You should write a book with all those littel anecdotes, I knwo I would buy it.

[Orbert]

I think it would be cool to be famous, not because fame means anything to me (it seems like it would be more annoying than anything else), but because then I could write my autobiography and get all these stories out there.  You walk the planet as long as I have, you see and do things most others haven't.  Plus, I like to do things just to do them, because most other people don't, so man, I've got some stories.

[hefdaddy42]

You can even hear the music at night.  And then the piano line which follows is pentatonic.  You know, like you might hear if you passed by China Grove on a quiet night.

I've actually been to China Grove, TX.  A coworker and I went to San Antonio for a conference, and the car rental place at the airport gave us a map of the area, which he checked out as I drove.  "Hey, China Grove!   Like in the song!"  Of course we both knew the song, and there we were down around San Antone, so obviously we had to go there.  With nothing scheduled until the next day, we figured we'd go find somewhere to eat in China Grove, just to do it, and to be able to say we'd been there.

It was less than a ghost town.  We took the highway out of town and after nothing but emptiness for a few miles, we saw a sign proclaiming "China Grove City Limits", followed by more emptiness.  Like, nothing significant.  Came over a hill, and the first thing we see is an old abandoned gas station, at least 20 years gone and overgrown with weeds.  Then more nothing for a while.  Eventually, we came to the General Store which was also a restaurant/diner place, next door to the bank, which oddly looked relatively new.



Crappy picture taken on my old flip-phone.  Oh well.

We checked out the restaurant.  In the parking lot, I jive you not, were six pickup trucks, five of which had rifle racks in the back window.  Texas is an "open carry" state.  We go inside and are assaulted by the smell of cigarette smoke.  Texas does not have laws against smoking indoors, either.  Couple of cowboys shooting pool in the "restaurant" (more of a bar, really), some dudes hanging out, and every one of them looking at me.  It suddenly strikes me that I'm deep in the heart of redneck country, and I'm an Asian hippie.  Big guy nearest the door looks at me and doesn't say a word, but he's obviously wondering why the hell I'm there.  "Um... just need to use the bathroom."  He points at the door pretty much right next to me.  Both bathrooms are right there.  "Thanks."  I go, I go, then we go.  We got back on the two-lane highway, followed it for a while, and saw literally nothing significant.  No other buildings, stores, anything.  Just empty road and empty space.  Then a sign telling us we were leaving China Grove.  That was it.

According to Wiki, Tom Johnston has never been to China Grove, but saw the name of the town on a sign and thought it sounded like something, so he wrote a song about a transplanted Asian community deep in the heart of Texas.  The sheriff and his buddies with their Samurai swords don't exist, which makes sense because Samurai are Japanese, not Chinese, so why would they be in China Grove?

But it's a fun song to play.

[Harmony]

Listen To The Music
Rockin' Down the Highway
Jesus Is Just Alright
Natural Thing
Long Train Runnin'
China Grove
Clear As the Driven Snow
Without You
South City Midnight Lady
Evil Woman
Nobody (from their first LP, but received heavy airplay after 'The Captain and Me')
Black Water (just as Another One Bites The Dust for Queen, one begrudgingly includes it on a 'best of)
Eyes Of Silver
Another Park, Another Sunday
Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)
I Cheat The Hangman
Flying Cloud

bonus:  Without You (live)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7cNC002G6g

thanks for reading

No love at all for Toulouse Street?   Oh man.........

Seriously love that song.

[Stadler]

I think it would be cool to be famous, not because fame means anything to me (it seems like it would be more annoying than anything else), but because then I could write my autobiography and get all these stories out there.  You walk the planet as long as I have, you see and do things most others haven't.  Plus, I like to do things just to do them, because most other people don't, so man, I've got some stories.

We need to get a bottle and sit some night and swap those stories; I don't post many of them because, well, I don't have that Orbert charm (nor have I been here long enough) but I love - and have adopted - that ethos:  "do it just because".   Things happen, stories develop, when you put yourself in the position to have them happen.  I'm hammering on my kids about this now.   You'll rarely regret the things you did, but those things you DIDN'T always seem to come back at you.   Virtually every neat story I have is a result of a happy accident doing something like above. 

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Saw TDB open for Journey on July 2.  Absolutely outstanding.  They sound fantastic, still.  Set list:

Jesus Is Just Alright
Rockin' Down the Highway
Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)
Another Park, Another Sunday
World Gone Crazy
Eyes of Silver
Sweet Maxine
Keyboard Solo
Takin' It to the Streets
The Doctor
Black Water
Long Train Runnin'
China Grove

Encore:
Without You
Listen to the Music (joined by Dave Mason, the first opener)

[bl5150]

Who sang the Michael McDonald tracks Coz?

[Orbert]

I think it would be cool to be famous, not because fame means anything to me (it seems like it would be more annoying than anything else), but because then I could write my autobiography and get all these stories out there.  You walk the planet as long as I have, you see and do things most others haven't.  Plus, I like to do things just to do them, because most other people don't, so man, I've got some stories.

We need to get a bottle and sit some night and swap those stories; I don't post many of them because, well, I don't have that Orbert charm (nor have I been here long enough) but I love - and have adopted - that ethos:  "do it just because".   Things happen, stories develop, when you put yourself in the position to have them happen.  I'm hammering on my kids about this now.   You'll rarely regret the things you did, but those things you DIDN'T always seem to come back at you.   Virtually every neat story I have is a result of a happy accident doing something like above. 

Exactly.  The world is big.  Get out there and check it out.  Do things, see things, be things.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Who sang the Michael McDonald tracks Coz?

lol no idea.

1)  Don't know (without track by track research) which are the MM tracks
2)  I wouldn't be able to pick any of these guys out of a police lineup 

[bl5150]

Awesome - thanks Coz 

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Haha, sorry, I can't say I've ever been a big DB fan, I just know they're still really fantastic live.

[King Postwhore]

Who sang the Michael McDonald tracks Coz?

When I saw them open up for Chicago a decade ago Pat sang the McDonald songs.

[hefdaddy42]

My band at church played Jesus is Just Alright.  That's a fun song.

[Orbert]

We've done that song, too.  We used to have a gal who totally nailed the slow, bluesy section.  Then she moved away and now we can't do the song because no one else can sing that part.

[bl5150]

Who sang the Michael McDonald tracks Coz?

When I saw them open up for Chicago a decade ago Pat sang the McDonald songs.

Thanks king - I don't envy him trying to play guitar while singing like Michael McDonald


I don't know what sort of business they do these days but afaik both eras of the band get along now - surprised they haven't done a proper tour with both singers in recent times.  I know they've done some shows here and there (one of which I have on DVD)  but I'm assuming it would be popular for a full tour.   Perhaps it's been floated and McDonald ain't interested.

[DragonAttack]

No love at all for Toulouse Street?   Oh man.........

Seriously love that song.
[/quote]

It was a casualty for including the live version of 'Without You' (sigh) due to time restrictions.  The version I made for my travels with my wife does include it. 

'Sweet Maxine' is also a semi favorite, but....

Orbert, thanks for the pic and write up.  Nice to see a Lansing native out and about in the world