 |
| One a year, 72-75. Business as usual back then, unbelievable now. |
The Warner Bros. label back then was a guarantee of swell entertainment, recording-wise. Quality all down the line - sharp A&R men picking up exciting talent, great bands making great records in beautiful sleeves. I mean, gee whiz! The Doobies were rightly seen as essential investments, albums you'd spend a lot of time with, get a lot out of. I still do, over fifty freaking years later. Although they did some other good stuff, these four are the core. The band was always more concerned with making you feel as good as they did, rather than being cool. They were right.
(I just wanted to see something great at the top of the blog, as I'll be stepping back a little, again, again!)
Linkwise, this here is the business: https://workupload.com/file/Q5JxjrH8xCw
ReplyDeleteGood work Farq,very good party, good drivin, good sit around doin nuthin,yew bewdy.
ReplyDeleteThat was me sorry, great to have a real one on board today,it's Australia Day Long weekend here and will be driving few hours in car bird watching etc so Dubes to the max!
DeleteDitto
ReplyDeleteSpinning on th' Consolette Autochange right now, The Captain And Me: Clear As The Driven Snow building and shifting into Without You - sweetholyjesusfreakingchrist what a wonderful thing this band is! GEEEEEEEEEETAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteweren't they posed nekkid in one of those albums. but, yeah, good tunes.
ReplyDeleteI always felt too cheated by the fact that they weren't actually blood brothers to check this lot out, but now is the time to fix that.
ReplyDeleteFor the Beatles algorithm that does so much to draw traffic here, here is a link to a 35 minute animated film that takes the Yellow Submarine, turns it into a narrowboat, and pulls it inexorably upriver -
https://youtu.be/M3sf9F8yyJ8?t=8
Have you been sniffing glue, Fanny?
DeleteNever a huge fan of the Doobies, but here is a great take on one of their hits, by some friends that thankfully are still around, The New Orleans Nightcrawlers, featuring Debbie Davis on vocals. This smokes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex3ajGuWC7w&list=RDex3ajGuWC7w&start_radio=1
ReplyDeleteEnjoy stepping back a little, again, I hope the book is coming along well or even nearing completion?
ReplyDeleteIrrespective of whether you are a fan of the band (I am a BIG fan), I would argue that this 4-record run by the Doobie Brothers matches up nicely (in terms of overall song quality and consistency) against 3 and 4 album "runs" by other now classic 70's bands and solo artists. My personal favorite from these 4 albums is "Stampede"; especially "I Cheat the Hangman/Precis". I still have my original vinyl copy - have played the shit out of it over the years - but it is still in really good overall condition.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your "hiatus" - I look forward to whenever you might resurface - and in whatever form that might reveal itself, including but not limited to, your latest literary endeavor.
Love 'em; saw them in 1977 and then supporting Steely Dan in 2017. Bill Payne with 'em on the latter, so Mike McDonald's absence could be indulged.
ReplyDeleteFor some vintage live Doobs, from late 78, I digitized their King Biscuit Flower Hour show, available at Voodoo Wagon in flabby FLAC: https://voodoowagon.blogspot.com/2024/11/doobie-brothers-king-biscuit-oakland-ca.html
ReplyDeleteFor your stated goal of seeing something great on top of the page, you sure picked well. Not only the albums, a great foursome indeed, but having the classic cover of Tolouse Street up top. I love that cover. This was my first Doobies album, and I picked it mainly because I liked the cover.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that the Doobies were tainted with a dumbass boogie band rep, because instrumentally they were way ahead of just about everyone else. If you ignore the up-tempo positivism and listen to the ensemble playing and arrangements, it's very sophisticated stuff (when it's not being Jesus Just Listens To The Music crowdpleasers). The Captain and Me has virtuosi musicians slipping through some complex changes you don't really notice. What you hear and what gets you feeling good are the dynamics and the interplay doing justice to a bunch of great songs. One of the most purely musical of bands, who knew how to build an album.
ReplyDeleteI still marvel about Black Water. It took me months to learn the counterpoint on the chorus!
Delete*impressed*
DeleteIt's true that the 'boogie-good times' rep of the Johnston era leads to a lot of folks writing them off as lightweights, but, just compare them to real boogie rock simpletons like, say, Bachman-Turner-Overdrive, and there's indeed worlds of difference there. Not surprising if you got guys like Patrick Simmons and later Jeff Baxter. Baxter was renowned even then, but Simmons is really underrated as a fingerpicker, and I always enjoyed his little instrumental jigs that they kept even into the McDonald era.
DeleteI saw. Randy Bachman last summer & it was great. hated BTO back in the day but I had similar feelings about the DBB but I have mellowed
DeleteANON RF: Missing you, Brother Farq
ReplyDeleteStill here!
Delete...And it's still a snappy blog, so's I keep checking in.
DeleteD in California
how do we know u r still here or ever were & not a bot something higher?!
ReplyDelete