The Doobie Brothers

I can't believe how underrated this band is on this website. The Doobies made some of the best good time rock 'n' roll of the '70s.

From Fischman 01/09/2019 17:05

Two completely different groups really, based on the change of leader, and liking one doesn't necessarily mean liking the other. The first incarnation was blues based biker boogie rock and the second a more smooth jazz influenced adult contemporary rock sound. My preference in general is for the first incarnation, but the best albums of the second incarnation do surpass the lesser albums of the first. Just to make things more confusing, the departure of Michael McDonald and return of Tom Johnston caused the group to revert to incarnation one late in their career, although they never fully recaptured the original magic.

The Doobie Brotherswere formed around Tom Johnson in southern California in 1970 and were signed to Warner Brothers. After the failure of their debut album the first incarnation of the Doobie Brothers went on to have a string of successful albums through the early seventies. Their sound is difficult to pigeonhole as it is influenced by country, blues and also has a funky feel. Suffice to say that with three guitarists there is some great guitar duelling and with two drummers the sound is full and complex and usually rocks along at a terrific pace. At times the ‘Doobies’ do go over the top with their production and their sound can be almost a rock equivalent to Phil Spector’s ‘wall of sound’.

Everything changed in the spring of 1975 when Johnson was struck down by a stomach related illness and Michael McDonald was recruited at short notice to play keyboards and to cover on vocals on a major tour. nald assumed leadership and determined the musical direction of the band which is now much more soul than rock and has a tighter more open sound.

the band produced some great music and went on to have another three top ten albums and a string of hit singles into the early eighties. It is perhaps true to say that by this time the Doobies had evolved into something that was little more than Michael McDonald backing band. However for most fans of the Doobies the West Coast rock and boogie of the early seventies with Tom Johnson at he helm ably supported by Patrick Simmons was the best of times.