Latest Release
- 6 JUN 2025
- 10 Songs
- Minute By Minute (Remastered) · 1978
- Minute By Minute (Remastered) · 1978
- Takin' It To the Streets (Remastered) · 1976
- Livin' On the Fault Line (Remastered) · 1977
- Livin' On the Fault Line (Remastered) · 1977
- Walk This Road · 2025
- Walk This Road · 2025
- Comes A Time - Single · 2025
- Walk This Road · 2025
- Walk This Road · 2025
Essential Albums
- The Doobies’ third album was fuller-bodied and more energetic than the works that came before it. With the auxiliary support of Steely Dan’s guitarist Jeff Baxter and Little Feat’s keyboardist Bill Payne, The Captain and Me is the product of a highly accomplished and animated musical ensemble. The heavy songs got heavier (“Evil Woman,” “Without You”), the groovy songs got groovier (“Long Train Runnin’”), and gentle songs got gentler (“South City Midnight”). The Doobies’ specialty was combining several different threads of music — hard rock, folk, funk and jazz — but even more impressive was their ability to make pop singles out of such complex mixtures. Amazingly, the catchiest songs on The Captain and Me are the ones that have the most ingredients. “Natural Thing,” “China Grove” and “The Captain and Me” feature cyclical, enthralling rhythms and complex instrumental parts, but they also work as snappy radio singalongs. Such is the creative genius of the Doobies — they delivered to the listener a musical education in the guise of a Top 40 thrill.
- In retrospect, the second Doobie Brothers album sounds like an amalgamation of all early-‘70s rock styles. Toulouse Street combines the breezy acoustic sheen of the Eagles (“Listen to the Music”), the revved-up grit of Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Rockin’ Down the Highway”), and the honeyed, jazz-inflected jams of the Allman Brothers (“Mamaloi”). In addition, group leaders Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons had a great affinity for the singer-songwriter movement epitomized by artists like James Taylor. Among the album’s best songs are “Toulouse Street,” “White Sun” and “Snake Man,” three pared-down acoustic performances. Few bands from this era were as adept as weaving together strands of folk, gospel and hard rock, but the secret ingredient in Toulouse Street is the subtle shades of R&B. While the Doobies were never considered a funk ensemble, songs like “Cotton Mouth” are elevated by the rhythmic interplay between bassist Tiran Porter and dueling percussionists John Hartman and Michael Hossack. Johnston and Simmons made these songs shine, but the rhythm section is what makes them move.
- 1991
Artist Playlists
- Southern rock and mellow vibes that lasted well beyond the '70s.
- Applying their vocal harmonies across styles and decades.
Live Albums
Compilations
More To Hear
- The legendary artist shares stories about his music career.
- Rex Orange County picks the 5 Best Songs on Apple Music.
About The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers were not only one of the most popular American bands of the ’70s, they were essentially two of the most popular, given the dramatic change to their sound halfway through the decade. The first lineup took shape in San Francisco in 1970 as the original core of singer and guitarist Tom Johnston, guitarist Patrick Simmons, bassist Dave Shogren and drummer John Hartman developed an earthy, boogie-friendly blend of rock, country and R&B. The band’s tight vocal harmonies added a quintessentially SoCal breeziness to “Jesus Is Just Alright With Me”, “Long Train Runnin’” and the irresistibly nimble “China Grove”. Plagued by ill-health due to burnout, Johnston was absent for much of 1974 (departing two years later), a setback that should’ve ended the party. Instead, The Doobies got a boost by incorporating two musicians set adrift by Steely Dan’s decision to stop touring: guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald. Now favouring the mix of smooth soul pop and creamy synth splendour found in hits like “What a Fool Believes”, The Doobies enjoyed a second golden age before breaking up in 1982. The brotherhood reformed five years later, striking an affable balance between both incarnations over the tours and studio efforts that followed. And while Johnston was back at the helm, he was often found sharing the stage with his sometime-Doobie counterpart McDonald.
- FROM
- San Jose, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1970
- GENRE
- Rock