The Doobie Brothers Album: “Greatest Hits”

While I am not a particularly big fan of the music of the 1970's one group that stood head and shoulders above the rest was the Doobie Brothers. Led by vocalist Tom Johnston, this group successfully combined elements of rock 'n roll and R&B and made some of the most memorable music of the decade. And despite a rash of personnel changes along the way the group continued to make great music throughout the 1970's.

It did not take long for the group to make its mark on the American music scene. Formed in San Jose, Ca. in 1970, the Doobies found themselves riding high on the Billboard Top Pop Singles Chart when in the fall of 1972 their debut release "Listen To The Music" leaped all the way to #11. Quite an accomplishment! Over the next few years the hits just kept on comin' with memorable songs like "Long Train Runnin'", "Black Water" and "China Grove". What I particularly enjoyed about the Doobie Brothers was that no two songs seemed to sound alike. This was a very innovative group that featured tight harmonies and superior musicianship.

As I mentioned earlier the group was plagued by constant personnel changes which made the fact that their music was so consistantly good all the more remarkable. In 1975, Michael McDonald came aboard to replace Tom Johnston and lent his considerable talents to the group. But the group had a lot of trouble coming up with another big hit. "Takin' It To The Streets" and "It Keeps You Runnin'" were great records but it seemed the public had lost some interest. In late 1978 the group released the album "Minute By Minute". This record was greeted with wild enthusiasm by the public. Not only did it reach #1 on the Billboard Albums chart, but it stayed there for five weeks. "Minute By Minute" also spawned the #1 single "What A Fool Believes" which in my opinion could well be the best single release of the decade. The group continued to have varying amounts of success until they finally disbanded in 1983. The group re-formed briefly with Tom Johnston at the helm and released the great Top 10 single "The Doctor" which thankfully Rhino has chosen to include on this disc.

Featuring a total of 20 tracks, "Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits" is really an excellent collection. I found just about everything I was looking for on this disc. Rhino has also provided an excellent 16 page booklet which details all of the twists and turns that took place in the life of this marvelous group. Highly recommended.

I'm not totally against the song selections for this CD (except for the omission(s) of "Sweet Maxine", "Another Park, Another Sunday" and "Disciple"). My real objection concerns the shortened versions of some of the best American rock music ever recorded. True Doobie fans like myself don't appreciate single versions of any of their songs and this supposed best of set has 5 of them!!! "Listen To The Music", "Jesus Is Just Alright", "Nobody", "It Keeps You Runnin'" and "Dependin' On You" deserve to be heard in their entirety not some watered down version designed to get more songs on the CD. In this case more songs are definitely not better!!

Here's a Greatest Hits album that really lives up to that name. All the Doobie Brothers' hits are here. It's an album that really gets you fired up. I can't imagine anyone listening to this music without his or her head bobbing or foot tapping. Give the samples a try and you'll see what I mean. If you're only going to own one Doobies Brothers' album, this is the one you need!

First off, I LOVE THE DOOBIE BROTHERS. I want that to be absolutely clear, because there seems to be an interesting tradition that has been permeating in the music world for the past 10 years or so: continually re-package a band's so-called Greatest Hits, but only vary it by two or three songs each time. Granted, as digital technology continues to evolve along with the ability to improve older analog recordings, I can understand the need to freshen up a bands Hits collection...but do we REALLY need a new version every 18 months?? NO WE DON'T. It seems I am just finished reviewing a Greatest Hits by some band when a newer, more sleek and digitally enhanced version is suddenly available, the only difference being just a few songs. Is it THAT necessary to attempt to bleed more money from the fans? I suppose since we are in a Capitol Society, as long as there are folks willing to buy it why not, huh?

For ALL of my rants and raves regarding this endless problem (and there are dozens and dozens of HUGE bands that are doing it -- or rather I should say their Record Label are doing it) I really found this particular edition to be a superior collection of songs by a truly under-appreciated Super Group. It would seem that the vast majority of Doobie Fans are divided up in Pre-Michael McDonald era, and After-Michael, if you know what I mean. Sure, there are plenty who enjoy both incarnations of the band, and I must admit I fall squarely in between. Great before Michael, and Great after. What's NOT to like? Sure, if you have spent a lot of money on one of the earlier Greatest Hits by the Doobies, I am reluctant to encourage you to fork out more just for the couple song difference you will find. If you have yet to purchase one, than I whole-heartedly endorse this particular edition (that is until yet another version becomes available sometime within the next 18 months or so...). I am quite fortunate in that I work in radio and I haven't had to buy a record, cassette or cd for a mighty long time...but that doesn't mean I cannot understand the frustration from those of you who do not have this luxury. I realize how lucky I am, and I hear the complaints from my listeners on a regular basis and the prevailing opinion is that if the Record Labels continue to do this, pretty soon nobody will be willing to buy anything, everyone will just digitally copy it from the Internet somewhere until the site gets shut down...and when that happens, never fear another site will be up and running in a really short amount of time.

In short: If you already own a Greatest Hits by the Doobie Brothers, I would think twice before buying this one. If you are in the market to buy your first one, this would definitely be the one to own. Shop accordingly and save some money and time. Good luck.

The Rhino released "Greatest Hits" offers an excellent overview of the biggest hits from the legendary Doobie Brothers. While it doesn't include every single hit the band has ever made, it does include the signature Doobie classics, the ones you'd expect to find a Doobie best-of.

Tracks like "Listen To The Music", "China Grove", "Black Water" and "Long Train Runnin'" are all here as well as the later Michael McDonald-led tracks "Takin' It To The Streets", "You Belong To Me", "What A Fool Believes" and "Minute By Minute". There are even two tracks each from the band's late '80s/early '90s comeback efforts, "The Doctor" (from 1989's "Cycles") and "Dangerous" (from 1991's "Brotherhood").

This is a very satisfying single-disc collection from a great band of Brothers. All the best-known hits are here.

The CD booklet isn't too shabby either as it offers a brief but detailed history of the band from the beginning up to 2001. If you don't any Doobie Brothers music on CD yet, THIS should be the first pick.