Disco de The Doobie Brothers: “Live at Wolf Trap”

I own every Doobie Brothers studio recording CD, and I have about six or seven different live concert recording CD's of the Doobie Brothers (including some bootlegs and rare concert performances). With this said, I have to say that the Doobie Brothers' new live CD "Live at Wolf Trap" is probably the finest live Doobie Brothers performance recording I have ever heard. It includes the classics, such as "Rockin' Down The Highway", "China Grove," "Listen To The Music" and "Black Water". But this performance also includes songs rarely performed live, including "Steamer Lane Breakdown," "Snake Man," and "Rainy Day Crossroad Blues." And it also has great newer songs, including the Slack Key style acoustic guitar performance of "Five Corners" and the crowd favorite "Little Bitty Pretty One."

The band's performance, musicianship and harmony singing is at its peak on this CD. And the band is a power house, with a 3-piece horn section led by Marc Russo, a great keyboard player (Guy Alison), an outstanding bass player (Skylark), two drummers (Keith Knudsen and Big Mike Hossack), a percussionist (M.B. Gordy), and the power guitar trio of Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee. This is truly a great recording of an absolutely superb Doobie Brothers performance. I would give it 100 stars if I could. I can't wait to see the DVD of the same performance.

"Live at Wolf Trap" recorded in Virginia in July 2004, is a great live album! Both the Doobies and the fans are really into the concert and the listener can feel the energy throughout the CD. The addition of the horn section to the band really spiced up some old Doobie favorites. The renditions of the bluesy, extended cut of "Don't Start Me Talking" and "Long Train Runnin'" are worth the price of the album alone. And, of course, other longtime Doobie staples are present on this CD as well, including great versions of "Rockin' Down the Highway", "China Grove", "Jesus is Just Alright", and a great finish with "Listen to the Music". A hidden treat is the little-heard "Little Bitty Pretty One".

The music is clear and sharp and Tom Johnson and Patrick Simmons sound great on their guitars and in voice. Talented John McFee on all of his different instruments and Skylark on bass help to make this a memorable listening experience.

This CD is a must-have for any Doobie Brother fan!

I just want to add my two cents to the negative reviews.

How can anyone find anything at fault with this release?

The songwriting is amazing as is the playing and singing

and the pacing is marvelous. This is an out and out bargain.

The harmony is still there! Great revisit to some hits by rock and roll legends. The opening song sets the stage for a real enjoyable trip back in time.

I generally don't care for it much when a favorite artist releases multiple live albums that feature many of the same songs. Because of this I waited a long time to check out LIVE AT WOLF TRAP. Big mistake! While a majority of the songs are repeats from one or both of the previous Doobie Brothers live albums, each and every one manages to sound fresh; most of them have some little twist that makes them different from before. The whole album sounds very alive and electric.

There are a few songs that haven't appeared on live albums before - some real setlist surprises. I mean, who expected a live version of "Snake Man"? It still doesn't really sound like a complete song, but it's great what they've added to it! And "Rainy Day Crossroad Blues" here sounds much better than the original; it's been expanded, and *does* sound like a complete song now.

The only (minor) complaint is about Pat Simmons' vocals on a couple tracks. He sounds strained on "Jesus Is Just Alright" and inappropriately un-intense on "Clear As The Driven Snow."

Overall, if you only get one Doobie live album, it should be this one. Then get FAREWELL TOUR (just recently made easily available on CD), and WILDLIFE CONCERT if you just want to have all the Doobie albums.