Disco de The Doobie Brothers: “The Captain & Me”

I purchased a Japanese import of one of the Doobie titles in error. When I received the disc, I decided that returning it would be too much of a hassle.

However, when I played the CD, I got a pleasant surprise: It is remastered and sounds fantastic.

The only title in the domestic Doobie catalog that has any sonic improvement is the Rhino "Long Train Runnin'" box set.

I A/B'd this disc against the set and they sound identical.

I picked up the remainder of the Japanese import Doobie albums, and they're all upgraded.

So, FINALLY, the Doobie catalog has been properly brought into the digital world. Leave it to the Japanese to finally get it right, because there's nobody at Warner Brothers who gives a damn.

This review concerns this version of the album (GREAT album by the way). I "lost" my Doobie vinyl a while back and have had to listen to the CD versions out there and they sounded BAD - too shrill and the mid range boosted way too loud. I just quit putting the Doobies on. Then I seen this SACD for sale and with MoFi's reputation decided to spend the money for this version..... and WOW - the Doobies the way they are supposed to sound - rich, textured and smooth. If you do not own a SACD player - then I still recommend this disc - it is a hybrid with a CD layer that is miles above the other CD's out there and MoFi charges the same price for a CD as it does a SACD anyway. After listening to this one - I also went and purchased Toulouse Street in SACD hybrid.

UPDATE: I found my white label promo vinyl LP and A/B'd the LP & SACD. It it were not for the "crackles/pops between tracks - you would be hard pressed to tell which format you were listening to - GREAT TRANSFER !!!

This my favorite Doobies album. I think this one of the best 10 albums ever made in rock history. The Doobies were at the peak of musical creativity on this one. Every song could have been a hit and many were. The musical style they created was legendary and was displayed at it's best here. China Grove, Long Train Runnin', Natural Thing, and South City Midnight Lady really stand out on this album; but actually every song stands out on this recording. The guitar rythyms of the early Doobies sound just as great today as they did then.

This is one of the Doobie`s best efforts of all time. I first purchased this "album" when it was first released, wore it out playing it, purchased it again, and then finally purchased it on CD! That`s how much I like it! It is one of those classics that doesn`t have a bad filler song on it. It captures the playing and songwriting ability that Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston both have. It truly is a wonderful CD and comes highly recomended by myself! Give it a listen and you won`t be disappointed! Also, if you get a chance to see them live, by all means do. They sound just as good if not better than in the 70s, offering live performances of all their classics with great deal of energy and proficiency Rock on!

The Captain and Me is a giant in the land of classic '70s rock, and I own every version of it since its release in '73 (except for 8 track and cassette), including the Nautilus half-speed mastered LP. When I bought this MFSL version, I was hoping for a significant improvement over the lackluster regular CD issue that I bought back in the '80s and still have.

Unfortunately, the CD layer on this hybrid is very similar to that old standard issue that's still in print today except for a couple of subtle differences: The MFSL is somewhat fuller sounding, or fleshier, but sacrifices some of the imaging found in the standard issue. The fuller sound also adds an unwelcome veil. Obviously, when I bought this, I was hoping for it to lift some of the veils present on my old version, especially on Tom Johnston's vocals.

There's really not much else to say. I'll hang on to it, though, for that day when I get an SACD player. Hopefully, if and when that happens, the SACD layer will make my purchase worthwhile. But even if I never get around to doing that, it'll still be a highly sought after collectible when it goes out of print.