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THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
Long Train Runnin' 1970-2000 (Rhino)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
It's pretty simple because it just comes down to this: did you like The Doobie Brothers before AND after Michael MacDonald "joined?" I put quotes around that word because he didn't "join" The Doobies so much as turn them into his backup band. If you liked both phases of Doobage, Long Train Runnin' is just the thing you need. The 4-CD box set contains 78 tracks covering most of the highlights of the band's long career.
A reviewer can't help put his or her own bias into something like this, and I'll make no pretenses about this. In my opinion, MacDonald took a great little pop-boogie band and turned it into a fluff dispenser. Admittedly, The Doobs were known to have some hippie wanderings from time to time (see "Toulouse Street," "Slippery St. Paul," etc), but compare just about anything on disc one to absolutely anything on discs three and four and you'll see what I mean. That is unless you think "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" rocks.
The tracks have apparently been chosen by the band, and they chose to pass the rock years in a disc and a half, thankfully giving us some lesser known gems along with the hits, including great acoustic and harmony tunes like "I Cheat The Hangman," tasty rhythm pieces like "Cotton Mouth," and unknown rockers like "Down In The Track." Disc One has all the early hits, from "China Grove" and "Listen To The Music" to "Rockin' Down The Highway" and "Black Water." Disc two gets into the more obscure before veering into the "Minute By Minute" era and beyond, which continues through disc three.
The big fun is on disc four, a collection of what the band calls "abandoned tracks." These are demos and rough drafts that give us a glimpse of the writing process. "Long Train Runnin'" appears in its original form as "Osbourne," very close to the finished version in structure but quite a bit grittier, the main rhythm guitar tone having yet to be smoothed out by a producer. The sense of humor usually only seen in concert shows up on "Spiel," a strange little rap by someone who alternately sounds like a typical Marin County hipster and Marlon Brando as done by Belushi. Listening to that one, you can just about smell the doobies, and I ain't refer.. um... talking about the band. The best thing about disc four is that it offers a stack of recordings of uber-guitarist Jeff Baxter that we hadn't heard before. And that's always a good thing.
The 80 page booklet included within is loaded with great pictures that'll take the true Doobs fans back to a time when their yearly tours were something to look forward to. Plenty of live shots to jar those memories, along with great liner notes that give lots of details about each track and the stories surrounding the band when they were recorded. Despite the fact that Michael MacDonald's voice makes me think of Linus Van Pelt and his music made Pablo Cruz sound like Megadeth, this box has more than enough of what once made The Doobie Brothers a great band. That makes it essential for fans.
Track Lists:
Disc One - You Just Can't Stop It: Nobody (Single Remix, 1974) * Slippery St. Paul * Listen To The Music * Rockin' Down The Highway * Toulouse Street * Cotton Mouth * Jesus Is Just Alright * White Sun * Natural Thing * Long Train Runnin' * China Grove * Dark Eyed Cajun Woman * Clear As The Driven Snow * South City Midnight Lady * You Just Can't Stop It * Spirit * Pursuit On 53rd St. * Black Water Eyes Of Silver * Down In The Track * Another Park, Another Sunday
Disc 2 - Wheels Of Fortune: Sweet Maxine (Single Remix) * Neal's Fandango Music Man * Slack Key Soquel Rag * Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me) * Texas Lullaby * I Cheat The Hangman * Wheels Of Fortune (Single Edit) * Losin' End * Takin' It To The Streets * It Keeps You Runnin' * Echoes Of Love * Nothin' But A Heartache * Chinatown * There's A Light * Little Darling (I Need You) * You Belong To Me * Open Your Eyes * Minute By Minute * Dependin' On You * Don't Stop To Watch The Wheels
Disc 3 - Keep This Train A-Rollin': What A Fool Believes * Here To Love You * Dedicate This Heart * Real Love * No Stoppin' Us Now * One Step Closer * Keep This Train A-Rollin' * South Bay Strut * One By One * Wynken, Blynken And Nod * The Doctor * South Of The Border * Time Is Here And Gone * Need A Little Taste Of Love * Dangerous * Excited * This Train I'm On * Rollin' On * Little Bitty Pretty One
Disc 4 - Abandoned Tracks (Demos & Roughs): Daughters Of The Sea (Early Demo Version) * Armadillo Death Chant * Osborne (Long Train Runnin') * Four Days Gone * Spiel * Lovin' My Way Back Home * Pat's Song * Bluejay * Peace In The Valley * Mambo Waltz * Outside Of Barstow * Argentine Grape (Sweet Maxine) * Shuffle (Double Dealin' Four Flusher) * Takin' It To The Streets (Demo Version) - Michael McDonald * We Would Sail Away (St. Paul) - Michael McDonald * Jesus Is Just Alright (Live 1982, Unissued Remix) * Olana (Unissued Studio Version)
© 1999 - DJ Johnson