The group's first album with Michael McDonald marked a shift to a more mellow and self-consciously soulful sound for the Doobies, not all that different from what happened to Steely Dan -- whence McDonald (and Jeff Baxter) had come -- between, say, Can't Buy a Thrill and Pretzel Logic.
They showed an ability to expand on the lyricism of Patrick Simmons and Baxter's writing on "Wheels of Fortune," while the title track introduced McDonald's white funk sound cold to their output, successfully.
Simmons' "8th Avenue Shuffle" vaguely recalled "Black Water," only with an urban theme and a more self-consciously soul sound (with extraordinarily beautiful choruses and a thick, rippling guitar break).
"Rio" and "It Keeps You Runnin'" both manage to sound like Steely Dan tracks -- and that's a compliment -- while Tiran Porter's hauntingly beautiful "For Someone Special" was a pure soul classic right in the midst of all of these higher-energy pieces.
Tom Johnston's "Turn It Loose" is a last look back to their earlier sound, while Simmons' "Carry Me Away" shows off the new interplay and sounds that were to carry the group into the 1980s, with gorgeous playing and singing all around.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheels of FortuneJeff Baxter, John Hartman, Patrick Simmons | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 2 | Takin' It to the StreetsMichael McDonald | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | 8th Avenue ShufflePatrick Simmons | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | Losin' EndMichael McDonald | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | RioJeff Baxter, Patrick Simmons | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | For Someone SpecialTiran Porter | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 05:05 | 11 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | It Keeps You Runnin'Michael McDonald | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | Turn It LooseTom Johnston | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | Carry Me AwayJeff Baxter, Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons | The Doobie Brothers | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 38 mins | 88 MB | |||||
| 38 mins | 223 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Baxter | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Steel), Performer |
| 2 | Jesse Butler | Organ |
| 3 | Jessica Butler | Organ |
| 4 | Lewis Collins | Horn |
| 5 | The Doobie Brothers | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Dan Fong | Photography |
| 7 | Jack Hale | Horn, Performer, Trombone |
| 8 | John Hartman | Composer, Drums, Performer |
| 9 | Richie Hayward | Drums |
| 10 | Wayne Jackson | Horn, Performer |
| 11 | Tom Johnston | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 12 | Keith Knudsen | Drums, Performer, Vocals |
| 13 | Bobby LaKind | Conductor, Congas |
| 14 | Donn Landee | Engineer |
| 15 | Andrew Love | Horn, Performer |
| 16 | Michael McDonald | Composer, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 17 | The Memphis Horns | Guest Artist, Performer |
| 18 | James Mitchell | Horn |
| 19 | James J. Mitchell | Performer |
| 20 | Maria Muldaur | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 21 | Novi Novag | Viola |
| 22 | Novi | Viola |
| 23 | Tiran Porter | Bass, Composer, Performer, Vocals |
| 24 | Dave Shogren | Bass |
| 25 | Patrick Simmons | Composer, Guitar, Performer, Vocals |
| 26 | Ted Templeman | Percussion, Producer |
| 27 | Ed Thrasher | Art Direction |
The Doobie Brothers
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |