"The Doobie Brothers/Toulouse Street" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (2011 Edsel 2CD Reissue and Remasters with Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…We Got To Let The Music Play…"

Bit of a bargain this one to say the bleeding least. Two forgotten but brilliant Doobie Brothers 70ts albums featuring their ace Lead Guitarist – Tom Johnston – and both bolstered up with cool Bonus Tracks and utterly Amazing Audio/presentation. What’s not to love - here are the ‘Listen To The Music’ details...

UK released 29 August 2011 (6 September 2011 in the USA) – "The Doobie Brothers/Toulouse Street" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS on Edsel/Rhino EDSD 2104 (Barcode 740155210434) offers 2LPs onto 2CDs with Bonus Tracks and breaks down as follows...

Disc 1 (71:41 minutes):

1. Nobody

2. Slippery St. Paul

3. Greenwood Creek

4. It Won’t Be Right

5. Travelin’ Man

6. Feelin’ Down Farther [Side 2]

7. The Master

8. Growin’ A Little Each Day

9. Beehive State

10. Closer Every Day

11. Chicago

Tracks 1 to 11 are their debut studio album "The Doobie Brothers" - released April 1971 on Warner Brothers BS 1919 in the USA and on Warner Brothers K 46090 in the UK

BONUS TRACKS:

12. Nobody (Single Remix)

13. Daughters Of The Sea (Demo)

14. Armadillo Death Chant

15. Osbourne (Long Train Running)

16. Four Days Gone

17. Spiel

18. Lovin’ My Way Back Home

19. Pat’s Song

20. Bluejay

21. Peace In The Valley

Tracks 12 to 21 first appeared on the 1999 4CD Rhino Box Set "Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000".

Track 12 is their April 1971 debut US 45 "Nobody" on Warner Brothers WB 7495. Tracks 13 to 16 and 17 to 21 are studio outtakes from the first album recorded 9 July 1971 and 6 October 1971 respectively

Disc 2 (48:16 minutes):

1. Listen To The Music

2. Rockin’ Down The Highway

3. Mamaloi

4. Toulouse Street

5. Cotton Mouth

6. Don’t Start Me Talkin’ [Side 2]

7. Jesus Is Just Alright

8. White Sun

9. Disciple

10. Snake Man

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 2nd studio album "Toulouse Street" - released July 1972 on Warner Brothers BS 2634 in the USA and Warner Brothers K 46183 in the UK (reached number 21 on the US album charts)

BONUS TRACKS:

11. Listen To The Music (Single Remix)

12. Rockin’ Down The Highway (Single Remix)

13. Listen To The Music (Steve Rodway Extended Remix)

The US 45s for "Listen To The Music" released August 1972 on Warner Brothers WB 7619 and "Rockin' Down The Highway" released December 1972 on Warner Brothers WB 7661 (B-side of "Jesus Is Just Alright").

Track 13 is "Listen To The Music (Steve Rodway Extended Remix)" released April 1994 in the UK on Warner Brothers W0228T (12”) and W0228CD (CD single)  

The booklet apes the others in this series (a great deal more substantial than what's gone before) - 24-pages feature original album artwork (including the inner gatefold sleeve of "Toulouse Street"), the lyrics (a first for both LPs), musician credits and an informative 6-page history by ALAN ROBINSON on both albums and their impact. It's superbly done. A small mistake is that both albums were originally on the 'Tan' Warner Brothers label in both countries - they've pictured the late Seventies cream label for "The Doobie Brothers" and the 'Burbank' label for "Toulouse Street" (which is a mid-Seventies). But aside from these niggles, the really big news is the fabulous new SOUND...

I've had all of the 2006 Japanese Remasters (in 5" card repro sleeves) to have the music - but here the remaster by PHIL KINRADE at ALCHEMY in London is stunning and far better. The clarity is amazing. The first LP is a little hissy in places fro sure, but by the time you get to “Toulouse Street” Ted Templeman’s production values are amazing and fully realized in the transfer. His name has long been associated with the band (and later on with Van Halen).

Their debut album is a mixture of the ordinary and the inspired – a band launching itself – a group getting there. Their debut US 7" single "Nobody" is a great starting point for any career and set up their "Doobie' sound for the first half of the Seventies. The wonderfully slinky acoustics of "Slippery St. Paul" is another firm fan favourite. Their cover of Randy Newman's "Beehive State" hints at the Rock of the 1973 album masterpiece "The Captain And Me", but better is the two finishers by Patrick Simmons – "Closer Every Day" and "Chicago". The extras were all on the 4CD Rhino box of 1999 so if you couldn’t afford that – they are a clever addition here. "Daughters Of The Sea" finally surfaced on their 4th album "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" in 1974 while "Osborne" is an early version of their most famous song – "Long Train Runnin'" that would eventually turn on their 3rd album "The Captain And Me".

If their debut promised much then "Toulouse Street" delivered. It was rewarded with an album chart placing of 21 on the strength of two hugely commercial singles - "Listen To The Music" (lyrics above) and "Jesus Is Just Alright" (a 1966 gospel song written by Albert Reid Reynolds that was a minor single for The Byrds in 1969). These incredibly catchy songs charted at 11 and 35 respectively and established the Doobies as Adult Rock Radio staples. Their cover of the Seals and Crofts song "Cotton Mouth" is excellent while they just about pull off a version of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don’t Start Me Talking". Better still is the lovely Jamaica shuffle of "Mamaloi" and the truly excellent "Toulouse Street" (both Patrick Simmons songs). The title track has graced many a 70’s Fest CD I’ve made. The acoustic blues feel of "Snake Man" finishes the album in style – and sounds incredible. The two 'Single Remixes' are helpful inclusions, but the truly awful 90's Remix of "Listen To The Music" may evoke murderous tendencies in even the most pacifistic of fans – a travesty best forgotten. The "Jesus Is Just Alright" 7" single was a shorter edit than the full album version – and that would have been a more appropriate last track.

So there you have it. Doobie Brothers fans have waited decades to see their band's back catalogue on Warner Brothers be given the right reissue treatment - and England's Edsel label (who have struck a licensing deal with WEA) has done them proud.

To sum up – albums that deserves a second chance, superb remastering, genuine bonuses, tasteful presentation and all topped off with a dirt-cheap price. Buy the lot in confidence.

PS: there are 4 releases in this series to date (all with bonus tracks):

1. The Doobie Brothers (1971) / Toulouse Street (1972) on Edsel EDSD 2104

2. The Captain And Me (1973) / What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974) on Edsel EDSD 2105

3. Stampede (1975) / Takin' It To The Streets (1976) on Edsel EDSD 2106

4. Livin' On The Fault Line (1977) / Minute By Minute (1978) on Edsel EDSD 2107

"The Captain And Me/What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - 1973 and 1974 Studio Albums on Warner Brothers with Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons (August 2011 UK Edsel Compilation - 2LPs with Rhino Remasters onto 2CDs with Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…Tell Me What You Want And I'll Give You What A Need…"

Two absolute Seventies Rock nuggets on offer here for the Tom Johnston era of THE DOOBIE BROTHERS – both albums sounding spiffing and raring to go. Here come the Abraham Lincoln hats, half-cut bridges and teams of wild horses…

UK released 31 August 2011 as a 2CD set (6 September 2011 in the USA) – "The Captain And Me/What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS on Edsel EDSD 2105 (Barcode 740155210533) offers two LPs onto 2CDs with Bonus Tracks and breaks down as follows...

Disc 1 (66:24 minutes):

1. Natural Thing

2. Long Train Runnin’

3. China Grove

4. Dark-Eyed Cajun Woman

5. Clear As The Driven Snow

6. Without You [Side 2]

7. South City Midnight Lady

8. Evil Woman

9. Busted Down Around O’Connelly Corners

10. Ukiah

11. The Captain And Me

Tracks 1 to 11 are their 3rd studio album "The Captain And Me" - released March 1973 on Warner Brothers K 46217 in the UK and Warner Brothers BS 2694 in the USA (reached number 7 on the US charts)

Tracks 12 to 14 are 3 remixes of "Long Train Runnin'" which was reissued November 1993 on a 12" single (W0217T) and CD single (W0217CD) in the UK to promote the Warners "Long Train Runnin' - Very Best Of" compilation of May 1993. It reached Number 7 on the UK singles chart. The three remixes are (Sure Is Pure Mix), (Full Guitar Mix) and (Done On A Shoestring Mix).

Disc 2 (44:45 minutes):

1. Song To See You Through

2. Spirit

3. Pursuit on 53rd St.

4. Black water

5. Eyes Of Silver

6. Road Angel

7. You Just Can’t Stop It [Side 2]

8. Tell Me What You Want (And I’ll Give You What You Need)

9. Down In The Track

10. Another Park, Another Sunday

11. Daughters Of The Sea

12. Flying Cloud

Tracks 1 to 12 are their 4th studio album "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" - released March 1974 on Warner Brothers K 56026 in the UK and Warner Brothers BS 2750 in the USA  (reached number 4 on the US charts)

The booklet is a great deal more substantial than what's gone before. The 24-pages feature original album artwork (including the inner gatefold sleeve of "Captain" and the poster that accompanied "Vices"), the lyrics (a first for both LPs), musician credits and an informative 6-page history by ALAN ROBINSON on both albums and their impact. It's superbly done. A small mistake is that "Captain" was originally on a 'Tan' Warner Brothers label in both countries - they've pictured the 'Burbank' label which is a mid-Seventies pressing ("Vices" was on Burbank originally). But the really big news is the fabulous new SOUND...

I've had all of the 2006 Japanese Remasters (in 5" card repro sleeves) to have the music - but here the remaster by PHIL KINRADE at ALCHEMY in London is stunning and far better. The clarity is amazing. It helps of course that the original production on each album by Ted Templeman was so razor sharp in the first place (he's long been associated with the band and more famously with Van Halen).

Bubbling under with "The Doobie Brothers" (1971) and "Toulouse Street" (1972) - the stunning "Captain And Me" changed everything for them - and is probably their most beloved album (outside of "Minute By Minute" from 1978) in their entire catalogue. It's one of those Seventies albums where it's 'all' good. Staples like "China Grove", "Long Train Runnin'", the lovely "South City Midnight Lady" and the riffage of "Without You" still raise a tear in the eye of any Doobie fan. But then there are the unsung gems - the almost Montrose rock of "Evil Woman", the chipper "Ukiah" and the brilliantly constructed Patrick Simmons masterpiece "Clear As The Driven Snow" that finishes Side 1 - fantastic stuff. The sound quality here is truly gorgeous too - the 48-second acoustic instrumental of "Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners" on Side 2 will rattle around your speakers in an impressively clear audiophile manner.

After the sheer brilliance and song-assault of "Captain" - I recall that some perceived "Vices" as something of a disappointment. Personally I loved it to bits at the time - and more importantly, it absolutely deserves reappraisal now as one of the Doobie greats. A far funkier element crept into their songs - so very Little Feat in ways. To this day I play "You Just Can't Stop It" all the time. And you can hear why "Black Water" was a Number 1 single in the USA. "Daughters Of The Sea" is a cracker too as is the acoustic cleverness of "Spirit". "Another Park, Another Sunday" and "Tell Me What You Want" (lyrics above) are as lovely as anything they ever produced. Mightily impressive stuff really...and all of it sounding just spiffing. 

So there you have it. Doobie Brothers fans have waited decades to see their band's back catalogue on Warner Brothers be given the right reissue treatment - and England's Edsel label (who have struck a licensing deal with WEA) has done them proud.

To sum up - great music, superb remaster, really good presentation and a dirt-cheap price. Buy the lot in confidence.

PS: there are 4 releases in this series to date (all with bonus tracks):

1. The Doobie Brothers (1971) / Toulouse Street (1972) on Edsel EDSD 2104

2. The Captain And Me (1973) / What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974) on Edsel EDSD 2105

3. Stampede (1975) / Takin' It To The Streets (1976) on Edsel EDSD 2106

4. Livin' On The Fault Line (1977) / Minute By Minute (1978) on Edsel EDSD 2107

"Taking Some Time On – The Parlophone-Harvest Years (1968-73)" by BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST (2011 EMI/Harvest 5CD Box Set) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 300+ Others Is Available In My

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

CLASSIC ROCK & POP 1970 to 1974 - Exceptional CD Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 
(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"…Come On Let's Get Together…"

UK released 18 July 2011 - "Taking Some Time On: The Parlophone-Harvest Years (1968-73)" by BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST features 69-tracks across 5CDs and is housed in a double jewel case (with fold-out flaps on the inside for some of the discs). Here's a detailed breakdown of EMI/Harvest 5099908378826 (SHTW 802)…

Disc 1 (60:56 minutes)

Tracks 1 & 2 are "Early Morning" and "Mr. Sunshine" – the non-album A&B-sides of the band’s debut UK 7” single released 26 April 1969 on Parlophone R 5693

3. So Tomorrow

4. Eden Unobtainable

5. Eden Unobtainable (May 1968 Version)

Tracks 3 to 5 are a 'BBC Top Gear Session' recorded live 23 April 1968

6. Night

7. Pools Of Blue

8. Need You Oh So Bad

9. Small Time Town

10. Dark Now My Sky

Tracks 6 to 10 are a 'BBC Top Gear Session' recorded live 30 July 1968

Tracks 11 and 12 are "Brother Thrush" and "Poor Wages" – the non-album A&B-sides of their 2nd UK single on Harvest HAR 5003 (released 20 June 1969)

Track 13 is "Mocking Bird" (May 1970 version at 6:17 minutes)

[Another version at 6:39 minutes is on the "Once Again" album on Disc 2]

14. Taking Some Time ON

15. Mother Dear

16. The Sun Will Never Shine

17. When The World Was Woken

Tracks 14 to 17 are Side 1 of their debut LP "Their First Album" released 5 June 1970 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 770

Disc 2 (62:42 minutes):

1. Good Love Child

2. The Iron Maiden

3. Dark Now My Sky

Tracks 1 to 3 are Side 2 of "Their First Album" (as per 14 to 17 on Disc 1)

Track 4 "I Can’t Go On Without You" was a 'Bonus Track' on the expanded 2002 CD of "Their First Album"

5. She Said

6. Happy Old World

7. Song For Dying

8. Galadriel

9. Mocking Bird

10. Vanessa Simmons

11. Ball And Chain

12. Lady Loves

Tracks 5 to 12 are their 2nd album "Once Again" released 5 February 1971 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 788

Disc 3 (66:39 minutes):

1. Introduction-White Sails (A Seascape)

2. Too Much On Your Plate

3. Galadriel (Non Orchestral Version)

4. Happy Old World (Take One)

5. Song For Dying (Full Un-edited Version)

6. Mocking Bird (Extended Non-Orchestral Version)

7. Dark Now My Sky (Live March 1971)

Tracks 1 to 7 are bonus tracks on the CD of "Once Again"

8. Galadriel

9. She Said

10. Someone There You Know

11. Ursula (The Swansea Song)

12. Medicine Man

Tracks 8 to 12 are a 'Bob Harris Session' recorded for the BBC on 29 June 1971

Disc 4 (67:06 minutes):

1. Medicine Man

2. Someone There You Know

3. Harry’s Song

4. Ursula (The Swansea Song)

5. Little Lapwing

6. Song With No Meaning

7. Blue John’s Blues

8. The Poet

9. After The Day

Tracks 1 to 9 are their 3rd album "And Other Short Stories" released 5 November 1971 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 794

Track 10 is "Brave New World (Demo Version)" – a bonus track on the "And Other Short Stories" CD of 2002

Track 11 is "Child Of Man" recorded for a 'Bob Harris Session' on 15 March 1972

Tracks 12 and 13 are "I'm Over You" and "Child Of Man" – the non-album A&B-sides of a UK 7” single released 28 April 1972 on Harvest HAR 5051

Tracks 14 and 15 are "Breathless" and "When The City Sleeps" (with the band credited as BOMBADIL) – the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single released 29 September 1971 on Harvest HAR 5056

Track 16 is "Medicine Man" – released 20 October 1972 as the non-album B-side of "Thank You" on Harvest HAR 5058

Disc 5 (60:41 minutes):

1. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out

2. Delph Town Morn

3. Summer Soldier

Tracks 1 to 3 are a 'Bob Harris Session' for the BBC recorded 9 October 1972

4. Crazy Over (You)

5. Delph Town Morn

6. Summer Soldier

7. Thank You

8. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out

9. Moonwater

Tracks 4 to 9 are their 4th LP "Baby James Harvest" released 10 November 1972 in the UK on Harvest SHSP 4023

Track 10 is "Thank You (Alternate Version)" is a bonus track on the 2002 expanded CD of "Baby James Harvest"

Track 11 and 12 are "Rock And Roll Woman" and "The Joker" – the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single released 4 May 1973 on Harvest HAR 5068

The discs themselves all have the distinctive 'Harvest' label logo and there are pictures of the band beneath the see-through trays (a nice touch). But its also one of those fiddly and easy to break double jewel-cases - so you need to be a tad careful handling it. The booklet has excellent liner notes by MALCOM DOME, but at 12-pages is a fairly slight affair. However it does picture concert tickets, flyers, badges, posters, small shots of the four album sleeves etc…and of course full discography info.

But the really great news is the superb new remastered sound. Done by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios, I've praised his exceptional transfer work before (see reviews for the Deluxe Editions of Dr. Feelgood's "Down By The Jetty", David Bowie's "David Bowie", Free's "Fire And Water" and Jethro Tull's "This Was") – here it's the same. The audio is very clear despite the denseness of the instrumentation, powerful without being over-trebled for effect and full of presence. (See the 'tag' marked "Peter Mew Remasters" above this review and it will give you a pictorial of 40 great reissues he’s been involved in).

The music as you can imagine is a mixed bag of the great and the merely good. Comparison-wise BJH were actually hard to pin down (constantly experimenting with their 'sound' as the liner notes explain). The Mellotron gives a song like the lovely "Mocking Bird" a sort Moody Blues feel with a faint hint of Nick Drake's melancholy – while the compilation’s title track "Taking Some Time On" (lyrics above) rocks it up with the best of them (albeit in a very Seventies Prog Rock kind of a way). The early BBC stuff (expertly engineered by the greatly missed BBC engineer and character BERNIE ANDREWS) is tight and impressive. It's all very inviting somehow. And you can feel them inching towards "Time Honoured Ghosts" and "Octoberon" (their popular 1975 and 1976 Polydor LPs) by the time you get to the strings and acoustic bedroom melodrama of "Medicine Man" and "Song With No Meaning" on Disc 4. 

To sum up - die-hard BJH fans will know that the 2002 remasters for the first four LPs - "Their First Album" [aka "Barclay James Harvest"], "Once Again", "And Other Short Stories" and "Baby James Harvest" - are all here along with their large number of bonus tracks (64 songs in total). So there are only 5 new additions. But for the casual buyer however - you get 4 whole albums worth, 5 rare non-album 45s (A&B-sides) and a slew of live BBC Sessions and other rarities. A huge haul in great sound and all at a very reasonable cost…