Doobie Brothers

Doobie Brothers - World Gone Crazy - 2010 - HOR Records

Ten years separate World Gone Crazy from Sibling Rivalry, their last studio album, but the bigger news about this 2010 release is that it sees the Doobie Brothers reuniting with Ted Templeman, the producer of their breakthrough ‘70s hits. With Templeman at the board, the Doobies wind up with a tight album that recalls all of their glory days -- even the smooth blue-eyed soul of Michael McDonald, who graciously guests on “Don’t Say Goodbye” -- in a mere 11 songs. The Doobies certainly mean to evoke the past, but they never sound forced when they indulge in some “Black Water”-styled fingerpicking, ease back for a little bit of boogie, or even re-create the AOR thump of their late-‘80s comeback, “The Doctor.” Some credit must go to the old pro Templeman, who certainly knows how to pull out the best from a band, but Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, John McFee, and Mike Hossack are in fine form, writing solid songs and giving relaxed, lived-in performances, all adding up to a surprising strong album. Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1951702

Unusual for a band to record an album over thirty years after their great 1978 "Minute by Minute" album, but on "World Gone Crazy" the band manage to recreate the sound that made them such a hugely talented and successful band during the seventies with albums like "Toulouse Street", "The Captain and Me", "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits", "Takin' It to the Streets", and "Livin' on the Fault Line". There is no "Skunk" Baxter on this album, but Michael McDonald sings on "Don't Say Goodbye", and the great Bill Payne plays keyboard on six tracks. Listen to the band's often neglected "Stampede" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 A Brighter Day - Tom Johnston
2 Chateau - Pat Simmons, Ted Templeman
3 Nobody - Tom Johnston
4 World Gone Crazy - Tom Johnston
5 Far From Home - Pat Simmons, Ted Templeman
6 Young Man's Game - Tom Johnston
7 Don't Say Goodbye (Feat. Michael McDonald - Pat Simmons, Ted Templeman
8 My Baby - Tom Johnston
9 Old Juarez - Tom Johnston
10 10 I Know We Won (Feat. Willie Nelson) - Pat Simmons, Willie Nelson
11 Law Dogs - Tom Johnston

MUSICIANS

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS -

Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston - Acoustic & Electric Guitars & Lead & Background vocals
John McFee - Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Electric & Resonator Slide Guitar, Violin, Mandolin, Banjo, Resonator Guitar & Background vocals
Michael Hossack - Drums & Percussion

WITH

Ross Hogarth - Guitar on "World Gone Crazy", Drums & Percussion on "I Know We Won"
Tim Pierce - Guitar on "World Gone Crazy"
Bob Glaub - Bass on all songs except "I Know We Won"
James Hutchinson - Bass on "I Know We Won"
Guy Allison - Wurlitzer on "My Baby", Piano on "Chateau", Piano & B3 Organ on "Old Juarez", Keys & Strings on "A Brighter Day", Keys on "Nobody" & Piano & Keys on "I Know We Won"
Bill Payne - B3 Organ & Piano on "A Brighter day", "World Gone Crazy" & "Law Dogs", B3 Organ on "Chateau" & Piano on "Young Man's Game" & "My Baby"
Kim Bullard - Piano on "Old Juarez", Keys on "Don't Say Goodbye" & "Old Juarez" & Synthesizer on "Far From Home"
Gregg Bissonette - Drums on "World Gone Crazy" & "Young Man's Game"
Joey Waronker - Drums on "My Baby"
Karl Perazzo - Percussion on "A Brighter Day", "Young Man's Game", & "Old Juarez"
John McFee - Drums & Percussion on "I Know We Won"
Ted Templeman - Tambourine on "Chateau"
Marc Russo & Mic Gillette - Horns on "World Gone Crazy"
Norton Buffalo - Harmonica on "Don't Say Goodbye"
Michael McDonald, Amy Holland & Gail Swanson - Vocals on "Don't Say Goodbye"
Willie Nelson - Vocals on "I Know We Won"
Darryl Phinnessee, Dorian Holley - Vocals on "A Brighter Day" & "My Baby"
Siedah Garrett, Nayanna Holley - Vocals on "A Brighter Day"
Tim James - Vocals on "Old Juarez"

BIO

As one of the most popular California pop/rock bands of the '70s, the Doobie Brothers evolved from a mellow, post-hippie boogie band to a slick, soul-inflected pop band by the end of the decade. Along the way, the group racked up a string of gold and platinum albums in the U.S., along with a number of radio hits like "Listen to the Music," "Black Water," and "China Grove." The roots of the Doobie Brothers lie in Pud, a short-lived California country-rock band in the vein of Moby Grape featuring guitarist/vocalist Tom Johnston and drummer John Hartman. After Pud collapsed in 1969, the pair began jamming with bassist Dave Shogren and guitarist Patrick Simmons. Eventually, the quartet decided to form a group, naming themselves the Doobie Brothers after a slang term for marijuana. Soon, the Doobies earned a strong following throughout Southern California, especially among Hell's Angels, and they were signed to Warner Bros. in 1970. The band's eponymous debut was ignored upon its 1971 release. Following its release, Shogren was replaced by Tiran Porter and the group added a second drummer, Michael Hossack, for 1972's Toulouse Street. Driven by the singles "Listen to the Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright," Toulouse Street became the group's breakthrough. The Captain and Me (1973) was even more successful, spawning the Top Ten hit "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove." Keith Knudsen replaced Hossack as the group's second drummer for 1974's What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits, which launched their first number one single, "Black Water," and featured heavy contributions from former Steely Dan member Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. Baxter officially joined the Doobie Brothers for 1975's Stampede. Prior to the album's spring release, Johnston was hospitalized with a stomach ailment and was replaced for the supporting tour by keyboardist/vocalist Michael McDonald, who had also worked with Steely Dan. Although it peaked at number four, Stampede wasn't as commercially successful as its three predecessors, and the group decided to let McDonald and Baxter, who were now official Doobies, revamp the band's light country-rock and boogie. The new sound was showcased on 1976's Takin' It to the Streets, a collection of light funk and jazzy pop that resulted in a platinum album. Later that year, the group released the hits compilation The Best of the Doobies. In 1977, the group released Livin' on the Fault Line, which was successful without producing any big hits. Johnston left the band after the album's release to pursue an unsuccessful solo career. Following his departure, the Doobies released their most successful album, Minute by Minute (1978), which spent five weeks at number one on the strength of the number one single "What a Fool Believes." Hartman and Baxter left the group after the album's supporting tour, leaving the Doobie Brothers as McDonald's backing band. Following a year of auditions, the Doobies hired ex-Clover guitarist John McFee, session drummer Chet McCracken, and former Moby Grape saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus and released One Step Closer (1980), a platinum album that produced the Top Ten hit "Real Love." During the tour for One Step Closer, McCracken was replaced by Andy Newmark. Early in 1982, the Doobie Brothers announced they were breaking up after a farewell tour, which was documented on the 1983 live album Farewell Tour. After the band's split, McDonald pursued a successful solo career, while Simmons released one unsuccessful solo record. In 1987, the Doobies reunited for a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, which quickly became a brief reunion tour; McDonald declined to participate in the tour. By 1989, the early-'70s lineup of Johnston, Simmons, Hartman, Porter, and Hossack, augmented by percussionist and former Doobies roadie Bobby LaKind, had signed a contract with Capitol Records. Their reunion album, Cycles, went gold upon its summer release in 1989, spawning the Top Ten hit "The Doctor." Brotherhood followed two years later, but it failed to generate much interest. For the remainder of the '90s, the group toured the U.S., playing the oldies circuit and '70s revival concerts. By 1995, McDonald had joined the group again, and the following year saw the release of Rockin' Down the Highway. But the lineup had once again shifted by the turn of the new millennium. In 2000, the band -- Hossack, Johnston, Knudsen, McFee, and Simmons -- issued Sibling Rivalry, which featured touring members Guy Allison on keyboards, Marc Russo on saxophone, and Skylark on bass. The late-'70s incarnation of the band -- Simmons, Johnston, McFee, and Hossack (with Michael McDonald guesting on one track) -- reunited once again to put out World Gone Crazy in 2010. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-doobie-brothers-p4118/biography