Pass the Doobies Please
Best of the Doobies by the Doobie Brothers
Tom: Thanks for inviting us.
Pat: Yeah, dude, it's great to be here at AC land.
WP: Tell us how the Doobies came into existence.
Tom: Well, Skip Spence of Moby Grape introduced me to my good bud, John Hartman who plays drums.
WP: That was back in 1969, wasn't it?
Tom: Yeah, man...I feel old now-that was a long time ago (laughter). I played guitar and sang. We performed mostly in San Jose clubs in California. Then sometime later we teamed up with Dave Shogren and that's about the time Pat came into the band.
WP: Pat plays guitar and sings; Dave plays the bass?
Pat: Yeah, man, that sounds right on.
WP: So how did you guys come up with the name "Doobie Brothers"?
Tom: Well, actually it was my ex-housemate Keith "Dyno" Rosen who came up with it-
Pat: Yeah! Ya see we were all sittin' round, keepin' it mello, and passin' round a doobie-
WP:--like the one we're passing around now (I promise I did not inhale).
Tom: Yeah, dude, now pass it over; don't hog the doobie, bro!
WP: Sorry, continue.
Tom: Well, Dyno looks at me, then he looks at Pat and the rest of the band, and says: "Hey! We're doobie brothers."
Pat: And the name stuck.
WP: Wow! That's heavy, man! Tell us about the tracks on the CD.
Tom:Listen to the Music was a song I wrote. I was foolin' around with my guitar like this:
♫ Don't ya feel it growin' day by day...Wo...ooh...wo listen to the music...♫
WP: I love that song from your Toulous Street album. Great rhythm guitar hooks and harmony! Didn't that song reach number 11 on the charts?
Pat: It sure did, man! See if ya remember this one:
♫Old black water keep on rollin'...Mississippi moon won't keep on shinin' on me...♫
WP: Boy, do I ever! That song (Black Water) skyrocketed to number one in 1974! That song was a bluegrass fiddle raft taking a trip through acoustic guitar-ville! Down that funky Dixieland river it went while everyone aboard sang round-robin harmonies.
Pat: Dude, you have a way with words!
WP: Thanks, no-one has ever told me that before.
Tom: Technically, man, that's still true, since you are writing this review and we are not really talking to you.
WP: Pass me the doobie, bro, it will all seem real in a minute (laughter). My favorite Doobie song is China Grove. At the time it was a number 8 hit single, I was 15 years old, sitting in a lounge chair by the pool, and my girlfriend poured a bucket of water on me while that song was playing!
Pat: Whoa! She must uh really liked you, man! (Laugher.)
WP: I think she loved me-it was a really big bucket. Anyway, that song has a kick-down-the-back-door beat! Great hooks from electric guitar-ville! And, Tom, your vocals really kick assssss!
Tom: Thanks, man, I appreciate that.
WP: I think you and Pat gave the band its vintage personality and sound. You can hear that sound in the following songs you guys wrote: Long Train Runnin', Rockin' Down the Highway, South City Midnight Lady, Jesus Is Just Alright, Take Me In Your Arms, and Without You. Those songs have incredible electric and acoustic guitar work, and the pulsating rhythm of a high performance sports car with the pedal to the heavy metal!
Pat: Just to keep the record straight, Jesus Is Just Alright was written by Art Reynolds.
WP: Who the F (doobie really kicking in) was Art Reynolds?
Tom: Who cares? Pass the doobie (laughter).
Pat: Holland-Dosier-Holland wrote Take Me In Your Arms.
WP: Oh yeah, the famous Motown songwriting team. But I have to say that you guys gave those songs that quintessential Doobies rock and roll sound from the early years. Then Michael "Mush ball" McDonald came along and ruined it!
Tom: Yeah, that was my fault. I fell ill and had to quit the band, then Michael replaced me, but Pat here kept some of the old band's flavor.
WP: That he did. This CD includes the following Mush ball McDonald songs: Takin' It To The Streets and It Keeps You Runnin'. Takin' It To The Streets is a catchy R&B song, but it is just not what I would expect from the Doobie Brothers. Do ya know what I'm sayin'?
Pat: Yeah, we here ya, man.
Tom: Uh huh.
WP: Now It Keeps You Runnin' sounds like a slogan for a laxative. The song just doesn't pop like the songs you guys write and perform. It has kind of a jazzy, runny sound-as if the music and beat have constipation, then diarrhea.
Tom: Well, the good news is Mush ball is gone.
Pat: Right on! The new band includes us and Michael Hossack on drums, Skylark on bass, and John McFee on string instruments and guitar.
WP: Far out! I wanna thank you guys for stopping buy, and for bringing back memories of my callow youth.
Tom: It was a pleasure, man!
Pat: Hey, dudes, I gotta another doobie-
WP: Oh, well don't leave, yet. Stick around!
Tom: Hey! Don't hog the doobie, man!
WP: Sorry. (I swear I did not inhale.)
The Tracks
01. China Grove
02. Long Train Runnin'
03. Takin' It to the Streets
04. Listen to the Music
05. Black Water
06. Rockin' Down the Highway
07. Jesus Is Just Alright
08. It Keeps You Runnin'
09. South City Midnight Lady
10. Take Me in Your Arms
11. Without You
Published by GMJ
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8 Comments
Post a CommentOH MY GOSH! Way too cool - great interviews! I grew up with the Doobies. I'll never forget when I joined the Air Force and my girlfriend and I drove from El Paso, Texas to my duty station in Spokane, WA in my VW bug. We blasted out "Rockin Down the Highway" almost the whole trip. Of course, China Grove, Taking it to the Streets, and Listen to the Music were on our road trip play list, too. LOVE YOU GUYS!! Thanks for all the great memories. I never inhaled, though. HAAHAA.
you are such a hoot....LOL
David! Alba has genital herpes,,, its a sad thing to find out. lol. But it was spoken of this week on almost all of my local radio stations. lol. Maybe google it, and read on it.
See, you are right, maybe some days you just shouldnt get out of bed, especially when you find out the love of yer life gots herps
So I pull my head out the clouds for a few minutes to see what you're up to, and come to find out, this is where *the cloud* is really at! ;) MZ
David and Doc, you split sides. LOL!
I know nothing and I can prove it!
You're asking me if I know that you know? If you don't know that you know than I certainly don't know that you know that I know what you know.
:) and did I know you were a bike enthusiast? hmm...