The Doobie Brothers--What Did Their Name Really Mean?

I can still remember the first time I heard Listen To The Music--it was 1971 or so, and I really liked the song, but I was really intrigued by the name of the band. The Doobie Brothers? I didn't quite know what to make of it--at the time, marijuana was the illegal drug of choice for most people, and I couldn't help but think that the name of the band was taken from the slang term for a marijuana cigarette--a "doobie". I don't really know if that's how the name originated, but it's interesting food for thought anyway.

I really don't know a lot about The Doobie Brothers. I think they were from California, and the personnel of the band was ever changing, featuring such stalwarts as Skunk Baxter, Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, and Michael McDonald. Early on, The Doobie Brothers played country-based rock, blending traditional instruments such as the acoustic guitar and banjo with electric guitars and drums. Their music would sometimes take on a harder edge with songs like China Grove, but the first few albums were sort of reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival. You could hear southern gospel and blues influences mixed with jazz coloring when Michael McDonald came on board, and towards the end of their legitimate career, The Doobie Brothers were accused of appealing to the disco crowd, and many of their early, purist fans abandoned them. I say legitimate career because this band has reformed over the years and has done the "reunion tour" thing, typically failing to capture the old magic that the original lineup created.

Best Of The Doobies is an eleven track collection that features some of the best stuff that The Doobie Brothers ever did. All of their early country and southern themed work is here, and some of the bluesy, jazz-inflected music that Michael McDonald brought to the table appears also. Here's the track listing:

1. China Grove
2. Long Train Runnin'
3. Takin' It To The Streets
4. Listen To The Music
5. Black Water
6. Rockin' Down The Highway
7. Jesus Is Just Alright
8. It Keeps You Runnin'
9. South City Midnight Lady
10. Take Me In Your Arms
11. Without You

About The Music

Listen To The Music was the band's first big hit, and the unforgettable acoustic guitar lick forms the basis for some beautiful harmonies and some busy banjo work. China Grove is solid rock with an edge that features a resplendent guitar solo, while Black Water summons up southern gospel harmonies with its rich and alternating acapella choir--the fiddle is a pretty nice touch too. Long Train Runnin' pays a debt to the swamp music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the lovely acoustic themed South City Midnight Lady recalls the music of Leroux, a pretty obscure band from New Orleans.

Takin' It To The Streets and It Keeps You Runnin' are songs that depart from the early formula set up by The Doobie Brothers, abandoning the country based sound for a more jazzy, free-form style brought to the band by Michael McDonald. Rockin' Down The Highway is sort of a throwaway, even though it's a good natured romp, and Jesus Is Just Alright is a vanilla cover of a tune that many artists, including The Byrds, probably did a lot better.

Best Of The Doobies furnishes a pretty good picture of the catalogue of The Doobie Brothers. When it was all happening, I was pretty intrigued by the music, as well as the band's name, but now I find that much of their stuff is starting to sound dated. Listen To The Music, China Grove, and South City Midnight Lady still endure as viable classics, but the rest of the music on this collection suffers from age. Still, if you're a fan, it's a good way to get their best stuff in one CD.

Thanks for reading.