The Doobie Brothers: Toulouse Street CD Track Listing

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The Doobie Brothers Toulouse Street (1972)
Toulouse Street (Rhino Replicas Edition)\n2006 Warner Bros./Rhino\n\nOriginally Released July 1972\nCD Edition Released 1987 ??\nRhino Replicas Mini LP CD Edition Released December 26, 2006\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: This was the album by which most of their fans began discovering the Doobie Brothers, and it has retained a lot of its freshness over the decades. Producer Ted Templeman was attuned to the slightly heavier and more Southern style the band wanted to work toward on this, their second album, and the results were not only profitable -- including a platinum record award -- but artistically impeccable. Toulouse Street is actually pretty close in style and sound at various points to what the Eagles were doing during the same period, except that the Doobies threw jazz and R&B into the mix, as well as country, folk, and bluegrass elements, and (surprise!) ended up just about as ubiquitous as the Eagles in peoples' record collections, especially in the wake of the singles "Listen to the Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright." But those two singles represented only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what this group had to offer, as purchasers of the album discovered even on the singles -- both songs appear here in distinctly longer versions, with more exposition and development, and in keeping with the ambitions that album cuts (even of popular numbers) were supposed to display in those days. Actually, "Listen to the Music" (written by Tom Johnston) offers subtle use of phasing and other studio tricks that make its seemingly earthy, laid-back approach some of the most complex and contrived of the period. Johnston's "Rockin' Down the Highway" shows the band working at a higher wattage and moving into Creedence Clearwater Revival territory, while "Mamaloi" was Patrick Simmons' laid-back Caribbean idyll, and the title tune (also by Simmons) is a hauntingly beautiful ballad. The band then switches gears into swamp rock for "Cotton Mouth" and takes a left turn into the Mississippi Delta for a version of Sonny Boy Williamson II's "Don't Start Me Talkin'" before shifting into a gospel mode with "Jesus Is Just Alright." Johnston's nearly seven-minute "Disciple" was the sort of soaring, bluesy hard rock workout that led to the group's comparison to the Allman Brothers Band, though their interlocking vocals were nearly as prominent as their crunching, surging double lead guitars and paired drummers. And it all still sounds astonishingly bracing decades later; it's still a keeper, and one of the most inviting and alluring albums of its era. -- Bruce Eder\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nTheir second album is a charm, March 3, 2006\nReviewer: Disciple (FL)\nI "stole" this album in 1972 from my sister and I was hooked forever on The Doobie Brothers. After a very disappointing start with their self titled first album "The Doobie Brothers", "Toulouse Street" launched them into stardom. Rock radio and oldie station's playlists include 'Listen To The Music', 'Rockin'Down The Highway' and 'Jesus Is Just Alright' but there is much more to this album than just those three songs. A must own for newbies or long time fans. Just listen to the music!! \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe First Of 2Consecutive Masterpieces., August 27, 2002\nReviewer: WILLIE A YOUNG II "willow" (Houston, TX.)\nWith the addition of bassist Tiran Porter, the Doobies revealed a newer, fuller sound on this, their second LP. Even 30 years later "Toulouse Street" has lost none of it's original charm and the transition to CD has served the music well. Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and Co. wrote and recorded a batch of catchy, brilliantly performed songs that were instantly tighter and more memorable than their debut, this is the sound of an actual BAND. The musical chemistry here is astonishing and for fans who only know the band for it's hits "Listen To The Music", "Rockin' Down The Highway" etc., the gentler, laid back vibe of the acoustic, folk-tinged numbers here will surprise many listeners. The title cut and "Snakeman" are of special note. This was a well deserved hit and still sounds remarkably fresh 3 decades later. This, along with 1973's "The Captain And Me" are two masterful albums that assure this band's place in music history.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nHit The Streets, April 16, 2002\nReviewer: Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA)\nToulouse Street finds the Doobie Brothers expanding from a quartet to a quintet by adding bassist Tiran Porter. After their self-titled debut disappeared off the charts without a trace, the band became alot more pop conscious with their second album. The album's first track, "Listen To The Music" is pure AM Gold. Instantly hummable, with a memorable opening guitar riff, the song climbed to number 11 on the charts and started an impressive run for the band in the 70's. The second track, "Rockin' Down The Highway" has a harder edge, but it too is extremely catchy. The album's other big track was their cover of "Jesus Is Just Alright" which is one of their strongest tracks. Besides the big hits, the album offers up some other interesting and strong songs. "Mamaloi" has a reggae vibe and "Cottonmouth" is more in line with the blues based sounds of their first release. The title track is a beautiful, folksy song and the album's closer, "Snake Man" is an especially strong track. The album's original gatefold sleeve is infamous for the inside photo shows the band cuddled up to naked women who are intended to represent the ladies of the night from the street the album's title is inspired by.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nArguably the best Doobie Bros Album, June 9, 2001\nReviewer: David W. Darby (Davenport, IA United States)\nToulouse Street was The Doobies' break-through album, the first being the eponymously named, and fairly bluesy 'black album', which for a time was given away with the purchase of shoes from Kinneys! If you want a good taste of what the Doobies had to offer beyond the singles you already know about, this is an excellant album to start with. The first of (I believe) 4 albums featuring Bill Payne of Little Feat, the album has the best variety of musical styles of any classic Doobies album, from blues - Don't Start Me to Talkin' to reggae - Mamaloi (love that one!) to rock, not to mention the haunting title track, this one is hard to top. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say that this one is the best of the classic Tom Johnston line-up - yes, IMHO, better than the Captain and Me. But do pick up The Captain, Vices, and Stampede as well - they are all great. Trust me.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Dry Run for CAPTAIN & ME and WHAT WERE ONCE VICES, March 15, 2001\nReviewer: Gavin Wilson\nIn the early stages of their career, the Doobies improved significantly with each album. They improved as musicians, as songwriters and as arrangers. Even the production quality improved. So TOULOUSE STREET is a better album than their eponymous '71 debut, and in turn THE CAPTAIN & ME is a better album than TOULOUSE STREET. With THE CAPTAIN & MEs, the Doobies hit a sustained peak which lasted until at least '78's MINUTE BY MINUTE.\nBut there are some great tracks on this album, particularly 'Listen to the Music' and 'Jesus is Just All Right'. 'Listen to the Music' didn't chart in the UK until the Doobies arrived on British soil in the autumn of '73, by which time THE CAPTAIN & ME had been released. (Many confused record-buyers bought THE CAPTAIN expecting to find that classic single on it.) \n\nBut there is much to love about this CD, in particular the trademark Doobie harmonies, dual-drummer sound and intertwined guitars. The drums and acoustic guitars come out particularly well in Lee Herschberg's skillful remastering, though Tom Johnston's voice still sounds several feet away from the mike at times. 'Toulouse Street' is particularly loved by those who bought it on its release, because it was so different from the rest of the West Coast music -- it sounded tighter than Jefferson Airplane or David Crosby, and you really didn't need to take any drugs to appreicate it to the full. The only problem with this album for new fans working their way back through the Doobies' catalogue is that, as I said, the band got better with each release.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nI Doobie-lieve it's a Gem!, March 20, 2000\nReviewer: David Ray (New York, NY)\nToulouse Street was the "breakout" Doobie Brothers album which spawned such rock classics as "Listen to the Music," "Jesus Is Just Alright" and "Rockin' Down the Highway." But the hidden gems are the more acoustic numbers---"Snake Man," "Cottonmouth" and the title song "Toulouse Street," which compares favorably to Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair" in its clarity and beauty. \nThe wonder of it, is that the songs remain vital even now, 28 years since the album's initial release in 1972. Without a single "B" cut, it's a "must have" in any pop music collection.\n\nLike the song says, "Listen to the music..."\n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Ted Templeman \n\nAlbum Notes\nThe Doobie Brothers: Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston (vocals, guitar); Tiran Porter (vocals, bass instrument); John Hartman (drums, percussion); Michael Hossack (drums).\nAdditional personnel: Dave Shogren (vocals, guitar, bass instrument); Bill Payne (piano, organ).\n\nRecording information: Warner Brothers Studios, Hollywood, CA; Wally Heider Studio, San Francisco, California.\n\nThe Doobie Brothers shuffled personnel a bit after their debut album, changing bass players and adding a second drummer. For whatever reason, this sophomore effort was the one that kicked off their long streak as one of the most popular bands in America. The basic sound of TOULOUSE STREET isn't really all that different from the Doobies' previous effort. There's a similar mix of acoustic guitars, gospel harmonies, and overall post-hippie mellowness.\nThis time out, however, the songs have hooks as well as grooves. TOULOUSE STREET produced the chugging and eminently infectious "Listen to the Music," the Doobies' breakthrough hit single. Other highpoints include the anthemic "Rockin' Down the Highway," which quickly became a radio staple; a considerably juiced-up version of the Byrds' "Jesus is Just Alright;" the lovely, CSNY-inspired title song; and a nice cover--with horns--of Sonny Boy Williamson's blues classic "Don't Start Me Talkin'." Producer Ted Templeman gave the band a cleaner, harder-edged sound, and helped bring the band's unique mix of roots rock, gospel, country, jazz, bluegrass, R&B, swamp boogie, and pop hooks into perfect focus.\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nWith their second album the Doobie Brothers have made the big jump into the majors. If there were such a thing as futures in Doobie Bros. T-shirts, I would rush out and pick up a coupla gross. This band is playing up there in the same league as, say, the Allman Brothers. Unlike the original membership of the latter fraternal organization, the Doobies are brothers in name and spirit only. Like the Allmans, they emit mellow yet rocking melodies featuring lacy guitar playing and a contagious back beat--you can't lose it. Theirs is a delicately textured sound, even at its most raucous, resting on the tensile interplay of acoustic and electric instruments as well as some flawlessly woven vocal harmonies.\n\nThe emergence into the front ranks of the euphoniously titled Doobies should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard their first album, released early last year. One side consisted of variations on a theme, five explorations of the possibilities of acoustical boogie music using the same instrumentation with similar motifs and lyrical imagery. Though their attempts fell short of brilliance, lead guitarist Tom Johnston and rhythm guitarist Pat Simmons were provided with a framework in which to display the flowing symmetry of their blues-tinged runs. The albums' second side delved into electric music with uneven though intriguing results.\n\nThe unoriginal hype that they were a Hell's Angels band (does anyone really care?) and the underwhelming response of the critics gave the Doobies a reprieve from the publicity spotlight and time to continue their growth as an extremely danceable dance band in the San Jose area. They replaced their original bassist (the parting seems to have been amicable, since he plays on two cuts of the new record) and added a second drummer to augment their sound with still another element of symmetry.\n\nThe Doobies open with an invitation to "Listen to the Music." No RSVP is necessary, as can be attested to by the song's popularity on the singles charts. "Listen to the Music" indicates how far the Doobies have come since their first recorded effort. They used the same opening riff then on a song titled "Feelin' Down Farther," an uninspired rocker full of their standard references to new days abornin' and feelings changing day by day. On "Listen to the Music" they've transferred the riff from muddy electric guitar to crystalline acoustic and, though they still persist in singing an opening line about "growing day by day," they've added a level to their lyrics by relating their universe of rising suns and new days to the soothing powers of the music. They throw in a dash of intelligently used phase distortion (not heard since the early days of psychedelia) to act as a bridge into a verse celebrating the brave new whirl of audible contentment and add an extra sonic dimension as well.\n\nIf 1972 has brought little else to Rock, it has revived the travellin' song and, as a corollary, tunes about specific destinations or locales. A partial list would have to include John Lennon's "New York City," Paul Simon's "Paranoia Blues" and Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" (both also about New York), the Kinks' "Celluloid Heroes" and Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" (a pair centered around Hollywood), also Young's "Alabama" and Steve Stills' "Colorado." And who can forget the Eagles' "Take It Easy" with its passing yet immortal mention of Tucson, Arizona? The Doobies add three fine songs to the genre with their piano-driven "Rockin' Down the Highway," the reggae-propelled "Mamaloi" ("got to get back to Jamaica") and the title track "Toulouse Street" about bad times in New Orleans, featuring some harmonies reminiscent of Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow during PP&M's prime.\n\nThe Doobies end the first side of the album with a lush R&B rendition of Seals and Crofts' "Cotton Mouth." Again faithful to the dialectic, the Brothers round out the other side with a desperado blues called "Snake Man." Between those two poles, they show off their virtuosity with a tight version of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Start Me to Talkin'," a dynamically expanded "Jesus is Just Alright," "White Sun," an example of the acoustic style they employed on their debut album, and "Disciple," a long cut which gives the band a chance to work out, loosing on an unsuspecting world Johnston and Simmons' fleet flying fingers.\n\nIn a medium where words lose their value as fast as Nixon dollars, it's hard to convey what's good about the Doobies without resorting to exaggeration. Applying the ultimate criteria of whether a record is worth three, four or five hard-earned bills out of your pocket, this is one of the year's dozen albums that pass the test without reservation. With credentials like that, there's no need to exaggerate. (RS 119 -- Oct 12, 1972) -- STEVE DITLEA
This rock cd contains 10 tracks and runs 36min 9sec.
Freedb: 7d08770a
Buy: from Amazon.com

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