Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers

"Let The Music Play" is the authorized story of The Doobie Brothers from their beginnings as a biker band in California in 1970, through their breakthrough with "Listen To The Music" in 1972, sustained success and line-up changes in the mid-seventies and their change of musical direction and further success following the arrival of Michael McDonald in 1976…

Cycles is the tenth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on May 17, 1989, by Capitol Records. It marked the band's reunion after breaking up in 1982. Instead of the later configurations with Michael McDonald at the helm, the band reverted to their 1972-4 lineup although Bobby LaKind who had played percussion with later configurations also rejoined. Tom Johnston, John Hartman and Michael Hossack returned to the lineup for the first time since 1977, 1979 and 1974 respectively. The album was largely co-written with producers and sidesmen. Bobby LaKind collaborated with former Doobie members John McFee and Keith Knudsen on "Time is Here and Gone" and Michael McDonald on "Tonight I'm Coming Through (The Border)".

Livin' on the Fault Line fell between two of the Doobie Brothers' biggest-selling records. The album had no hit singles, and one-time leader Tom Johnston kept a markedly low profile (this would be his last record with the group, not including a later reunion). Despite this, Livin' on the Fault Line contains some of the most challenging and well-developed music of the band's career, with Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald really stepping to the fore. There's a vague mood of melancholia running through the songs, as well as a definite jazz influence. This is most obvious on the title track, which has several instrumental passages that showcase the guitar abilities of Simmons and Jeff Baxter.

Extended Versions culls ten live tracks from the Doobie Brothers 1996 reunion show Rockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert. A similar distillation of the live show appeared on 1999's Best of the Doobie Brothers Live, a 14-track version of Rockin' Down the Highway. Hardcore fans will opt for the original, while casual listeners will most likely gravitate to one of the myriad studio collections, rendering both budget-priced renderings more or less obsolete.

The Doobie Brothers had two distinct phases during their 1970s peak, evolving from boogie rockers with a penchant for mellow good vibes into a smooth blue-eyed soul outfit. Subsequent reunions and decades as a successful live attraction blurred the divide between the rambling "Black Water" and funky "What a Fool Believes," the band's two number one hits on Billboard. The Doobies racked up numerous other hits in both incarnations, songs that wound up as classic rock perennials.