50 years on, the Doobie Brothers are more harmony than testosterone

Yahoo

2 days ago

These days, the Doobie Brothers are much more relaxed and open when heading to the recording than in the band's heyday in the 1970s and early 1980s.
"Anything goes, we don't really have any presuppositions entrenched," singer and keyboardist Michael McDonald tells dpa in London. "We might have done that more like in the old days when we all suffered from more testosterone than we do now," he says with grin.
A milestone in the band's long history
"Walk This Road" is the name of the new Doobie Brothers album, a work marking a milestone in their history. After more than 50 years of music making, it is namely the first record which has been jointly recorded as a band by Tom Johnston (76), Pat Simmons (76), John McFee (74) and Michael McDonald (73). There were the occasional guest appearances and tours, but never - until now - were the four Doobie veterans together in a studio as full-fledged band members.
Amid the differing musical ideas of guitarist and singer Johnston and the later band member McDonald, the two men never worked together for any length of time. Johnston stood for classic rock'n'roll, blues and boogie and for such hits as "Long Train Runnin'." Later, McDonald helped the band achieve megahits such as "What A Fool Believes" with his style of soulful pop and R&B sounds.
The many musical sides of the Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers now agree that their versatility is one of their strengths. This was in evidence during the recently concluded tour marking the band's 50th anniversary, during which Michael McDonald returned as a firm member. "We can present all eras of the band. That's pretty cool. Because it gives you a variety," a jubilant Johnston said. "There's really no downside to any of this."
The same thing can be said about the new album, although the members mostly wrote the songs separately with successful producer John Shanks (Bon Jovi, Take That). "We're shooting for the songs that work best for the band and that we think the band can express and represent as the Doobie Brothers," said McDonald.
The method worked perfectly for the new LP. Highlights include the rousing Southern rocker "Angels & Mercy" sung by Simmons and the soulful "Learn To Let Go" featuring McDonald's uniquely unmistakable voice which still sounds powerful and warm at the age of 73.
A stroke of fate as source of inspiration
McDonald had written some of the songs years before in an attempt to come to terms with a stroke of fate, the death of his friend and Doobies drummer Keith Knudsen in 2005. "It rattled the hell out of me," the singer recalled. "It was a big loss for me, the family, and the whole band." And so he began to write.
The best example for the harmony that today defines the Doobie Brothers is, by the way, the good-natured title song with soul legend Mavis Staples - with Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and Michael McDonald all singing along, together.
The different styles harmonise as well with each other as do the band members. "Walk This Road" combines the qualities of such different album classics as "The Captain And Me" and "Minute By Minute" seemingly effortlessly. A wonderful late work by the Doobie Brothers.