The Captain & Me - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS*****

Natural Thing/Long Train Runnin'/China Grove/Dark Eyed Cajun Woman/Clear As The Driven Snow/Without You/South City Midnight Lady/Evil Woman/Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners/Ukiah/The Captain & Me

The Doobie Brothers cemented their burgeoning reputation as a hard driving rock act with the release of the excellent The Captain & Me. Features the US big hits Long Train Runnin’ and China Grove both written by Tom Johnston. (US:7)

“For those that are more concerned with music than with meaningless labels and looking cool, this is an album full of great playing and good songs. The band are extremely tight musically and the album is mixed to perfection. There's quite a bit of subtle interplay between the instruments which makes the songs not only more complex than they sound, but rewarding to listen to as well.”

“A rather eclectic bunch of songs with the catchiest ones being penned by lead guitarist Tom Johnston, among them Long Train Runnin', while the more intimate songs were written by Pat Simmons. All in all, a very smooth and pleasant listen.”

“Certainly their best effort, with the hit singles Long Train Runnin’ and China Grove. Both songs are dominated by a west coast flavoured music style and fine vocal harmonies. But this album has much more to offer, like the blues influenced Dark Eyed Cajun Woman or the hard rock numbers Without You and Evil Woman.”

“Truth is that there is not a bad cut here. The Tom Johnston era Doobies are more consistent, and more fun than the later Michael McDonald period. I would suggest that this is where you begin your journey if you are new to the group. Pure pop heaven with skill, a hard combination to beat.”

“A superb album, with vocal harmonies to die for. The arrangements are sophisticated and lush and, for me, this is the Doobies' artistic zenith, heights to which they will never again get close. This is a stunning achievement that I go back to often, even after all these years.”

“This album represents why the term classic rock was coined. It is solid, not a filler song on it. It was produced before greedy music executives realized they could get your money with not just a hook in the song but then use that song as a hook to sell an album. I now long for the days when music was a little more artist oriented and not completely money driven. However, if you have never heard this album you've missed a classic. It is a rare example of a ‘rock’ solid piece of music.”