They were hippies turned into pop entrepreneurs running a hit-making machine. The group’s songs are all over classic radio; however, this has also led to the band being undervalued. The Doobie Brothers are one of the best rock bands of all time.
Can I prove it? This is how I am going to go about it. These are, in my opinion, the ten best cuts by The Doobie Brothers.
The Greatest 10 Songs by The Doobie Brothers
10. ”Nobody”
In 1971, rightly, every kid with an electric guitar had a dream of making it big. Why not? Rockstars were the royalty of the age.
The Doobie Brothers shared the same ambition. However, the group’s debut record found them trying to find their feet between playing boogie, country and folk. Still, “Nobody” is an early glimpse of things to come. For that alone, it deserves a mention on my list.
9. “Black Water”
How many hits have you scored? I thought so! Well, The Doobie Brothers, populists as they were, managed to get guitar songs on the charts with three different lineups and singers.
Patrick Simmons wrote and sang on the blues-inspired “Black Water.” The song contains one of the best acoustic guitar sequences that I can think of. This was notably a hit that gave The Doobie Brothers a new start and, undeniably, one of their best songs.
8. ”Cotton Mouth”
It was when the musicians finally realised that what they wanted was to be, essentially, a Southern rock band that could play ballads, not unlike the Eagles, that things started moving in the right direction.
Released on their sophomore album, “Cotton Mouth” sees the band take a detour into swamp rock territory, slowly building a catalogue to be played across North American arenas.
Want to further your Southern-rock knowledge. Here’s a quick guide and the best songs by:
7. ”You Belong to Me”
What was happening in 1977 in music? Punk-rock, of course. Stadium rock groups were touring the world, yes.
However, The Doobie Brothers, joined here by Carly Simon as co-songwriter, were a conservative force, and plenty of fans demanded this. Some complained that the band was lacking the energy of old, but The Doobies were laughing all the way to the bank.
6. ”Minute by Minute”
“Minute by Minute” is a good example of The Doobie Brothers being at both moments an audience-pleasing, light soul group and highly skilled musicians. This is an eternal soft-pop hit, but I think that it’s also a good example of the band’s top-notch musicianship.
5. ”Listen to the Music”
You’ve heard it a million times. And, frankly, I know some of you may be sick of it, while others revel in this as some religious artefact.
“Listen to the Music” near instantly turned The Doobie Brothers into one of the biggest early 1970s rock bands in the U.S.
Forget the easy-going nature of the song for a minute, and admire some of the subtle, sophisticated nuances, and you may just rediscover the song.
4. ”What a Fool Believes”
By the late 1970s, The Doobie Brothers had all but stopped trying to appeal to hard-rock audiences. Instead, led by singer Michael MacDonald, the band was going for smooth, easy-going soul.
“What a Fool Believes” is one of the best cuts from that period. And, I think, that it’s a mighty nice example of what the duelling guitar grooves of what Beth Baxter and Patrick Simmons could create and why radio has found it so irresistible.
3. ”Takin’ It to the Streets”
I’ll be honest! I never thought of The Doobie Brothers as making music for the streets. Yet, for millions and millions of times, their songs have blurred across radio speakers across the North American continent.
By “Takin’ it to the Streets,” Michael MacDonald had joined the group, firmly leading it into chilled yacht rock territory.
Frankly, this meant that rock fans disconnected. But what the group earned was an ever more consistent contingent of fans. Plus, if you listen closely, I think, you’ll admire the band’s musical complexity.
2. ”China Grove”
The Doobie Brothers were great at adapting. Released at a time when big electric guitar riffs and songs about cowboys fighting the law were all the rage, “China Grove” positioned The Doobies as a band with just enough edge to appeal and extend their audience to rock fans.
1. ”Long Train Runnin’”
When it comes to most songs, you need to stop for a second and decide whether you like the music or not. Nobody’s ever had this problem with “Long Train Runnin’.” The song contains one of the great and most oft-repeated rock grooves. (Even Led Zeppelin adopted this for “The Wanton Song” and The Doobies weren’t even dead blues musicians).
And if you’re looking for more Led Zep knowledge, here’s a look at:
- Led Zeppelin’s Most Underrated 10 Songs
- A Revisted Look at “Led Zeppelin IV”
- Ranking of All Led Zeppelin Albums
A stone-cold classic that will always have its place on rock radio, “Long Train Runnin’” is an elusive kind of magic, an unexplainably great tune. In 1973, it made just about all audiences treat The Doobie Brothers with respect, finally, and it is, in my opinion, the band’s shining moment.
