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Okay, so maybe I’m not your typical Doobie Brothers fan. In fact, I’m not one for classic rock at all—and most of my favorite Doobie Brothers songs were released either before I was around or when I was too young to appreciate them. But on a summer night sometime in the ‘90s, my friends’ band opened for the Doobies, and I realized just how many of their songs I’d always loved. Since then, I’ve always kept my copy of The Best of The Doobies nearby—because the songs have a certain intoxicating effect. Try as you might, it’s impossible to listen to the music without smiling. Really. It can’t be done. I’ve tried.
The Brothers’ latest release, The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers, is a two-disc, 33-song collection that spans their entire career—all 30-plus years of it. Disc one focuses on the older stuff—mostly early- to mid-‘70s. The disc opens with some of the best of the best. It begins just as it should, with “Listen to the Music,” and follows with “Jesus is Just Alright,” classic road trip song “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” “Long Train Runnin’,” and “China Grove.” If you like The Doobie Brothers’ carefree, classic Southern rock with a hint of folk, you’ll love this disc. It’s packed with big, timeless hits and a few lesser-known favorites—just about all of which are delightfully carefree, yet with rhythms so infectious that you can’t help but dance just a little bit.
Time hasn’t been quite as kind to the songs on disc two. The second disc covers The Doobie Brothers of the late ‘70s and ‘80s—the Michael McDonald Years, if you will. And while McDonald is a talented guy, he seemed to have ushered the Doobies into an age of cheesy love songs (and one song written just for Sesame Street) that were destined to become the stuff of elevators and dentist office waiting rooms. Of course, disc two does include some favorites—like “What a Fool Believes” and “You Belong to Me”—but most of the disc gives off a heavy late-‘70s, disco-tinged sitcom-music feel. Fortunately, though, the Doobies return to their roots on the later songs on the disc—and though they still have a slight aftertaste of ‘80s cheese, they’re more of the same Doobie harmonies that fans have loved for more than three decades. And some of them aren’t bad at all. Overall, unless you’re a huge Michael McDonald fan, you’ll find disc two to be more nostalgic than anything else—while disc one is filled with the songs that you still love.
Though Brothers have come and gone throughout the years, The Doobie Brothers have continued to give their fans something to smile about—and The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers is a great three-decade compilation, overflowing with classic hits and old favorites (and, well, a couple of songs that still have you tapping your toes on your way up to the 32nd floor). Pick up a copy and keep it in your car, to be pulled out (disc one especially) on road trips and after especially frustrating workdays.
