The Doobie Brothers Best Song On Each Studio Album

Feature Photo: Bruce Leibowitz / Shutterstock.com

The Doobie Brothers were formed in 1970 in San Jose, California. The Doobie Brothers quickly evolved from a local garage band into a distinctive musical force, blending rock, R&B, and country elements. Their rise to fame began with their second album, Toulouse Street, which featured enduring hits such as “Listen to the Music.” Over the years, the band released fourteen studio albums and six live albums, achieving significant commercial success, including several platinum records and four Grammy Awards. Notably, their 1978 album Minute by Minute not only won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group but also featured “What a Fool Believes,” which snagged both Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Despite multiple lineup changes, the most transformative being the addition of Michael McDonald in 1975, With so many brilliant albums filled with stunning songs, it is tough to pick just one each from every record. Let’s see what happens…….

The Doobie Brothers – “Nobody”

Released: April 30, 1971
The Doobie Brothers is the group’s debut studio album. The record features Patrick Simmons on guitar, Tom Johnston on guitar and lead vocals, Dave Shogren on bass, and John Hartman on drums. You can see them all on that iconic cover. The pick here from their first album has to go to the opening track, “Nobody.” Just listen to those opening guitar licks. Ladies and Gentlemen…The Doobie Brothers!

Toulouse Street – “Listen To The Music”

Toulouse Street by Doobie Brothers [Music CD]

The Doobie Brothers’ album Toulouse Street became the record that instantly transformed the band into a household name. The reason for that was the lead song, the stunning track “Listen to the Music.” Do you remember when you first heard this song and how blown away you were by it? From that brilliant opening guitar strum to those wonderful harmonies, this was unlike anything we had ever heard before. The album is filled with great songs, but this one was really special.

The Captain and Me – “South City Midnight Lady”

Released: March 2, 1973
The Captain and Me is one of the band’s most legendary albums, filled with two of their biggest hits, the songs “China Grove” and “Long Train Runnin’.” Although those were the big hits, the pick here is the third single released from the record, the very cool mid-tempo tune “South City Midnight Lady.”

What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits – “Black Water”

On the band’s fourth album, they finally scored a number one hit with the song “Black Water,” which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Produced by Ted Templeman, The Doobie Brothers were an unstoppable force in 1974. While the fantastic song “Another Park, Another Sunday” gave it a run for its money, “Black Water” gets the pick here.

Stampede -” Sweet Maxine”

Released: April 25, 1975
If you’re going to open up an album and try to catch the listener’s attention right away, well, there’s no better way to do it than to feature Little Feat’s Bill Payne on piano. Stampede featured the big hit “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While),” which is one of our favorite Doobie Brothers songs. Still, if we had to choose just one from this album, we are going with the rocking soul album opener, “Sweet Maxine.” Listen to Jeff Baxter, the band’s newest member play that solo.

Takin’ It to the Streets – “Wheels Of Fortune”

Released: March 19, 1976
Takin’ It to the Streets marked the arrival of Michael McDonald to The Doobie Brothers, introducing a blue-eyed soul element that resulted in some huge hits for the group. While some fans loved the addition, others did not. Personally, I thought it was a great addition and became even more of a fan of the band with him on board. The pick here is the exhilarating opening track “Wheels of Fortune.” The sound of those guitars just blew my mind, and they still do.

Livin’ on the Fault Line -“You Belong To Me”

Released: August 19, 1977
Livin’ on the Fault Line may not have been as successful as Takin’ It to the Streets, but the album was still filled with gems that balanced the old style with Michael McDonald’s fresh voice in the band. It’s rare that a song can be recorded by two different artists at the same time and each version becomes a hit. Yet, that’s what happened with the song “You Belong to Me,” which was recorded by both the Doobie Brothers and Carly Simon. It gets the pick here.

Minute by Minute – “What a Fool Believes”

Released: December 1, 1978
Minute by Minute became one of the most successful albums ever released by The Doobie Brothers. By this time, Michael McDonald had become front and center, leading the group to a Grammy Award and another number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. It would be hard to argue that the best song on this album was anything other than the classic track “What A Fool Believes.”

One Step Closer – “Keep This Train A-Rollin'”

Released: September 17, 1980
I always thought that this song, even though it featured Michael McDonald on lead vocals, was more in the style of the pre-Michael McDonald sound than when he had joined the band. So in the end, it was a nice mix that hopefully would have satisfied both groups of fans. In the end, it doesn’t matter because it’s a killer soulful song that was an easy pick as the best track on the album.

Cycles – “The Doctor”

Released: May 17, 1989
It had been almost ten years since The Doobie Brothers had released a new album, and even though Michael McDonald was no longer in the band, he did make a guest appearance on the record. It’s great to have The Doobie Brothers back. The album’s opening song, “The Doctor,” recalled the band’s earlier days and songs like “China Groove” and “Listen To The Music.” “The Doctor” gets the pick here.

Brotherhood – “Dangerous”

Released: April 15, 1991
The gaps between the releases of new Doobie Brothers albums grew longer with each one issued. Twelve years passed between Cycles and Brotherhood. By 1991, The Doobie Brothers consisted of Tom Johnston (guitars, vocals), Patrick Simmons (guitars, vocals), Tiran Porter (bass, vocals), John Hartman (drums), and Michael Hossack (drums, percussion). Brotherhood was a great record filled with some killer material. Our favorite track was the Patrick Simmons tune “Dangerous.”

Sibling Rivalry – “Jericho”

Released: October 3, 2000
Another decade would pass before another Doobie Brothers album was released. Sibling Rivalry marked a welcome return by The Doobie Brothers. The lineup for this album included Tom Johnston (guitars, vocals), Patrick Simmons (guitars, banjo, vocals), John McFee (guitars, dobro, pedal steel guitar, harmonica, violin, mandolin, vocals), Keith Knudsen (drums, percussion, vocals), and Michael Hossack (drums, percussion). The pick here is the Little Feat-sounding “Jericho.”

World Gone Crazy – “Chateau”

Released: September 28, 2010
World Gone Crazy would prove to be The Doobie Brothers’ most successful album in decades. With the return of Ted Templeman and some collaborations with Michael McDonald, the group released a very strong album. One of the album’s highlights was the scorcher “Chateau.” This track was all about going back, which their most definitely did in a very good way.

Southbound – Listen To The Music

Released: November 4, 2014
Southbound is an innovative album that reinterprets The Doobie Brothers’ most famous tracks with contributions from country music stars like Blake Shelton, Zac Brown Band, and Brad Paisley. This collaboration was met with enthusiastic responses from the country music community and likely helped the band attract some new fans, although it was probably more the other way around. After all, who doesn’t know The Doobie Brothers? Nonetheless, choosing a favorite track from this album was a challenge; it ultimately came down to which remake we liked the best. We went with Blake Shelton and Hunter Hayes on “ListenTo The Music.:

Liberté – ” Better Days”

Released: October 1, 2021
Liberté is the latest album released by The Doobie Brothers. In 2021, the band’s lineup featured two original members, Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, along with John McFee. Billy Payne also played on many of the album tracks. The standout choice here is the album’s second track, the mid-tempo “Better Days.”