The Doobie Brothers - Minute by Minute

With Tom Johnston gone from the lineup because of health problems, this is where the "new" Doobie Brothers really make their debut, with a richly soulful sound throughout and emphasis on horns and Michael McDonald's piano more than on Patrick Simmons' or Jeff Baxter's guitars. Not that they were absent entirely, or weren't sometimes right up front in the mix, as the rocking, slashing "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" and the bluegrass-influenced "Steamer Lane Breakdown" demonstrate. But given the keyboards, the funky rhythms, and McDonald's soaring tenor (showcased best on "What a Fool Believes"), it's almost difficult to believe that this is the hippie bar band that came out of California in 1970. There's less virtuosity here than on the group's first half-dozen albums, but overall a more commercial sound steeped in white funk. It's still all pretty compelling even if its appeal couldn't be more different from the group's earlier work (i.e., The Captain and Me, etc.). The public loved it, buying something like three million copies, and the recording establishment gave Minute by Minute four Grammy Awards, propelling the group to its biggest success ever. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andrew Love Horn, Saxophone Ben Cauley Trumpet Bill Payne Keyboards, Synthesizer Bobby LaKind Conga, Vocals, Conductor Bruce Steinberg Design Coordinator, Cover Design Byron Berline Fiddle, Violin Christine Morse Pre-Production David Alexander Photography Donn Landee Engineer Herb Pedersen Banjo Jeff Baxter Group Member, Guitar, Guitar (Steel) John Hartman Group Member, Drums Keith Knudsen Group Member, Vocals, Drums Lester Abrams Keyboards, Piano (Electric), Vocals Loyd Clifft Engineer Michael McDonald Synthesizer, Arranger, Keyboards, Group Member, Vocals, Vocal Harmony Nicolette Larson Vocals Norton Buffalo Harmonica Patrick Simmons Guitar, Group Member, Vocals Rosemary Butler Vocals Steve Hoffman Mastering Sumner Mering Synthesizer, Soloist, Guitar Ted Templeman Percussion, Producer Tiran Porter Vocals, Bass, Group Member Tom Johnston Guitar, Vocals