Search - Doobie Brothers :: Takin It to the Streets (Mlps)

The Most Analougue Sounding Doobies SACD So Far

Sonny Blu | Quezon City, Philippines | 06/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think this is the most "soulful" album of the Doobies. And this sacd version blows away similar tracks in my DCC Compact Classics The Best of the Doobies 24K gold cd. The most analogue sounding too! The percussion sounds were clean and vibrant but never bright. The bass is tight and just sounds right. The vocals are clear and dead centered. How I hope "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" in sacd format will also be released soon!"

Exceptional remaster job highlight on seminal Doobie Brother

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 06/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lately Mobile Fidelity has been hitting a lot of home runs with their releases and this remaster of "Takin' It To the Streets" is no exception. Sharp, well defined with great dynamic range and a warm analog sound, this dual layer (CD Redbook layer and SACD layer for higher definition playback)remaster proves that Mofi hasn't lost any of their magic. How does this compare to the original CD edition mastered by Lee Herschberg? That one still sounds quite nice but the sound stage, depth, detail and warmth of this version beats it.



From the opening notes of "Wheel of Fortune" to the closing notes of "Carry Me Away" this was very much a transitional album for the band in terms of their sound; Tom Johnston was easing back on his contribution to the band after a major illness and Michael McDonald a session player who had performed with Steely Dan stepped in to fill Johnston's shoes. McDonald's warm, gruff tenor, songwriting chops and keyboard playing moved the band further into a mixture of jazz/rock and blue eyed soul territory particularly with the addition of Jeff Baxter (another Steely Dan alum and session player who had joined with the previous album). Guitarist/vocalist Patrick Simmons stepped up his contribution along with McDonald to make up for the songwriting/singing void left when Johnston stepped back from the forefront in the band.



The title track, "It Keeps You Runnin'", "Rio"(with guest vocalist Maria Muldaur), "Wheel of Fortune" (with Simmons and Johnston trading vocals) all are top notch make this an essential Doobie Brothers album to have. Bassist Tiran Porter steps in with a song written in tribute to Johnston ("To Someone Special")to help pick up the songwriting slack as well.



A minor issue that I contacted Mobile Fidelity about for the completist; this comes in a miniature replica gatefold sleeve similar to the original vinyl release. For those who are sticklers about such things be aware, however, that the interior gatefold picture is reproduced in black and white (and it's a bit muddy looking on my copy) while the original was in color. Evidently the digital artwork for the interior that Warner forwarded to Mobile Fidelity was for the CD booklet NOT the original color graphics. It's a minor hiccup that Mofi didn't catch (they're usually pretty good at catching these errors before issuing the album). It doesn't effect my rating simply because Mofi did a terrific job with the remaster. This edition also includes a small booklet like the previously issued Doobie titles ("Toulouse Street", "The Captain and Me")that Mofi has issued. It's a pity that they won't be able to do "Stampede" or "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" both strong albums from the band. The regular CD copies of those titles sound quite nice but I'd love for Mofi to upgrade them.



While the band was changing directions with this release, they still managed to carve out a unique sound for themselves and create a bestselling album in the process. Recommended."

Great album, exceptional remastering.

Music Omnivore | Boston | 07/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the Doobie Brothers' best efforts (after Toulouse Street and The Captain and Me), Takin' It to the Streets shows the initial influence of Michael McDonald, but as a sort of fusion rather than the full-blown takeover in Minute by Minute. MFSL's SACD remaster sounds superb: A must-buy."