Takin' It to the Streets (The Doobie Brothers album)

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Takin' It to the Streets
The Doobie Brothers - Takin' It to the Streets.jpg
Studio album by
The Doobie Brothers
ReleasedMarch 19, 1976
Recorded1975 at Warner Bros. Studios, North Hollywood, California and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles (mixing)
GenrePop rock, soft rock, R&B
Length38:23
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTed Templeman
The Doobie Brothers chronology
Stampede
(1975) 		Takin' It to the Streets
(1976) 		Best of The Doobies
(1976)
Singles from Takin' It to the Streets
  1. "Takin' It to the Streets" / "For Someone Special"
    Released: March 17, 1976
  2. "Wheels of Fortune" / "Slat Key Soquel Rag"
    Released: August 4, 1976
  3. "It Keeps You Runnin'" / "Turn It Loose"
    Released: October 5, 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5 stars[2]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide4/5 stars[4]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3/5 stars[6]
The Village VoiceC+[7]

Takin' It to the Streets is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on March 19, 1976, by Warner Bros. Records. It was the first to feature Michael McDonald on lead vocals.

Background[]

By late 1974, touring was beginning to take its toll on the band, especially leader Tom Johnston. Things became worse during touring in support of Stampede when he was diagnosed with stomach ulcers. His condition worsened and several shows had to be cancelled. With Johnston forced to reduce his involvement with the band, the other members considered just calling it quits, but while in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, member Jeff Baxter suggested calling up friend and fellow Steely Dan graduate Michael McDonald, who at the time was between gigs and living in a garage apartment. McDonald was reluctant at first, feeling he was not what they wanted; according to him, "...they were looking for someone who could play Hammond B-3 organ and a lot of keyboards, and I was just a songwriter/piano hacker. But more than anything, I think they were looking for a singer to fill Tommy's shoes." He agreed to join them and met them at the Le Pavillon Hotel in New Orleans, where they moved into a warehouse to rehearse for the next two days. Expecting to be finished once touring was completed, McDonald was surprised when the band invited him to the studio to work on their next album.[8]

Recording[]

With Johnston on the sidelines, the band was not sure how to proceed or if even making an album without him would work. "I knew the record company was panicked about any change in the band," McDonald admitted. "They were leery about getting a new guy. I was thrilled to have had the gig, but I wasn't expecting all that much." With encouragement from producer Ted Templeman, the band began poring over the songs they had available. They knew they needed more, so McDonald brought in his own demos. Templeman told them, according to Patrick Simmons, "You've got a real diamond in the rough here that you can make into something if you want to go ahead." They decided to record his songs knowing it would take them in a completely different direction. While Johnston was absent for most of the sessions, he contributed one song – "Turn It Loose" – as well as back-up vocals and duet vocals with Simmons on "Wheels of Fortune". "I hadn't quit the band", he later stated. "I just wasn't physically able to do it. I needed to get off the road and get away from that whole scene for a while."[8]

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Wheels of Fortune"Patrick Simmons, Jeff Baxter, John HartmanSimmons, Tom Johnston4:54
2."Takin' It to the Streets"Michael McDonaldMcDonald3:56
3."8th Avenue Shuffle"SimmonsSimmons4:39
4."Losin' End"McDonaldMcDonald3:39
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
5."Rio"Simmons, BaxterSimmons w/McDonald3:49
6."For Someone Special"Tiran PorterPorter5:04
7."It Keeps You Runnin'"McDonaldMcDonald4:20
8."Turn It Loose"JohnstonJohnston3:53
9."Carry Me Away"Simmons, Baxter, McDonaldMcDonald4:09

Personnel[]

The Doobie Brothers

Additional personnel

Production

  • Producer – Ted Templeman
  • Production Coordination – Beth Naranjo
  • Engineer – Donn Landee
  • Art Direction – Ed Thrasher
  • Photography – Dan Fong
  • Management – Bruce Cohn

Chart positions[]

Album

Year Chart Position
1976 Pop Albums 8

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1976 "Takin' It to the Streets" Pop Singles 13
1976 "Wheels of Fortune" Pop Singles 87
1977 "It Keeps You Runnin'" Pop Singles 37

References[]

  1. ^ Bruce Eder. "Takin' It to the Streets - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "The Doobie Brothers". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  4. ^ "The Doobie Brothers - Takin' It to the Streets". Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "Album Reviews: The Doobie Brothers – Takin' It to the Streets". Rolling Stone. 2003. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009.
  6. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 253. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 14, 1976). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Old Black Water Keep on Rollin': 30 Years of the Doobie Brothers". Long Train Runnin': The Doobie Brothers 1970 - 2000 (CD Booklet). The Doobie Brothers. Warner Bros. Records. 1999. p. 33. 75876.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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