Customer Reviews

The Captain and Me

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Released in 1973, The Doobie Brother's third album "The Captain And Me" was a combination of beautiful acoustic guitar based songs and some of the best rockers of the year. "China Grove" and "Long Train Runnin'" received strong FM radio station airplay and later "Without You" became another hit. The album included other gems such as the beautiful "Ukiah", "South City Midnight Lady", "Clear As The Driven Snow", "Natural Thing" and "Evil Woman". There was absolutely no filler on this album it was that good. The band's sophmore effort "Toulouse Street" released a year earlier was good but "The Captain And Me" far surpassed that in terms of songwriting and musicianship. The Doobie Brothers would continue well into the seventies to release albums going thru various personel changes (Michael McDonald's induction into the band certainly changed their sound to a more jazz rock fm radio friendly sound). If there's one Doobie Brothers album you buy this should be the one.

I purchased a Japanese import of one of the Doobie titles in error. When I received the disc, I decided that returning it would be too much of a hassle.

However, when I played the CD, I got a pleasant surprise: It is remastered and sounds fantastic.

The only title in the domestic Doobie catalog that has any sonic improvement is the Rhino "Long Train Runnin'" box set.

I A/B'd this disc against the set and they sound identical.

I picked up the remainder of the Japanese import Doobie albums, and they're all upgraded.

So, FINALLY, the Doobie catalog has been properly brought into the digital world. Leave it to the Japanese to finally get it right, because there's nobody at Warner Brothers who gives a damn.

I owned this album in the "70s and it was one of my favorites. It was on my Christmas wish list this year as a cd . I must say that after 20 plus years I enjoy it as much as I did then.This compliation has something I find lacking in most artists offerings. It doesn't have just one or two songs that have garnered airplay and are popular,with the rest of the album being mediocre renditions. This album represents why the term classic rock was coined.It is solid, not a filler song on it.I am of the conviction it was produced before greedy music execs realized they could get your money with not just a" hook" in the song but then use that song as a hook to sell an album!Maybe I'm a cynic but I long for the days before Frampton when music was a little more artist oriented and not completely money driven.However, if you have never heard this album you've missed a classic. It is a rare example of a "rock" solid piece of music.

This review concerns this version of the album (GREAT album by the way). I "lost" my Doobie vinyl a while back and have had to listen to the CD versions out there and they sounded BAD - too shrill and the mid range boosted way too loud. I just quit putting the Doobies on. Then I seen this SACD for sale and with MoFi's reputation decided to spend the money for this version..... and WOW - the Doobies the way they are supposed to sound - rich, textured and smooth. If you do not own a SACD player - then I still recommend this disc - it is a hybrid with a CD layer that is miles above the other CD's out there and MoFi charges the same price for a CD as it does a SACD anyway. After listening to this one - I also went and purchased Toulouse Street in SACD hybrid.
UPDATE: I found my white label promo vinyl LP and A/B'd the LP & SACD. It it were not for the "crackles/pops between tracks - you would be hard pressed to tell which format you were listening to - GREAT TRANSFER !!!

This my favorite Doobies album. I think this one of the best 10 albums ever made in rock history. The Doobies were at the peak of musical creativity on this one. Every song could have been a hit and many were. The musical style they created was legendary and was displayed at it's best here. China Grove, Long Train Runnin', Natural Thing, and South City Midnight Lady really stand out on this album; but actually every song stands out on this recording. The guitar rythyms of the early Doobies sound just as great today as they did then.

This is a numbered Limited Edition Stereo Hybrid Super Audio CD playable on any CD player. However, to enjoy the superior sound of the Super Audio CD layer of this disk a Super Audio CD player is required (do a search for an OPPO universal player).

This Mobile Fidelity release of one of the best records of the 70's is given their typical gold disk treatment. The sound on the Super Audio layer is superb. By far the best sound ever of this album.

"The Captain and Me" is yet another timeless Doobie Brothers Classic. Marginal Doobies fans will certainly gravitate towards the obvious hits on this album, 'Long Train Runnin,' 'China Grove,' and 'Without You,' but as is the case with the album "What Were Once Vices are Now Habits," many of the other cuts are equally as compelling, if not more.

My favorite on this album, 'Dark-eyed Cajun Woman' is Tom Johnston's definitive rhythm and blues effort, and 'South City Midnight Lady' (another of my favorites) is Pat Simmons at his country-rock finest (what fabulous background harmonies). 'Natural Thing,' 'Ukiah (more fabulous Doobies harmonies),' and the title cut 'The Captain and Me' are also tremendous cuts, as is the slower, melodious 'Clear as the Driven Snow,' sung by Simmons.

As is the case with "Vices," there isn't a bad cut on this album. Anything you could ever want in an album is here - hard-driving rock, country rock, rhythm and blues, balads, guitar riffs, accoustic guitar, soulful harmonies, driving percussion - anything you could ever want.

Compilations just don't do the Johnson-Simmons Doobie Brothers era justice. The only way you can get your fill of the absolute best rock group of all time is to, one-at-a-time, purchase individual albums. And this one is a MUST HAVE.

This is one of the Doobie`s best efforts of all time. I first purchased this "album" when it was first released, wore it out playing it, purchased it again, and then finally purchased it on CD! That`s how much I like it! It is one of those classics that doesn`t have a bad filler song on it. It captures the playing and songwriting ability that Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston both have. It truly is a wonderful CD and comes highly recomended by myself! Give it a listen and you won`t be disappointed! Also, if you get a chance to see them live, by all means do. They sound just as good if not better than in the 70s, offering live performances of all their classics with great deal of energy and proficiency Rock on!

Organic, a little swampy and, at times so balls to the wall flat-out rocking it's unbelievable, The Captain and Me is one of the great mainstream rock albums of the 70s. This was an interesting time for rock bands on Warner Brothers, with their ability to hit AM charts and still hold FM cred, or something like that. "China Grove" was such a massive, irresistable hit and calling card, but "Without You" is a fiercer blast while being nearly as much fun. This is a long player in the best sense, with perfect sequencing and, as they say, no filler. The Doobies underwent a major face lift when Michael McDonald came in, and it really wasn't the same band at all, just a bunch of really good studio pros. But that new band left such an imprint that "The Captain and Me" got lost to time. It is a great, great album and artifact. Highest rating.

The Captain and Me is a giant in the land of classic '70s rock, and I own every version of it since its release in '73 (except for 8 track and cassette), including the Nautilus half-speed mastered LP. When I bought this MFSL version, I was hoping for a significant improvement over the lackluster regular CD issue that I bought back in the '80s and still have.

Unfortunately, the CD layer on this hybrid is very similar to that old standard issue that's still in print today except for a couple of subtle differences: The MFSL is somewhat fuller sounding, or fleshier, but sacrifices some of the imaging found in the standard issue. The fuller sound also adds an unwelcome veil. Obviously, when I bought this, I was hoping for it to lift some of the veils present on my old version, especially on Tom Johnston's vocals.

There's really not much else to say. I'll hang on to it, though, for that day when I get an SACD player. Hopefully, if and when that happens, the SACD layer will make my purchase worthwhile. But even if I never get around to doing that, it'll still be a highly sought after collectible when it goes out of print.