Customer Reviews

Livin' On the Fault Line

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

Critics seem to always be a little lukewarm about this album. I really don't understand why. It stood head and shoulders above many other albums coming out of the late 70s. This album has a jazzy, laidback r&b feel to it. Just about all of the songs are flawless. "Larry the Logger" & "Need A Lady" are probably the only flawed songs on the album & they aren't that bad.

The title track is a very jazzy sounding song. The breezy "Echoes of Love" was a single that should have been a major hit. Their remake of Marvin Gaye's "Little Darling I Need You" surpasses the original. Even back then, Michael McDonald knew his Motown.

The music on this album has a nice, tight feel to it with great harmonies popping up all over the place. No offense to the Bee Gees or KC & the Sunshine Band, but I feel like the Doobie Bros. with this album and "Minute by Minute" really had the blue eyed soul thing down pat - way beyond what those other groups had ( & the other groups did do some good songs).

If you like smooth jazz, this album will fit very well in your collection. In a way, this album was probably Smooth Jazz before there was even the term.

One caution - to some the album may appear to be just a little too rich & creamy, but you may still want to give it a try, especially if you are a Steely Dan fan.

LIVIN' ON THE FAULT WAS RELEASED BY THE DOOBIE BROTHERS IN 1977 AND WAS ONE OF THE BEST LITE ROCK ALBUMS OF THAT YEAR. I'VE OWNED THIS OVER THE YEARS ON 8 TRACK,CASSETTE,AND NOW CD. THIS WAS THERE SECOND ALBUM WITH MICHAEL MCDONALD. I LOVE THE HIT SINGLES "ECHOES OF LOVE" AND "LITTLE DARLING(I NEED YOU)" AND "YOU BELONG TO ME" WHICH BECAME A BIG HIT FOR CARLY SIMON IN 1978. THE MUSIC IS KEYBOARD DRIVEN AND SMOOTH AND SOLID,WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SHORT COUNTRY ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTAL SONG "LARRY THE LOGGER TWO STEP" WHICH SEEMS TO BE AN ALBUM FILLER SONG AT THE END OF THE CD.

The Japanese imports of the Doobie catalog are remastered.

Warner Brothers here in the U.S. is still selling the old LP-EQ'd, terrible-sounding masters they released on CD in 1990.

If you love these albums, get a set of the Japanese editions. They cost more, but they're worth it.

Here is the link to the Japanese remaster of Livin' on the Fault Line.

The best West Coast sound ever, if you ask me.
I think I know about every note on this album. I went through three lp copies before cd's came out. Then I bought the first Warner cd. Flat!
But now it is here, the cover beautifully reproduced, just as it came out (well, smaller..), the embossed cover sleeve, the color photography inside, it's all there.

But what of course hit me most: the music. Fabulously remastered like it should have been done right from the start. Snares cutting, bass humming and popping, guitars sliding and picking, vocals soothing and yearning, keys oooh

The band? Needs no explaining I think.
But here we go anyhow. The Doobie Brothers were a great band from the start, their West Coast Rock and Roll sound unique in its own way. Their biggest hit Listen to the Music is probably in everybody's mind.
But with the addition of Michael McDonald on keys on their previous album Takin' it to the Streets the group got jazzier, and the r&b influences got stronger.
Here, again produced by Ted Templeman, the band grows into perfection. The Doobie Brothers had created their own special blend: genious!
The playing is so tight (with two drummers), the song writing top notch, with every single member hitting his peak. Michael's voice fits perfectly to the new sound. But of course Pat Simmons is fantastic too, as are the others. Guitars? Check out 'Skunk' Baxter!

The Band:
Pat Simmons guitars and vocals
Michael McDonald keys and vocals
Jeff Baxter guitars
Tom Johnston guitars and vocals
Tiran Porter bass and vocals
Keith Knudson drums and vocals
John Hartman drums

Guests:
Bobby LaKind congas and vocals
Dan Armstrong electric guitar
Norton Buffalo harmonica
Victor Feldman vibes
Rosemary Butler and Maureen McDonald backing vocals

The songs:
You're Made That Way
Echoes of Love
Little Darling (I Need You)
You Belong to Me
Livin' on the Fault Line
Nothin' But a Heartache
Chinatown
There's a Light
Need a Lady
Larry the Logger Two Step

As you probably know they went to super stardom with their next album Minute by Minute which had What a Fool Believes. It is of course a marvel in its own right. But if you ask me, I'll stick to this one as a first choice (after which you should get them all...). Its marvelous blend of Jazz, R&B, Rock and Roll and more never shone brighter under the Californian sun.

One more thing: take a look at the great cover photography and the marvelous idea behind creating a different image through the music

Livin' On The Fault Line was the first Doobie Brothers album in which Michael McDonald took control of the band's sound. Their prior effort, Takin' It To The Streets, mixed the old rock sound of the band with Mr. McDonald's pop-soul leanings. This album is almost exclusively in the pop-soul vein. There are some excellent efforts, especially "Echoes Of Love". This is a hidden gem which ironically finds founding member Patrick Simmons embracing the new sound. "You Belong To Me" is another strong song Mr. McDonald wrote with Carly Simon (who would score a top ten hit with it). "Chinatown" and another Motown cover "Little Darling (I Need)" are good, but the rest of the album is a subpar effort from a group dealing with a new musical vision.

This is not my favorite Doobies album but it is still very good and is another example of how versatile the group really was in their '70s heyday. It is much more laid back than any of the other albums they did with it's R&B, jazz and softer rock riffs. Michael McDonald shines. Highlights include 'Echoes of Love', 'Little Darling (I Need You)' and 'You Belong To Me'.

Released in 1977, this is the second Doobies album which featured St Louis born & bred Michael McDonald at the forefront. Althought not one of the most popular Doobie Brothers releases it is certainly one of the best, more so than it's follow-up Minute by Minute Produced Ted Templeman (Van Halen) & engineered by Don Landee, this record showcases the blue-eyed soul of McDonald also know as the voice to industry insiders during the late 70's and well into the 80's. It also marks a shift in the musical direction of the band with the addition of McDonald into the lineup first evident with the release of Taking it to the Streets a year earlier. The writing was on the wall, although group founder Tom Johnson name appeares in the credits, there is no evidence of his signature guitar riffing so prevolent on previous Doobie releases. This is one of only the setbacks of the record which only clocks in @ just over 35 minutes playing time. Johnson simply took his contributions to the record and left.

Faced with the dillema of replacing Johnson for the upcoming sessions, Producer Ted Templeman brought in session man extrodinare Jeff skunk Baxter of Steely Dan fame to round out the ensamble. This proved to be a stroke of brillance as the textured style of Baxter proved to be the key transition between the heavy guitar riffing of earlier Doobie recordings, to the more jazzier & pop structured sonwriting of McDonald.

From an production standpoint, this record is one of the best ever recorded. Every instrument stands out with prestine clarity, the arrangements are top notch, & the musicianship outstanding. Upon listing to it some 30 years later, it's hard to believe that there were no top 10 hits off this release with the exception of You Belong To Me penned by McDonald & Carly Simon which reached the top 20. Your Made That Way, Echos of Love & the cover of Little Darling(I Need You) are all outstanding & still hold validity, even decades later. Chinatown showcases the guitar prowess of Baxter & I have to admit that I also enjoy the sitar on Tiran Porter's contribution Need A Lady.

It's a shame that this record never got the acolades it deserved, but if you are just discovering The Doobie Brothers, this album should be one in your catalog.

Livin on the Fault line was the album that said to me, this is no longer Tom Johnston or Patrick Simmons band. It is Micheal McDonalds. His songs were the hits, he steered the ship now. I think all great bands change and evolve. McDonalds Steely Dan training was pushing him to try the jazz fused pop that Livin on the Fault line gave us. I personally liked the album. Highlights are Echos of Love and Your made that way. There is an excellent instrumental called Chinatown. If all you know of the Doobs is China Grove, Black Water, and Listen to the Music, you owe it to your self to check this one out.

I read a lukewarm review of Living On The Fault Line where the reviewer described the sound of the album as MOR&B - Middle of the Road/Rhythm and Blues. Maybe so, but that sound is perfected on this album! I listen to punk, jazz and everything in between, and this is one of my favorite albums of all time. It is the Michael McDonald show, but there are also interesting instrumental flourishes by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and the other band members on many of the tracks.