One Step Closer

Doobie Brothers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 25, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LPR
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,639 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Limited Edition European pressing of this album comes house in a miniature LP sleeve. WEA. 2006.. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One Step Back, April 16, 2002

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Step Closer (Audio CD)

1980's One Step Closer ended the Michael McDonald era of the band. Following the monster success of Minute By Minute, Mr. McDonald took creative control of the band on this release. The album is essentially a solo album for him. One Step Closer isn't a bad album, it just isn't anywhere as good as the previous effort. "Real Love" is a brilliant song and is as good as anything the band has ever done. The song was a top ten hit (peaking at number 5) and nothing else on the album compares to it. After a final tour, the band broke up and went their separate ways. They reunited in 1989 (sans Mr. McDonald) for the Cycles album.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compulsively listenable, arresting groove music, November 10, 2004

By 

Dave "missing person" (United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: One Step Closer (Audio CD)

How anyone could find The Doobie Brothers' 1980 album "One Step Closer" a disappointment is really quite surprising to me (although nothing really surprises me anymore). Granted, the group did disband not too long after this release and supposedly they themselves aren't too crazy about this record, but it's one of those cases to which I say, "You could have fooled me."

It's true that, to a large extent, they're treading familiar territory here, both stylistically and sonically, with basically the entire album having a 'jazzy' soft rock sound that screams out "late 70s"/"early '80s". However, "Takin' It To The Streets" and "Livin' On The Fault Line" are each much less consistent as albums than "One Step Closer". This album shows that you can make music that is very relaxed without being dull--the lush sound, the sophisticated creativity and catchiness of the compositions, and the spirited performances make for an album that is compulsively listenable and for the most part immensely satisfying. Certainly it's very professional, and there are a bunch of different people who contributed to the songwriting (each track features a different songwriting battery), but it's unfair and inaccurate to say that the album is uninspired or that it is merely workmanlike. "Real Love" is a dramatic song about the toll empty relationships can take on people, and it features one of Michael McDonald's classic soulful vocal performances. The late Cornelius Bumpus, who had joined the band by this point, sounds great as well--he shares the lead vocals with McDonald on the title track, and gets in a solo composition with the superb "Thank You Love" which mixes wondrous, contemplative music with feel-good lyrics and is additionally punctuated by some great vibraphone and a heavenly background vocal arrangement. McDonald & Patrick Simmons both offer one solo composition apiece with "Keep This Train A-Rollin'" and "Just In Time" respectively (with Simmons doing a highly amusing Steven Tyler soundalike at 1:23 on the latter), and both are funky, hook-filled tunes that are impossible to resist. Also irresistible is the ingeniously crafted and infectious "Dedicate This Heart", which is sort of an upbeat, bouncier variation on "Real Love". The feel-good title track is admittedly a tad sugary, but it's so undeniably catchy it's impossible not to be forgiving.

All in all, not a lot to complain about. With the intricate detail that's packed into track after track, the album is simply brimming with catchiness and sophistication. This is the kind of music that really holds up to repeated listenings, to the point where the last two tracks, which even I used to think were a bit filler-ish, now reveal themselves to me as great tracks--the instrumental "South Bay Strut" is simply groovy, and "One By One" is typically catchy and a classy way to close the album with Simmons taking lead vocals on the verses and McDonald's vocals prominently featured on the choruses.

Chalk up another great production job for Ted Templeman who produced many records by Warner Bros. artists during this time, including Nicolette Larson who appears on this album as a background vocalist. If you're into 'jazzy' soft rock of this era such as Steely Dan, George Benson, and Grover Washington Jr., you can't go wrong with this great, timeless album by The Doobie Brothers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Smooth Lite Rock, February 21, 2005

By 

Mike S (Front Royal,Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Step Closer (Audio CD)

This was another great smooth mellow cd from the Michael McDonald led era of the Doobie Brothers. This album was released in the fall of 1980. The hit single "Real Love" is one of there best songs ever in my opinion. The second hit single was "One Step Closer" with Cornelius Bumpus and McDonald sharing the lead vocals. The instrumental song "South Bay Strut" and McDonald's "Dedicate This Heart" and "Keep This Train Rollin" are also standout songs. The whole cd is pretty good lite rock. There is more saxophone on this cd with the addition of Cornelius Bumpus to the band. This was also the Doobies first album with John McFee on guitar replacing Jeff Skunk Baxter and Chet McCracken on drums,replacing John Hartman.