Customer Reviews

Toulouse Street

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With the addition of bassist Tiran Porter, the Doobies revealed a newer, fuller sound on this, their second LP. Even 30 years later "Toulouse Street" has lost none of it's original charm and the transition to CD has served the music well. Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and Co. wrote and recorded a batch of catchy, brilliantly performed songs that were instantly tighter and more memorable than their debut, this is the sound of an actual BAND. The musical chemistry here is astonishing and for fans who only know the band for it's hits "Listen To The Music", "Rockin' Down The Highway" etc., the gentler, laid back vibe of the acoustic, folk-tinged numbers here will surprise many listeners. The title cut and "Snakeman" are of special note. This was a well deserved hit and still sounds remarkably fresh 3 decades later. This, along with 1973's "The Captain And Me" are two masterful albums that assure this band's place in music history.

Toulouse Street finds the Doobie Brothers expanding from a quartet to a quintet by adding bassist Tiran Porter. After their self-titled debut disappeared off the charts without a trace, the band became alot more pop conscious with their second album. The album's first track, "Listen To The Music" is pure AM Gold. Instantly hummable, with a memorable opening guitar riff, the song climbed to number 11 on the charts and started an impressive run for the band in the 70's. The second track, "Rockin' Down The Highway" has a harder edge, but it too is extremely catchy. The album's other big track was their cover of "Jesus Is Just Alright" which is one of their strongest tracks. Besides the big hits, the album offers up some other interesting and strong songs. "Mamaloi" has a reggae vibe and "Cottonmouth" is more in line with the blues based sounds of their first release. The title track is a beautiful, folksy song and the album's closer, "Snake Man" is an especially strong track. The album's original gatefold sleeve is infamous for the inside photo shows the band cuddled up to naked women who are intended to represent the ladies of the night from the street the album's title is inspired by.

There's some debate on this but it appears that this uses the same Lee Herschberg CD masters (which sounded extremely good) as the original CDs but slightly louder. The band's second album finally delivered a hit and gave them the audience they deserved. "Listen to the Music" was the big hit from the album (although there were others such as "Rockin' Down the Highway" and the gospel standard "Jesus is Just Alright" adapted for the band's sound)and we get the unabridged, longer version here. While fans will find the highlights of this album on the Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000collection, there are some terrific cuts here that didn't make that anthology.

The packaging replicates the original gatefold sleeve of the album. Although there is no booklet included (there wasn't with the original either), we get a replica of the original inner sleeve that housed the vinyl release as well. The only drawback here is that there is no plastic sleeve to put the CD in and product it from scratching.

Personally, I would have liked some outtakes but since this is a replica of the original release the fact that they didn't include them is no surprise. There are outtakes available on "Long Train Runnin'".

This album along with "The Captain and Me" and "Stampede" features the Tom Johnston led version of the band at their peak. Those two albums along with "Toulouse Street" are the core Doobie albums with Johnston as leader. After that, I'd suggest What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.

I'm also a fan of the Michael McDonald led era even though the band's sound changed substanially from blues-rock to blue-eyed soul with a dash of Steely Danish jazz thrown in for good measure. From the McDonald era the albums Takin' It to the Streets, Livin on the Fault Lineand Minute by Minute(the best sounding version of the album mastered by Steve Hoffman)are all terrific albums. I'd also suggest checking out Johnston's two solo albums which, although a bit inconsistent, feature his rough-edged vocals and some sharp songwriting on the best tracks.

This is a comparison of the MFSL SACD and the excellent Rhino CD remaster of a few years back. I was not able to A/B the two discs, so I had to make the comparison by switching discs and listening to segments of individual tracks. In my opinion, the SACD sounds a tad smoother in the high end and midrange and has slightly tighter bass. The differences are more noticeable on louder passages...perhaps the CD employs a wee bit more compression? The differences between the two are not dramatic which is more of a compliment to the earlier Rhino remastered CD rather than any criticism of this wonderful SACD. Oh, but how I wish they would have redone this one in 5.1!

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 Toulouse Street.

In the early stages of their career, the Doobies improved significantly with each album. They improved as musicians, as songwriters and as arrangers. Even the production quality improved. So TOULOUSE STREET is a better album than their eponymous '71 debut, and in turn THE CAPTAIN & ME is a better album than TOULOUSE STREET. With THE CAPTAIN & MEs, the Doobies hit a sustained peak which lasted until at least '78's MINUTE BY MINUTE.

But there are some great tracks on this album, particularly 'Listen to the Music' and 'Jesus is Just All Right'. 'Listen to the Music' didn't chart in the UK until the Doobies arrived on British soil in the autumn of '73, by which time THE CAPTAIN & ME had been released. (Many confused record-buyers bought THE CAPTAIN expecting to find that classic single on it.)

But there is much to love about this CD, in particular the trademark Doobie harmonies, dual-drummer sound and intertwined guitars. The drums and acoustic guitars come out particularly well in Lee Herschberg's skillful remastering, though Tom Johnston's voice still sounds several feet away from the mike at times. 'Toulouse Street' is particularly loved by those who bought it on its release, because it was so different from the rest of the West Coast music -- it sounded tighter than Jefferson Airplane or David Crosby, and you really didn't need to take any drugs to appreicate it to the full. The only problem with this album for new fans working their way back through the Doobies' catalogue is that, as I said, the band got better with each release.

Toulouse Street, the Doobie Brothers' second album, ranks among their best (along with The Captain and Me). Showcasing a range of styles including, apart from the obvious rockers, some phenomenally sensitive readings (Toulouse Street, White Sun), this album is a classic '70s work.

This SACD is beautifully mastered and sounds superb. If you don't have an SACD player, its CD layer allows it to be played on your existing gear.

The Doobies second album found the band finding their "sound" with a confident swagger previously not seen on their fine debut. The Mo-fi gold edition of the album on CD sounds warmer with better depth to the recording compared even to the recent Japanese remaster (which also comes in a replica of the original gatefold sleeve). Make no mistake, this isn't like a night and day difference but it's subtle; you may not recognize a huge difference unless you're listening to this on a nice stereo system or an SACD player. Nevertheless, this IS the best version I've heard of the album in a digital format.

The sound? It's marvelous. The remaster has a nice, warm tone, depth and nice dynamic range. In other words, it's about as close to perfect as I've heard this album.

I'm a bit perplexed though as some of Mo-fi's releases come with a booklet (even if it is only four pages for example the "Marshall Crenshaw" reissue on Mo-fi came with a small booklet)and this one doesn't (neither did the Mo-fi for Linda Ronstandt's "Don't Cry Now". I kind of like the booklets myself because I usually put these into CD cases to protect them from wear and tear.

Either way, "Toulouse Street" sounds terrific. A must buy for fans of The Doobie Brothers.

I just received the MFSL SACD and compared several tracks to this Rhino remaster. While the SACD does sound a tad smoother, I am extremely impressed with the sound quality of this CD. If you do not have an SACD player or don't want to spend extra for the SACD, you cannot go wrong with this excellent remaster. (Note: The CD that I am comparing the SACD to is the 2006 Rhino/WEA remaster import $18.95 list.)

Overall, a very strong showing for this band, even 35 years later after its initial release. Ton Johnston and Patrick Simmons, guitarists for this band, are standouts throughout, however the one actually overlooked track on this cd is "DISCIPLE." With a twin guitar attack, biting vocals, and wild twin drummer syncopatic displays, this one song should convert any true guitar rock fan into the "Doobie Brothers" camp. After this 6 plus minute display of guitar/drum histrionics; the next song " Snake Man", is a eye opening acoustic foray into early - sounding Chicago blues with a Doobies' West Coast feel. A 4 star was given to this cd ony because of the strange sounding song "cotton mouth", which just seems out of place on this record. Still, a "must buy" for any rock guitar fan.