The Doobie Brothers - Livin' On The Fault Line album flac

Michael McDonald’s joke on the world …Livin’ On The Fault Line is quite a prophetic album title for this very musically corporate album, the second release from the second incarnation of the Doobie Brothers and the last that would ever find its way into my collection. Matter of fact, I held it in my hands just yesterday and looking at the slickness of the album jacket, I couldn’t remember even a single song from this release.Founding member Tom Johnston had left the band early on during these sessions, meaning the Doobie’s writing style did manage to fall off the fault line, where Michael McDonald again thought that he needed to feature his vocal skills over anything else, with yet another Holland, Dozier and Holland Motown classic originally sung by Marvin Gaye, this time laying out “Little Darling,” that while good, came as no surprise, signaling a palpable sea-change for the band, a jazzed tinged themed album of mellowness laced with R&B influences.Others will imply that this album which spawned no hit singles is the most well developed and considered Doobie Brothers album of all time, though what should one expect with Baxter and McDonald, both late of Steely Dan stepping in at the helm to guide the process. Even so, there’s a haunting sense of sadness, perhaps melancholy drifting around the edges of this record that seemed to have no defining moments or direction. Gone is the guitar oriented rock of previous releases, in was Michael McDonald as some sort of Miami Vice sex symbol, with the new sophisticated sound was entirely radio friendly. And the worst part, McDonald played this record for a friend who’s judgment he trusted, who said, “All the tunes have merit, though I don’t know if they hang together as a record,” then McDonald continues by saying that his friend finished with the line “This is a piece of shit, Michael!” Where I’m sure they both did a couple lines of coke, laughed and released this lackluster adult contemporary manifestation on the world anyway, prompting me to note that by 1977, there seemed to be no credibility left in the music world, where even music rags would find ways to imply that the record might not be so good, all while praising it at the same time, where they might have well simply said nothing. Of course McDonald has conceded this point saying, “Fault Line was a classic case of ... it was me, not them. Over the years I’ve learned that I get a certain thing in my head, and it becomes my worst enemy at that point.” Well, the point is, if you’re listening, Mr. McDonald, you hoisted this joke on the world knowing it was bad, you toured behind the album knowing it was bad, you accepted praise from DJ’s knowing the record was bad, just tell me I’m right, the record business is a business, where there’s no room for credibility.So, as to the album’s title Livin’ On The Fault Line, earthquakes don’t just happen, instead they are caused by things beyond our sight, things going on well below the surface. Seems the band knew the album was a shattering mistake when they named it.*** The Fun Facts: Oddly enough, this was the second album to feature or imply an earthquake by the Doobies, The Captain & Me also feature a California over pass brought down by an earthquake.The building featured on the cover was inspired by the original movie Planet Of The Apes and replacing the Statue of Liberty, is known as the Transamerica Pyramid, located at 600 Montgomery Street in the Financial District of San Francisco, California, and while it is an earthquake-proof building, that won’t prevent it from sinking into the ocean.

If you like Michael McDonald, this is the Doobie album for you.