For all intents and purposes, Toulouse Street functions as the Doobie Brothers’ debut. Though it released a self-titled effort in 1971, the band admitted the latter album was rushed and reflected the results of a group that had barely spent any time together. unfolded amid far more favorable circumstances. Overflowing with feel-good vibes, it also touted key lineup changes that proved crucial to the band’s success. And it’s how most listeners discovered Tom Johnston and Co., setting the stage for a dominant run during the Seventies that ultimately led to the Doobie Brothers’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Sourced from the original analogue master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP of Toulouse Street offers the 1972 set in definitive sound. Given the luxurious room of a 45RPM version for the first time and benefiting from the wider grooves, the music benefits from extraordinary soundstages, ultra-quiet backgrounds, vivid dynamics, and incredible imaging. Ted Templeman’s excellent production shines like never before.
Fresh from ironing out the kinks on the group’s debut, vocalist-guitarists Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston showcase a songwriting depth that elevated the Doobie Brothers into the upper echelon of their era’s crowded Southern rock/country-rock field. Two massive singles and platinum certification served as proof, as did rave reviews by the likes of tastemakers such as Rolling Stone. Unimaginative comparisons to Eagles, Little Feat, and Three Dogs Night aside, the Doobie Brothers firmly establish their own distinctive style on Toulouse Street.
Drawing on folk, R&B, and gospel disciplines, and marrying them as needed with a foundation of catchy Southern-reared blues, rock, and country, the collective turns in 10 tunes that grab you and refuse to let go. The energetic, wind-in-your-hair, top-down highway ride of the two tracks that open Toulouse Street — “Listen to the Music” and “Rockin’ Down the Highway” — set both the musical and narrative tone that carries throughout the album. Acoustically strummed guitars; back-porch vocals; jangling chords; purring bass lines; a bit of bar-band riffing; high harmonies: They invite you to sink into the grooves as if they were a comfortable sofa.
