More of The Doobie Brothers
This White Label Promo copy of the Doobie Brothers’ first album has SURPRISINGLY GOOD SOUND. It’s noticeably richer and sweeter than other copies I have played. It also doesn’t get congested in the loud vocal passages the way other copies do. I wouldn’t expect to find another one that sounds better, based on my admittedly limited experience with this album.
“This is a debut record that has been overlooked by critics and fans alike despite cuts like “Greenwood Creek” and “Nobody.” As the Allmusic guide says, “This subdued slice of country boogie might be called the missing link between Moby Grape and the later, revved-up Doobies of Listen to the Music… it lays the blueprint for the Doobies’ future radio-friendly sound: chugging rhythm guitar, stretched-out harmonies, Tom Johnston’s joyful R&B vocals, and Patrick Simmons’ acoustic picking.”
Nobody
Slippery St. Paul
Greenwood Creek
It Won’t Be Right
Travelin’ Man
Feelin’ Down Farther
The Master
Growin’ a Little Each Day
The Beehive State
Closer Every Day
Chicago
This is an Older Review.
Most of the older reviews you see are for records that did not go through the shootout process, the revolutionary approach to finding better sounding pressings we developed in the early 2000s and have since turned into a fine art.
We found the records you see in these older listings by cleaning and playing a pressing or two of the album, which we then described and priced based on how good the sound and surfaces were. (For out Hot Stamper listings, the Sonic Grades and Vinyl Playgrades are listed separately.)
We were often wrong back in those days, something we have no reason to hide. Audio equipment and record cleaning technologies have come a long way since those darker days, a subject we discuss here.
Currently, 99% (or more!) of the records we sell are cleaned, then auditioned under rigorously controlled conditions, up against a number of other pressings. We award them sonic grades, and then condition check them for surface noise.
As you may imagine, this approach requires a great deal of time, effort and skill, which is why we currently have a highly trained staff of about ten. No individual or business without the aid of such a committed group could possibly dig as deep into the sound of records as we have, and it is unlikely that anyone besides us could ever come along to do the kind of work we do.
The term “Hot Stampers” gets thrown around a lot these days, but to us it means only one thing: a record that has been through the shootout process and found to be of exceptionally high quality.
The result of our labor is the hundreds of titles seen here, every one of which is unique and guaranteed to be the best sounding copy of the album you have ever heard or you get your money back.
Helpful Advice on Cleaning Your Records
Helpful Advice on Doing Your Own Shootouts
What We’ve Learned from Record Experiments