The Doobie Brothers - Rockin Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert
It's a Doobie delight as members of the veteran group's different eras convene forRockin' Down the Highway, a 20-song concert recorded in '96 mainly in New York. The show features all three of the band's principal singer-writers: guitarist Tom Johnston, who fronted the early, hard-rocking hits like "Listen to the Music," "China Grove," and "Long Train Running" (all performed here, of course, to rapturous audience response); keyboardist Michael McDonald, who replaced Johnston in the mid-'70s and whose superb voice and blue-eyed soul influence resulted in perhaps their finest single hit, "What a Fool Believes" (included here as part of a segment recorded in Nashville); and guitarist Patrick Simmons, who provided a more folkie-acoustic influence (à la "Black Water") and spanned both the Johnston and McDonald eras. The Doobie Brothers' harmony singing is spot-on, the playing is righteous, the band rocks, there's plenty of interview material between songs (and a music-only option for those who prefer to get right to the point)... and to top it off, some of the proceeds of which go the Wildlife Conservation Society. So what's not to like?--Sam Graham