Album of the Day

The Doobie Brothers have a long string of hit singles to their credit, but dig deeper into their 1970s output and you'll find their albums are pretty strong as well. By the time of STAMPEDE, the NorCal band had perfected an irresistible blend of rock, country and soul; barring the Motown cover “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me),” the 1975 collection is all-original, and tracks like “Sweet Maxine” and “I Cheat the Hangman” show that the group's Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons knew how to write memorable songs. While a pretty rootsy release, there are also some ambitious string arrangements here (Curtis Mayfield provided one) and the playing by the band, and guests including Ry Cooder and Bill Payne, is sublime. STAMPEDE is the first Doobies set to feature Jeff "Skunk" Baxter as a full member – he contributes the instrumental “Précis” - and we'll give the gold-certified album another spin to wish the guitarist a happy birthday.