The Captain and Me
The Captain and Me | ||||
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North Hollywood, California | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:53 | |||
Warner Bros. | ||||
Producer | Ted Templeman | |||
The Doobie Brothers chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Captain and Me | ||||
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Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The Great Rock Discography | 7/10[3] |
MusicHound Rock | 2.5/5[citation needed] |
Record Collector | [4] |
Rolling Stone | (favorable)[5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
The Captain and Me is the third
It was voted number 835 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[7]
Recording and content
There was pressure on the band to move quickly and to save time they began reworking old tunes.[8] One of Tom Johnston's songs, "Osborn", had been an improvisational piece that the band played live. After laying down the track, according to producer Ted Templeman, "We still really didn't have it, and I said, 'Make it about a train, since you have this thing about 'Miss Lucy down along the track.' So he came up with "Long Train Runnin'."
"Dark Eyed Cajun Woman" was a bluesy track (one of the band's earliest) and seen by Johnston as a tribute to the blues and
"Clear as the Driven Snow", according to Johnston, is a warning about recreational chemical abuse, which reflected the band members' lifestyles at that time.[9]
The second side of the album opens with the rocker "Without You". This song, like many others, had begun as a jam. "That song had both drummers playing at the same time," Johnston stated. "It was kind of a tribute to The Who. We did it in concert for quite a while."
Patrick Simmons' short solo guitar piece "Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners" is followed by "Ukiah", which Johnston wrote in tribute to the area. Johnston said, "We played a few shows in Ukiah, and I used to camp out a lot in the area when I was going to college." The song's back-to-the-land sentiments also reflected some of his feelings at the time, although he admitted he probably couldn't make it as a farmer. This track segues into the album closer and title track, "The Captain and Me". According to Johnston, the captain is no one in particular and the lyrics were written at the last minute and have no real meaning. The song was released as a single in the Netherlands and received some airplay there. Ron Blomberg recalled he and Yankee captain Thurman Munson liking the song for its positive message "about people coming together to change things for the better," describing the song as having "pretty cosmic" words, and named his book about Munson after this song.[10]
Surround releases
The album was originally released in Quadraphonic sound on the CD-4 Quadradisc system and also on Quadraphonic 8-track tape. The album was also released in 2002 remixed into 5.1 multichannel
Artwork
The artwork found on the front and back of the album features the band, including manager Bruce Cohn, dressed in 19th century western garments and riding a horse-drawn
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Natural Thing" | Tom Johnston | Tom Johnston | 3:17 |
2. | "Long Train Runnin'" | Johnston | Johnston | 3:25 |
3. | "China Grove" | Johnston | Johnston | 3:14 |
4. | "Dark Eyed Cajun Woman" | Johnston | Johnston | 4:12 |
5. | "Clear as the Driven Snow" | Patrick Simmons | Pat Simmons | 5:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "Without You" | John Hartman, Michael Hossack, Johnston, Tiran Porter, Simmons[nb 1] | Johnston, Simmons | 4:58 |
7. | "South City Midnight Lady" | Simmons | Simmons | 5:27 |
8. | "Evil Woman" | Simmons[nb 2] | Simmons | 3:17 |
9. | "Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners" | James Earl Luft | Instrumental | 0:48 |
10. | "Ukiah" | Johnston | Johnston | 3:04 |
11. | "The Captain and Me" | Johnston | Johnston | 4:53 |
Personnel
The Doobie Brothers:
- ARP synthesizer, lead and backing vocals
- Patrick Simmons – acoustic and electric guitars, ARP synthesizer, banjo on "The Captain and Me", lead and backing vocals
- Tiran Porter – bass, backing vocals
- John Hartman – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- congas, timbales
Additional players:
- Bill Payne – piano on "China Grove", "South City Midnight Lady" and "Ukiah", organ on "Without You", electric piano on "Dark Eyed Cajun Woman"[13]
- Jeffrey 'Skunk' Baxter – pedal steel guitar on "South City Midnight Lady"
- Ted Templeman – percussion, backing vocals on "Without You"[14]
- Nick DeCaro – string arrangements on "Dark Eyed Cajun Woman", "South City Midnight Lady" and "Evil Woman"
- ARP synthesizerprogramming on "Natural Thing", "Clear as the Driven Snow", "South City Midnight Lady" and "Ukiah"
Production
- Producer: Ted Templeman
- Production Coordination: Benita Brazier
- Engineer: Donn Landee
- Design: John Casado, Barbara Casado
- Photography: Michael Maggid, Jill Maggid
- Art Direction: Ed Thrasher
Charts
Chart (1973–74) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (RPM)[15] | 10 |
New Zealand ( RIANZ)[16]
|
12 |
US (Billboard 200)[17] | 7 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[18] | Gold | 20,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Bruce Eder. "The Captain and Me - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
- ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
- ^ Paul Rigby. "The Captain & Me - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^ Bud Scoppa (1973-05-10). "The Doobie Brothers: The Captain & Me". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- ^ Leviton, Mark. "The Doobie Brothers' 'The Captain and Me': Polishing a Diamond" (REVIEWS: ALBUM REWINDS). The Doobie Brothers. BEST CLASSIC BANDS. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Old Black Water Keep on Rollin': 30 Years of the Doobie Brothers". Long Train Runnin': The Doobie Brothers 1970–2000 (CD Booklet). Warner Bros. Records. 1999. p. 20. 75876.
- ISBN 9781629378541.
- ^ dvdtalk.com review of The Doobie Brothers’ The Captain and Me DVD-Audio
- ^ (in Japanese) Warner Premium Sound 14 September releases Archived 2011-08-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ "The Captain and Me by The Doobie Brothers". Classic Rock Review. February 21, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ISBN 978-1770414839.
- ^ "RPM Search Engine" (PHP). Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004.
- New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ "The Doobie Brothers Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Cash Box. February 28, 1974. p. 51. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.
Notes
- ^ The album package credits this song to "The Doobie Brothers" rather than to the individual band members. This group credit is also used for the song on Best of The Doobies even though the band's lineup had changed by that time. The live album Rockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert credits the song to Johnston only.
- ^ Early LP copies credit this song to "The Doobie Brothers." This is corrected on later copies of the album.