THE DOOBIE BROTHERS Toulouse Street (Original Master Recording limited edition 10-track double album 2-LP a Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab release mastered by Krieg Wunderlich on the Gain 2 Ultra Analog System specially plated andpressed on180-gram High Definition Vinyl cut at 45RPM. A pivotal title in the Doobie Brothers ascent Toulouse Street contains several of their most enduring songs - including the expansive Listen to the Music the driving Rockin Down the Highway and the gospel-infused Jesus Is Just Alright - all presented here with heightened realism and space. The album benefits from ultra-quiet surfaces and vivid dynamics allowing Ted Templemans production to shine with exceptional detail and warmth. The interplay of the bands dual-drummer line-up Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons songwriting and the rich blend of folk R&B gospel country-rock and blues emerges with striking definition. Housed inisde a deluxe gatefold picture sleeve with original cover artwork gold-foil numbered and factory sealed. Recommended) Track Listing: Experience the 1972 Album in Definitive Sound: Mobile Fidelity’s Numbered-Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Features Extraordinary Soundstages Vivid Dynamics and Natural Airy Openness 1/4” / 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe 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. Toulouse Street 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 analog 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. Open airy and organic: Toulouse Street epitomizes why countless music lovers swear allegiance to 70s recordings. Facets that help make the album so welcoming — voices that naturally rise and fall notes that properly carry and decay bass lines you can trace from beginning to end well-placed percussive accents warm tones well-defined separation between the players — come across on this collectible reissue with involving presence balance and realism. Everything sounds crisp and clear. Nothing is overdone or out of place. No wonder Templeman’s work earned him a promotion to staff producer at Warner Bros. With all due respect to Templeton’s contributions the Doobie Brothers are really who make Toulouse Street cook. They deserve the highest praise for performing a batch of songs that more than five decades since their debut have lost none of their charm. The arrival of bassist Tiran Porter and second drummer Michael Hossack gave the band a formidable rhythm section (and two-drummer configuration) whose innate chemistry groove and flow are evident throughout Toulouse Street — and which would form the backbone of the Doobie Brothers for subsequent years. 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. The Doobie Brothers further showcase their knack for hybrid combinations on the soft island reggae