The band The Doobie Brothers called the true “powerhouse” of the 1970s
In the sun-tinted haze of 1970s California, The Doobie Brothers emerged with distinctive vocal harmonies, fuzzed guitars and roots in a country-toned Americana.
With backing from none other than the Hells Angels, who secured the fledgling band one of their first steady gigs performing at the Chateau Liberté, one of their frequent haunts in the mountains of Santa Cruz, The Doobie Brothers were instantly different from the many country-rock and folk bands that permeated the era. Reflective of their most fervent fans, they initially wore leather jackets on stage and endorsed motorcycles.
Their self-titled debut album, released in April 1971, contrasted this with a leaning into acoustic, country-inspired instrumentals. They even entertained the notion of adding a second drummer, amplifying John Hartman’s percussion during some of their live shows by including drummer Michael Hosssack, who later became a full-time member; their joint efforts came to define the band’s sound.
With an early hit in 1972’s ‘Listen to the Music’, a song imagining an idealistic utopia set to an irresistibly upbeat chord structure, The Doobie Brothers would elevate their powers with the unexpected inclusion of Steely Dan’s backing vocalist, Michael McDonald. Tom Johnston, The Doobie Brothers’ primary singer-songwriter, had been suffering from severe health issues and, obligated to complete another album in 1976, McDonald stepped in and permanently reinvented the band’s sound.
In this new iteration, The Doobie Brothers strayed slightly from their electric sound and opted for a softer tone, complete with eccentric rhythms and harmonies. Even as they initially split in 1982 and reconvened numerous times, with various lineups, in the years since, The Doobie Brothers’ inarguably defined much of the soul of the ‘70s.
Debuting a new album, Walk This Road, this summer, a rejuvenated Tom Johnston (who rejoined The Doobie Brothers last year) reflected on the music that has shaped him for Spin, naming Long Island’s heavy metal pioneers Mountain as a “powerhouse” of their time. “I remember when they came out, which was in the ’70s,” Johnston reflects. “‘Mississippi Queen’ was just everywhere”.
Mountain’s 1970 hit is lauded as one of the heaviest songs of all time, a tale of an enchanting woman initially fashioned from the imagination of drummer Corky Laing, soundtracked by a riff that harnesses every ounce of Southern rock ‘n’ roll that Mountain could muster.
“Corky Laing back there, banging on the cowbell,” Johnston continued, referencing Mountain’s signature instrument. “I never heard anybody playing drums quite that aggressively before. Maybe aggressively is the wrong word, but it’s just powerful. This is all about power.” Mountain burned bright in their early years, with co-vocalist and guitarist Leslie West going solo from his former band, the Vagrants, in 1969. Inspired by Cream and the guitar stylings of Eric Clapton, West radically changed his instrumentation and recruited Cream’s producer, Felix Pappalardi, to be a co-vocalist and bassist, and to further hone his new project’s sound.
With keyboardist Steve Knight and drummer ND Smart, Mountain played their third live gig for the thousands flooding the Woodstock Festival in 1969. When Laing replaced Smart in 1970, Mountain elevated to an inimitable force, only to suddenly disband two years later. Like The Doobie Brothers, Mountain continued to occasionally reunite with a rotating lineup until West’s passing in 2020.
“They were a good band,” Johnston surmised, while lamenting his missed opportunities to see Laing in action. “I never got to see him live, which is a regret of mine,” he admits. “I would love to have seen him live, and I didn’t get to do it.” Johnston also praises West, stating, “[I’m] a big fan,” and shares his love of Pappalardi, who he calls “a great producer as well as bass player and singer and everything else”.
“As a unit, they were flipping amazing,” Johnston concluded. “They were a powerhouse.”
