Livin' on the Fault Line

Last updated
Livin' on the Fault Line
The Doobie Brothers - Livin' on the Fault Line.jpg
Studio album by
the Doobie Brothers
ReleasedAugust 19, 1977
Recorded1977 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA, Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA and Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, CA
Genre Pop rock, soft rock, R&B
Length34:26
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Ted Templeman
The Doobie Brothers chronology
Best of The Doobies
(1976)		Livin' on the Fault Line
(1977)		 Minute by Minute
(1978)
Singles from Livin' on the Fault Line
  1. "Little Darling (I Need You)" / "Losin' End"
    Released: July 1977
  2. "Echoes of Love" / "There's a Light"
    Released: September 21, 1977
  3. "Nothin' But a Heartache" / "Livin' on the Fault Line"
    Released: November 9, 1977
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Great Rock Discography 5/10 [3]
Rolling Stone (mixed) [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Livin' on the Fault Line is the seventh studio album by the American rock band the Doobie Brothers. The album was released on August 19, 1977, by Warner Bros. Records. It is one of the few Doobie Brothers albums of the 1970s which did not produce a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (although "You Belong to Me" was a hit as recorded by co-author Carly Simon). Still, the album received modest critical acclaim. Tom Johnston (guitar, vocals) left the band early in the sessions. He is listed as part of the band (appearing in the inside group photo) but appears on little or none of the actual album: he wrote and sang five songs during the sessions for the album, but they were not included on the final release. Much of this consistently mellow album has a jazz tinge, and the influences of R&B are palpable throughout. The track "Little Darling (I Need You)" is a remake of the Marvin Gaye 1966 hit.

Contents

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."You're Made That Way" Michael McDonald, Jeff Baxter, Keith Knudsen Michael McDonald3:30
2."Echoes of Love" Patrick Simmons, Willie Mitchell, Earl RandlePat Simmons2:57
3."Little Darling (I Need You)" Holland–Dozier–Holland McDonald3:24
4."You Belong to Me" Carly Simon, McDonaldMcDonald3:04
5."Livin' on the Fault Line"SimmonsSimmons, McDonald4:42
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
6."Nothin' But a Heartache"McDonaldMcDonald3:05
7."Chinatown"SimmonsSimmons, McDonald4:55
8."There's a Light"McDonaldMcDonald4:12
9."Need a Lady" Tiran Porter Tiran Porter (w/cameos by Simmons, McDonald)3:21
10."Larry the Logger Two-Step"Simmonsinstrumental1:16

Personnel

The Doobie Brothers:

Additional Players:

Production

Charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] 16
Canada (RPM (magazine)) [7] 12
New Zealand (RIANZ) [8] 14
UK (Official Charts) [9] 25
US Top LPs & Tape (Billboard) [10] 10

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References

  1. ↑ Peter Kurtz. "Livin' on the Fault Line - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "The Doobie Brothers". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN   1-84195-312-1.
  4. ↑ John Milward (1977-11-03). "The Doobie Brothers: Livin' On The Fault Line". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  5. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  253. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  6. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 92. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  7. ↑ "RPM Search Engine" (PHP). Library and Archives Canada . March 31, 2004.
  8. ↑ "The Doobie Brothers" (ASP). New Zealand Charts . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Artist Chart History: Doobie Brothers". Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Doobie Brothers Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved October 1, 2021.
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