#5 Doobie Brothers (+ Michael McDonald bonus and contest update)

Hey, we've made it to card #5.

It's the Doobie Brothers, their only card in the set. Looks like a contemporary promo photo.

Solid write-up on the back. Here's their Wikipedia entry if you wanna learn more. But yeah, they're still at it, touring extensively even here in 2019, often paired with the band Chicago. The lineup has changed a lot since their formation; Only 3 members remain who've been around since the 70s, as some original members needed to bow out over the years, often due to health reasons.

Since this card was made, they've put out 4 more studio albums: Brotherhood (1991), Sibling Rivalry (2000), World Gone Crazy (2010), Southbound (2014). As their heyday was before my time, I don't think I've ever listened to any of their records other than greatest hits collections, but I sure love some of their better-known tunes.

Doobie Brothers - "Black Water"

It's funny that they've had two #1 singles.. one is inescapable to this day ("What a Fool Believes") while the other is basically forgotten now. But not forgotten to me, as I'd say "Black Water" is easily my favorite Doobies song, followed by "Listen To The Music" and "China Grove" (the latter of which is also a favorite of Homer and Bart).

Similar to the previous post with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and sometimes Young, the Doobs are also transformed into essentially a different band (but with the same name) by an occasional member, in this case Michael McDonald. His distinctive vocal stylings helped the band score several hits in the late 70s.

I thought about making a custom for the Doobies' frequent tourmates Chicago (who don't have a MusiCard), but I'll have to circle back to them another time. Michael McDonald gets the nod today.

I'm not super happy with this custom, but there just aren't that many good photos of him in his prime online. Most of them are recent pictures with the snow-white beard/hair. The old photos of him out there are mostly black & white. So here's a boring shot that seems to be colorized from a B&W pic, but whatever.

He's had quite the career, guesting and collaborating with lots of top acts of the day over the past 45 years. (His Wikipedia link)
He also seems to have a sense of humor and not take himself too seriously.

Three Michael McDonalds Sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (w/ Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake)

For today's mix, I'm throwing together my favorite Doobie Brothers songs with my favorite Michael McDonald songs. And just a reminder that this is a hypothetical playlist in no particular order, not a ranking.

Doobie Brothers + Michael McDonald - best of
1. What A Fool Believes
2. Takin' It To The Streets
3. Little Darling (I Need You)
4. Listen To The Music
5. Jesus Is Just Alright
6. Rockin' Down The Highway
7. Long Train Runnin'
8. China Grove
9. Another Park, Another Sunday
10. Black Water
11. Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)
12. Sweet Maxine
13. It Keeps You Runnin'
14. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) - Michael McDonald
15. On My Own - Michael McDonald (duet with Patti LaBelle)
16. Sweet Freedom [4:06] - Michael McDonald
17. Sweet Freedom [Instrumental Remix] [9:32] - Michael McDonald
18. Sweet Freedom [Child Of Freedom Mix - Radio Edit] [6:47] - Michael McDonald
19. Eyes of a Child - Michael McDonald
20. Ride Like the Wind - Christopher Cross (featuring Michael McDonald on backing vocals)

Ok, I had to cheat a little to fill 20 tracks (including a joke song from the South Park soundtrack plus a song by another artist featuring a guest appearance). And yes, there's a 20-minute block of "Sweet Freedom" and yes I can listen to that song for 20 minutes and not get sick of it. It's just a perfect "80s song."

Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom

There's a hilarious webseries called Yacht Rock from the online Channel 101 that presents a partially-fictionalized version of McDonald (portrayed by actor JD Ryznar) along with his adult contemporary contemporaries of the late 70s and early 80s. I think there are 12 episodes, with each being about 5 minutes long. If you like this type of music and have a silly sense of humor, it's highly recommended. I think all the episodes are on YouTube (though be warned the picture quality is rough; probably better watching on a small screen such as your phone). Here's a link to the first episode.

Anyways, feel free to share your thoughts on the Doobie Brothers and/or Michael McDonald in the comments below.


CONTEST UPDATE

Sorry for keeping you waiting. There were 26 unique entrants.. not bad. And good news is it's just narrowly over the number I was looking for to find 2 winners. A few bonus entries were earned for "pimping", plus I'll give a bonus entry to those who's commented on each of the first 4 cards so far. I'm also giving a bonus entry to the first person to "follow" the blog (John Sharp), and the very first person to comment (Mike).

Now let's list all the entries. THIS LIST IS NOT PICKING A WINNER. rather just listing all the entries alphabetically:
Billy Kingsley
Brett Alan
Brett Alan - bonus entry for commenting on posts #1-4
Bulldog
cdorso
Dan Debling
Fuji
Fuji - bonus entry for commenting on posts #1-4
Fuji - pimp bonus entry
GCA
GCA - pimp bonus entry
gcrl
Jafronius
Jason T. Carter
Jason T. Carter - pimp bonus entry
John Sharp
John Sharp - bonus entry for 1st follower on the blog
Johnny's Trading Spot
Johnny's Trading Spot - pimp bonus entry
Jordan
karsal
kockey kazi
Larry Presnall
madding
Matt (Diamond Jesters)
Matt (Diamond Jesters) - bonus entry for commenting on posts #1-4
Matt (Diamond Jesters) - pimp bonus entry
Mike
Mike - bonus entry for 1st person to comment on the blog
Nick (dimebox)
night owl
night owl - bonus entry for commenting on posts #1-4
Rob
Rod (Padrographs)
Rod (Padrographs) - pimp bonus entry
The Turrdog
Trevor P
Trevor P - pimp bonus entry
zman40

If you're familiar with how I usually run contests over on Baseball Card Breakdown, you know that I like adding another layer of randomness and excitement, with the aim to make it very clear that no funny business has transpired. And so I'm doing that here too.
The below list is NOT picking a winner, rather it's assigning numbers to the entries.

The winning numbers will be decided with the help of NLCS Game 4, Tues. 10/15/19, Cardinals @ Nationals.
The combined number of hits for both teams = a winning number
The combined number of runs for both teams = a winning number
The combined number of errors for both teams = runner up stand-by
The combined number of hits+runs+errors for both teams = runner up stand-by

Again, #1 is not necessarily a winner. Gotta stress that because I don't want to get anybody's hopes up. And full disclosure, I randomized the list twice, as the first time I did it, several of the folks with multiple entries were bunched up (main entry and bonus entry right next to each other for like 3 or 4 people) and I wanted to spread them out more.

The winners (combined number of hits for both teams) and (combined number of runs for both teams) will have until the first pitch of the World Series to claim a prize. Post a comment here or email me to claim your prize, first come first served after the final out of the NLCS Game 4.

If the World Series starts and there's still at least one prize left unclaimed, the stand-bys (combined number of errors for both teams, assuming there even are any errors) and (combined number of hits+runs+errors for both teams) will then be able to sneak in and claim a prize, again first come/first served. And let's go ahead and say you can only win once-- so even if you're lucky enough to land a couple winning numbers, the second one will be void. Hope this isn't too confusing. I'll try to update the bottom of this post with the current situation if it feels like clarification is needed.

POST-GAME UPDATE!
The combined number of hits for both teams = 14 - hockey kazi (whoops, typoed his name as "kockey kazi" in the list. LOL)
The combined number of runs for both teams = 11 - Matt (Diamond Jesters)
Congrats to Mr. Kazi and Matt! They will have until the 2019 World Series first pitch to claim a prize. If either of them don't get around to speaking up, the stand-by winners will have a chance to steal:
The combined number of errors for both teams = 1 - Jafronius
The combined number of hits+runs+errors for both teams = 26 - Larry Presnall
Feel free to let me know your pick whenever.
Big thanks to everyone who entered! I'll try to do more contests here from time to time, so I hope you stick around even if you didn't win.

UPDATE 2: Matt and Larry win the prizes. Congrats, guys! Contest closed.

Up next: get ready to break on through to the other side, as we've got 4 consecutive cards of the Doors on tap.