Minute by Minute
Minute by Minute is the eighth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released on December 1, 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. It was their first without Tom Johnston as a full-fledged member of the band, and would be the last to include members Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and John Hartman.
Minute by Minute | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | December 1, 1978 | |||
Recorded | 1978 | |||
Studio | Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles (mixing) | |||
Genre | Pop rock, soft rock, R&B | |||
Length | 36:16 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Ted Templeman | |||
The Doobie Brothers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Minute by Minute | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Great Rock Discography | 7/10[4] |
Rolling Stone | (mixed)[5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album spent 87 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. In the spring of 1979 Minute by Minute was the best-selling album in the U.S. for five non-consecutive weeks.[7] It was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.[8]
The song "What a Fool Believes" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1979 and became the band's biggest hit. The title track and "Depending on You" were also released as singles and reached the top 30.
Minute by Minute made The Doobie Brothers one of the big winners at the 22nd Grammy Awards. The album got the trophy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and received a nomination for Album of the Year; the single "What a Fool Believes" earned them three Grammys, including Song and Record of the Year.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Here to Love You" | Michael McDonald | Michael McDonald | 3:58 |
2. | "What a Fool Believes" |
| McDonald | 3:41 |
3. | "Minute by Minute" |
| McDonald | 3:26 |
4. | "Dependin' on You" |
| Patrick Simmons | 3:44 |
5. | "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" |
| Simmons | 3:26 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "Open Your Eyes" |
| McDonald | 3:18 |
7. | "Sweet Feelin'" |
| Simmons, Nicolette Larson | 2:41 |
8. | "Steamer Lane Breakdown" | Simmons | instrumental | 3:24 |
9. | "You Never Change" | Simmons | McDonald, Simmons | 3:26 |
10. | "How Do the Fools Survive?" |
| McDonald | 5:12 |
Personnel
The Doobie Brothers
- Patrick Simmons – lead and rhythm guitars, lead and backing vocals
- Michael McDonald – piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizers, lead and backing vocals
- Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – lead and rhythm guitars
- Tiran Porter – bass, backing vocals
- John Hartman – drums
- Keith Knudsen – drums, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Bobby LaKind – congas, backing vocals
- Tom Johnston – backing vocals on "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels"
- Nicolette Larson – duet vocals on "Sweet Feelin'", backing vocals on "Dependin' on You"
- Rosemary Butler – backing vocals on "Here to Love You" and "Dependin' on You"
- Norton Buffalo – harmonica on "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" and "Steamer Lane Breakdown"
- Herb Pedersen – banjo on "Steamer Lane Breakdown"
- Byron Berline – fiddle on "Steamer Lane Breakdown"
- Lester Abrams – electric piano on "How Do the Fools Survive?"
- Bill Payne – synthesizer (with Michael McDonald) on "What a Fool Believes" and "Minute by Minute"
- Andrew Love – saxophone on "Here to Love You", "Dependin' on You" and "How Do the Fools Survive?"
- Ben Cauley – trumpet on "Here to Love You", "Dependin' on You" and "How Do the Fools Survive?"
- Novi Novog – synthesizer solo on "Open Your Eyes"
Production
- Producer – Ted Templeman
- Production Coordination – Beth Naranjo
- Engineer – Donn Landee
- Additional Engineer – Loyd Clifft
- Additional Engineer - Steve Malcolm
- Cover Design and Coordinator – Bruce Steinberg
- Photography – David Alexander
- Management – Bruce Cohn
Recorded at Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood Mixed at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles
Charts
Weekly charts
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1979 | Billboard Pop Albums | 1 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1979 | "Dependin' on You" | Billboard Pop Singles | 25 |
"Minute by Minute" | Billboard Black Singles | 74 | |
"Minute by Minute" | Billboard Pop Singles | 14 | |
"What a Fool Believes" | Billboard Black Singles | 72 | |
"What a Fool Believes" | Billboard Club Play Singles | 40 | |
"What a Fool Believes" | Pop Singles | 1 |
Certifications
Organization | Level | Date |
---|---|---|
RIAA – USA | 3× Platinum | October 22, 1984 |
References
- Bruce Eder. "Minute by Minute - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "The Doobie Brothers". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
- Stephen Holden (1979-02-22). "The Doobie Brothers: Minute By Minute". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
- Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 253. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top Pop Albums 1955-1985, Record Research Inc., 1985, p. 106, 506.
- "RIAA – Searchable Database: Doobie Brothers". Retrieved October 25, 2018.