The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers Quadio Box 4-Disc Blu-Ray Audio Disc Box Set

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 3.5/5 Sonics in the December 2020 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

The Doobie Brothers celebrate two major milestones this year as the band marks its 50th anniversary and its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2020.

Before the band is welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rhino will release a new boxed set that highlights some of the music that helped make the Doobie Brothers one of the most popular bands of its generation. THE DOOBIE BROTHERS: QUADIO will feature quadraphonic mixes of Toulouse Street, The Captain & Me, What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits, and Stampede. The four Blu-Fay audio discs come in replicas of the original vinyl record sleeves and are all packaged together in a clamshell box.

For this collection, all four albums have been mastered using the original four-track Quad mixes. The set includes both the quadraphonic and high-resolution stereo (19224 DTS-HD Master Audio) mixes for each album. To enjoy the Quadraphonic mix as intended, the Blu-Ray audio discs should be played using Surround Sound.

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS: QUADIO brings together four essential albums from the band's early days. It begins with the group's second album, Toulouse Street, which was released in July 1972. The record achieved platinum status and launched the group to stardom with the hits "Listen To The Music", "Rockin' Down The Highway" and "Jesus is Just Alright".

The following year, the band returned with The Captain & Me, which was certified double-platinum on the strength of hits "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove", as well as fan favorites "South City Midnight Lady" and "Without You". These back-to-back classic albums represent one of the greatest one-two vinyl punches of the 1970s. Many songs from the albums are still played every day on the radio, a testament to the timelessness of the music.

In 1974, the Doobie Brothers released the group's fourth album, What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits. The record peaked at #4 on the albums chart and was certified double-platinum. It also featured the band's first #1 hit, "Black Water", which was originally released as the B-side to "Another Park, Another Sunday".

Stampede is the final studio album featured in THE DOOBIE BROTHERS: QUADIO. Released in April 1975 and certified gold, it also peaked at #4 on the albums chart. It includes the Top 40 hits "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)" and "Sweet Maxine". Stampede would be The Doobie Brothers' last studio album with original singer/guitarist Tom Johnston until he re-joined the band in 1989.

Played through an Oppo BDP-103, Marantz 1609 AV receiver, and QA-coustics 3030i's (front) and B&W 600 S3's (back), these Quadio mixes, remastered from the original four-track, 1/2-inch analog tape running at 15ips, reveal remarkable detail and warmth. But some tracks are unbalanced; for example, the guitar intro to 'Rockin' Down the Highway' and the vocal harmonies on 'Jesus Is Just Alright,' both from Toulouse Street, are low in the rear channel. Even after tweaking the AV settings, I couldn't increase the levels on that information. Vices and The Captain and Me, however, especially shine in quad - 'Dark-Eyed Cajun Woman' and 'Clear as the Driven Snow' deliver a thrilling immersive experience. And the hi-res stereo mixes throughout are rock-steady.