Cycles (The Doobie Brothers album)

Cycles
Studio album by The Doobie Brothers
Released	May 17, 1989
Recorded	1988
Studio	The Plant, Sausalito, CA
Genre	Rock
Length	40:22
Label	Capitol
Producer	Eddie Schwartz, Charlie Midnight, Rodney Mills
The Doobie Brothers chronology
Farewell Tour (1983) Cycles (1989) Brotherhood (1991)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Los Angeles Times	[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[4]

Cycles is the tenth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on May 17, 1989, by Capitol Records.

It marked the band's reunion after breaking up in 1982. Instead of the later configurations with Michael McDonald at the helm, the band reverted to their 1972-4 lineup although Bobby LaKind who had played percussion with later configurations also rejoined. Tom Johnston, John Hartman and Michael Hossack returned to the lineup for the first time since 1977, 1979 and 1974 respectively.

The album was largely co-written with producers and sidesmen. Bobby LaKind collaborated with former Doobie members John McFee and Keith Knudsen on "Time is Here and Gone" and Michael McDonald on "Tonight I'm Coming Through (The Border)". Two cover versions were included in the form of the Four Tops' "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" and The Isley Brothers' "Need a Little Taste of Love."

The title of the album was taken from an unused song written by Tiran Porter. Porter later recorded the song for his 1995 solo album Playing To An Empty House.^[5]

Lead track "The Doctor" was released as a single and stormed to No. 9 on Billboard's Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. After this album, Bobby Lakind retired from the band because of terminal colorectal cancer, which claimed his life in 1992.

The album was reissued in 2002 by One Way Records with two bonus tracks.^[6] The first was "Anything for Love", written by Bobby LaKind with Eddie Schwartz and Zeke Zirngiebel, which originally appeared on a CD single of "The Doctor". The second was an extended remix of "Need A Little Taste of Love," which had appeared on a CD single of "One Chain".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Doctor"	Tom Johnston, Charlie Midnight, Eddie Schwartz	3:47
2.	"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)"	Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter	4:03
3.	"Take Me to the Highway"	Patrick Simmons, Dale Ockerman, Tom Fedele, Midnight, Schwartz	3:21
4.	"South of the Border"	Johnston	4:23
5.	"Time Is Here and Gone"	Bobby LaKind, John McFee, Keith Knudsen	3:52
6.	"Need a Little Taste of Love"	Marvin Isley, Ernie Isley, Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Rudolph Isley, Chris Jasper	4:07
7.	"I Can Read Your Mind"	Simmons, Ockerman, Chris Thompson	4:29
8.	"Tonight I'm Coming Through (The Border)"	LaKind, Michael McDonald	4:29
9.	"Wrong Number"	Johnston	4:09
10.	"Too High a Price"	LaKind, Zeke Zirngeibel, John Herron	4:13
Total length:			40:22

Personnel

The Doobie Brothers

• Tom Johnston – guitar, vocals (lead vocals on 1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9)
• Patrick Simmons – guitar, vocals (lead vocals on 3, 7, 10)
• Tiran Porter – bass, backing vocals
• John Hartman – drums, backing vocals
• Michael Hossack – drums, percussion
• Bobby LaKind – percussion, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Bill Payne – keyboards
• Dave Tyson – keyboards
• Kim Bullard – keyboards
• Dale Ockerman – keyboards
• Phil Aaberg – keyboards
• Don Frank – electronic drums
• The Memphis Horns – horns
  • Wayne Jackson
  • Andrew Love
• Rem Smiers – keytar
• Shannon Eigsti – keyboards (3) (uncredited)^{[nb 1]}

Technical personnel

• Producers: Eddie Schwartz, Charlie Midnight, Rodney Mills
• Production Assistant: Rodney Mills
• Engineers: Tom Sadzeck, Devon Bernadoni, Jim Gaines, Rodney Mills, Jeffrey Norman
• Mastering: Bob Ludwig
• Remixing: Brian Wayy
• Programming: Brian Wayy
• Conductor: Bobby LaKind
• Design: Jeffery Fey
• Cover Photo: Tom Keller
• Logo Design: Tom Nikosey
• Art Direction: Tommy Steele

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 44 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] 8 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 69 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 32 US Billboard 200[13] 17

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] 51 US Billboard 200[15] 90

Notes

1. Shannon Eigsti was a young pianist who met the Doobie Brothers when she was a patient at a children's hospital, dying of leukemia. According to Patrick Simmons, she would play along with the band when they played at the hospital, and even once joined them at a live date nearby. After she expressed a desire to play on a record, the band arranged for her to record the keyboard part on "Take Me to the Highway" in her hospital room. The album credits include a dedication to her, but she was mistakenly not credited for playing.^[7] She died at age 17 in 1988, before the album was released.^[8]

References

1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Cycles - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
2. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
3. Dennis Hunt. "The Doobie Brothers: Cycles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
4. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 253. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
5. Liner notes from Playing To An Empty House
6. "Cycles [Expanded] - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
7. Interview with the Doobie Brothers in The Gavin Report, 1989 (p.22)
8. Article in The Daily about Shannon's brother, 1997
9. "Australiancharts.com – The Doobie Brothers – Cycles". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
10. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6391". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Doobie Brothers – Cycles" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
12. "Charts.nz – The Doobie Brothers – Cycles". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
13. "The Doobie Brothers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
14. "RPM Top 100 Albums of '89". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
15. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2021.