Minute by Minute
Studio album by
The Doobie Brothers
ReleasedDecember 1, 1978
Recorded1978
StudioWarner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles (mixing)
GenrePop rock, soft rock, R&B
Length36:16
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTed Templeman
The Doobie Brothers chronology
Livin' on the Fault Line
(1977) 		Minute by Minute
(1978) 		One Step Closer
(1980)
Singles from Minute by Minute
  1. "What a Fool Believes" / "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels"
    Released: January 1979
  2. "Minute by Minute" / "Sweet Feelin'"
    Released: April 25, 1979
  3. "Dependin' on You" / "How Do the Fools Survive?"
    Released: July 25, 1979
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[4]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

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 last album to include members John Hartman (until Cycles) and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.

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

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Here to Love You"Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald3:58
2."What a Fool Believes"
McDonald3:41
3."Minute by Minute"
McDonald3:26
4."Dependin' on You"
Patrick Simmons3:44
5."Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels"
Simmons3:26
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Open Your Eyes"
McDonald3:18
7."Sweet Feelin'"
Simmons, Nicolette Larson2:41
8."Steamer Lane Breakdown"Simmonsinstrumental3:24
9."You Never Change"SimmonsMcDonald, Simmons3:26
10."How Do the Fools Survive?"
McDonald5:12

Personnel

The Doobie Brothers

Additional musicians

Production

Recorded at Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood; Mixed at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1978–79) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10] 6
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 72
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 46
US Billboard 200[15] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1979) Position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 29

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – USA 3× Platinum October 22, 1984

References

  1. ^ Bruce Eder. "Minute by Minute - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "The Doobie Brothers". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 253. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top Pop Albums 1955-1985, Record Research Inc., 1985, p. 106, 506.
  8. ^ "RIAA – Searchable Database: Doobie Brothers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Templeman, Ted; Renoff, Greg (2020). Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music. ECW Press. pp. 283–284. ISBN 978-1770414839.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4751a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Doobie Brothers – Minute by Minute" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – The Doobie Brothers – Minute by Minute". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Doobie Brothers – Minute by Minute". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  15. ^ "The Doobie Brothers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  16. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1979 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
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