What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
| What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1, 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 44:29 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Ted Templeman | |||
| The Doobie Brothers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C−[2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 6/10[4] |
| Rolling Stone | (mixed)[5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Doobie Brothers. The album was released on February 1, 1974, by Warner Bros. Records.
Recording and content
[edit]Tom Johnston's "Another Park, Another Sunday" was the album's first single. "It's about losing a girl," stated Johnston. "I wrote the chords and played it on acoustic, and then Ted [Templeman] had some ideas for it, like running the acoustic guitar through a Leslie." The song did moderately well on the charts, peaking at No. 32. Record World said that it was "more melodic and easy-tempoed [than previous Doobie Brothers' hits], in tune with the pastoral weekend setting."[7]
The second single released was "Eyes of Silver", another Johnston-penned tune. According to him, "Wordwise, that one really isn't that spectacular. I wrote them at the last minute." Cash Box said that it was "very similar to their smash 'Listen To The Music'" and "features every lick the Doobies have featured in their great patented sound".[8] Record World said that the group was "back into their chuggin' folk-rock groove, fitting more easily into their 'Listen to the Music' bag".[9] That song did not have much success on the charts either, peaking at only No. 52.
Grasping for chart action, Warner Brothers re-released the band's first single, "Nobody", backed with Tiran Porter's instrumental "Flying Cloud". This release was soon overshadowed when radio stations discovered "Black Water". Other stations joined in and the song was officially released as a single that went on to sell over a million copies and became the Doobie Brothers' first No. 1 hit.[10] "Black Water" had been featured as the B-side of "Another Park, Another Sunday" eight months earlier.
Artwork
[edit]The unusual lettering on the album cover was suggested by drummer John Hartman after visiting his high school alma mater, J.E.B. Stuart in Falls Church, Virginia. The school's newspaper, Raiders Digest, had just changed its masthead to include those stylized fonts. The cover photo is by Dan Fong, their touring Media Coordinator. The cover photo was taken at a concert on December 4, 1973, at E.A. Diddle Arena, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky. He also did the cover photo for their album Takin' It to the Streets.
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Song to See You Through" | Tom Johnston | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Spirit" | Johnston | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Pursuit on 53rd St." | Johnston | 2:33 |
| 4. | "Black Water" | Patrick Simmons | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Eyes of Silver" | Johnston | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Road Angel" | John Hartman, Michael Hossack, Johnston, Tiran Porter | 4:49 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "You Just Can't Stop It" | Simmons | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Tell Me What You Want (And I'll Give You What You Need)" | Simmons | 3:53 |
| 9. | "Down in the Track" | Johnston | 4:15 |
| 10. | "Another Park, Another Sunday" | Johnston | 4:27 |
| 11. | "Daughters of the Sea" | Simmons | 4:29 |
| 12. | "Flying Cloud" | Porter | 2:00 |
Personnel
[edit]- The Doobie Brothers
- Tom Johnston – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Patrick Simmons – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Tiran Porter – backing vocals, bass
- John Hartman – drums, percussion
- Michael Hossack – drums[nb 1]
- Keith Knudsen – drums (credit only), backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – pedal steel guitar on "Tell Me What You Want"
- Bill Payne – organ on "Song to See You Through" and "Eyes of Silver", piano on "Pursuit on 53rd St.", clavinet on "You Just Can't Stop It"
- James Booker – piano on "Down in the Track"
- Arlo Guthrie – autoharp on "Tell Me What You Want"[11]
- Eddie Guzman – congas on "Road Angel", "You Just Can't Stop It" and "Daughters of the Sea", timbales on "Daughters of the Sea", and various other percussion instruments
- Milt Holland – tabla on "Tell Me What You Want", vibraphone on "Black Water", "Tell Me What You Want" and "Another Park, Another Sunday", marimba and pandeiro on "Daughters of the Sea", and various other percussion instruments
- The Memphis Horns – horns on "Song to See You Through", "Eyes of Silver" and "You Just Can't Stop It"
- Wayne Jackson – trumpet
- Andrew Love – tenor saxophone
- James Mitchell – baritone saxophone
- Jack Hale – trombone
- Novi Novog – viola on "Spirit" and "Black Water"
- Ted Templeman – additional percussion
- uncredited – synthesizer on "Flying Cloud"
- Production
- Producer: Ted Templeman
- Production Coordination: Benita Brazier, The Doobie Brothers
- Engineer: Donn Landee, Lee Herschberg
- Mastering: Lee Herschberg
- Horn Arrangements: Andrew Love and Wayne Jackson with the Memphis Horns
- Cover Design and Art Direction: Chas Barbour
- Photography: Dan Fong
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report)[12] | 24 |
| Canada (RPM)[13] | 13 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[14] | 17 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 19 |
| US (Billboard 200)[16] | 4 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[17] | Gold | 20,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Bruce Eder. "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- ^ 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 (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "The Doobie Brothers". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
- ^ Alan Nlester (1974-05-09). "The Doobie Brothers: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 253. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. March 30, 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 13, 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. July 13, 1974. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
- ^ "Old Black Water Keep on Rollin': 30 Years of the Doobie Brothers". Long Train Runnin': The Doobie Brothers 1970 - 2000 (CD Booklet). Warner Bros. Records. 1999. p. 20. 75876.
- ^ Templeman, Ted; Renoff, Greg (2020). Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music. ECW Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-1770414839.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "RPM Search Engine" (PHP). Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004.
- ^ "The Doobie Brothers" (ASP). New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ "The Doobie Brothers Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "Was It Any of These Men?" (PDF). Cash Box. February 28, 1974. p. 51. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Hossack left the band after recording his drum parts and was replaced by Knudsen. In spite of not actually playing drums on it, Knudsen was officially considered a full member for the album, being pictured along with the other Doobie Brothers on the cover, while Hossack was listed in the credits as a guest musician.
