The Doobie Brothers - What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (LP) - Clear Vinyl

Some albums feel like a hinge in a band’s story. What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits is exactly that for The Doobie Brothers, a 1974 Warner Bros. record that catches them in peak Tom Johnston mode while quietly teeing up the bigger mainstream moments to come. Ted Templeman is in the producer’s chair, Donn Landee at the board, and the band’s core strengths are front and centre. Big guitars, stacked harmonies, and that twin-drum engine that gave their grooves so much lift. It is their fourth studio album, and it sounds like a road-tested group turning studio tricks into songs you want to live with.

Drop the needle and “Song to See You Through” makes the intent clear. The pocket is deep, the guitars sparkle, and you get that easy mix of rootsy charm and FM polish. Then Tom Johnston’s “Another Park, Another Sunday” pulls you into a sun-faded melancholy that still feels like California, even when the lyric stings. It was an early single and you can hear why. The melody is one of Johnston’s best, bittersweet but never drippy, and the arrangement keeps air moving through every bar. The production has this roomy clarity that flatters a good stereo setup, which is why the album endures as a favourite spin for anyone chasing classic The Doobie Brothers vinyl.

There is plenty of bite too. “Eyes of Silver” struts along with clipped guitars and a sly vocal, the band carving a lean, funky shape that nods to R&B without losing their rock feel. “Pursuit on 53rd Street” has a nervy city rush to it, a reminder that they could barrel as well as they could cruise. “Road Angel” locks into that hallmark chug, all forward motion and highway mirage. The playing is tight but relaxed, like a seasoned live act who know exactly when to lay back on the beat. You can picture the dual drummers, John Hartman and Michael Hossack, pinning it down while Tiran Porter’s bass glides in the gaps.

And then there is “Black Water,” which would become the group’s first US No. 1 single in 1975 after radio flipped to it from its original B-side status. Patrick Simmons wrote and sings it, and you can feel the warmth of his voice right away. The tune sways on fingerpicked acoustics, a lazy river groove that carries you into that a cappella breakdown everyone ends up singing by the second chorus. The song’s Southern imagery and those fiddle-coloured lines give it a distinct flavour in their catalogue, but it still sounds unmistakably like the Doobies. It is one of those hits that makes an album feel bigger than its release week. Even now, it is the track that brings casual listeners deeper into the record.

What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits also works as a snapshot of the band just before their world shifted again. Michael McDonald had not joined yet, so the palette is guitars, harmonies, and a rhythm section that loves a shuffle. The sequencing flows, from the open-road ease of “Down in the Track” to the late-night glow that crops up in their quieter moments. Templeman and Landee capture it all with a crisp, unfussy sound. No studio gimmicks, just a band given room to breathe. If you have heard The Captain and Me and Stampede, this one sits right between them, both in time and in spirit.

For collectors, a clean What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits vinyl pressing is worth the chase. The blend of acoustic and electric guitars really benefits from the format, and the vocal stacks sit in a sweet, airy space. I have found copies in the wild at a Melbourne record store more than once, and it is one of those sleeves you learn to spot from across the bin. If you lean digital these days but still keep a turntable for the essentials, this is solid justification for the ritual. If you need to buy The Doobie Brothers records online, this album is a smart pick to start or round out a shelf. It also plays nicely in a DJ set bridging country rock and 70s soul, which is a fun sideline if you are crate digging through vinyl records Australia sellers on a Sunday.

There are flashier Doobie Brothers records, and later ones that go heavier on keys and blue-eyed soul, but there is a reason fans keep coming back to this one. It is the sound of a great band, right in their wheelhouse, finding surprise magic in a tune that almost slipped by. Put simply, it is a cracking listen front to back, and one of the most rewarding The Doobie Brothers albums on vinyl you can spin when the afternoon sun hits just right.