One Step Closer (The Doobie Brothers album)

One Step Closer is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Doobie Brothers. The album was released on September 17, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records. The album included the hit "Real Love", which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. This album is the band's last studio album with Michael McDonald in the lineup until 2014's Southbound, and also the first studio album to feature John McFee as a member of the band.

One Step Closer
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 17, 1980
Recorded1980 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood; Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood; United Sound Recorders, Detroit; and A&R Recorders, New York
GenreRock
Length37:41
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTed Templeman
The Doobie Brothers chronology
Minute by Minute
(1978)
One Step Closer
(1980)
Best of The Doobies Volume II
(1981)
Singles from One Step Closer
  1. "Real Love" / "Thank You Love"
    Released: August 21, 1980
  2. "One Step Closer" / "South Bay Strut"
    Released: November 5, 1980
  3. "Keep This Train A-Rollin'" / "Just in Time"
    Released: January 28, 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB−[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
The Great Rock Discography4/10[4]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Dedicate This Heart"Michael McDonald, Paul AnkaMcDonald4:07
2."Real Love"McDonald, Patrick HendersonMcDonald4:18
3."No Stoppin' Us Now"Patrick Simmons, McDonald, Chris ThompsonSimmons4:40
4."Thank You Love"Cornelius BumpusBumpus6:22
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
5."One Step Closer"Keith Knudsen, Carlene Carter, John McFeeBumpus, McDonald4:10
6."Keep This Train A-Rollin"McDonaldMcDonald3:29
7."Just in Time"SimmonsSimmons2:43
8."South Bay Strut"Chet McCracken, McFeeinstrumental4:05
9."One by One"Bobby LaKind, McDonaldSimmons, McDonald3:47

Personnel

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The Doobie Brothers

Additional personnel

Production

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  • Producer – Ted Templeman
  • Production Assistant – Joan Parker
  • Production Coordination – Susyn Schope
  • Engineer – James Isaacson
  • Second Engineer – Gene Meros
  • Mastering – Kent Duncan and Tim Dennan at Kendun Recorders (Burbank, CA).
  • Photography – Norman Seeff
  • Art Direction and Design – Jim Welch

Charts

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Chart (1980–81) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)[8] 18
Canada (RPM)[9] 18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 42
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] 22
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[12] 32
UK (Official Charts)[13] 53
US (Billboard 200)[14] 3

References

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  1. ^ Bruce Eder. "One Step Closer - The Doobie Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "The Doobie Brothers: One Step Closer". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "The Doobie Brothers". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  5. ^ Don Shewey (1980-11-13). "The Doobie Brothers: One Step Closer". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  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. ^ Templeman, Ted; Renoff, Greg (2020). Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music. ECW Press. p. 311. ISBN 978-1770414839.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "RPM Search Engine" (PHP). Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Doobie Brothers – One Step Closer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "Charts.nz – The Doobie Brothers – One Step Closer". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  12. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Doobie Brothers – One Step Closer". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  13. ^ "Artist Chart History: Doobie Brothers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Doobie Brothers Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2021.