Livin' on the Fault Line

Livin' on the Fault Line is the seventh studio album by the American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on August 19, 1977, by Warner Bros. Records. It is one of the few Doobie Brothers albums of the 1970s which did not produce a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (although "You Belong to Me" was a hit as recorded by co-author Carly Simon). Still, the album received modest critical acclaim. Tom Johnston (guitar, vocals) left the band early in the sessions. He is listed as part of the band (appearing in the inside group photo) but appears on little or none of the actual album; despite writing and singing five songs during the sessions for the album, they were not included on the final release. Much of this consistently mellow album has a jazz tinge, and the influences of R&B are palpable throughout. The track "Little Darling (I Need You)" is a remake of the Marvin Gaye 1966 hit.

Personnel
The Doobie Brothers:
 * Patrick Simmons – guitar, vocals
 * Jeff Baxter – guitar, steel guitar
 * Michael McDonald – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
 * Tiran Porter – bass, vocals
 * Keith Knudsen – drums, vocals
 * John Hartman – drums

Additional Players:
 * Bobby LaKind – congas, vocals
 * Dan Armstrong – electric sitar solo on "Need A Lady"
 * Norton Buffalo – harmonica on "There's A Light"
 * Victor Feldman – vibes on "Livin' On The Fault Line"
 * Rosemary Butler – backing vocals on "Little Darling (I Need You)", "You Belong To Me", and "There's A Light"
 * Maureen McDonald – backing vocals on "You're Made That Way"
 * Ted Templeman – percussion
 * David Paich – horn and string arrangements

Production

 * Producer – Ted Templeman
 * Production Coordination – Beth Naranjo
 * Engineer – Donn Landee
 * Second Engineer – Kent Nebergall
 * Artwork – Kristin Sundbom
 * Cover photography and Cover design – Bruce Steinberg
 * Inner Sleeve photo – Michael Zagaris
 * Aerial Photo pilot – Roger Glenn
 * Management – Bruce Cohn
 * Publicity – David Gest

Charts
Album

Singles