Minute by Minute

For other uses, see Minute by Minute (disambiguation).

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.

Minute by Minute
Studio album by the Doobie Brothers
Released	December 1, 1978
Recorded	1978
Studio	Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles (mixing)
Genre	Pop rock
Length	36:16
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Ted Templeman
The Doobie Brothers chronology
Livin' on the Fault Line (1977) Minute by Minute (1978) One Step Closer (1980)
Singles from Minute by Minute
"What a Fool Believes" / "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" Released: January 1979 "Minute by Minute" / "Sweet Feelin'" Released: April 25, 1979 "Dependin' on You" / "How Do the Fools Survive?" Released: July 25, 1979

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.^[1] It was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.^[2]

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Christgau's Record Guide	B[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
The Great Rock Discography	7/10[6]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]

Rolling Stone concluded that, "with all the firepower this band has—one of rock's strongest rhythm sections, several writers and vocalists, an excellent lead guitarist and a remarkable lead singer—the Doobie Brothers shouldn't be content merely to skirt greatness."^[8]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Here to Love You"	Michael McDonald	Michael McDonald	3:58
2.	"What a Fool Believes"	McDonald Kenny Loggins	McDonald	3:41
3.	"Minute by Minute"	McDonald Lester Abrams	McDonald	3:26
4.	"Dependin' on You"	McDonald Patrick Simmons	Patrick Simmons	3:44
5.	"Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels"	Simmons Jeff Baxter Michael Ebert	Simmons	3:26

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
6.	"Open Your Eyes"	McDonald Abrams Patrick Henderson	McDonald	3:18
7.	"Sweet Feelin'"	Simmons Ted Templeman	Simmons, Nicolette Larson	2:41
8.	"Steamer Lane Breakdown"	Simmons	instrumental	3:24
9.	"You Never Change"	Simmons	McDonald, Simmons	3:26
10.	"How Do the Fools Survive?"	McDonald Carole Bayer Sager	McDonald	5:12

Personnel

The Doobie Brothers

• Patrick Simmons – lead and rhythm guitars, lead and backing vocals
• Michael McDonald – piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizers, lead and backing vocals
• Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – lead and rhythm guitars
• Tiran Porter – bass, backing vocals
• John Hartman – drums, percussion
• Keith Knudsen – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Ted Templeman – drums (with Keith Knudsen) on "What a Fool Believes",^[9] additional percussion
• Bobby LaKind – congas, backing vocals
• Tom Johnston – backing vocals on "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels"
• Nicolette Larson – duet vocals on "Sweet Feelin'", backing vocals on "Dependin' on You"
• Rosemary Butler – backing vocals on "Here to Love You" and "Dependin' on You"
• Norton Buffalo – harmonica on "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" and "Steamer Lane Breakdown"
• Herb Pedersen – banjo on "Steamer Lane Breakdown"
• Byron Berline – fiddle on "Steamer Lane Breakdown"
• Lester Abrams – electric piano on "How Do the Fools Survive?"
• Bill Payne – synthesizer (with Michael McDonald) on "What a Fool Believes" and "Minute by Minute"
• Novi Novog – synthesizer solo on "Open Your Eyes"
• Sumner Mering – guitar on "Open Your Eyes"
• Andrew Love – saxophone on "Here to Love You", "Dependin' on You" and "How Do the Fools Survive?"
• Ben Cauley – trumpet on "Here to Love You", "Dependin' on You" and "How Do the Fools Survive?"

Production

• Producer – Ted Templeman
• Production Coordination – Beth Naranjo
• Engineer – Donn Landee
• Additional Engineer – Loyd Clifft
• Additional Engineer – Steve Malcolm
• Cover Design and Coordinator – Bruce Steinberg
• Photography – David Alexander

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 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[16] 7 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 29 US Billboard 200[18] 3

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19]	Platinum	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[20]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.