The Doobie Brothers Expand Their Palette on theSoulful What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits:Double-Platinum Album Features the No. 1 Hit "BlackWater" and the Memphis HornsHear the Feel-Good 1974 Record in ReferenceGrade Sound: Mobile Fidelity's Numbered-Edition180g 45RPM 2LP Set Plays with Striking Clarity andPresence"And I ain't got no worries/'Cause I ain't in no hurry at all." Thecapstone to the chorus of the Doobie Brothers' No. 1 hit "BlackWater" sums up the feel-good emotions and Southern-styled charmof What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits. As the group's mostdiverse and ambitious effort upon it's release in 1974, the albumfinds the sextet expanding it's stylistic parameters while holding firmon it's signature blend of rock, country, and R&B. More than fivedecades later, it stands along with the band's other early and mid70s records as an indispensable staple of a Hall of Fame career.And now, it plays with reference sonics. Sourced from the originalanalog master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, andhoused in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity's 180g45RPM 2LP of What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits affords thework the room of a 45RPM version for the first time. Because of thewider grooves, the music benefits from extraordinary soundstages,ultra-quiet backgrounds, big dynamics, and spot-on imaging.From the decision to run acoustic guitars through Leslie speakerson "Another Park, Another Sunday" to the naturalism of theshaded vocal harmonies, Ted Templeman's production shines. Toparaphrase the band on "Tell Me What You Want (And I'll Give YouWhat You Need)": Easy, cool, and breezy. What a feeling, indeed.