"The Captain and Me" is the third studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on March 2, 1973, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ted Templeman, the album marked the band's commercial breakthrough.
The album features some of the band's best-known hits, including "Long Train Runnin" and "China Grove", both of which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. These tracks have since become classic rock staples and are still regularly played on the radio. Other notable songs on the album include "Without You", a hard rock track with an intricate guitar riff, and "Dark Eyed Cajun Woman", a slower blues-influenced track.
The group at this time consisted of Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, Tiran Porter, John Hartman, and Michael Hossack. With this album, the band showcased a variety of styles, drawing from rock, blues, and soul genres, all highlighted by their trademark harmony vocals, tight instrumentation, and catchy songwriting.
"The Captain and Me" peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and was certified double platinum by RIAA, signifying more than two million copies sold. This success established The Doobie Brothers as one of the top rock bands of the 1970s, and this album is considered one of their finest works.
