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: he wrote and sang five songs during the sessions for the album, but they were not included on the final release. The track "Little Darling (I Need You)" is a remake of the Marvin Gaye 1966 hit.

Personnel
The Doobie Brothers:
 * Patrick Simmons – electric and acoustic guitars, lead and backing vocals
 * Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – electric and acoustic guitars
 * Michael McDonald – acoustic and electric pianos, organ, clavinet, synthesizer, lead and backing vocals
 * Tiran Porter – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Need a Lady"
 * Keith Knudsen – drums, percussion, backing vocals
 * John Hartman – drums, percussion
 * Tom Johnston – guitar, vocals (listed as band member in credits but does not appear on album)

Additional Players:
 * Bobby LaKind – congas, backing 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 – string and horn arrangements on "You're Made That Way", "Little Darling (I Need You)", "You Belong to Me" and "There's a Light", string arrangement on "Nothin' But a Heartache"

Production

 * Producer – Ted Templeman
 * Production coordination – Beth Naranjo
 * Engineer – Donn Landee
 * Second engineer – Kent Nebergall
 * Cover photography and album design – Bruce Steinberg
 * Inner sleeve photo – Michael Zagaris
 * Aerial photo pilot – Roger Glenn
 * Hand-tinting – Kristin Sundbom