This weekend I cracked open one of those 5CD Original Album sets on CD with the slim cardboard cases. This one was Dr John. Bit of a punt... Stuck on the first CD, Gris Gris and blew my mind. What an incredible album. How has this one eluded me for so long? Weirdly funky, psychedelic and with voodoo influences. Sounds just as good on a mellow Sunday afternoon as a Saturday night with a nice bottle of Penfolds Shiraz. These kind of discoveries keep me hooked, plus I've still got 4 other CD's in this set to listen to....
Gris-Gris is also my favorite of his albums. Dr. John never quite captured that same spooky vibe again on a record, but The Sun, Moon & Herbs and his late career triumph, Locked Down, come closest.
The Sun, Moon & Herbs is in this set, so I will look forward to that. I will look out for Locked Down.
My favorite is side one of Remedies, which fuses that voodoo sound with more of a New Orleans R&B vibe. Some of his greatest songs there. Side two is interesting but pretty clearly unfinished.
Glad to hear it, the world needs more juju. Try Babylon, of any of the next four or five, its almost all great, especially if someones marked your doorstep with a half-wet rag
Desitively Bonnaroo is a 1974 album by the New Orleans rhythm and blues musician Dr. John. The album was produced by Allen Toussaint and features sizable musical support from The Meters. The album mines the territory featured on his previous album In The Right Place. This album spent eight weeks on the Billboard 200 charts, peaking at #105 on June 1, 1974.[3] The Bonnaroo Music Festival was named after the album title, after the festival's founders looked through old albums for inspiration.[4] Bonnaroo is derived from French bonne /bɔn/, the feminine form of bon /bɔ̃/ meaning "good," and French rue /ry/ meaning "street," translating roughly to "the best on the streets." wiki by MTO - Dryades St
Ah yes...the Doctor a brillent and versatile artist (Rip) if you like his earlier releases check out his latter days output in a particular this one....it's take on Duke Ellington tunes putting his spin on them as only the Dr. could....
I think his later albums are even better. Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, Vol. 1 Trippn' Live Anutha Zone Duke Elegant N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda
Coincidentally, I’m just discovering ‘Gris-Gris’ myself… found a German CD copy in a charity shop last week… and like you, I took a chance on it based solely on the positive reviews of it on the SH forums. Of course I knew the big ‘73 single and have a number of his appearances on other peoples’ records… but I was mostly unfamiliar with his work. Have to say, it really grabs you from the go… and takes you to strange places. I will be watching for more of his stuff in the bins.
What is Red Brick Dust and How Do You Use It? - CREOLE MOON Red Brick Dust is now available in 1.3 pound size! Red Brick Dust in New Orleans Voodoo In New Orleans, the most commonly known use for red brick dust is its application in pulverized dust form to the front steps of the home as a means of keeping evil away. It is said that red bricks were taken from the Dumaine Street Brickyard—the earliest place in New Orleans in which Voodoo rituals occurred—and were used in rituals and floor washes. The last reference to the Dumaine Street Brickyard in print was in connection with Voodoo Queen Sanité Dédé in 1825. Since that time, red bricks remain plentiful and can be procured all over the city.
Add Creole Moon to that list. One of his funkiest albums ever. Really, he never made a bad album. Okay, maybe one: Hollywood Be Thy Name.
I'd say for anyone who wants that swampy Naw'lins vibe, pick up Anutha Zone. I love all of the tunes on that one. But he doesn't play much piano on the album. If you're craving that classic piano sound then pick up Trippin' Live, or the early 80s solo piano CDs. Trippin' Live has the best version of Such A Night that I've ever heard.
Recently scored the Mos' Scocious 2CD compilation for $8. Dr. John - Mos' Scocious: The Dr. John Anthology
fondly remembering the first time I heard the Doctor! he was fabulous...on the fringe....still a fan.
This one captures the spookiness of GRIS GRIS: You say somebody"s rippin" out your mind If you feel in your heart that you so inclined If you feel like you too strung out and too ashamed Don"t look at me, if you"re lookin" for somebody to blame
I’d add this cd to all the others as well. It was a stone gas every time I saw the good Doctor perform.
@Cool Chemist: That five-disc set You have is good, but the above is even better. It contains Mac's first seven albums from 68 to 74 and includes the hard-t0-find REMEDIES (70) which contains a wild, swampy jam called "Angola Anthem" on Side Two that's quite a ride. - siyt
I honestly don't like much Dr. John (or New Orleans music to be honest) at all, but "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" is one of my favorite songs of all time.
