Gris Gris

Dr. John's Gris-Gris is among the most enduring recordings of the psychedelic era; it sounds as mysterious and spooky in the 21st century as it did in 1968. It is the album where Mac Rebennack established a stage identity that has served him well. A respected studio ace in his native New Orleans, Rebennack was scuffling in L.A. Gris-Gris was his concept, an album that wove various threads of New Orleans music together behind the character of "Dr. John," a real voodoo root doctor from the 19th century. Harold Batiste, another ex-pat New Orleanian and respected arranger in Hollywood, scored him some free studio time left over from a Sonny & Cher session. They assembled a crack band of NOLA exiles and session players including saxophonist Plas Johnson, singers Jessie Hill and Shirley Goodman, and guitarist/mandolinist Richard "Didimus" Washington. Almost everyone played percussion. Gris-Gris sounds like a post-midnight ceremony recorded in the bayou swamp instead of L.A.'s Gold Star Studio where Phil Spector cut hits. The atmosphere is thick, smoky, serpentine, foreboding. Rebennack inhabits his character fully, delivering Creole French and slang English effortlessly in the grain of his half-spoken, half-sung voice. He is high priest and trickster, capable of blessing, cursing, and conning. On the opening incantation "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya," Dr. John introduces himself as the "night tripper" and boasts of his medicinal abilities accompanied by wafting reverbed mandolins, hand drums, a bubbling bassline, blues harmonica, skeletal electric guitar, and a swaying backing chorus that blurs the line between gospel and soul. On "Danse Kalinda Boom," a calliope-sounding organ, Middle Eastern flute, Spanish-tinged guitars, bells, claves, congas, and drums fuel a wordless chorus in four-part chant harmony as a drum orgy evokes ceremonial rites. The sound of NOLA R&B comes to the fore in the killer soul groove of the breezy "Mama Roux." "Croker Courtboullion" is an exercise in vanguard jazz. Spectral voices, electric guitars, animal cries, flute, and moody saxophone solos and percussion drift in and out of the spacy mix. The set's masterpiece is saved for last, the nearly nearly eight-minute trance vamp in "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" (covered by everyone from Humble Pie, Cher, and Johnny Jenkins to Paul Weller and Papa Mali). Dr. John is brazen about the power of his spells in a slippery, evil-sounding boast. Congas, tom-toms, snaky guitar, and harmonica underscore his juju, while a backing chorus affirms his power like mambo priestesses in unison. A ghostly baritone saxophone wafts through the turnarounds. Droning blues, steamy funk, and loopy R&B are inseparably entwined in its groove. Remarkably, though rightfully considered a psychedelic masterpiece, there is little rock music on Gris-Gris. Its real achievement -- besides being a classic collection of startlingly deep tunes -- is that it brought New Orleans' cultural iconographies and musical traits to the attention of an emergent rock audience.

This is exactly why I started this challenge. I have never heard Dr John before and I absolutely loved it! It is so cool and interesting.

One of the most unique albums I’ve heard in my time. A masterpiece of spooky, weird, and downright catchy stuff. I loved this.

Parents in 1968 must have been freaked the fuck out when they heard this coming from their child's bedroom. It's crazy how music changed in ten years between 58 and 68. Ten years ago for us it was like, Bon Iver S/T and Arcade Fire The Suburbs.

I wasn't crazy about this the first time through, but because it's so short I gave it another listen, and I liked it significantly more the second time. It's fun and weird and sounds like something Dewey Cox would have made.

I had to google the author of 1001 to establish his age. There is a disproportionate amount of content from '67 '68 '69. I was wondering if he was 18 around then. Some of it was a golden age but this type of album does not compare with other eras. Maybe it was the drugs. Cover art 2/5

A very bizarre album. Not at all what I expected. The arrangements are generally spare and unusual with a lot ambience and echo and strange noises that seem to come out of nowhere. The backing vocals on the opener Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya are angelic and distant really gorgeous. There are lots of different styles here most of which I can't identify. My first run through the album I was ready to give it a low rating...but my second spin is giving a much more positive perspective. I can't quite say that I live every song but man each song has something at least interesting to offer and deserves closer inspection. 4 🌟

I can see how if you were listening to this album, it would be very difficult to leave your car. Because it would be a difficult decision to unbuckle your seat belt to get out of a car plunging off a cliff. What in the world! To be fair, Mama Roux was interesting, but I can't listen to this ever again.

At first I was thinking "Who is this ripping off Tom Waits?" then I see it was released in 1968. Wow. Ok not surprising he is an influence on Waits. As a Waits fan this is fascinating. I like Gris-Gris and Mama Roux but the vocals on Croker Courtbullion are super annoying. Definitely hear some Zappa-esque things here as well. I don't know if I'd wanna listen to a lot of this again but, damn I gotta give it a 4 just for the respect of this being 1968.

Anyone who gave this one star is scared of jazz and is banned from New Orleans.

Shamanistic van morrison

Spooky and atmospheric. Accomplished musicianship and swamp animal sounds. Such cray cray.

Music to Manson Family to.

This album cover suggests this will either be so fucking amazing or an unmitigated trash fire. Bad news! It’s way closer to the latter. Hoo boy. If you want some Louisiana fun just listen to some zydeco or something. This is just a masturbatory exercise to see how weird we can make voodoo seem to the hippies that would have been high as a kite listening to this. Shut the fuck up. It falling 200 fucking places in 20 years on Rolling Stones list tells you once boomers are gone this shit will be irrelevant. Terrible

For when you drop acid and suddenly crave Cajun food. Essential listening if your favorite Manning is Archie and your child is named after Bobby Hebert. It's your favorite album if you still harbor resentment towards HBO for canceling Treme, and you completely understand why the Katrina victims refused to move.

Practically unlistenable

Unexpectedly amazing. I had wrongly written off Dr John as some proggy old blues appropriator. An amazing blend of Cajun, blues and psych rock here. I and hear how he has influenced the sound of many bands that followed. The layering of some of the tracks is like nothing I have heard from that era Now to explore some of his other albums

Love this. Putting instrumentals so low-key that they appear as soundtrack next to something like "Jump Sturdy" is obviously weird, but in this case it's New Orleans weird. I expected something more uptempo when I saw the genre and length, but the way it is feels right.

I love Dr. John’s hits, but this album is just ass. Most of the tracks are more like chants than actual songs, and the recording sounds like pure crap.

This is the type of music hippies in the 60s would have thought was for hipsters. This is some weird shit, and it's frankly kind of awesome. Way more interesting than another Byrds album from the same era, that's for sure. My favorite is the cult like Danse Kalinda Ba Boom. This whole album feels like you're slinking around the grimiest corners looking for the worst cut acid you can find. As far as the weird albums on this list go, this is one of the better ones.

Fuckadoodle do this was so good. Such beautiful and primitive musicianship dressed up behind this bizarre character of Dr John the Night Tripper. Fave Tracks: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Jump Sturdy, I Walk on Guilded Splinters 4.7/5

This album was some super fun swamp rock with great jazz, blues, and funk influences. Definitely excited to revisit this-I could see this creeping into 5 star territory. Love the voodoo swamp vibes. 4.5 stars

Not a single standout song, just an entire standout album, nothing so far has sounded as groovy and gritty as this.

I dig Dr John's unique brand of psychedelic funk. There's nothing quite like it and it's timeless. At some points it genuinely feels like it's part of a voodoo ritual, other times it's all mellow feel good vibes. Either way it's always dripping with soul.

I was ready to love this but it’s all a bit messy and weird. Cool to read that he ran away from the law in New Orleans, bringing those swampy influences with him but not as funky as I was expecting.

There was a guru who calls himself Dr. John, because he has a so-called "spiritual kinship" with a spiritual healer named Dr. John Montaine. That's probably where he got his treasured amulet that he call a "gris gris". Something about New Orleans voodoo. The mysterious man offered some stories about some native communities in New Orleans. Curious, I sat and chewed the stories. I'm not sure and I don't remember if we used some psychedelics, but we probably did. It IS psychedelic. But those nighttime stories - the trippiest ones - bore me. I prefer the festive daytime rituals. I love the vivid and lively imagery of it, especially the stories and songs for Mama Roux - the queen of little red, white, and blue, and Jump Sturdy - who come out of the swamps like a lazy fool. I felt like I was in that little community, happily chanting with them. It felt like a non-horror version of "Midsommar", it's trippy, exotic, and tribal. I'll definitely come back to his stories, but if I do, I'll probably skip the slow, lengthy trippy ones.

In Philadelphia, they call him Dr. Jawn.

If Dr. John was going for dreadful, he got it. The audio mixing on this in genuinely dreadful. The lead vocals are loud, shocking, and distorted, and ruin the performance of the much better backing musicians. There was not a single track on this album I would bother listening to again knowing how crummy the listening experience is. Save yourself, don't bother. There's more than enough average crappy psychedelic music from the late 60s on this list anyway.

Thanks, I hate it.

I’m sitting on a DART train after another painful Mavs loss thinking… why do Mavs suck? Why did I listen to a Dr John album today? Why is this album on the Rolling Stone top 500 album list. So many questions, but just one answer… this ain’t good.

Oh yeah. Dig that swampy gumbo. 5

if you ask yo-self: what is dis? like curious, like curious, like curious jawwge!!

Great Vodun Sound!

A nice surprise and discovery! Love it - short, experimental blues/r&b/psychodelic/shamanic music/sounds. 4 1/2 stars (rounded up)

Seriously way too damn cool for its own bidness, i listened to this like 12 or 13 years ago and honestly was kind of whatever about it. But now i think its incredible and i wish there was a movie set to this music its so spooky and cool feels like witchy new orleans voo doo spooky woods music

Music, album cover, artist, theme, lyrics, genres... I truly don't know which part of all this is the weirdest. I love it.

People think they jive me, Know they must be crazy. I don't see their misfortune, Guess I'm just too lazy. Ju suie le grand zomb' baby, My yellow belt of choison. Ain't afraid of a she-rat, Fill my brains with, fill up my brains with poison. Walk through the fire, children And you fly through the smoke, oh yeah. . Sssee my enemy on the end of a On the end, on a rope. Gris-gris on your doorstep, And soon you'll be in the gutter, children Melt melt your heart like butter now, I can make you, o-o-oh, I can make you ssstutter (Kon)... Kon killy, killy kon kon Walk on guilded splinters. This is some crazy good out there shit. 5/5

well I guess I just found a new favorite musician - 10/10

4.6 - Constantly off-kilter, and completely unlike anything else. Others have described this bizarre masterpiece better than I ever could. I especially like the description of the organs on “Mama Roux”: “….sounds more like steam powered organ played at a lizard funeral rather than conventional reeds."

I wanna be friends with Dr. John, The Night Tripper Favorite song: Mama Roux

Wonderfully spooky (the cover artwork is perfect) the music is weird yet accessible. It's got an exotic New Orleans vibe through a psychedelic lense. And Dr John's snake-like vocals are the icing on a highly spiced cake. Absolutely love this, it's rare to find an album where every track is a winner, so it's easily one of my all time favourites.

What an absolutely fantastic album.

Drugged up, dank, spooky, kooky and groovy. Didn’t think this would be so good based on the album cover. But as they say in the classics, never judge a book (or in this case a record) by it’s cover. This was ace.

Love the fusion of genres and the "space" between the instruments that that works most of the time. Some of the songs were definitely a little too "out there" for my liking. All in all a cool & different album

Sounds like someone still tripping balls trying to recount an acid fuelled jaunt through the seedier side of New Orleans. 7/10 Achieves its goals

No. 66/1001 Gris Gris Gumbo Ya ya 3/5 Danse Kalinda Ba Doom 3/5 Mama Roux 4/5 Danse Fambeaux 3/5 Croker Courtbullion 2/5 Jump Sturdy 3/5 I Walk On Guilded Splinters 4/5 Average: 3,14 Sometimes a little weird, but overall cool record

I wanted to like this. I'm unfamiliar with the artist and it's certainly unique. Here are some unsorted thoughts and then I'll call it a day: His vocals were recorded terribly. The popping and peaking at first seems like an aesthetic choice, but it doesn't work for me. It's like he's right in my ear, and not in an enjoyable, intimate way. The backing vocals are mixed great (and he is generally out-sung by them), so I don't think it was because their equipment was dated or anything. "Croker Courtbullion" was both the most obtuse and the most interesting track on the album. Repetition in songs can reinforce melodies and build tension. Here I found it difficult. I'm curious about the process here, but I don't plan on revisiting and didn't really enjoy it.

Felt like I was on drugs listening to this. But if I were actually on drugs, this album might give me a very disturbing experience. If I saw this guy live, I'm 100% certain that his entire audience would be tripping balls.

When people went to see this live did they snap their fingers instead of clap after each song?

Off it’s face

gumbo mumbo jumbo

This is awful. A white guy cosplaying as a "voodoo priest". His Wikipedia page says that he was inspired by minstrel shows. Just no.

This is what should be on here. Amazing combo of traditional American styles fused with rock and folk stylings.

Amazing stuff. I loved his more popular stuff, but this is great too.

Un incontournable que je connaissais pas. Un disque qui augmente la température ambiante, qui pue, qui fait décoller la peinture des murs. Une ambiance laidback, glauque mais toujours ludique.

So entertaining! Short but intense; it feels like one of those trippy scenes in movies set in the 70s where everyone takes drugs and then starts seeing creepy shit.

les le bon temps rouler!

FT

What an unexpected treat. It sounded like I was listening to The Spirit of Jazz from Mighty Boosh during his years on the run through the Bayeux. Which is it say, I loved it.

Gris gris is a voodoo amulet that acts as a kind of medicine that protects one from evil. Well this doctor has the right prescription. May this album be your medicine, and may no misfortune infiltrate your life, and may no evil grab a hold in your soul, jock-a-mo fi na dey.

Playing catch up today so grateful for a short record, but this is fantastic and I want to spend more time with it. What a ride. I only know Right Place Right Time and that he worked with the Beatles. I didn't even know he was a white guy, which is vaguely uncomfortable given he's going on about voodoo all the time here. But I'm prepared to forgive this as it clearly comes from a place of love and appreciation for New Orleans culture. And it slaps. So much going on, so much rhythm, so much vibe, so much funk, it's just so much, man!

Loved it! 5

This is a great atmospheric album, especially as a debut album albeit after a time working as a session musician. Creates the Sr. John persona, all swampy, bluesy and psych.

I'm surprised but elated Dr. John made it on! The worlds introduction to the joy of creole jazz.

The atmosphere on this album is truly special. Quite literally took me to a whole other place. Love everything about the instrumentation as well as the frequent chanting. This album is awesome front to back

esse sim foi um álbum que parecia que eu realmente deveria escutar antes de morrer

Really enjoyed this one, I think the weather has something to do with it because it feels like an album id like to have to actively listen to in the summer, not just something on in the background. Mama roux was groovy and although Crocker courtbullion sounded like a bunch of tribals doing a rain dance in the Louisiana bayou, it was still something I liked

Loved me some of this New Orleans casserole!

What a weirdo. 5/5 stars.

So... Eighties Tom Waits actually existed a few years before he started the first phase of his career in the early seventies, and his name was actually Dr. John, from New Orleans... Good to know. And awesome to listen to. Even if this thing comes from the late sixties, its swampy, voodoo-inspired mood is so singular that it's basically timeless. Would have loved hearing this music in a David Lynch or Jim Jarmusch flick. Fortunately, the 1001 albums book and app were there to make me discover this gem in another way... All jokes about Tom Waits aside, I already had a superficial knowledge of who Dr. John was, but that was through *Dr. John's , Gumbo*, his breakout LP of covers related to his hometown, nice and dandy, but not very surprising sonically speaking. I have to say that this far more original debut is definitely more suited to my tastes. It's bookended by two killer cuts in their off-kilter bluesy genre, "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya" and "I Walk One Guilded Splinters". "Mama Roux" and "Jump Sturdy" sound great as well, and the two "danses" are mysterious and cinematic enough to seal the whole deal for me (only the lengthy "Croker Courtbullion" is grating after a while). Spent some time this afternoon falling into a rabbit hole and exploring other Dr. John albums prior to *Gumbo*. Those records are all flawed to an extent, but on the other hand, they all have a couple of gems to spare at the same time. Who cast a spell on me? Looks like "the night tripper" did... 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential albums", rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 grade for more general purposes (5+4.5) Number of albums left to review: 122 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 382 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 225 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 283

Roots vibratoons straight from a soul.

The list needs more of this vibe.

A Perfect Album. Truth be told I own a copy and probably haven't listened to it in 20 years but this weekend listened to it about five times and am enchanted in a way I wasn't before. Every element of this all-time masterpiece is superlative, the composition, performance, production and even the packaging is all absolutely 10/10 wouldn't change a thing. One technical aspect that might not be obvious to the casual listener is the use of reverb. reverb is an artificial effect that creates an echoing sound that makes it feel like the musician is in a large room and maybe on the other side of the room from you. on this album they use a lot of it. the vocals are fairly dry so the effect is it feels like Dr John is whispering in your ear while the rest of the band is on the other side of some voodoo shack out on the bayou.

Funky and grimy. Sometimes creepy. Always mesmerizing.

10/10

Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya Mamá Roux Jump Sturdy Never heard of Dr. John but. Boy do I love this album. Feels like each note was perfectly crafted and placed. The vibe behind this feels like you’re wading through the Bayou on a treasure hunt.

I LOVE DR JOHN!!! He is so unique and talented. I love the songs he performs in the last waltz!!

genius

Oh man, this is what I’m talking about. It’s so weird. I have a bit of a fascination with the occult, one of my favourite bands as I’ve mentioned before is a Folk-Metal group called Green Lung who make Black Sabbath-esque Hard Rock with lyrics inspired by Pagan rituals and witchcraft, so having an equally spooky sounding record that sounds like an honest to god VooDoo ceremony is way up my street. And it doesn’t hurt that this is also just a really impressive bit of musicianship, it’s got a swampy, murky sound that almost betrays how well layered, structured and dense it is. I’m all in and will absolutely be coming back to Gris-Gris

This is actually insanely good, how have I never even heard of this guy before. It's like a prime-era Tom Waits album but 15 years before that even happens, sounds so ahead of it's time. Every song was interesting, great mix of instruments, range of vocals, it has everything. Makes me fall in love with this challenge all over again.

Sublime

Wild and weird.

💖 danse kalinda ba boom 🗣️ 9️⃣

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this music until I read Apple’s description of it. New Orleans swamp meets 1960’s San Francisco psychedelic. It puts it into perspective, and I wish I’d had this in my life two weeks ago when I was actually in New Orleans. It is a truly deep and dark psychedelic experience, and the kind of oddity that I’m always searching for and thrilled to find.

Awesome album!

This is a dark, brooding and absolutely amazing album. I've held off reviewing it for a couple of days, but that's only because I've not been able to get it out my head. "Walk on guilded splinters" is a masterpiece. Love it.

god i'm sorry this album is SO FUCKING COOL MAN. i've known it for a long time now and every time I come back to it, i am continually blown away by the feel of this one. it's an all time vibe album for me, nothing sounds like this album, nothing gives off the vibe of this album. Gris-Gris is a singularity. you're not here for the quality of the lyrics, this album is VIBES ONLY and the vibes of this one are IMMACULATE. it sounds so dark, and so folk-y (in the sense that it's very rough around the edges). to me it perfectly matches the cover of this album, it feels like music being played at some sort of voodoo ceremony.

Overraskende banger

Atmosphere is the one thing that should be used to describe Dr. John's debut album. While the voodoo stuff might all be a bit obscure and maybe cliché ridden it surely works as a proper setting for this album you should listen in summer evenings and nights with that certain aura of mysteriousness. But for all the great sounds in the percussion work there are proper relaxing tunes too - 'Mama Roux' must be one of those few songs that are sexy, cool and laid-back enough for a little bit of openmindedness (if you get my meaning). I absolutely adore this album. Dr. John made some other great records which are certainly good - but in a different, less psychedelic and challenging way.

Gotta love Dr. John.

What a debut. This album is all greasy, swampy vibes and I love it.

This is fucking awesome bayou witch music. the kind of chaos that sooth the adhd riddled brain

Interesting blend of musical styles.

An amazing record. He stood on the shoulders of giants, true, but was a remarkable, unique man. The word unique is used too much, but it's the only correct major descriptor for Dr. John. May he rest in funky, multicultural peace.

My only complaint about this album is that it’s way too short.

brb, moving to the bayou with Dr. John

Awesome. Loved this one a long time. The vibe is perfect.

This album does not sound how it looks. I was expecting exuberant psychedelic rock, I got the most amazing laid-back rhythm and blues. What a pleasant surprise and a great start to a shitty Tuesday.

Gris-Gris Gumbo is an astonishing opening track for your debut album. It sets out the calling card for who you are and what's to come for the next three decades. Quite a statement. Then the samba hits you. The good Dr doesn't stand still. Latin rhythms, African chanting, plus so much more that I couldn't keep up with on the first listen.

The first song sounded like Tom Waits during his mid-80s Frank's wild years phase. I was happy that Tom listed Dr. J as an influence. the doctor is a fascinating character, playing traditional R&B as a session musician for a decade, then unleashing this voodoo psychedelia as a debut. It's a dark, swampy album that you know isn't going to be bought by too many. I especially love the sloppy background vocalists.