Reviews (page 3 of 8)
I'm in for the vibes Will I listen to again: 60%
It's alright.
Not sure I've ever heard something quite like this. Swamp/bayou rock with a lot of ambient and spiritual-adjacent effects make for an interesting listen, but not the most entertaining thing I've ever heard. Cool project piece, but nothing I plan on revisiting. Top tracks: Croker Courtbullion, I Walk On Guilded Splinters
I listened to this when I went through the Rolling Stones 500 list and I thought it was fine, but didn't really stick to me. I did like Danse Kalinda Ba Doom, that one stood out, but the rest was kinda just there. Cool album cover though!
This album was pretty goofy, I kept laughing at every other song because of how goofy the lyrics were, or some goofy noise that was being made. I appreciated this album for being way out there and also good. Wasn't expecting to find or enjoy goofy music like this but lo, I did. Favorite track was I Walk On Gilded Splinters.
Not as bad as the reviews led me to believe! No a classic by any means and not one I’m like to play again that often, but interesting no the less.
I actually like The Doc's voice and vocal style, but this album is a failed experiment that didn't chart anywhere, but was praised by critics upon rerelease - can't say why. It didn't get better.
Reminds me of exuma tbh
Margt cool í gangi. Fýla soundið og stemninguna en lögin mjög misgóð.
Það var eitthvað í miðjunni sem gekk ekki upp, en annað var mjög áhugavert
interesting listen. Almost good
No thank ya Dr. John
Cool
I Walk On Guilded Splinters
mds qq é isso. Foi meu primeiro pensamento com esse álbum, mas até que eu gostei? Como sempre, sei uma pesquisada sobre o álbum e ele tem muita referência mística junto de uma figura de Nova Orleans que inspirou na história por trás da obra, com conceitos do Voodoo, instrumentos referentes a um evento característico de lá e tudo que rodeia essa misticidade (chocalhos, barulho de galinha, de gato, caldeirão etc), tendo duas músicas que da pra dar uma dançadinha que foram as que gostei “Mama Roux” (lembrei de a princesa e o sapo AÍ) e “Danse Fambeaux”, outra à parte que gostei dos sons foi “Croker Courtbullion”. Escutaria Gris Gris de novo? Não. Apesar do álbum em si tem 31 min e entregar o que prometeu. Dito isso, foi a experiência mais próxima que tive de usar alucinógenos no pântano, foi interessante..
I really enjoyed this
Chaotic and fun to listen to, does not surprise me that the people of 1969 were not ready for this
Hmm.. very strange!
Gris-gris gumbo ya ya - 3 Danse kalinda ba doom - 2 Mama roux - 4 Danse fambeaux - 3 Croker courtbuillion - 2 Jump sturdy - 4 I walk on guilded splinters - 3
C’était très bizarre et dans le meilleur sens du terme ! Il y a vraiment une atmosphère occulte et incompréhensible que j’apprécie beaucoup !
This is not my thing, but I understand the reverence from anyone that is into blues, that New Orleans sound, psychradelica, or even some free-form jazz. It was an interesting listen, and I'm glad I now have heard it.
Meh.
Malísimo
This was a very fun unique style that was enjoyable but unlikely that I would put this on myself.
I’ve listened to this album before. I like Dr. John, got to see him once. This album is interesting but pretty trippy.
I am not high enough to understand this.
pretty cool, sounds like you'd hear it at a bar
Hmmmmmmm. Not sure
Fantastic listen. My first time sitting down and going through a full Dr. John album. He'll always be special for the song "Desitively Bonnaroo" for a busker being best-of-street or bon-a-roo. What a cool album and unique sound. Dr. John would have been my jam to see live. Very impressed with the album and listened to it again right after finishing.
Gris gris, indeed
Tom Waits if he was an old voodoo man. Wonderful!
Now this is what I’m talking about. Love the generator for this one. Quirky and fun and a bit unhinged, right up my street it seems. Only goes a bit too far out on’ Croker Courtbullion’. Great musicians and arrangements too. How is this rated so low? Bet it would have been a blast to see him live
Not as bad as I was fearing it would be. Not good enough to keep any of it in my collection.
I liked the last track more than most of the rest of it. Fine overall, but doubt I will revisit.
This is a super fun and short psychedelic album that definitely won’t over stay its welcome. It’s just wholesome and accessible for those who don’t love psych rock. It’s like an intro course into what you can expect from the genre as a whole. It has a few songs that are longer but nothing crazy long, and it has cool chord progression and at times it even gets pretty funky. Mama Roux is definitely my favorite track on the album (I walk on guilder splinters being a close second). It might not be my favorite psych album and it might not even be my favorite Dr. John album, but I do really appreciate this album for what it is. Not only will I be looking forward to more from Dr. John on this list but I’ll also keep an eye out for this album cause I’d love to own it.
no lo entendi, como que no encaja en nada. 1/5
Interesting bluesy album
Not my favourite, but I respect the musicality of the album. Walk on Guilded Nails is the best song
Better than I anticipated.
7/10
Murky voodoo-blues and psychedelic swamp rock built on loose percussion, eerie keyboards, chants, and raspy, incantatory vocals creeps with ritualistic atmosphere. Listening feels like stumbling into a shadowy bayou ceremony where rhythms circle endlessly and voices call from the dark. The result is immersive and distinctive, though its formless drift also feels disorienting.
Walk on Gilded Splinters is a haunting masterpiece.
4/10 - not objectively bad, just slightly weird hippy rock from its time
Also a really inoffensive album to me. Some New Orleans blues type stuff, but generally it's just too vibey and not catchy for my ears (Which is weird to say since I usually like vibey music, but when it comes to blues, I'd like some drive).
it rly does seem like theres some kind of cultural complexities that make ppl on the whole cool with this existing but im just not sure a white guy should be doing that voice, man. he's mostly a master of ceremonies for some really fucking sick music tho...the degree to which this doesnt even really feel like an "album" of "songs" is rly impressive. it feels more like a tour of several winding pieces of art , everything that's overtly musical feels more like it exists in relation to the diagetic world being sculpted rather than the world you and i are from. the songs and chants and rituals feel like part of a greater context that The Listener is never a full participant in...besides just being swept up in the power and uniqueness of the thing. weird and singular and very memorable album
Dismissed at the time, by none other than Armet Ertugen, as 'boogaloo crap' it has subsequently been critically reappraised and the Voodoo practising alter ego that was Dr. John became a jazz/blues legend, and a key influence on Jools Holland and such like. I can see that Atlantic would have struggled at the time to market the music but the presence of 'Walk on Gilded Splinters' has given it some renown and subsequent covers by Marsha Hunt the following year and Paul Weller in britpbop days have added to its appeal. Definitely an original fusion of psychedelia and New Orleans R&B.
Gris-Gris Gunbo Ya Ya I Walked on Guilded Splinters
When I was a wee tot, my parents, from good carnivore stock, loved to feed me meat. Not good cuts, mind you, but from rougher parts of the cow. I couldn’t do it. It was repulsive, tough, with stringy, twisted chunks of gristle so thick, you’d wonder if it was fit for human consumption. My brothers and father would put it down like savage dogs on the lamb. I would suffer and gag. It was freaking torture. Child Abuse. Poor parenting. I’ve recovered from my fears of the fibrous fatty meats of my childhood, but on occasion, those memories come around to haunt me. Dr. John did the deed. Never again.
I thought I was in for yet another psychedelic band, but I could not have predicted Dr. John. The music sounds like a lounge group in a Voodoo themed motel, and I mean that in the best possible way. Rock songs vaguely sprinkled over Louisiana seasoned folk instrumentation, with traces of jazz and blues. I love the sense of adventure and willingness to experiment. This is clearly a project that everyone cared about and had a lot of fun making. That said, didn’t really hit me in a meaningful way. I loved being exposed to something new, but I don’t know how often I’d return to Dr. John. Highlights: “Mama Roux”
I'm not sure what this was, but I didn't like it.
Goes back to some of my roots (Louisiana), so I enjoyed this album! If Bourbon Street's vibe was an album, this is what it would sound like.
Actually, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Latin American sounds in the mix are always welcome. Distinctive and good. Also quite short which is usually a plus.
An album dad recommended to me a while ago. I enjoyed it and will definitely come back to it when i’m in the mood for a full album of great 60’s psychedelia
well, that was something. Bayou music with 60s flair. Not something I'd put on all the time, but enjoyable nonetheless
Not my favorite, but an interesting listen. Can definitely hear NOLA and the melting pot of cultures present
What did I listen to
Interesting but not sure I’d listen again
not my thing
I don't know why I'd been avoiding Dr. John for so long, but this was an excellently weird listen.
I do actually know who Dr. John is and I've heard some of his stuff. None of it is stuff I like though. Cajun voodoo music is just so far off from my musical heritage.
Oh yeah. This was fun. Not something I'm gonna listen to a million times, but this was fun. 3.5, would buy a cheap copy!
This thing is psychedelic and unique as hell. So much that I find it quite hard to describe it. I even looked up the genres and I found some names I've never heard before, like "New Orleans R&B", "Swamp Rock / Blues" or "Zydeco", which explains why this sounded so unfamiliar. The album starts with "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya", and the first thing that comes to my mind about this song is that the guy sounds like Tom Waits. Since Tom Waits started his career after this album dropped, it should be the way around, but whatever. What I'm trying to say is that he sings with a raspy voice while portraying as a character. In this case, some type of voodoo doctor that is willing to sell you some really weird stuff, as the lyrics implies. When it comes to the music it is incredibly psychedelic, mixing a choir that sounds like the members are stoned, a mandolin, a bottleneck guitar and maybe another weird instrument that got buried in the background, all creating very weird melodies. The second song "Danse Kalinda Ba Boom" is a very upbeat instrumental, as there are no lyrics even though the choir does sing. The song is more normal than previous one, as it feels quite folk-ish and even medieval due to the flute and mandolin, although it feels kind of mysterious. But it is the next track, "Mama Roux", that has a more common sound, as the rhythm has traditional and recognizable patterns that are very infectious, and the voices sound more conventional. However, things get weird once again in "Dense Fambeaux". The choir focuses on repeating the same chants while the mandolin plays and the singer does some strange noises time to time. And if things could not get even more uncommon, the song "Croker Courtbullion" sets a new level of oddness. There are a lot of things here: dissonant guitars, a saxophone, I think there is a banjo, a clarinet, some imitations of animal noises, an instrument that sounds like those organs used so much in Baroque Pop (and that is not credited in the personnel) and much more. What I said about it is that the combination of animal noises and psychedelia made think about "Ummagumma", so anyone who is familiar with that record has a reference of how this thing sounds. Thankfully, "Jump Sturdy" returns to a more "normal" song with a very catchy choir and very soulful performance by the singer while a banjo plays in the background along the percussion. Finally, the record ends with "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" a weird piece that mixes different languages and it is a bit dragging due to it being the longest song, at almost 8 minutes of length, and not being as weird as the others nor as catchy as the more typical sounding ones. In general, I was quite impressed with how weird and unique this sound, but ultimately, I wasn't really blown away by it, maybe because I think there is a lack of charisma or an appealing factor. Still a nice experience.
Did not quite understand this one!
Not good, not bad
1/1
Dr. John is a new discovery for me, so I was looking forward to listening to Gris-Gris today. I actually had to listen to this album twice before forming a proper opinion. On the first listen there was so much going on that it was hard to take it all in. It’s full of variety and difficult to place neatly into a single genre. On the second listen it made a lot more sense and I enjoyed it much more. I really like Dr. John’s unique style of psychedelic funk. The album feels very distinctive and original, and it has aged surprisingly well. My only real negative is the whistling that appears throughout parts of the album. For me it wasn’t really needed and did start to get on my nerves a bit. Favourite tracks: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Jump Sturdy, and I Walk on Guilded Splinters are all great tunes. Least favourite tracks: Every song feels like it has a place on the album and contributes something to the overall sound. Album artwork: A fairly standard psychedelic late-60s cover, but it fits the music well.
This was odd, but not unpleasant. Would it be something I would listen to again? No.
Super interesting and unique, a blend of many different styles. A bit too abstract for my liking… Fav song is ‘Jump Sturdy’.
Eh, it's whatever.
Must have been self funded, surely? What record executive would think that they are going to make a return on their investment by releasing these random vocal and musical ramblings? Utter shite.
I feel like I'm walking through the streets of N'oleans, slow as molasses as the humid air violates the senses. RIP Dr. John.
Far off the beaten path. Could be worth coming back to but not towards the top of my list
felt transported to a New Orleans voodoo ritual in the swamp. very unique. spooky psychedelic vibe. great example of why I'm doing this 1001 albums challenge because I'd have never come across it otherwise, let alone listen to it.
It was fine for one listen
Meh
Not my taste at all.
Brother, I cannot keep doing this. If i get one more 1/5 back-to-back-to-back-to-back, I'll just have to quit.
Kinda wonky sounding, but has a few neat psych rock moments. Idk, kinda felt like they were tripping & messing around in the studio.
This was weird. Not bad, but strange and the songs had a very similar theme.
He got a voice on him, that man. Giving Tom Waits in rain dog but leaning a little more into witch doctor. But it wasn’t really my thang. Accompanied me to and from the Carnegie library though. Merci pour your service.
Wow! That was fun and odd. I wouldn't necessarily to choose to listen this album from start to finish again, but it would be fine if someone threw it on.
well
7/10
I have no idea what I just listened to but it was good, like really good?
Deep atmosphere and total commitment to the mystic swamp vibe. It’s memorable as a mood piece, though the songs themselves don’t always stand out on their own.
Not a fan of jazz.
Had some good parts
Just your average, normal, ho-hum psychedelic odyssey through the bayou swamps with your guide the Night Tripper. In other words, it fuckin' rules.
I meant to listen to him after my deep dive on the Band so this was a welcome surprise. It blew any expectations I had out of the water. It somehow makes Tom Waits look inauthentic. This is in the upper echelon of albums from the southeast. It feels impossible to replicate. He pushes the boundaries of weird just enough but he doesn’t forget to make an enjoyable song at the same time. Rating: 4.4
One of the weirder albums I’ve listened to from this, one of the better ones though? Not really
Okay, I listened to Dr. John, can I go now? How does a guy make a Cajun album with titles like “Gris Gris Gimbo Ya Ya” and “Danse Kalinda Ba Doom” - sounds exciting! - and dump this half-awake, shitty-production, slow-ass boring record in our laps? Is he always like this? Is he on a mission to make people hate Louisiana music? Wait - is he gentrifying it? Please tell me how this “Doctor” - where’s your degree from, Hollywood Upstairs Medical College? - has stayed popular for decades.
Not horrendous, but very very weird.
I’m really too forgiving of anything that comes from the 60s. This was all over the place, but I’ve heard songs from Dr. John that are “better” than this, so I know how talented he is. “Jump Sturdy” and “I Walk On Guilded Splinters” are fantastic tracks, though.
(5) Produced by Harold Batiste s New Orleans Producer. Batiste also produced Sam Cooke’s “you send me”. So here with Dr John, New Orleans comes alive with all of the nuances, A New Orleans feel, with some chicory Coffee included for free.
nightmare fuel
I only liked the first song and I added it but others were kinda ass
jump sturdy lowkey peak but this album is too advanced for little old me
Day 201 Only vaguely knew of Dr John through that Perfect Day cover he was part of in the 90s. This was an album of 2 halves in that really liked a few of the songs whilst others like Croker Courtboullion I kinda hated Highlights Mama Roux Jump Sturdy I walk on Gilded Splinters
The cover to this album made it look like this might be some sort of voodoo zombie themed novelty record, but it proved to be a lot more interesting than that first impression. Dr. John (a.k.a. Mac Rebennack) was a session musician from New Orleans who was working with Sonny and Cher, when a gap in the schedules gave him some studio time for himself. He put together a band and recorded this glorious mix of swampy R&B and creole rhythms that really does evoke misty bayous, moonless nights and something strange lurking in the darkness. Swamp-tastic!
Spooky
Beautiful. 5/5
Definitely an interesting melange of swamp rock. Not something you ever hear very often. More than a lark, it is actually put together quite well.
this was the most interesting album ive listened to in the way it uses different sounds. pretty catchy. fun and weird style. some songs are a little long for me (6/10)
I think this is one of the weirdest albums I’ve ever listened to but I totally freak with it like I love this and I wouldn’t expect anything less than voodoo psychedelic music from the guy who made the song Down In New Orleans from the movie princess and the frog
Weird
DEZE MAAKT LIEDJES VAN PRINCES EN DE KIKKER
Scoperta molto interessante, non molta emozione cmq
Wat een mystiek album.. met een sound, context, en thema zo niche dat het bijna 60 jaar later nog steeds even 'vreemd' aanvoelt. En alhoewel het vast meer op de golflengte zit van de locals in de Big Easy en omliggend bayou country dan op die van mij, kwam ik hier vrij snel in. De nummers lijken soms nauwelijks op 'liedjes' in de Westerse zin van het woord, en meer op spreuken, ceremonies en vloeken geleid en verspreid door de lokale voodoo-priester (wat natuurlijk ook het concept van dit album is). Maar toch haal ik hier wel veel interessants uit, en dat vind ik een belangrijk element van kunst. Zoveel instrumenten die ik niet kon plaatsen en moest opzoeken, de vocalen (voor- en achtergrond) die op zo'n onorthodoxe manier worden opgenomen dat het voelt alsof je omringt bent door witch doctors in een Louisiana Swamp. En zo nu en dan is het ook echt heel catchy (Mama Roux, Jump Sturdy), en vergeet het album zeker niet de iconische funky en dansbare Mardi Gras-sound van New Orleans uit te stralen. En dan eindigen met het unieke en waanzinnig cult-filmische 'I Walk On Guilded Splinters', tekenend is voor deze plaat. Het transporteert je naar de wonderlijke maar sinistere wereld van de zwarte magie, en doet dat vol kleur. Tuurlijk zet je dit niet elke dag op voor het luisterplezier (als je geen alligator of medicijnman bent), maar het doet wel waar muziek zo goed in kan zijn; andermans gedachtewereld - hoever van je bed dan ook - op schilderachtige wijze delen. 8/10 Highlights: Danse Fambeaux Jump Sturdy I Walk On Guilded Splinters
Icoon. Zeg ik zonder dat ik deze man vooraf kende. Maar Dr. John is een uniek figuur die zich met groot gemak weet te onderscheiden van alle andere muziek en muzikanten. Dat doet hij door weirde muziek te maken maar die niet compleet gestoord is. Eigenlijk is het best tof. Het is een beetje Beefheart, het is een beetje Tom Waits. Beide zijn koningen in weirde tracks maar met aantrekkelijke en catchy melodieën. En dat lukt Sjon ook. Het is soms wat spooky en klinkt soms houtje touwtje maar het klopt wel. Het vliegt niet uit de bocht en is een fijne plaat om te luisteren. Ga ik vaker doen. 7,5/10 Highlights Mama Roux
I came into this expecting something a little more straight-ahead New Orleans—maybe closer to Professor Longhair with some voodoo seasoning. Instead, I got a swamp ritual. Gris-Gris is chaotic in a mostly good way. Tempos shift, percussion layers blur together, and the instrumentation often feels intentionally hard to pin down. It’s more trance than party, more séance than barroom. At times that looseness keeps it from locking into the kind of groove I naturally gravitate toward—but when it hits, it really hits. “Jump Sturdy” brings the clearest connection to the Dr. John sound I already knew and love, with a grounded pulse and character-driven swagger. And “Walk on Gilded Splinters” is hypnotic, ritualistic, and unforgettable—the kind of track that justifies the whole smoky premise. It’s weird. It’s immersive. It fully commits to its own world. Not something I’ll spin every week, but absolutely a record I respect and will revisit. A strong four.
This was super weird but also really cool. Definitely gives off the spooky vibes he was intending. Somewhat reminiscent of Captain Beefheart. Favorite songs were Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Mama Roux, and I Walk On Guilded Splinters.
This is something…
A cacophonous, percussive record that makes it feel like you are in a booze soaked New Orleans club. Dr. John lays the template for Tom Waits, creating a unique sound and vibe that defies genre categorization. A really cool, interesting listen.
I guess this what you would call voodoo blues. Very cool, unique and interesting. First song threw me off a little, thought it to be generic stuff but this I would actually listen to again
I'm sorry but I'm not taking whatever you're taking
Another valuable addition to the list if random stuff i'd have never listened to without this process, but kind if enjoyed. Weird swampy, blues that seems to live in 2nd gear but why not. First track, ok this could be fun, i can see how you progress from here. 2nd 3rd 4th, ok, they are just keeping it here and thats fine.
Bit weird. Is this jazz? Felt like jazz in places. Gilded Splinters is a great tune and leaves me feeling a strong 2, where for much of this album it was a weak 1.
This album is a strange one for me as I didn’t particularly care for it, but I cannot find one single fault with it. The African influences of Creole culture are on full display. One track even going so far as to take you to the jungle with animal noises, giving an almost claustrophobic feeling. The instruments are incredible and fit together perfectly. Dr. John and his backup vocalists create a wonderful call and response setting every song into an almost ethereal place. Yet, I just didn’t enjoy it. Admittedly, that’s probably more on me than Dr. John. He’s clearly a very talented artist, and this album was more artwork than chart topper. I just didn’t get it. I still don’t know what a Gris Gris man is despite his explanation. All I left feeling was that I couldn’t trust such a man because he clearly plans to drug me and leave me in the swamps.
I like Dr. John, but this wasn't my favorite album.
More
i'd join this guy's cult. pretty fun and trippy fav song: Mama Roux
weird and perfectly 1968 - a good reference for my friends king gizzard
I can't lie I expected to really like this because I already heard Mama Foux before this and thoroughly enjoyed it, though this album is very uninteresting. It's only saved by its two highlights (Mama Roux and Jump Sturdy)
Did not like this.
What a strange album. This sounded like Bobby Boucher from ‘The Waterboy’ started an experimental voodoo psychedelic funk band. Almost exclusively spoken-word singing except for a couple songs with background singers. Lots of trippy music that was interesting, but not particularly good. I’ll give it a 2/5 for the effort, but this is something I’ll never listen to again
Look, I'm glad it got included on the list, but what in the actual fuck?
Seriously cool. 3.5/5
It’s all in what you think of his voice
Truly psychedelic, in the sense that when you listen it feels like your perception is being altered to the point where it feels hallucinatory. This album has so much goddamn ambiance in a way that feels totally original, even (or especially) more so than other Dr. John albums, including the one that gave a pretty famous festival its name. That comes maybe at the expense of having tighter songwriting, but on the other hand who cares? If you're coming here to this project specifically for at least a partial music history lesson, this is a can't miss.
wanna feel like youre in a swamp horror movie? i've got an album for you.
🙄😒 ok.
Remember the scene in Across the Universe where Bono skulks around with a microphone muttering about how he's the walrus? Kind of reminded me of that. I know having a built-out stage persona was a big thing in early psychedelia. I just don’t think this has the instrumental muscle to sell it. Probably had to be there.
Fun and crazy. Whats not to like?
It was my first listen of this artist and I dig this sound! Very late 60s vibe but an interesting mix of psychedelia and R'n'B and it isn't less interesting nearly 60 years later. I will definitely relisten this album.
Weird but good
get that shit out of here. i was really annoyed of this album most of the time
шаманские вечера у костра
Mysterious, spooky New Orleans psychedelia/swamp rock, inspired by a real life 19th century voodoo doctor? Sign me the hell up.
Really enjoyed this. Good vibes
Man, this is the Tom Waits album that never was
2.5
2.5
3.5
Love the dr. Gumbo is better
"Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya" and especially "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" i'm going to keep this album pretty well into my favor though it didn't totally land. I really like it when it heavily leans into the voodoo especially the opening "Gris Gris" track and "Dance Kalinda Ba Doom". And "Mama Roux" kind of gives me the vibes that Dr. Hook would put into their single "Marie Laveaux". But the real standout track is the "Gilded Splinter" closer. That is a Master Jam. Unfortunately there's a big rough patch in the middle of the album with "Dance Fambeaux" and "Cocker Courtbullion" that really drives down this from being a solid four-star album. (7.45) ★★★½
I think Dr. John's voice is really cool. Not every track is as good, but the best tracks here is fantastic, with their swampy quality. 3.5 stars
I thought this was pretty cool. I like the songs were Dr. John really leans into the creepy Cajun voodoo stuff. When he doesn't, he kind of comes across as a poor-man's Randy Newman. But, but the first couple tracks are really cool and the closer is super awesome. "I Walk On Guilded Splinters" sounds like it should be in some southern horror movie. "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya-Ya" and "Danse Fambeaux" were some other highlights. 3.5 stars.
3.5
Guy’s voodoo powers are for real. Even though he and his name were staring right at me I somehow managed to think he was Dr Hook and I had all sorts of ‘hook’ puns ready to go so he’s definitely cast some kind of voodoo curse on me even from the grave. This is certainly very swampy and shamanic with witchy lady backing vocals throughout. Unfortunately it’s too swampy and the songs are never that interesting. They’re like Hobo Beefheart doing Monster Mash level novelty music for a half hour straight. 2 stars.
Envoûtant
et lille besøg til new orleans :)) fed oplevelse, blev overrasket da jeg opdagede at manden er hvid??? 3.5
É curioso... Gostei, vou querer escutar mais vezes.
Gets better with each listen
Too weird
The songs feel like they could use more meat and substance, but the album's sound itself comes across really different and interesting, like he's just in his humble early years, building up to make a masterpiece someday. It's no surprise that he made substantial and prolific contributions to music history-to-be, like performing the theme song to the 2000s animated Curious George television series
Pretty weird
I mentioned yesterday what a lot of psychedelia we were getting, and blimey here's another. The first track made me realise that this was definitely something different, however - not at all like the west coast stuff. I had a great half an hour listening to this; it's very jazzy and moody and definitely has hints of voodoo; a fusion of African roots with psychedelia, by way of southern jazz? Or something like that. New Orleans through and through, I guess. I'm glad he didn't sing *too* much (sorry, Dr John) as I wasn't that keen on his voice; by the last couple of tracks I kind of got it, though. Overall, very cool.
Very odd. Seems almost a parody of itself.
So sick
Walking into a dark circus type shiiii
Todo un personaje legendario, uno de los The Wrecking Crew (o The Clique) que ya de por sí merecen un hueco en la historia. Aquí tenemos un disco bizarro con sonidos carvenarios del Nueva Orleans más primitivo. Sonidos similares a los de Captain Beefheart pero desde el pantanoso sur. nada que ver con fricadas (maravillosas también) como las De Screaming Jay Hawkins. El éxito le llegó, a nivel comercial de la mano de Allen Toussaint y el respaldo de The Meters, con In the Right time, wrong place ya en el 73. Abre con la presentaciónn de Gris Gris, tema que da título al álbum. Gris Gris es como se denominan ciertos amuletos relacionados con el voodoo. Danse Kalinda ba doom, instrumental con voces que solo se oyen en África y Nueva Orleans. Sólo Mama Roux tiene algo de melodía, una delicia. Danse Fambeaux es un extraño gospell bugaloo... Croker Courtbullion es un tema jazz que obviamente ha influido a Barry Adamson... Jumbo Sturdy es extrañamente tarareable, con ese coro del más allá. I walk on guilded splinters con esa percusión y voces femeninas es una experiencia magistral de más de 7 minutos. No es Symphaty for the devil de los Stones, esto va más allá.
Atmosphere on this one is great and unlike anything else. It leans into the mysterious voodoo vibe really well and gives this album a really unique sound. I love all the percussion on here, the background singers and Dr. Johns ominous half singing half whispering voice. Best promotion material New Orleans could wish for.
Too psychedelic noise for my tastes, but could have been worse.
Hard one to get through.
Un loquito divino. No entendí nada. Pero es un album corto y disfrutable. Como la vivian en esa época eh. Mirá lo que es esa tapa, hermano. Una de George Romero. 6/10
Another big album from dr John, can really see the tightness of the band when they play live
Not a big fan but it is good stuff.
What a fantastic discovery, a great debut, a reminder of what I have appreciated about these random recommendations. A New Orleans psychedelic rock jazz kind of thing. I love it.
So overstimulating and confusing
Cool and unusual. My first time hearing New Orleans R&B psychedelia
Low 3
huh?
Uncomfortable listening experience. Just bizarre, mumbled vocals with random chanting and odd noises. How this gets a 5 stars from anybody is a complete mystery.
This is a lot of fun. I dig the New Orleans psychedelic vibes. It continues to amaze me what music is out there that I haven't even explored. After a deeper dive on Spotify, I recognize Right Place, Wrong Time from a later album. And of course the Curious George theme song :)
Listened on the drive home from the mall. Not for me. Didn't get the spooky vibes other talk about. Don't like long jammy improv sections that just go on and on. I just don't really enjoy this era of psychedelic music. At least it was short.
I think I need another listen. I either loved this or hated it and I have no idea which.
First listen Iost attention of the album after a couple of songs. My impression was that probably it was dull. Did a careful relisten and realized that like some great Ambient albums the music can drift to the background and still give you feelings. Sometimes John reminded me of some kind of Tom Waits, some times you feel the hippie force, sometimes you feel the African roots, it's an album for multiple listens. And the quality of the musicianship is amazing, tight reefs like the best blues from the time. Amazing discovery.
Mama Roux Croker Courtbullion (random duck and bird noises?) Jump Steady I think I’d enjoy this one more with a few more listens. Didn’t fully get into it but it was OK.
Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya Danse Kalimbo Ba Doom Mama Roux I Walk on Guilded Splinters
he's not an actual doctor it's just a handle
Lo que tiene de psycodelico lo tiene de bueno
Cool vibes, no hits. Historically significant, both sprawling and intimate and creepy
Album #36 Dr. John: Gris Gris From what 60s psychedelic music I’ve heard, I have often enjoyed it; though of course, for me that means bands like The Beatles, The Doors, Love, and The Jimmy Hendrix Experience. Psychedelic elements mixed in with genuine melody and rock structure. So when I hear about the genre’s reputation as often being over-indulgent ‘hippy bullshit’, I never quite understood. But after hearing Dr. John’s “Gris Gris”, and discovering that it is apparently heralded by the boomers as being one of the finest albums of all time, it’s clear to me that the ayahuasca was hitting too good in the 60s. The album is very minimalistic, with not a lot going on instrumentally in most songs, and the vocal delivery not being very compelling. It feels like the only way you were meant to enjoy this is by taking mushrooms with a shaman in the bayou, in which case I’m sure this music acts as a great vessel to open your brain up with. The songs do possess some interesting moments, specifically for me on “Croker Courtbullion”, I actually really like the instrumental, but it is ruined by mindless wailing and animal noises. There just isn’t enough here for me to want to give it more of a chance, and I am just going to resign myself to accepting that it isn’t for me. Best Tracks: Mama Roux, Croker Courtbullion, I Walk on Guilded Splinters Worst Track: Danse Fambeaux Score out of 10:3.5
Not my favorite noise, but I did enjoy it, as I am planning a trip to Jazz fest this year. .grabbing my gris gris to go. Listened before? N Saved tracks? N Favorite tracks? N/A ⭐⭐ Didn't hate it or love it.
An album for tripping balls in New Orleans. Head out into the bayou and just get weird. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Honestly I didn't know what to expect, but this album impresses me each time I come back to it. The first time I heard of Dr. John was when I saw him on the Top Chef hot sauce challenge. He seemed like a weird dude. He seems to have gone full voodoo, not just putting on a persona of the Black NOLA community. He is also celebrated by his community for his work and music. I really don't have any complaints and this stands out among the other albums of the time. 5/5
This is definitely some country, down-by-the-bayou music. Not bad but not my thing.
I get that he was an influential artist for a specific regional style of music and he has been doing this forever, a flag bearer for the combined N.O. sound and tradition. I wont turn this off if its on and I will nod my head in rhythm if its on. This isnt something I would specifically seek out to listen to. All of that being said just because I dont view this as a masterpiece that needs to be heard (believe me, unless youre really into this specific style you dont need to hear this before you die). Its good. 2.5 isnt an option so I will go with 3 simply because 2 would imply its bad.
I tried to figure out why I like something like Velvet Underground or Tom Waits, but wasn’t enjoying this Dr. John album. Maybe there was something about the time it came out, or the New Orleans music scene that would help me understand how to enjoy this album. But I didn’t really get anywhere. It just sounded sloppy and grating, with a few brief moments of musicality. I didn't know what the lyrics were about. I think he gave a few recipes in there, but that's all I could gather. So I'll give it a 2, which I guess is the rating that means "I didn’t like this, but I also don’t think it's contributing to the downfall of human culture."
It was an interesting style, the New Orleans Bob Dylan, if you will.
I'm curious why they picked this album rather than the one with Right Place, Wrong Time... Anyway, do you like weird understated melodies with psychadelic spoken word poetry and harmonized backing vocals all about drugs and sex? How about long instrumentals with lots of percussion and more of the hippy dominated backing vocals? Then this is for you. Alas, I'm not really into that, so this was kind of a miss. Maybe if I ever go on an extended ayahuasca trip I might change my mind. Side note: I never knew Dr. John was a white dude.
A weird experience.
The immediate thing that jumps out to me is that this sounds nothing like 1968. Ahead of its time. Drags a bit, but pretty good.
Potential, but not so good after all
Funky voice
Certainly...diverse but largely unmusical to my ears. Stream-of-consciousness stuff, or maybe a fever dream. I can't say I understand much of what's going on. Danse Fambeaux was probably my favorite, or Jump Sturdy. Outside of these, a difficult listen and mercifully a short one.
Takie 3. Nieźle się zaczyna, ale potem zlewa się w całość i nie wiadomo kiedy jedne utwory przechodzą w inne.
Weet ik niet meer precies
This kinda goes. Love me some weird experimental stuff and Cajun jazz influenced psych rock is one hell of a combo.
Nothing in it felt overly interesting.
Intriguing
strange and occasionally bizarre but in a way that i can vaguely appreciate for being experimental and Different.
Couldn't get what exact sound this album was supposed to have, but I didn't care for much of it.
Read multiple reviews that were praising how spooky this sounded. I’d hate for those people to hear about g-g-ghosts!
I misread this as Dr Jones at first so I when I was done I put on Aqua’s Aquarium. That gets a 5/5 and probably isn’t on this list. Anyway, Dr John violates the Hippocratic Oath for 33 minutes.
Oh hell yeah this is what I'm talkin' 'bout. Dr. John was a special, unique talent, and this is his swampiest, most voodoo-tinged album. A shining example of how music can transport you to a very specific time & place.
Not for me
look, i am not one to rate things negatively, i don't like doing it and i much prefer to see the good in the majority of music, however i just can not understand the appeal of this. the music itself is fine, but this guys' vocals are so grating they go right through me. not a pleasant listening experience whatsoever
Ich liebe Tom Waits und dieses Album hat ihn definitiv beeinflusst. Herrlich weird und psychedelisch. Sehr schöne Entdeckung für mich.
Late 60s blues, jazz. White guy playing voodoo doctor. Gris-Gris is a hybrid of New Orleans R&B and psychedelia. Spooky, swampy, druggy.
3.3 I've had a lot of shite albums this week which I think has really helped this one, relief to have something that hasn't made my day slightly worse. At first I thought it said the year was 1987 so when listening thought it was a really interesting experimental album of someone harking back to old southern rock vibes. Pleasantly surprised to see I misread and it was actually '67! Interesting concept, can't say I loved it, but after the Bee Gees it was a welcome respite.
Dr. John's debut album is a pretty decent listen. Not too long and has some interesting sounds with the trademark New Orleans voodoo and medicine show sound. He has made better records so I would say 3 stars.
Remember back when the WWE was the WWF, and pretty much everyone was some sort of gimmick, so wrestling matches would feel like Street Fighter? Who would win in a fight between a Soviet and a bird-loving Jamaican? A barber vs a police officer? A dead guy vs. a Miami drug dealer? It was all sort of stereotypical, sometimes outright racist, but it was also goofy as hell. Anyway, this Dr. John guy is great.
I knew I was going to hate this when the album cover popped up, and I was right. I didn’t hate everything I got through, as track 2 was fine. The issue is when this dude opens his mouth. It’s absolutely horrible to listen to when he’s speaking or singing. After track 3 I gave up. No time to waste with Boomer trash like this.
I expected an album with Louisiana roots, but this is much more than I expected. He really went full-bore into the particular vision of this album. It sounds like you just stepped into a secret religious ceremony. I really like it. It sets such a specific tone and feeling and provides a nice survey of Louisiana music. "A la Gris-Gris, calimbo-calimbo"
His voice reminded me of Tom Waits at times. Enjoyable!
I'm already a sucker for New Orleans music in general. This is like New Orleans meets a dark jungle. Mysterious and interesting.
I hadn't realized Dr. John was so interesting and prolific.
Dr. John with a voice that could melt steel beams.
Whimsy and fun
??? das cover der opener heyhey trippin brother dr.jhon. Shamanistic van morrison c
Sorry - the magic mushrooms where out of stock at my local dealer.
Det va mest av alt litt rart, men også egentlig litt fornøyelig? Nokka sånt.
I always learn something listening to the albums on the list. Today’s lesson: New Orleans zydeco/jazz/swamp rock through a voodoo/psychedlic 1960s drug haze is not my bag. Can totally hear where this was an influence on Tom Waits (that’s not a compliment). 1⭐️
First time round this was a solid 2, but on listening again the echoes (pre-echoes?) of Tom Waits and early Nick Cave and soft spot for psychedelia raised it to a high 3/low 4.
Este álbum tiene exactamente mi edad y la verdad es que me suena muy experimental para ser del 1968. Como músico que venía del R&B, la colección que aquí nos trae Dr John tiene más pinta de celebración de magia negra que de blues. No extraña que en su momento no tuviera éxito, pero por extraño que parezca es un álbum que de deja oír e incluso más de una vez. Otra prueba de que lo poco convencional tiene más recorrido en el tiempo del que parece.
Spooky supernatural and swampy with lots Afro Cuban and Caribbean influences. Felt like something you shouldn’t be listening to, like a secret voodoo incantation or something🧟♂️🧟♀️
There's a rough negative correlation with the age of an album and how much I enjoy it, but albums like this that are fairly old now but have something a bit different tend to be more interesting. This album is soaked in a drawling New Orleans sound, thick with mystic energy. I quite liked it
I can see that this is classified as pychedelia but I think this music is better than that. More a combination of jazz, blies, creole & other world music. It stands the test of time.
Ugh. The good songs were not good enough. 2.5
Wonderfully strange exotic sounds.
I liked the R & B tracks but the rest was meh.
One of those albums which doesn't fit into the 5 star rating system. It's crazy but also whack at points
Eigenwillige Experimente egozentrischer einfallsloser Esoteriker.
Weird as…
Not sure what just happened ...
New Orleans R&B meets 1960's Psychedelia with a Voodoo vibe. Music to get stoned to. I quite liked this laid-back album.
Could be a 3
i liked it i like the sounds they make me sway it’s a vibe
You can say this album is a lot like a...cosmic gumbo. Dr. John is steeped in New Orleans traditions, but with that, an awful lot of appropriation. The repetition of these melodies and rhythms can be entrancing and aren't without merit.
This is some swamp boogey voodoo music. The production isn't great and Dr John leans into the spoken word vocals a bit heavy at times but overall it is an experience.
I think Dr John took all the drugs for this album
Now THIS is weird. I love weird. this is like some weird Caribbean-Soul-Folk-Whatevertheheck hybrid. It's also proof that "I'm too high for this" is just a mindset. I've never done nearly enough drugs to explain what compelled anyone on this album to do what they did, and that's the fun of it. It doesn't need explaining, it's just cool as hell and probably influenced by enough heroin to kill an elephant. It's like Captain Beefheart for people who haven't fully opened their third eye.
Fragt mich nochmal am 22.12. Bin viel zu überarbeitet für so einen anstrengenden Kram..
Starke Soundqualität für 1968, aber das alleine macht die Musik auch nicht besser. Zu abgedreht psychedelisch für mich.
Es ist wahrscheinlich besser, beim Hören dieser Platte unter ähnlich viel Drogeneinfluss zu stehen wie deren Ersteller. Ich dagegen lag übermüdet mit sich anbahnender Erkältung als Einschlafbegleitung im abgedunkelten Schlafzimmer, was auch exakt genauso lange gedauert hat wie dieses Album. Krasser Sound, gerade für 1967. Sehr bluesig, sehr dreckig. Da hat sich Tom Waits sicherlich inspirieren lassen. "Croker Courtbullion" klingt, als hätte man jeden Musiker separat jammen lassen und die Tonspuren nur noch nebeneinander gelegt. Das war wirklich nur schwer auszuhalten. Aber ansonsten ist das schon sehr cool. Insbesondere der Opener und Closer haben es mir angetan.
Sehr interessantes Werk, weiß aber nicht, ob ich das dann nochmal hören würde.
Ich bin völlig verwirrt. Eigentlich ganz cool, aber es gibt auch Totalausfälle. Jump Sturdy ist ein Hit.
Das hat schon einen starken Sound, grad für die #zeit, aber komplett hat es mich dann doch verloren
Listenable.
Album #989 Psychedelic rock mixed with some African jungle beats. It was ok.
Uhh. I think I would appreciate this more if I was in New Orleans, completely blasted after 4 or 5 hurricanes. Completely sober, this is not interesting or very good. 2/5 because it's not krautrock.
Stuff like this is why I wanted to start this project! Really enjoyed the first half of the album but got a bit shrill toward the end (especially Croker Courtbullion, which I didn’t like much). Overall 4/5 would listen again
This album doesn’t make any sense. It’s definitely not better than the Black Album.
I genuinely have no idea what's going on. I wasn't really into any of the songs in this album. Most of the songs without many lyrics were really boring and repetitive or just uncomfortable and unfamiliar. The ones with lyrics were bizarre. Never really sure what was going on. 2/10
Mjög góð plata! Kom skemmtilega á óvart. Algjört rugl en gott rugl
Mjög skrýtið en áhugavert.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be locked in a 17th century New Orleans attic with a coven of witches performing a summoning of Lord Beelzebub? Listen to this album to find out. The music is pretty terrible, but I can’t give something that gives that vivid of a mental image a 1/5.
It was okay
(90/100)
donno
Very poorly mixed, some odd stuff going on that isn't really working for me. Vocals strained. Instruments are really lacking in power and it never really gets going.
Qué es esto. Nunca había escuchado nada que sonase así. Graciosísimo el concepto de maestro vudú. A veces suena a música de malo de peli de disney, a veces suena a música de malo de videojuego, a veces suena groovy, a veces suena tribal y en general suena más experimental que el carajo. Ignorando que las voces suenen como si se hubiesen grabado con el micrófono del móvil en 1968, curiosísimo disco, muy divertido. Ni idea de lo que acabo de escuchar.
Recently went down a Dr John listening spree, this was a standout album from him for sure. 4.5
I don't think this music is meant for me, and by music I mean this guy's vocals. The music is ok, I guess, even if it does drag on longer than necessary. I guess this is a bluesy Bayou psychedelic jam? Well, the second song gets better. Probably because Dr. John isn't talking. I like the rhythm. In fact, maybe the music is the only thing for me on this album. It's a 3, then his vocals to it back to a 2. I'm sure he's fun a parties, though.
My guess here is that this album was recorded.while on strong acid. An oddball but cool album.
Was deeply skeptical of this whole thing, but damn it really sustains a mood and atmosphere. Maybe works best when he’s not singing...
Kinda weird, but kinda fun
Not really loving this.
241021 11:02 3.5
Not my favorite Dr John album, but would be good background music
### *Gris-Gris* (1968) – Dr. John, the Night Tripper An in-depth review of the album that dragged New-Orleans voodoo into the psychedelic era. --- ### 1. **Lyrics – Hoodoo Liturgy in Broken English & Creole Spells** - **Vocabulary of spells & street-medicine**: “Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya-Ya” opens with the doctor promising “remedies for all y’all’s ills,” immediately establishing the record as a pharmacopoeia of jive talk, folk-Catholic imagery and voodoo product-placement (gris-gris bags, goofer dust, “mojo eye”). - **Non-linear storytelling**: Instead of verses/choruses we get incantatory lists (“I walk through the fire, children / fly through the smoke…”) that feel improvised during a ceremony. - **Code-switching & micro-dialects**: English, French-Creole, carnival barker slang and jive overlap, giving the text a linguistic swampiness that mirrors the music. - **Hidden social commentary**: Beneath the hokum, tunes like “Mama Roux” lament the closing of the old Storyville dance-halls while “Danse Kalinda Ba-Doom” hints at slave-dance rituals re-packaged for tourists. --- ### 2. **Music – A Séance in 7/4 Time** - **Rhythm section as snake skeleton**: Most tracks ride a loping New-Orleans second-line groove, but tempo is often electronically *slowed* (Vari-Speed) so hand-drums, claves and bass appear to crawl. - **Modal vamps instead of blues changes**: Instead of I-IV-V, songs hover around one minor chord decorated by micro-riffs on clavinet, low-register flute or banjo, creating trance rather than progression. - **Timbre cocktail**: reed organ processed through a homemade ring-modulator, triangle wave generators, bowed double-bass *and* baritone sax giving sub-harmonic “mud,” while Harold Battiste’s piccolo or clarinet supplies *high* insect buzz—producing the swamp-insect nightscape you can actually hear. - **Vocal delivery**: Dr. John’s voice is mixed bone-dry, up-front and slightly over-modulated; he half-speaks, half-sings like a medicine-show priest while background singers (including Jessie Hill & Shirley Goodman) respond in church-fallen-into-river call-and-response. --- ### 3. **Production – Studio as Gris-Gris Bag** Producer Harold Battiste and arranger Mac Rebennack (Dr. John) had three days of leftover studio time at Gold Star in L.A. and a cartload of ideas they couldn’t use on Sonny & Cher sessions. - **Varispeed abuse**: Tapes routinely run at 15 ips then played back at 7½ ips, instantly deepening horns and voices and giving the record its underwater gait. - **Hard-left / hard-right psychedelic panning**: percussion in one ear, organ in the other, creating the dislocated “you’re in the middle of the ritual circle” feel. - **Live floor bleed**: almost everything cut live with minimal overdubbing—room mics capture foot-stomps and murmurs, adding documentary realism to the voodoo theatre. - **First-use of clavinet through a rotating Leslie on a rock record** (later copied by Billy Preston & Stevie Wonder). --- ### 4. **Themes – Identity, Exile & Cultural Re-Enchantment** - **Self-(re)invention**: Mac Rebennack, a white journeyman R&B pianist freshly out of heroin trouble, invents “Dr. John the Night Tripper,” a composite of 19th-century hoodoo doctor John Montaigne and Afro-Atlantic folk imagery—an early concept of musical Afro-futurism. - **Post-Pepper psychedelia meets post-colonial folklore**: the record answers *Sgt. Pepper*’s costume-party surrealism with something blood-and-soil: real diasporic culture filtered through counter-culture paranoia. - **Celebration of “low” culture**: street vendors, Mardi-Indians, back-alley dice games are elevated to shamanic archetypes, predicting the sample-based reverence of later hip-hop and crate-digger culture. --- ### 5. **Influence & Legacy** - **Immediate ripple**: Mick Jagger cited “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” as inspiration for “Sympathy for the Devil” grooves; Paul Weller, The Neville Brothers, Spiritualized, Super Furry Animals and even Cher (who covered “Splinters”) openly borrowed its swamp-gospel atmosphere. - **Hip-hop & sampling**: the hypnotic percussion loop from “Splinters” was flipped by Beck (“Loser”), Oasis (“Go Let It Out”), and countless DJs; it essentially pre-loaded the voodoo palette of 90s trip-hop. - **New-Orleans revival**: alongside The Meters and Professor Longhair, *Gris-Gris* kick-started global interest in modern New-Orleans music, paving the way for funk-jam bands (Galactic, Greyboy Allstars) and HBO’s *Treme* aesthetic decades later. - **Cultural studies**: texts on Afro-Atlantic religion now routinely cite the album as pop-culture evidence of hoodoo’s survival; it’s one of the few rock-era records archived in the Smithsonian’s Folkways playlist. --- ### 6. **Pros & Cons – A Listener’s Field Guide** | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | 1. Still sounds *utterly unique*—nothing in 1968 (or 2025) quite matches its humid sonic stew. | 1. Murky fidelity: intentionally distorted vocals and over-cranked tape saturation can fatigue ears on hi-fi systems. | | 2. Brilliant hybrid of styles—Congo Square drums, Delta banjo, modal jazz, early funk—makes 35 minutes feel like a world-music mixtape before that term existed. | 2. Loose song structures; if you crave sing-along choruses or verse-bridge-verse logic, you’ll be lost in the bayou. | | 3. Lyrical mystique invites multiple interpretations; each listen reveals new coded phrases. | 3. Some cultural-appropriation unease: white artist trading in black folk-magic tropes—though most scholars argue Rebennack’s lifelong advocacy for New-Orleans musicians offsets it. | | 4. Production innovations (vari-speed, hard panning, Leslie’d clavinet) became template for psychedelic funk and later trip-hop. | 4. Short running order (7 tracks) may leave you wishing for a second helping just when the trance peaks. | | 5. Stand-alone centerpiece “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” is a 7-minute master-class in slow-burn voodoo groove and has aged better than many 60s “classics.” | 5. Requires *active* listening; works poorly as background music—can feel meandering or even silly if half-heard. | --- ### **Verdict** *Gris-Gris* is less an album than a weather system: humid, slightly dangerous, but life-giving if you surrender to it. Its pros outweigh the cons by a long shot, provided you accept the record on its own occult terms. If rock history were a deck of tarot cards, this would be **The Hanged Man**—suspended, mysterious, demanding you look at music from an inverted angle.
Favorite tracks: Danse Kalimba Ba Doom, Mama Roux, Jump Sturdy
Very odd album. I like his voice but he doesn't really sing any melodies. Mama Roux and Jump Sturdy were both awesome songs, bringing the mediocrity of the rest of the album to a nice and average 3 stars.
Great artist. Throughout his career, he has touched all genres of music, and done them all incredibly well. Congrats on over 50 years of artistry. Great voice, and music.
51/100.
Really good album. More of a ritualistic fever dream than some of his more popular work, the drumming here sort of lures you in throughout. I do like his more upbeat music over this, but this is still really good. He is one of the more unique artist to have made it big. 3.5/5 Will listen again
I like one Dr. John song and it’s not on this album.
3/5
It's if Lou Reed was from San Francisco instead of New York, and did acid instead of heroin. I didn't really enjoy this, but I'm glad I listened to it?
A gris-gris, also spelled grigri, and sometimes also "gregory" or "gerregery" is a talisman that originated in the Muslim Mande communities of Far West Africa and is believed to protect the wearer from evil or bring luck. Due to Atlantic slavery, the use of the gris-gris was translocated to the Americas and became a significant practice in Louisiana Voodoo and Haitian Vodou. It is also used as a purported method of birth control in some countries. It consists of a small cloth bag, usually inscribed with verses from an ancestor and a ritual number of small objects, worn on the person. Dude is trippin' balls throughout this album.
Having recently been to New Orleans this album has a different meaning, which makes sense in a way I don’t think I would have appreciated otherwise. This was definitely different than the psychedelic rock of the time, particularly because it wasn’t exactly psychedelic, just VERY Creole. Of course, the song Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya could easily be argued the other way. This could fit right into the vibe of San Fransisco rock, yet retaining its own regional individuality. I actually really liked this as a cultural and musical concept. Key song for me was I Walk on Guilded Splinters. I have to admit, I don’t know if I have ever heard anything like it, and I would have never looked for it.
Random thoughts: * Surprised to see this album on 1001. I thought it would be the "Right Place Wrong Time" album if they were going to put a Dr. John album on this list. * This was an interesting listen to hear him mix zydeco, bayou, jazz, and rock to create his own sound. I bet this was super unique when it was released. I wonder how this fit into all the other music coming out in 1968( Stone, Beatles, Jimi, Doors, etc). It really makes you appreciate how crazy the late 60s were for music innovation. * I enjoyed the music on this album and was glad I was exposed to it. Highly unlikely to go revisit this album.
This is like Beck meets Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem (from the Muppet Show). The entire album was fascinating. An international flavor with a touch of Pink Floyd's "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun". Not all of the tracks did it for me, but they certainly kept my interest. "Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya", "I Walk On Guilded Splinters", and "Danse Kalinda Ba Boom" were the standouts.
That second line playing. This is great. Walk on guilded splinters is a top20 song. Mack Rebennak conjures the voodoo of New Orleans and magic happens. Bit of filler but what works works. 4
Oh Yeah this sure is different. First listen to a New Orleans R&B with a slow psychedelic curtain breezing through it all. So if this is stoned New Orleans music, then its very good - softly musing if I am likely to have much occasion to listen to it - it seems perfect when matching music to a mellow and breeezy atmosphere, or creating one. its very compelling and so new. I can see why the boys rated it so highly. Not much of this around - so definitely belwongs on a sub-list for people who want to really, really broaden their music horizons. In a quality way. so yes, a 5 as I woudl definitely want this in my collection when I turn off streaming. Because without a subscription, you listen to what you want. for free. and there's radio if you want a change. Did I wander off topic? thats okay, I'm the only one reading here. My reviews are essentially a not eto self and written as such.
I was introduced to this album by Straussy in his run-down flat in Stanmore some time in the early 90s. The flat had previously operated as a small brothel. This did have certain advantages -- discrete entrance, a full bar in the lounge room, and an ensuite in every bedroom -- as long as you could tolerate the occasional gentleman caller turning up in the late evening asking "if Chantelle was working". A firm but polite "no" from Straussy would usually turn them apologetically away. The former use of the apartment lent a slightly disreputable atmosphere, which was a really fitting place to hear Gris Gris for the first time. The record was weird and atmospheric and shady and funky and spaced out, and I really dug it instantly. It is oddly recorded and mixed, especially when compared to everything else coming out of Gold Star Studios in that period, but the playing has a lot of feel. I have subsequently developed a strong taste for New Orleans funk, although you wouldn't necessarily describe this record as typical of the genre. Many of the players on this record are of that scene and tradition and play with that feel, but this record is much more informed by Californian psychedelic culture. I sometimes wonder if record is to New Orleans soul as Captain Beefheart is to blues; a wild and druggy reinterpretation. I really don't like Beefheart, but I dig this. Back when I first heard this in the early 90s, this album was largely out of print and hard to find, and it felt like being introduced to some arcane and obscure secret knowledge. I searched for a long time to find an affordable copy, which I eventually found in the aptly named Mojo Records (yet another long gone vinyl emporium in Sydney). It is now one of my most treasured albums. Five stars.
It's a 3 for novelty value. Not something I'd choose to play on the regular!
First track and last track are atmospheric moody masterpieces. The middle is fine but has less thought i think making this maybe a 33 minute long EP. And this is part of a larger hypothesis I’m working on where I’m finding albums of a certain vintage 60s through the 80’s had one good track, a lot of filler, and maybe a sneaky “okay” song
Utterly bizzare from start to finish. I can imagine this going down well for people on a trip in the 60s, but it’s not doing it for me. In fact, I fully imagine that Dr. John was tripping balls when he made this album. Mama Roux is a decent track where I can see some solid old school blues coming through, and there is a spooky undertone throughout the album that adds an atmosphere to it, but this album is not for me and I can’t say I’ll be remembering much about it.
Because I just listened to Tortoise, I need to remind myself the difference between a 1 and a 2. It still sucks.
Swamp voodoo boogie shit all over the place here. Fun stuff
Unc john heheeh
Dr. John got lazy on this album. Not his best.
The opening notes of the first track immediately suggested rock and roll, so I wasn't that excited, but this record turned out to be excellent. Favourite tracks: all of them!
bisschen seltsam
++*: Mama Roux ++: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Croker Courtbouillon, I Walk on Guilded Splinters +: Danse Fambeaux, Jump Sturdy +-: Danse Kalinda Ba Doom 8,2/10
esse me deixou meio dividido, tem umas que são boas, e outras que eu particularmente achei horriveis a ideia é bem legal mas a execução geral me deixou meio pa das ideia
que merda, eu tava bem animado com esse mas eh um r&b bem atmosférico, climinha de enterro no pântano memo. é bacana, mas não me pegou num dia bom não.
Not the best on the list.