Reviews (page 4 of 8)
It's kind of a cosmic gumbo
The prelude to most of the Dr. John music you *do* know.
I dig the lo-fi sound. Certainly like this Dr John a lot more than the later work I primarily associate with him. Might have to ask ChatGPT about jumping off points from this album.
Can’t believe I liked this as much as I did. Title track and guilded splinters both good. Weird blend of jazz and horror?
Pretty cool and fun, but the whole concept of the persona of "Dr. John, the Night Tripper" feels kinda problematic to me.
03/11/2025 I've heard too much Tom Waits to think this was good, it was not. Spotify listeners: 952.5k
What the
uhhhhhhhhh
i really didn't care for this at first blush, but it got better on repeated listens. very unique sound and album for this list, so i'm on board with that. and it's barely half an hour? excellent stuff. favorites: danse kalinda ba doom, mama roux, danse fambeaux, jump sturdy
Pretty nice experience.
2.8
Just unremarkable
Chato. 5/10
After the first: "YA YA YA YA YA YA YA YA YAAAAAAAA" the album had me. 4 stars.
Feels very Zappa and Captain beefheart but I guess that’s because it’s kind of goofy psychedelic music. A lot of it is random chanting and noises (vocally) but to be fair the calm, jazzy instrumentals in the background were consistently nice but maybe a bit repetitive. The sound quality is a bit lacking but it was made in 68 so it’s more understandable. The feel of the album is where it’s most unique but unfortunately for me it just isn’t as engaging with the actual content of the songs. It is quite short though so it definitely works as a condensed album and I appreciate him not making a double album or something out of this like trout mask replica or something. I liked the context of his name as well being based off a voodoo doctor which really fits this psychedelic, trippy sound. Favourites: Mama Roux and Jump sturdy. Overall, 6/10.
Interesting and out there
Quite enjoyed but realistically unlikely to revisit, bordering a 4
This transported me off to the US Deep South, swamp blues and spiritual voodoo magic, and you get a feeling of cultural significance. This is my introduction to Dr John and favourite songs are Jump Sturdy, and the incredibly strange Croker Courtbouillon, which appears to be about fish soup and for some reason stirred up memories ranging from The Addams Family to Scooby Do. Not entirely my thing, but altogether an intriguing listen.
Cover art freaked me out a little when I first opened this around 4am. It's a good fit for the music. Never heard anything like this.
Quite liked this not my normal music but yeah it’s great
Serve me up a cup of this bayou swamp water. A tip of the cap to Dr. John. He gets his finger shot off and somehow channels it into the birth of voodoo funk. I think I’ll take the moss and mud of this psychedelia over the peers of the time chasing sitars and outer space.
Takie to trochę bez tożsamości. Początkowo brzmiało jak muzyka bezdomnych, doświadczonych życiem tylko po to, aby potem przerodzić się w jakieś afrorytmy, egzotyczne i niedopasowane do przeżartego głosu. Trudno mi zrozumieć tę płytę i cieszę się, że jest już za mną. 5/10
Dr. John fascinates me to no end. Purportedly a shaman who’s dabbled in voodoo, the man personifies the magic of New Orleans from which he hails. This album was awesome and interesting. The cadence and pronunciation of the Dr.’s singing is something I could listen to alone. I love it.
This is great. I heard the name before but not the music. It had a lot of layers to it, will be playing again.
It's okay - no strong feelings.
Strange but damn good
i already heard this earlier this year when exploring this album list on my own. was fairly enjoyable. i'll listen again for rating purposes Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya - 5/5 Danse Kalinda Ba Doom - 3/5 Mama Roux - 4/5 Danse Fambeaux - 5/5 Croker Courtbullion - 4/5 Jump Sturdy - 4/5 I Walk on Guilded Splinters - 5/5 Average score: 4.3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is straight up the craziest r&b/soul album I have ever heard. It has those super raw grooves that are very dancable but somehow also very entrancing and hypnotizing. It's like this dude is trying to lure me into some weird cult. Somehow manages to maintain this weird tribal atmosphere for the whole duration of the album. The first few tracks set up this trippy psychedelic atmosphere that feels just insane. The production is raw as fuck, feels like I'm listening to a noise rock album at times, but deconstructed to the minimum. Danse Fambeaux feels like being at a cult meeting and slowly getting intoxicated into its weird shit. Croker Courtboullion makes me feel like I'm haunted, incredibly fascinating and dense atmosphere that this song evokes. Amd the closer is so majestic and creative, the instrumentation is so organic and unique, so many weird instruments coming together so perfectly, it's quite impressive. This album is crazy, especially for 1968. Raw, noisy, addictive and very beautiful. I love his voice, it has this rough around the edges feel that compliments the music incredibly. This is just pure vibes, but very very cryptic vibes. I listened to this 3 times in a row last night and it was quite the experience.
Well this was awesome.
This was alright. I don't love Dr. John's voice and most of the music was just kind of repetitive mantra-like chanting with (admittedly pretty good) backup singers. It wasn't awful or anything, but I don't know, I just didn't hear anything great and by the end I was done with the flavor. Two stars.
9.3/10
Haunting- great for spooky season.
Got psychedelics?
it's weird. it's fascinating. it's annoying. it's smooth. it's everything at once. i've listened to it more often than most other albums of artists i haven't known before.
This album has such a fun, creepy, witchy vibe. I love it. I have a good version of this record on vinyl, but I listed to a high quality digital file with headphones for this session, and there was a lot of new-to-me detail that was revealed this time. I almost want to give this record five stars for its uniqueness, but I'm going to have to go with four. This record scratches a very particular itch, but it just isn't a legendary recording on par with something like Abbey Road, Dark Side of the Moon, or Songs in the Key of Life. Four stars.
It’s as if the clangers dropped acid and recorded an LP. Worst album on here so far
Well, it was weird. Not my particular brand of weird.
If 6 was an option, it would be 6
Holy moly this bored me. 33 mins and felt like double. Groovy sure but SO samey.
Wasn't looking forward to slogging my way through this…Then he started singing and I was like DAMNNNNNNNNN! Then came some Alan Lomax Smithsonian field recording-sounding "song." Then came Mama Roux and I was like DAMNNNNNNNNN! Then more field recordings. Finally, in his greatest contribution to music history, he concludes the album by saying, "Golden teeth and golden tones, welcome to my presence...let there be teeth!" And there was Teeth.
Gave me a new appreciation for the music born out of New Orleans.
Freaky new Orleans swamp jazz
Yeahh i don’t think i get it. I tried! Sorry Dr. John.
Sounds like louisiana, really nails that sound. Doesn’t mean I like it.
Kind of a fun Halloween album. I bet in 1968, stumbling upon this was probably trippy AF.
I enjoyed a few of the bluesier tracks but the mystical video music was a bit too far out for me.
I Only listened to the first song of gris gris, it seems very country like and seemed to have lots of energy. Now that i am writting this i would like to maybe retake my chance with this album after finishing the next one, that is today. Otherwise i wouldnt super rate it without listening to it completly first. Since i would like to atlleast vote im going to vote a 3 star, sorry if this post or review threw you off at first for those who really apreciat this album
expérimental et cool j'ai jamais entendu ce style ambiance qui rendait aussi bien
What an atmospheric album
This was interesting and suitably odd. At first his voice reminded me a little of Don Van Vliet, but as the album progressed I thought that less. There’s a little psychedelia nonsense that overrides this album, but overall I thought it had some substance. Not sure how many times I would revisit it, but it’s a steady 3/5.
Good
what is this..
The music is amazing, the vocals haunt my dreams
I think I must have heard of Dr John via an Old Grey Whistle Test from way back when, probably on some kind of clips show. This was OK and had some interesting moments, but lacks a bit of drive for me. I doubt I’d listen again, but it was pleasant enough.
This record somehow screamed „Beck“ to me. So I investigated and found out that Johnny Jenkins covered Guilded Splinters. And Becks Loser was strongly influenced by it (drum sample and guitar). It’s understanding lineages like this which makes this challenge so rewarding. Besides this: Insanely groovy record (the base!) Stereo separation is too strong and croker courtbouillon is too experimental. Overall more than decent but god why did they settle with this horrible album cover? Did they wanna sabotage themselves?
Mid
No tenía yo el cuerpo para esta vaina
Maso.
Completely unremarkable. Next.
I thought it would like this more. I like plenty of his songs. But it was a bit irreverent
GO WHITE BOY
Vocals grated after a while but love the guitar work
what heck did I just listen too?
What an interesting listen. Unlike most other albums I’ve heard. Enjoyed the journey. Not sure how often I’ll revisit
Sometimes you get three star albums that are just fine, and sometimes you get three star albums that are a wild mix of 'WTF, this is really something' and, well, the same, but in a very bad way. It was clear to me that this was a very interesting album, but it is not the kind of thing you'd put on to have a nice time or in front of people.
I like how weird this is. Like…Louisiana Tom Waits.
All sounds the same. Have seen and have subsequently avoided Dr John at every NO Mardi Gras type event / festival I’ve been too. He’s good for the movement. But once (or twice) you’ve seen him, that’s good enough. 2.75
Ei iskenyt. 2/5.
If Albert Hoffman started a Vodún cult in the bayou, this would be the music that would be playing.
This album made me feel like i was in some back alley off of bourbon street talking to some weird street doctor about second rate LSD.
Some of it was good. Some of it was awful. He whistled, there can be no forgiveness, totally lost me the second he puckered.
dog shit
8/10 Creates an excellent atmosphere and feeling. Can hear these songs in so much of the music that followed it
Album was definetly interesting, not sure it was for me. 3.8/10
Estuvo raro, me hace pensar en drugs
It was kinda funky, I'm not sure when would I listen to this but I guess I didn't mind it
The last song takes it from a 2 to a 3 Still a bit disappointed that this is where we are now. I need greatness, not okayness Id stick this on again if someone asked for it, otherwise, probably not
I thought I would like this. Track 4 kept scaring me. At least it did something. Was this whole album in a made up language?
Didn't get it.
Interesting
This album didn't start well. And there's quite a lot of randomness to the mix. But, the more it went on, the more I enjoyed it. I like the soulful vocals that mix in with the poorly mixed grunts. There was a nice mix of psychadelia in here (without moving into Velvet Underground-esque droning). Terrible artist name, by the way! It's a product of it's time, bit it has aged better than a few other albums I've seen on this list. I liked the array of instruments on 'Croker Courtbullion', the tune could have been used on a James Bond film, but certainly not this recording! Maybe it's parody! In which case, I am all on board for that! It did end in dribble.... Actually, I take that back! Animal noises! But, then it kind of has a nice drums to bring it home (jury is not out yet...) 'Mama Roux' was a nice one. Can we get more albums with Harpsichord!? I was going to say this sits in my catergory of, pleasant experience, but not particularly exciting or stimulating. But actually, I felt while listening there were plenty of moments to enjoy... I'm saying it: 4 Stars!
This album is like sitting in the hostel bar having a beer while some birkenstock-wearing guy in hemp pants and an unbuttoned floral shirt tells the room about how he considers himself more of a 'traveler' than a 'tourist'. You find yourself wondering if all 'travelers' own an Apple Watch, but fearing you are being too cynical, you keep your mouth shut. He proceeds to tell everyone a story about how he was in Bhutan last summer and met an actual shaman. Explaining how this was the most spiritual moment of his life, he proudly claims that he has started to learn how to transverse the axis mundi himself, but of course he's just a beginner. You consider if maybe Bhutan would be a cool place to go and see, but you don't really want to ask this dude for travel tips.
I get it, they did a lot of drugs in the 60s. But at some point when Dr John proposed an album that was to be inspired by the sounds of a busy Mumbhi street market, the chants of Tibetan Monks, the bells and clinks of a Sunday morning religious parade mixed in with southern rock n roll, there needed to be a veto. Im starting to think he may not even be a real Doctor.
2.5 stars
cajun weird
Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya 3.4 Danse Kalinda Ba Doom 3.6 Mama Roux 3.5 Danse Fambeaux 3.5 Croker Courtbullion 3.6 Jump Sturdy 3.4 I Walk on Guilded Splinters 3.7 Score: 3.528571429
Was a good listen, a bit odd at times
For once, this was not my first listen, I like Dr. John; I saw him live once, at Glastonbury, in a spectacularly inappropriate mid-afternoon slot. He was great. So was this. Weird but great.
This is a delightfully weird album with weird, far out soundscape jams. Dr. John's voice is both unique yet familiar & adds alot to the New Orleans flared sound but you can tell it's a Dr. John song. Which can go both ways: good or bad. I guess it depends on how you reacted to this sound. 3
I was expecting fun, “Iko Iko” shit, not heroin music! Did not enjoy this one at all.
Definitely an interesting album, but not in a bad way. Buddy is just having a good time on the bayou. Would revisit. Would definitely do a deep dive into Dr John's other works.
Groved for a couple songs but overall not impressed.
Just odd.
Not for me. 1/5
Liked the first half a lot. Second side tailed off a bit for me. Interested to listen to more similar music. Probably a 7/10 for me.
There's some cool stuff in this album, but this guy's voice annoys me. I didn't really like any of the songs on this album.
Love his voice and the fact that he was, I fact, at least half the criminal huckster he sang about. What a personality. Read up on him.
Interesting deep south blues. Voodoo rock?
Introduces Dr. John character, post-midnight ceremony in the bayou Gumbo ya ya Mama roux
I like
This was a really cool, Tom Waits-y blues album from an artist I’d never heard of. Loved it!
This album is SO weird! Psychedelic rock combined with Louisiana cajun folklore. I love the storytelling and moodiness. There is a whole song just making sounds of the bayou. It feels so unique and fresh, even by today's standards. What a treat!
Decent
Unquestionably iconic and essential. Doesn't really strike me. *3
🐷 Gris gris potatispolis 🐷 Wow, a shameless Aqua ripoff, classy. Time to make some gumbo
I quite liked this on a first listen a few years ago. Maybe my tolerance for experimental has gone down, but I found this quite dull and repetitive. I remembered it as sounding like a proto-Tom Waits, but it lacks interesting instrumentation or any kind of memorable hook.
Not a Magic Mushroom Music kinda guy and that’s what this album is!
Not terrible, but fairly one dimensional. Almost like 1 long rambling Cajun song.
Check it out
I got a contact high from playing this. NEAT
A little too funky for me :/
Ambivalent impression for me. It is an unique album, I don't remember listening to anything similar to this. But, at the same time, I did not connect that much with it.
This ain't for me. I just don't like it. It's interesting, but in the same way that Throbbing Gristle is.
I’m sure this is awesome for someone….i am not that someone
Classic NOLA
You certainly can't fault this album for consistency of mood and subject matter. Dr. John is the baddest witch doctor in the swamp, and he's going to spend the whole record telling you all about it, over a deeply eerie bed of orchestration that sounds like it was recorded in a rotting juke shack, or possibly on a flatboat off a bayou sandbar. For pure character and vibe, it scores impossibly high marks. The songs may not all be particularly special, but the grooves spool out like clouds of herbal smoke, while languid solos, bird songs, hand drums, and tolling bells drift in and out of the murk. There really isn't anything like this out there, as far as I've ever heard - it's a cinematic character portrait of a true American oddball original.
Loved this - felt like a companion piece to Exile On Main Street. Dirty and frayed at the edges.
Very nice, heavy blues. Proto rap. Like it but a little too hot and miss for me.
The album started off pretty well, but then things got a bit weird and there were just a bunch of sounds, so at first it was great and then very bad. Overall, a bit less that meh.
This one's a wild ride.
Failed to chart when it came out. I wonder why.
Voodoo man got friends on the other side
I only really knew of his later stuff from programs like OGWT. This was a nice surprise - chaotic and percussive. Definitely an influence on later Tom Waits.
THIS is the kind of thing I wanted to come across doing this. What a wierd and wonderful album. Production is very rough around the edges but the mix of blues, soul, gospel, psychedelia is unlike very much I’ve ever come across before. Absolutely loving ‘I walk on gilded splinters’ in particular.
I went into this expecting it to be very bad but what a surprise it was just very mid instead. Yk this might be a good album without Dr John cuz this guy can not sing and just says random noises that piss me off. I’ll give the credit for them crafting some great background sounds and instrumentals to make it not as boring but still not enjoyable for it to be a 3/5. Overall I’m feeling a 4/10 2/5
If this was an experimental album, the experiment failed. When I finally noticed I was liking a song turns out the album had ended and gone to a new artist.
3/5
Odd experiment, like the sound of a voodoo Jethro Tull
I was previously familiar with Dr. John but not this particular album. This album is pretty good, sound is typical for Dr. John. Mostly catchy but some weird parts. Overall it is good, and I would listen again.
Wide world of music and still a down home feel
Rare hippiemeuk, met samenzang, gerommel, oerwoudkreten en dierengeluiden. Het moet allemaal klinken alsof ze rond een groot kampvuur dansen, zo lijkt het. Het resultaat is soms irritant, soms wel aardig, met name het laatste nummer (dat ik kende van een cover door Paul Weller) zet de sfeer nog het beste neer. Eentje om misschien nog eens vaker te beluisteren.
De speelse klanken, die alleen in de jaren '60 mogelijk waren, komen je tegemoet. Iets waar ik zelf niet van houd. Maar toch moet ik bekennen dat de plaat mij niet alleen irriteert en mij zelfs ergens wel pakt. Een genre-hater bereiken. Dat is knap! Maar John lijkt daar ook alle moeite voor te hebben gedaan. Het zeer psychedelische karakter is zeker niet ten kostte gegaan van de muzikale kwaliteit en hij heeft een bijzonder prettige balans gevonden met de irritante en toch pakkende (vaak hese) zang. John zet hiermee een unieke sfeer neer. Iets wat ik altijd waardeer. Ik heb zelfs nog even de proef op de som genomen of ik het twee maal kon luisteren. Maar nee, dat is teveel. Zeer terecht opname in de lijst, maar slechts 3 sterren van mij.
Dr John is zo'n naam die je wel vaker (bijv uit de mond van Don Leo Blokhuis) hebt gehoord, maar totaal niet kan plaatsen. Ik denk dat het enige bekende nr "Such a Night" is, maar dat staat niet op dit album. Ik ben daarom benieuwd naar wat de beste man in petto heeft. Vanaf de eerste klanken doet het me experimenteel en psychedelisch aan. Ik denk gelijk aan tijdgenoten Zappa en Capt Beefheart. En dat is niet echt positief. Hij trekt vervolgens een blik wereldmuzikanten open, New Orleans stijl lees ik, zo te horen een melting pot vol Afrikaanse en Caribbische invloeden. Mama Roux is meer herkenbaar, dit had ik min of meer verwacht. Het lijkt of we alle substijlen die in de muziek verwerkt zijn, wel eens eerder gehoord hebben. Maar Dr John verwerkt het wel tot een prima geheel. Ik zou bijna zeggen, een eigen geluid. Het is een beetje vaag, maar ik kan er desondanks wel naar luisteren. Het doet me ook heel funky aan namelijk en die platen bevallen me stiekem meestal wel. Psychedelisch, wereldmuziek, soul, funk, blues, experimenteel. Toch leuk om kennis mee te maken. Het kan een 4 worden, maar ook een 2. Maken we er een 3 van.
Light 3. Very interesting, I’ll give it that, just a little too out there at times.
This has got some cool parts, even though I do not like it that much over all. But it's interesting to see the originals of samples e.g. "Guts - Endless night" (2007) when this is from 68
This was a really weird one. Quite interesting in concept and execution. Entertaining as far as that goes, but not really pleasant listening. A good experience, but won't revisit.
Love the unique vibe
Not for me.
This album is... unique? It’s hard to describe it; I can’t say I’d heard anything quite like it before. It sounded like an occult ritual or something. But as for the positives, that's kind of it. It wasn't sonically offensive in any way, but there just was nothing that stood out to me. It’s easy to listen, and I wouldn’t call it boring, but it’s way to quiet and uneventful. 5/10
Too spooky for me
2.0 - Weak
2.6 2x on the cusp of a 2 star but just decent enough
Listens: 3 Standout tracks: Danse Fambeaux, Jump Sturdy, I Walk on Guilded Splinters I enjoyed this. It was weird. I felt like I was witness to a Witch Doctor Vodo ceremony. Otherworldly almost. Danse Fambeaux sounds very old-country (Gypsy music?) - where the old country is the southern bayou Louisiana. Crocker Courtbullion has some weird parts where it sounds like he's calling a cat pst pst pstpstpst pst. Jump Sturdy has great chorus and backing vocals and the lyrics themselves are great.
- nicht so schlecht, wie erwartet, als ich das Albumcover gesehen habe, aber so richtig holt es mich jetzt auch nicht ab - immerhin schön kurz 2-3/5
I wasn't familiar with Dr. John and Gris-Gris until now. After three tracks, I stopped listening to the album. It's not my thing, not my kind of music. It got on my nerves. 2/5
Odd, but the kind of odd I dig.
5/10
Facinating little trip here. Maybe literally. This interesting, but short bluesy rock record feels like if you were wondering wonderland with alice after you took some shrooms while someone put on a slowed down version of sympathy for the devil. And i like it. Croker courtbullion is a little too experimental for my taste, but all the other tracks have a cool vibe.
This one has a bit too much of that Dr. John hip tang for my tastes.
I personally couldn’t listen to even 1 song. Not my style.
It’s cool and also it’s trippy.
Based on what I'd heard before, I thought I liked Dr. John. I still like those songs. This bunch of noodling and pseudo-voodoo BS is different. Ugh.
4/5 - I needed to hear this because I didn't know psychedelic voodoo was a thing. I thought it was trouble after the first track, but it got a lot more tuneful after that. The music here has a real "feel" and rhythm that I don't think I have the words to describe; it just kinda makes you move. "Mama Roux" and "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" were the standout tracks for me.
Get me whatever Dr. John's on. I hate that I universally dig dudes that sound like Beefheart (psychopaths) - the weird acid bayou-soul sound absolutely fuckin makes this, don't know if I've ever heard anything like it. Totally gonna listen again and this might get better with time
I was fine listening to it. 1/4
As a low down man from da bayou, this really reminded me of home
early John - pretty OK
I don't think there's much else like this. Spooky, groovy weirdness. Sometimes it sounds like everyone is playing a different song - in a good way. A hell of a trip.
Very interesting sounds.
Couple decent songs, mostly crap
Sorry not for me. Some groovy moments but could not really get on board with the voodoo hoodoo bullshit.
Gris Gris I’m pretty familiar with this, I love Dr John’s New Orleans R’n’B-psychedelic-folk-funk-soul, and the late night Louisiana Bayou atmospheres with a great foreboding swampiness, and this is a very enjoyable album, even if it it’s doesn’t always maintain the heights of the first few tracks and the superlative Walk on Guilded Splinters. Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya is a fantastic, superbly atmospheric with the harmonica riff and the loping, grooving bass line and general sense of eeriness. Danse Kalinda, expands on that eeriness, taking tribal rhythms and percussion and vocal chanting to make another superbly atmospheric track. Mama Roux is more conventionally R’n’B, grooving along on a charmingly breezy organ part. I get Death of a Clown from the opening to Danse Fambeaux and moments of Another Day in Paradise towards the back end as it also recalls the first two tracks. The spooky nighttime ritualistic vibes return in Croker Courtbullion, the nursery rhyme melody evoking a great sense of disquiet. It gets a bit Minnie the Moocher on Jump Sturdy, a direct nod to New Orleans R’n’B, which I like even if I’m not totally a fan of it. I Walk on Guilded Splinters is the obvious standout, a truly fantastic song, and one that has inspired some excellent cover versions. Paul Weller’s most obviously, but Cher has an excellent version and there’s a super one by Johnny Jenkins, with Duan Allman, which was sampled for Go Let It Out. While I’m not sure everything lands totally I love that this is not really like many other albums, all the varying influences and histories of New Orleans and Louisiana all put together in a brilliantly creepy serpentine melange (if only there was a culturally relevant word for this), evoking ghostly musical sounds heard from the other side of the bayou, with lamplights glimpsed between the trees and mists, as the percussion gets louder…. For the overall atmosphere and uniqueness and for two stellar tracks in Gris Gris and Guilded Splinters I think I’ll just tip this from a high 4 to a 5. 🌉🌉🌉🌉🌉 Playlist submission: I Walk on Guilded Splinters
My immediate point of reference when listening to the opening track was Live and Let Die. Lines like "I got remedies to cure all y'alls ills!" could be uttered by Baron Samedi (in the complex, with the proximity mines). It's so hammed-up that it could even be Papa Lazarou. However, the more the album develops, and the more I read about the good Dr, the more it made sense, the more I liked it. This isn't someone looking to exploit a culture. His network of musicians from the New Orleans diaspora, steeped in local musical tradition, provide a real authenticity. It really is a great ensemble piece. It's probably the best concept album I've heard. A dark world of characters delivered with eerie timbres. It goes from foreboding ritualistic chants on 'Danse Kalinda Ba Doom', to the irresistible Southern groove of 'Mama Roux', the hypnotic classic soul of 'Danse Fambeaux', the single-worthy 'Jump Sturdy', with banjo and what sounds like a deepened clarinet, (and has the bounce of Fats Domino almost, but with the foreboding rnb undercurrent). And 'Croker Courtbullion' is like a murder mystery soundtrack, full of delicious intrigue. The flute is eerie but carnivalesque, with accompanying organ punctuating the suspense. Superb. The whole thing is eccentricity different and marvelous.
A ramshackle mishmash of various American musical styles that sounds more like a field recording than something that was done in an actual recording studio. Central to this collection is singer/songwriter Mac Rebennack's alter ego "Dr. John", a persona (verging on stereotype) who isn't compelling enough to carry a single song, let alone an entire album.
Appreciate what he was doing but not me
this was really fun, it had the vibes of one of the 60s era disney movies singing about the characters...i started getting into it and vibing and grooving....
confused by the vibes but like... it was enjoyable! then i saw this is from nola and was like ohhhhhhh right.... now it makes sense. still need half stars cause this is 2.5 for ME
More interesting than enjoyable. Can I call this proto-Tom Waits? Probably not but it sounds like it must have influenced him a lot. I found this a bit dull overall. The sparse instrumentation and repetitive nature of the 8 minute closer nudged it from 3 to 2
Haunted in a wonderful way
1.5 That was something
Serial killer music
Meh
Really cool! 3.5/5
Really thought I would have liked this more. No real songs, just atmospheric sound track to a New Orleans swamp
The soundtrack for the villain in a New Orleans-themed musical.
This is very creative and original. Plus, it is fun to listen to. I really liked it!
With the exception of the BRILLIANT Walk on gilded splinters, it's a passable album that doesn't really have much in the way of hooks or memorable songs, but the vibe is impeccable. It's just such a glorious, juju-drenched vibe that was pleasant to luxuriate in, even if I'd have little interest in hearing the songs covered...
fine
Dr. John is an absolute legend. This isn't my favorite of his but a wild exploration of some spooky and weird music. Walking on guilded splinters and the title track are top notch but the rest fails to really meet those highs. A fun record to throw on in the background for a Halloween party.
Mi è piaciuto molto. Sicuramente vorrei riascoltarlo ed esplorare altri suoi album
A sometimes okay combination of musical styles. The other times it’s pretty unpleasantly cacophonous. It didn’t strike me as particularly original. I heard a lot of similarities from earlier recordings.
All the songs had similar pacing and stuff
Day 7 First listen- Enjoyed listening to it, trippy. Had its highs and lows! Some songs were very interesting and fun while some were sorta boring. Highlights- Jump Sturdy, Croker Courtbullion. (3/5)
This album was fine! I liked the overall genre of songs but some of them had vocals I didn't enjoy.
Ich hab’s nicht so aufmerksam gehört aber im Hintergrund fand ich’s ganz gut! Angenehm kurz
Zum Teil sehr experimentell, dann wieder überaschend groovy. Fav: I Walk on Guilded Splinters
Not bad. It’s definitely a little weird.
Weird, psychadelic, mellow, great fun
Weird ass album, but it kind of grew on me as I listened to it. Soooooo 60s, and sooooo psychedelic, and also was Dr. John white..?? But also, The Big Easy's one of my favorite cities on the entire planet, so you know I gotta put some respect on him for representing. God-awful album cover. Fave songs: - Mama Roux - I Walk on Guilded Splinters
Fun album! I saw "psychadelic" and 1968 and thought 'oh god, here we go again.' But this wasn't that at all. It was sludgy, jazzy, voodoo cosplay fun! It felt very underground, and that certainly added to its appeal. This is the kind of weird, fun album that I started this project to find!
Love Dr. John's voice. Love his style.
This album reminded me a lot visiting New Orleans, but also watching Treme and other NOLA set shows and movies (often featuring Dr John). It was a lot of fun, but for some reason I was left wanting more. I can’t actually explain it, but maybe it was the psychedelic parts that I wanted less of, and more of the Cajun rhythms. It’s a 3.5 for me that I’ll bump up to a 4.
The idea of an artist channeling their city's essence through their music is one I find quite romantic, and Dr. John succeeds in doing so on Gris Gris, stirring up a swampy cauldron of New Orleans R&B and voodoo-tinged psychedelia bubbling over with reverence for his roots.
SOUNDS LIKE GUMBO
A bit too experimental for my tastes, but there's some good musicianship in there, too.
I don’t even know what to say. It’s some very niche folk music I guess
This was good. I like the vibe, there’s some funky weirdness going on here that’s part voodoo, part psychedelic. Cool vibe. Not great, but solidly good.
I have never heard a Dr. John record and this is about what I expected it to be. It's a Louisiana acid trip, basically. This is just not for me. If I were to make a list of cliched song titles from a 60's artist who is making "Bayou rock" then many of these titles would possibly make the list. Danse Fambeaux Mama Roux I Walk on Guided Splinters These are the three songs I enjoyed and I had to work to justify my like for them. Nothing against Dr. John but I in no way connect with this music.
very atmospherical, feel like im in a hut in the swamps. reminds me of funkadelic in some spots
It's a little too weird for me. Some songs feel like they are moreso trying to create a sound than make a song.
There are too many Baby Boomer music critics. Dr. John is a one-hit wonder novelty at worst and a niche act at best. Professor Longhair would like a word about who belongs in this list representing the New Orleans sound. This is just psychedelic music from New Orleans in Creole, homegrown World music. I wish this had Right Place Wrong Time on it. I'm counting the minutes until this album is over which is bad for a 33 minute effort. Of course it ends with an almost 8 minute song.
odd one
Err
Reminds me of Tom Waits - which is no bad thing indeed!
First impression pre listen: Seems really campy so it looks like it's gonna be interesting at least. I have no idea what to expect from this, but if the execution is right the creepy witch doctor themes could turn out to be really fun. I really like the odd theatricality of the album cover, it just has this really silly energy about it. Never heard of this artist before so at least it will be a new discovery for me. And even if it's bad at least it's quite short. Individual track notes: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya Leaning very hard into this witch doctor character. It's very weird. I kinda like the bluesy backing track. As I'm not really engrossed in the cultural context behind this I'm really struggling to take this seriously. A bizzare experience. Definitely very psychedelic. Fine. 3/5 Danse Kalinda Da Boom Really unique sounding track. Love the rhythm and the strange instrumental passages. Sounds really dark and mysterious. Love the almost chant-like vocals. The hollow metal percussive elements add a lot to the spooky atmosphere of the track. Genuinely quite inspiring. Fantastic. 5/5 Mama Roux Really fun song. Sounds almost effortless. Great little jazzy instrumental with a charismatic vocal performance. Infectious and catchy. Great. 4.5/5 Danse Fambeaux Spooky atmosphere. Really like the haunting and hypnotic background vocals. Fun bass. Love the strange instrumentation. Awesome energy from the background vocalists. The bell effect is an interesting aesthetic choice. Good. 4/5 Crocker Courtbullion Weird. Psychedelic and chaotic. Feels very improvisational. Great bass. Extremely ominous sounding at times. Animal sounds? Don't know what to call that. Definitely an experience. Decent. 3.5/5 Jump Sturdy Spooky and haunting. I like the bluesy, mystical vibe. Has some moments where it almost sounds normal. Decent. 3.5/5 I Walk on Gilded Splinters Great drumming. Really atmospheric. I like the almost chant like chorus. Enchanting and hypnotic. Great pacing. Great. 4.5/5 Final Review: Well that was fucking weird. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. I went into this list looking for new and unique listening experiences, and with this album I got exactly that. It's dark and spooky with an interesting swampy concept of this occult voodoo witch doctor figure, enchanting and deceiving you deeper into his mystical world. And that's where this album shines. In this a campy, theatrical fantasy version of the bayou, you're taken on a weird adventure through janky and strange instrumentation and chant-like vocals. It's at times hypnotic and entrancing and with Dr. John's almost spoken delivery it feels like you're taking part in some underground ritual. You get some jazz and you get some blues as well as some rootsy worldly soundscapes that are performed with passion and soul. And while the recording does sound crusty and dated I genuinely think it adds some charm to the experience, which would not be present with newer slicker production. If you're looking for a short and fun psychedelic late '60s album I'd definitely recommend this one. For me it's not an all time favourite, but it remains a very memorable discovery from the journey so far. 4/5
"I Walk On Gilded Splinters" is an absolute classic. The rest of the album is pretty damn good, too. Would have loved to see a live show from Dr. John and his band.
This album is cool, but I feel it needs a heavy amount of drugs to feel totally effective.
New Orleans you say?
This feels like something a cult would listen to
Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya - You can feel Dr. John's later work in this but it is clearly the genesis, a stepping off point. Brilliant. Danse Kalinda Ba Doom - Mystical, it feels like you're observing a voodoo ritual. Mama Roux - Suddenly upbeat and showing hints of Right Place Wrong Time and the first track to be recognisable as a song. Danse Fambeaux - Heading back into the trance. Croker Courtbullion - The intro sounds like Golden Brown by The Stranglers. The song sounds like you're having a bad trip. Walk on Guilded Splinters - The trip is ending. Great, full of the mysticism, unconventional instrumentation and feel that Dr. John was known for throughout his career.
a short album at 7 songs over 33 minutes, but really there are only 2-3 songs in slightly different configurations. the Dr. John the Gris Gris man schtick would have been good for a single song perhaps, but not enough to wrap a whole album around. nothing I would ever want to listen to again, though it wasn't torture to make it through.
Unusual, skilled, fascinating
De gehele atmosfeer is goed cohesief. Vond de liedjes wel enorm langdradig. Maar het was wel een chill album maar niet een waar ik weer naar zou luisteren
🐸
This is some weird uncanny valley Blues Rock. It definitely sounds like swamp voodoo music. I don't know exactly how someone came up with this, but drugs must've been involved. I very much liked it. There's so much blues or blues-adjacent rock on this list, at least this one does something unique and memorable with it. But that typeface is soooo ugly! Key tracks: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya Mama Roux
What a gem. I heard a bit over the years but nothing like this fantastic moody deep fun journey. It’s a keeper.
Maybe I shouldn't read reviews on her before listening. Because so many reviews on here reference to this album being spooky. This really got my hopes up. A New Orleans style spooky album? Sign me up. I have no idea where any of those reviews are coming from. Nothing spooky about this. It is decent though.
point8.
Gonzo
Awful
Not really my thing... I found it interesting and atmospheric but just ok so more of a 5/10
Definitely unique - Bur I just wasn’t feeling it. Seemed kinda schticky.
This was some real high, tripped out shit. There was an occasional flash of psychedelic interest, but it was mostly repetitive and had me thinking amateur hour more than classic album.
Too much mojo for me.
Better than I expected, but I did not care for it.
Not my thing
Psycheldelic RnB -sowas habe ich auch noch nicht gehört. Auf eine sehr eigene Art unterhaltsam. Wild, spannend - nichts für jeden Tag. 3/5
A Blues album that explores the heart an history of Blues.
Tom Waits goes to South America. 6/10
Really not my vibe. I get the musicianship and those who like him but that sound has never worked for me
Yes
Ok what is going on here, this is the second album in a row with a song that says Wham Bam Thank You Mam multiple times. Song #3
Did not like this. There were some cool moments but ultimately I probably wouldn’t listen again if it was my choice.
What a trip. It's Zappa or Captain Beefheart adjacent without the weird turned up to 11.
Kind of sounds what I imagine New Orleans to sound like. I dig the tribal drumming and the patois. The good songs were Gris-Gris, Mama Roux, Walk on Guilded Splinters.
nakon cile mise oko psihodelije, ovo je sjajno
Prvih četri pet dr. Johnova su odreda nevjerojatni, hipnotički albumi ali s ovim je sve počelo. Po meni top dvadeset albuma šezdesetih bez većeg beda. I btw nema boljih albuma za slušat na slušalice od ovih iz šezdesetih. Morali su štedit kanale pa su su hard panirali u livo ili desno. Iz čega se naravno izrodila psihodelija.
Dr. John is here to prescribe you an anxiety ridden fever dream and he is gonna play that shit on repeat until you agree it’s at least a 4 star. The more I listen, the more I understand the medicinal value of Gris-Gris. 4 stars
Wow, Gris-Gris really surprised me! I honestly didn't expect it to be so trippy, but I absolutely love it. This album is odd, weird, fun – all of the above, and it just works. And Dr. John's voice? What more can you say? It's utterly mesmerizing. It pulls you right into his world. This album is a solid 4 stars all day long. The Dr. has definitely arrived!
👍
I ... did not love this. There is something about it that makes it a bit like, I can't describe it really, like the vibe is just kind of off for me, as if it were all a bit too experimental, which sometimes can be a good thing, but sometimes just doesn't quite work. For me, I think there is something to be said for the other million artists and bands of that decade that puts this into a kind of more obscure place than many others that edge it out, sometimes by a lot.
Some weird psychedelic sample based stuff that was unique but not all that coherent.
Never really got Dr. John. This album is murky and messy, and for me not in a good way. It’s extremely lo-fi, maybe they didn’t have very good equipment, or maybe it was intentional, I don’t know. But for me it was hard to even hear a lot of it.
Best Song: I Walk on Guilded Spiders This was ok at best, it goes from bluesy to weird really quick. I just don't see myself ever listening to it again.
This album is pretty weird. A swampy new Orleans blues album with some psych and occult elements. Pretty cool concept but fails to keep much of my attention 6/10 Favourite: I Walk on Gilded Splinters Least Favourite: Mama Roux
Nyt ollaan kyllä taas siellä osastolla, oudoimpia levyjä tällä listalla. Tosi jännää ja nimenomaan jännää psykedeelistä musiikkia joka varmaan rokkia on pohjimmiltaan, mutta tosi natiivin kuuloista. Voodoo musiikkia. Häröä ja outoa, mutta mielenkiintoisella tavalla hyvää. Parhaat: Danse Kalinda Ba Doom, Croker Courtbullion
Strange one. I felt like I was in a swamp... filled with drugs
Lite tokig. Lite chill. Lite vibes. Lite, undrar vad det här betyder
Voodoo magic…
Captain Beefheart's psychedelic counterpart, prefigurement of late-style Tom Waits, and bayou-gris-gris shaman, Dr. John is a genius of mood and experience. The blues has never come w/ as many health benefits or heart balms before: 'If you work too hard and you need a little rest try my utilize rub put some on my drop fix and jam, put some in your breakfast.' But it's not really the blues, nor is it merely psychedelia-flavored New Orleans R&B - it seems to me an intimation of 70s funk in a special way. The thematic oddities, the spiritual levity, the outlandish but incredibly tight production all point to something beyond 60s rock. Somewhere between Sun Ra and Parliament-Funkadelic, this has the metaphysics + a narcotic festivity.
It was unique...I'm not sure if I liked it or not.
A few okay songs, but it got really weird...
It takes me places every time
Sad boy stuff the night tripper! He completely reinvented himself for this album and created a persona that brought New Orleans to the world for generations. Mac was the real deal and this became a life of cultural history and performance art that is amazing. Gris Gris is real, weird, heavy, psychedelic, and soulful. Every song has a place in creating the Big Bang that was De. John The Night Tripper
Didn't interest me at all. Dull.
It took me one or two songs to get used to the mood and production. Then, after the "What's this all about?" I got more and more into the album. I don't find it outstanding, but it became more listenable for me. 2/5
This is weird I did not enjoy tbh
Whoah this is awesome. How have I never heard of this before? Crazy that this came out in 1968.
Good tunes thx
Sucked.
ok
Mama roux and croker courtbullion were okay but this really wasn’t for me
This was awful.
Creer que hacer arte estando en trance por cualquier sustancia te hace genio, o como espectador aprecias garabatos y estás inyectado, y crees que eso es arte. Pelotudeces. Los genios no van por ese camino, algunos si, pero primero son genios.
I appreciate how this albums sounds like nothing else I've ever heard, even if it's not my favorite sound.
I mean it's alright. I just find this kind of music boring unfortunately
This was a good album. Not enough for me to listen to his back catalogue just yet but I was surprised by how much I liked it.
Masterpiece
Interesting but I wasn’t really into it (2.5/5)
What a great album to start off with
Dr. John the night tripper is on some bayou voodoo shaman shit. A wonderfully unique album that has the power to transport you to a peculiar, magical, spooky world. It’s really far out, and really cool if you surrender to it. It can’t be categorized or explained; it must be heard and felt. If you dig this, check out Exuma for a Bahamian spin on this type of music. Only comparable album out there conceptually.
New Orleans is a great city, but it’s also a city of thieves and scoundrels with larceny deep in its heart. In fact, that is a big part of its charm. I’m sorry to inform anyone who paid to listen to this that you just got your pocket picked like a tourist on Lafayette Square. But as New Orleans knows, if a crime is committed with enough style then nobody minds too much.
This one pretty much blew my mind hearing it for the first time many years ago, and for a while it was one of my all-time favorites. Revisiting it for this, I'm noticing just how much it relies on a great opener and great closer. Other than maybe "Mama Roux", everything in between that is more or less forgettable. But that first song and last song are totally perfect, the way that the backing vocals feel like they're ghosts rising out of the swamp is *still* eerie!
Slow intro with "Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya" and the elongated drawl of Dr. John calling himself "The Night Tripper", then shit gets crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious... "Walk On Gilded Splinters" is a strong closer, though I had only ever heard the Paul Weller cover before.
Unique and has a great groove to most of the songs.
Strange but somewhat enjoyable
Outrageously sleazy nonsense. Loved it
This is what should be on here. Amazing combo of traditional American styles fused with rock and folk stylings.
Reminds me a bit of Tom Waits. Quite enjoyed it, very weird. Didn't save any tracks though.
Wow, described by someone as “midnight ceremony in the bayou” and it’s spot on - mad and mysterious, uneasy but funky listening. Danse Fambeaux very good
Oof, not a favorite. 2/5
Pretty good, jungly, groovy and nice
Amazing stuff. I loved his more popular stuff, but this is great too.
Louisiana music
This was strange. An interesting listen. Definitely worth listening to at least once, just for the experience. I haven't heard anything like this before.
interesting vibe
This would hit a lot more for a halloween vibe, but i was just listening at work at it just wasn't the vibe / relisten value for me isn't high. I liked the primative drums but it felt like all but the last two songs were fillers, leading up to "i walk on guilded splinters" songs added to playlist: - jump sturdy - i walk on guilded splinters
I had listened to this album years ago and didn't love it, but this time through I was digging the unpolished, creole soul.
Mac Rebennack wasn't even supposed to be Dr. John, he was simply the character's creator. Having taken the helm on anyways, his performance helped spread the cultural depth of New Orleans' voodoo heritage far and wide. The album is sticky and stylish, dripping with charisma and continuing to pull you in. One of music's first iconic characters in his most honest way
A little bit too experimental for my taste
Music to trip to.
It was different. Not my particular style but worth hearing once. Probably wont listen to again
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.
Wow!
Super vibe. Où est-ce que vous vous cachez tout le monde qui m'avez jamais parlé de ça?!?
Coco Robichaux
Was expecting something more psychedelic or experimental. And yes some of both of those things are here but not to the degree i thought I was getting into. It's more just a slightly experimental kinda Louisiana type bluegrass type bayou music. It's pretty decent though all things considering.
Started OK but faded into a mess of lamish hippy jazz.
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.
Never heard of before, but nice. Quite slow jazzy like but not completely. Very short album so have listened to it around 3 times by now.