Gris Gris

Nice swampy rock. A slightly better album cover. RE Tom Waits - Idk what the hell he’s saying but I am living. The things he does with his voice are fascinating and the production is very bare and caustic.

The chanting is kind of interesting. Not sure whether I'm feeling it though.

This is a tough one to rate. The instrumentals were really cool in parts and whenever Dr. John wasn’t singing I was like ‘huh, this is pretty cool’, but I was really put off by Dr. John’s whole performance. I don’t know anything about his Bayou bona fides or whatever, but his accent/delivery was so thick that in 2026 it just kind of came off as parody or caricature.

Dr. John be weird

My knowledge of Dr. John spans only his later years: doing the Blossom theme tune, doing the version of “Cruella De Ville” in the 90s 101 Dalmations, being in The Blues Brothers 2000, etc. This is the first time I’ve listened to really any of his music beyond “Right Place Wrong Time”, so I’d expected this album to sound much like that - but it very much does not. If you ever had any doubt Dr. John hails from New Orleans, this album should remove them. You can absolutely hear the voodoo influence, especially on the songs which are largely instrumentals, paired with the more standard 1960s psychedelia. It’s undoubtedly a very atmospheric album that I found interesting to listen to, at least. By halfway through track one, I sort of thought I’d hate it. While I wouldn’t say I necessarily liked it, there was something about it which makes it worthy of more than a 1* score.

A bit "I'm a voodoo man" sort of thing. It just reminds me of Disney caricatures of new Orleans or similar.

I'm not sure about this album. It didn't really do anything for me.

Upolert. Har aldri vært i New Orleans, men dette føles ut som noe man kan ramle inn til i et eller annet mørkt og disig lokale der. Noe av det høres ut som en feberdrøm, mens annet er ganske groovy.

unusual. blues, rhythms, percussion. unusual, definitely has a taste of the 60s

This has got to be one of the coolest album covers we've had on this list. I'll take what I can get as the aural output I regularly get from this website harms me in indescribable ways. I have suffered as you have suffered and I have done so almost 500 times. I suppose I can't say "It's almost review 500!1!" too many times, but listen, I am creatively fried. Maybe I need to take a note from the good doctor here and do a weird updated minstrel show "voodoo priest" character. Or maybe I can just sort of throw 'Nawlins word salad together. Let's try the second one as it seems less likely to be horribly offensive. Why I do say, Dr. John this is certainly a big ol' tub of Louisiana Gumbo and uhh crawdads and such. I've got nothing. Too meandering to be funny, too intellectually stunted to be interesting. THAT is why you hit up these sweet reviews. Boil me up another catfish Jumbo John, I'm goin' diving for swamp garbage! 2 HIGHLIGHTS: World Ward 3

Muy raro, no banqué.

This album's schtick seemed pretty thin to begin with so any novelty wore off very quickly and I was mostly left with some ramblings from a Cajun witch doctor with some backup swamp instrumentation. Perhaps if you are living in the big easy it provides a good sampling of various R&B stylings from the region but I found it mostly skippable. I'm wondering why this album has garnered so much praise in restrospect as it seems like it was rightfully overlooked upon release. Seems like it should have faded over time like so many other forgotten albums. Not sure what I would be missing with this one. Maybe the character of Dr. John was more relevant at the time or had a wider reach than I am aware of. 1.56 stars

What’s with all the mouth noises?

Feels as though Jonno likes the smell of his farts like that Tom Waits guy. Not really that enjoyable

A few listenable tracks and others which I just don't get

Very weird album, but fun. I liked the intro track, but 33 minutes still ended up to be to much weirdness. No replay value.

p144. 1968. 2 stars. Well, it's different, I'll give it that. I am guessing it loses some of its potency when taken out its native steamy New Orleans environment and played in Stoke on Trent. Glad I heard it but won't seek it out again.

ciężko go ocenić. połowa piosenek wydawała się męcząca, a połowa nawet niezła. ale na pewno nie przesłuchałabym go w całości jeszcze raz

Tekotaiteellista paskaa, kuitenkin ihan oikeaa musaa valtaosin eikä ainakaan tylsää. 2/5

Just add zatarans.

Having only really known Dr John as the temptingly weird presence on that 90s BBC cover of Perfect Day, the opening track here had me thinking this would be right up my street. Such a disappointment that the rest of the album is the same, but less and less so with each track, like so much watered down gumbo.

It's a weird one, I can't say I like it

For what it is, it's fine. Not my style but a lot of his music was heard in my house as a child. I remember it as less psychedelic so maybe that was some of his later work? I'm not a child anymore, I'm not in the same house, and there's no space for Dr. John today for me. Thanks for the memories. 2.7 Oh, and for the Danish hip-hop fans - I noticed a little easter egg in Danse Kalimba Ba Doom. Did you catch it, Remy?

Are you getting drunk or are you getting poisoned?

I’m trying to figure out who this music is for. It’s really stripped down, but too hard to be acoustic/folk kinda music. It’s too stripped down to be for hard music fans. It’s not rap, it’s not pop. Like who would actively seek out this music?

Psychodela która mi nie siada. Druga, trzecia piosenka z fajnym zacięciem. Ale potem męczy

Not really for me, but also not completely offensive

The music wasn't as bad as I was expecting... Maybe I was put off by the cover and thought it was going to be one of those Captain Trout type albums but the music was decent. The production, however, turned me off. I felt like the mix was bad and it really took me out of it.

This mfer sounded like 1968 Currensy in the worst way possible. Maybe I should’ve listened to this shit stoned because sober it sounded like a humiliation ritual.

yes, it was strange. Too weird for me

Yeah, not feeling this one. Like I can get why people enjoyed it, just not for me

dont do drugs kids...

It’s weird. But not in the way that vibes with me

Another 2 for the hall of ugh

Not horrible.

Interesting record. Probably wouldn't listen to it on a regular basis, but it was interesting...

This was ass

This album was an experience for sure. One I didn’t really need to have. Perfect music for a seance or voodoo ritual if I ever find myself partaking in one.

This album has a black magic kinda of tone all throughout the album. By the end of listening, I felt like I should be sacrificing a chicken and praying to Jabu (Ala Major League). The beats were funky and somewhat enjoyable, but this dark tone followed each song. Not something I’ll ever listen to again, but worth checking out once.

Ugh, that was unpleasant. Too much wierd for me. Nothing connected, nothing positive stood out.

No Boom com o tio Gustavo talvez fizesse sentido. A uma quinta a tarde com um bebé a chorar, nem por isso

Dr John: I’ll give this album credit, this does immediately transport me to a rocking chair on a porch in the Mississippi Delta, my cousin Andre (we call him Sawbones) is cooking an unholy amount of jambalaya, and I’m just kind of waiting for a gator to come out of the swamps so we have some more meat to add to the pot. But besides the lovely visual this provides me, the music does next to nothing. Very bare. Quite unique, Dr. John’s voice is unlike anyone else’s. But that’s not a compliment, necessarily. Not my style, 3/10.

3/10

Some good moments, but a ton of super annoying ones. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Super experimental, al punto que agota.

I can't

Some songs are bluesy and solid. Others are just weird / nightmare music and are really hard to get through (e.g. Croker Courtbullion).

Without the singing, this would be a 3 or 4 star. But Dr. John's vocal style just reminds me of a middle aged white dad in sunglasses and a polo shirt with the collar popped proving to his kids he's cool at a blue bar in a 80s movie.

Feels kind of like a southern fried Tom Waits. Maybe a bit more rhythmic, but certainly not more enjoyable. The fact that he was kicked out of choir as a kid says something.

These reviews played in my face 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 listened to most of it until I got tired

Kinda interesting but not enough to tell someone they have to listen to it.

Spaceat. Vodoo style lugn rock med psykedeliska inslag? Blev paranoid av att lyssna. Knäppt.

it reminds me of a guy getting stoned in his basement and thinking he's a musical genius while straight up ripping off traditional Creole music. if you're going to appropriate another culture for your own benefit, at the very least, make it good.

that weird bloke at the pub open mic who insists he's invented a new style of music and everyone nips to the bar when he starts playing

Pretty cool, but mid-listenability, 2.5

Umm strange album. Not bad necessarily but I don't know when I'd have occasion or interest to ever listen to it again.

Not sure who this was for. Occasional grooves but nothing worth listening to more than once. Certainly not top 1000 material

Not for me. Jump sturdy is a decent song but the rest just don't do it

Meh. Didn't move the needle for me at all. Sounded like it either influenced Tom Waits of was influenced by Tom Waits.

I wanted to like this but I didn't particularly enjoy it. Maybe its worth hearing for what I imagine is a pretty distinct New Orleans sound. I'm not sure. The recording quality seemed not so great and I feel like the backup singing was bothering me. It's been a week between listening and rating

Weird, and not always good weird. I think he probably influenced other people I'm not particularly a fan of.

Creepy album, felt like Tom waits. I wouldn't often be in the mood for this album 2/5

Even though I reactively rolled my eyes when I saw the song title "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya" and have never really enjoyed Dr. John's music, I did my best to keep an open mind. But there's no getting around the fact this does nothing for me, or that I picture Dr. Teeth from the Muppets when I think of Dr. John.

okay, this wasnt in my lane, but at least it was listenable.

I knew this was going to be weird based on the only things I know about Dr John, which is that he looks and sounds like that, which I first learned from a podcast where somebody played him as a character and then confirmed when I watched The Last Waltz.

The New Orleans creole came out in every note. I love New Orleans but I didn't really care for this.

2.25 - Fine, but not really my thing. This is two in a row where I thought it was a different artist (Dr. Dog).

Sometimes I really wish there would be an explanation for every album on this list WHY it found its place here. This is one of those albums. There is no obvious reason on Wikipedia. Listening to it does not show anything special.

Maybe i need to give it another go but didn’t massively enjoy I first listen and found myself getting abit bored. Not really my cuppa tea. Appreciate the talent though. Favourite track by far was jump sturdy

Non mi piace molto, noioso, ma danse kalinda e mama roux sono carine

Man they did a lot of drugs back thern. Good fun record tho

I was interested at the very beginning but that went away fast. Then I was just bored/ and a bit bothered.

474/1089 - Sounds like Lou Reed with slightly better instrumentation.

Rien de très intéressant

Nah, he’s cool though.

Some songs were okay but mostly seemed like a bizarre voodoo themed album that fell short of what Id want from something with such a theme

2.0

I felt like I had alligators coming for me while I was listening to this one

Oh man. Pentangle yesterday? Gris-Gris today? Record Store Guy has taken over the project! I predict that tomorrow will be someone feeding his guitar into a wood chipper. Important album. A little silly. Sort of like eating your rock and roll spinach.

ну хз.

Crazy crackhead making music in the Deep South type of vibes.

croker courtbullion had me so confused like what am i listening to.... this album was just kinda noisy? not my favorite

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 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.

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..

Meh.

Hmmmmmmm. Not sure

Not as bad as I was fearing it would be. Not good enough to keep any of it in my collection.

4/10 - not objectively bad, just slightly weird hippy rock from its time

I'm not sure what this was, but I didn't like it.

Not my favorite, but an interesting listen. Can definitely hear NOLA and the melting pot of cultures present

What did I listen to

not my thing

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.

Did not quite understand this one!

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.

It was fine for one listen

Not my taste at all.

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.

Not a fan of jazz.

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 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

I'm sorry but I'm not taking whatever you're taking

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.

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

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.

шаманские вечера у костра

2.5

2.5

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.

Too weird

Pretty weird

Very odd. Seems almost a parody of itself.

Too psychedelic noise for my tastes, but could have been worse.

Hard one to get through.

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.

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.

This is definitely some country, down-by-the-bayou music. Not bad but not my thing.

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."

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.

Potential, but not so good after all

Ugh. The good songs were not good enough. 2.5

I liked the R & B tracks but the rest was meh.

Weird as…

Not sure what just happened ...

Could be a 3

Starke Soundqualität für 1968, aber das alleine macht die Musik auch nicht besser. Zu abgedreht psychedelisch für mich.

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

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.

This album doesn’t make any sense. It’s definitely not better than the Black Album.

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.

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.

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.

Not really loving this.

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.

bisschen seltsam

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.

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

Just unremarkable

Chato. 5/10

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.

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.

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.

I enjoyed a few of the bluesier tracks but the mystical video music was a bit too far out for me.

Maso.

Completely unremarkable. Next.

what heck did I just listen too?

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.

Album was definetly interesting, not sure it was for me. 3.8/10

Estuvo raro, me hace pensar en drugs

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.

2.5 stars

Groved for a couple songs but overall not impressed.

Just odd.

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.

Not a Magic Mushroom Music kinda guy and that’s what this album is!

A little too funky for me :/

This ain't for me. I just don't like it. It's interesting, but in the same way that Throbbing Gristle is.

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.

Failed to chart when it came out. I wonder why.

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

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

- 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

5/10

This one has a bit too much of that Dr. John hip tang for my tastes.

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.

I was fine listening to it. 1/4

early John - pretty OK

Couple decent songs, mostly crap

Sorry not for me. Some groovy moments but could not really get on board with the voodoo hoodoo bullshit.

Appreciate what he was doing but not 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

1.5 That was something

Serial killer music

Really thought I would have liked this more. No real songs, just atmospheric sound track to a New Orleans swamp

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.

A bit too experimental for my tastes, but there's some good musicianship in there, too.

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.

It's a little too weird for me. Some songs feel like they are moreso trying to create a sound than make a song.

This feels like something a cult would listen to

🐸

point8.

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.

Really not my vibe. I get the musicianship and those who like him but that sound has never worked for me

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.

A few okay songs, but it got really weird...

It takes me places every time

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

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 mean it's alright. I just find this kind of music boring unfortunately

Oof, not a favorite. 2/5

Louisiana music

It was different. Not my particular style but worth hearing once. Probably wont listen to again

Started OK but faded into a mess of lamish hippy jazz.

Was kinda weird tbh

Someday soon this guy will be Dr John. Better than a lot of the '68 psych miscellany on this list.

I think this is a very interesting album, and could be good, but the backup singers are just so terribly mediocre that they manage to really bring the whole thing down.

A drum circle singalong in the bayou with chaotic instrumentation at times and growly vocals. Oh - and flute. A little to gritty, dark room, late night 'hey what if we did this?' and the stoned guy in the corner is like 'yeeeaaahhh mannnn!'. A couple tracks are listenable and a little more organized.

I have no context for what it's like to be in LA state, New Orleans, or anywhere close for that matter, so to my untrained ear this sounds like an honest attempt to captivate the sounds and vibe of the area/time. What this album succeeds at is capturing the listener and sending them on a boat ride through a mystical bayou swamp, full of olde-timey, grizzled characters. What this album doesnt do...is much else beyond that honestly. I really appreciate the record on the whole, but it didnt have any standout songs to me. A good, quick listen, nothing more, nothing less. If I had to pick a song to listen to, I suppose I liked the instrumental "Croker Courtbullion" the most 2/5 cool but not much else

Just by the sound of the album alone, you could guess that this guy was from New Orleans. Super abstract as far as blues psych goes, but there is a vibe to the record as a whole. 4/10

At times interesting and spooky, but also just a bit of a slog and a noise! It is interesting enough for another listen but wow! Weird!

There are albums that I gotten so far that I never would have ventured to. Albums from artists I never heard of. This was one of those albums that felt weird when I saw it on my page. The kind that make me tilt my head and go “ok, who the fuck is this?”. I give every artist the benefit of a doubt, which I feel helps me appreciate an album more. But I couldn’t really do that here. I don’t know, but I feel this album is stuck in a in between. Too weird to feel natural, but not too weird to have any charm. Maybe it’s the shoddy production that doesn’t really complement Dr. John’s vocals at all. Or maybe, it’s because the songs feel mostly like basic chanting from his annoying backing chorus. Seriously, I’m starting to think that psychedelic music pisses me off a bit. But I guess you need to be on drugs to enjoy it, so eh. I appreciate it when this generator gets weird with me and gives me some stuff out of left field. But I don’t think this one did much for me and I was probably better off without it. Mama Roux was a good song, though. Wish all the tracks were like that one. Favorite track: Mama Roux Other hits: I Walk On Guilded Splinters, Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya

Creepy. Weird. Annoying. Boring The soundtrack to purgatory 2 ⭐️

This was very atmospherically trippy, bordering on spooky. It made sense once I looked more closely and saw that it was psychedelia with a good mix of New Orleans and swamp genres. I wouldn't really listen to this in normal situations, but this is absolutely perfect for setting a weird and/or haunting mood without being too overt about it.

More of a vibe than a recording. Some cool Afro-Caribbean influence with a jazz backbone- I guess that’s Nawlins in a nutshell. This gets me right in the mood for some drugs and voodoo spells. But not something I really want to put on again.

2.5 stars. Really weird 60's psychedelic funk/swamp blues. Wasn't super into it. Standout was "Jump Sturdy"

2 stars

Weird, weird, weird

Okay, so... voodoo swamp jazz? Is that what this is? It's like someone mixed Tom Waits with a humid fever dream and hit record before tuning anything. I guess it’s technically music, but it feels more like a haunted house attraction that forgot to close for the season. There’s atmosphere for days, but no substance to hold onto. Just made me want to clean my ears and listen to actual jazz, which is an accomplishment. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Mama Roux

I am definitely not into this beat-nik type thing, but I get it and the influence the movement had. Just a reminder kids, drugs are bad!

I feel like this is close to being cool but ends up being annoying, 2/5

Grey is right

trummel trummel trümmlig also wenn ich en ernsti chrankheit hetti wär de dr. john glaub nöd mini ersti wahl han hüt aber glich mal en termin abgmacht, han zwar nöd ganz verstande was er mir hed welle säge aber er hed mer es rezept für es paar homöopathischi globuli usgstellt… vilicht nützed die ja öppis 2x gris für de dökti john

swampy and murky, really weird album. I imagine this is what an encounter with a witchdoctor feels like in a random swamp. Overall... not for me, little too weird. Favorite track: walk on guilded splinters. Overall score: 5.0/10

Weird af

Not horrible, but not exactly good. 2/5

Very interesting. Would listen to again

Well, at least it was mercifully short. I was going to give this a one, but there were a couple of songs in here that weren’t too bad. I thought this album was mostly garbage though. I’m giving it a generous two stars.

Important context for The Muppets

Realmente no lo disfruté, tampoco fue horroroso la verdad

This is #day174 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it seems I've gotten stuck in the late '60s over the past couple of days. Another record from that era, and wow... that was bizarre. At first, I thought it was Tom Waits on vocals... those buzzing-barking vocals, you know. It turned out to be one of the weirdest combinations I've heard: blues, psychedelia, gospel, jazz, funk, and whatnot. I guess I'll go with a 2, as it wasn't entirely terrible. Plus, I like the late '60s. Looking forward to #day175.

Wierd

Didn't really enjoy this. I guess it was interesting at the time.

There has to be better Dr. John albums out there that should replace this one on the list. This one is a slog to get through

Kind of strange and not my thing.

This was a bummer. I read the description, read the wiki. It had all the components I like. I was excited. New Orleans Jazz, psychedelic, one review said “Zappa-esque”. But none of it culminated into anything I’d ever want to hear again.

This is very funky! I’m not sure it’s for me!

Ngl, the instruments sound interesting, but I can't tolerate bad singing.

What in the unorganized Voodoo New Orleans fuck was that? This album had absolutely no direction, and no musical merit at all. I'm not on near enough drugs to understand this shit. I knew it was going to blow by the album cover... Favourite songs: Mama Roux, Jump Sturdy Least favourite songs: Croker Courtbullion, Danse Flambeaux, I Walk on Guilded Splinters 2/5

I like later Dr John/Mac Rebbenack stuff, but this is just a little too weird for me.

The cover artwork of Dr. John's album Gris Gris presents a striking visual that captures the essence of the music within, but it ultimately falls short of being memorable. The artwork features a swirling, smoky aesthetic that aligns with the album's voodoo themes. However, the overall execution feels somewhat chaotic and lacks clarity, making it difficult to appreciate the intended symbolism. The typography, while unique, appears outdated and may not resonate with contemporary audiences. In essence, while the cover reflects a certain mystique, it does not stand out in a sea of iconic album art, earning it a mere two stars for effort and concept. Album artworks rated: 22/1001 Music's dope tho.

i dont know

Kinda creepy, kinda mesmerizing, definitely a unique entry.

Unique sounds and style, however, the vocals don't add much. Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya I had to skip, Dense Fambeaux was a more palletable improvement or perhaps I just got used to the style after starting so abrasive. Jump Sturdy is certainly a highlight.

Ok. I'm not sure why this album is ranked so high on Top (Insert number) albums of all time. This honestly reminds me of The Muppert band doing a record. The most surprising thing about this record was I found out Walk on Guilded Splinters is off this album and was later covered by Paul Weller on his phenomenal Stanley Road album. Never knew it was a cover song til today. Admitted this does seem like the type of artist that Weller might cover. Oh well. It's still 2 stars for me.

I wanted to like this but I didn't.

It’s a weird journey, but not altogether unwelcome. Though he says they call him Dr. John, but they don’t really. He calls himself Dr. John. Because no one else wanted to be Dr. John? The origin of the “Dr. John” persona is just as weird as the calypso jazz funk journey we just went on.

I like the type of music. I like Dr John. Together, not so much.

better than expected.

I have no framework for whether or not this album is good or bad

Not a fan

Not a great album. Some weird, wannabe Cajun nonsense

This is what I thought psychedelia to be before 1001. A very demanding listen. Demanding the same amount of drugs that was used to create the album

Perhaps listening to this album while not jet lagged to high heaven may have led to a more fun experience, with me enjoying how off the wall it can sound. In fact, I recognise that this is actually quite possible. As it stands though, I am in fact jet lagged and someone lacking patience. Every album I’ve rated so far has been based on the first listen, so it’s only fair to do so here too.

Not for me

Not really my thing. I can see the innovation, and I can also disagree (with most reviewers, it seems) about it sounding good. The 60s-quality production isn't doing Dr John any favours, particularly on the vocals, which self-distort at almost every volume. The lead vocals are mixed completely differently to the backing ones, creating an odd aural disconnect that's very distracting once you notice it. The instrumentation is very pulled back, focused mostly on a heavily acoustic and lo-fi percussion section (which actually does sounds pretty good). The guitar playing is incredibly retro even for its time, with licks and strumming patterns sounding like they date back to the 1910s or even earlier, but it's also passable (if very dated and odd-sounding). I'll give Dr John this, though: Gris Gris doesn't sound actively bad or boring. In fact, I was pretty intrigued during the entire 33-minute listen. It's fun when this list allows you to discover genres you couldn't have even conceived of. I'd love to see this style revisited with better production and with some stronger compositions and musicians backing it up. A slight improvement on Pink Floyd's "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving With a Pict". 2/5 Key tracks: I Walk on Guilded Splinters, Mama Roux

I don't remember much about it.

Forgettable

Apparently I've listened to this before! Groovy [2]

Not at all what I was expecting. Not anything I’ll ever listen to again, probably, but not terrible. Swampy, maybe?

Interesting but I can’t say that it does much for me. The voodoo chanting takes me out of it.

Might be missing some historical context but I really did not care for this album

Very weird album through and through. How are these in a 1001 list

Huh?

Slow very repetitive music that is hard to place. Maybe rock with afro drums. Vocal that does some singing and some talking some times with a choir.

listen, i love music that gets freaky with it as much as the next guy, but this is just poorly made. the mixing is bad, most of the songs wander aimlessly for entirely too long, and i was bored, despite the impression that this record is weird just for weirdness’ sake. not great highlights: danse kalinda ba boom, mama roux, croker courtbullion (mar 16 2026)

Eclectic and entertaining, yet barely listenable.

i found this record quite boring if i’m honest, and the sound didn’t appeal to me. it’s probably an acquired taste, and one that i don’t have. even now writing this the day after it feels unmemorable, and i have little else to say on it.

Today I learned what swamp rock & blues are. Today I also learned that I do not care for swamp rock & blues music. I will give it one thing, this definitely sounds the part of "swamp rock". Very inspired by R&B from the deep south, specifically New Orleans, with the "swampy" sound being brought on by the psychedelia and voodoo influences that are displayed. It all becomes a bit much to take in and eventually becomes tiring to listen to, though. I feel like I just sat through a voodoo ritual in the middle of the bayou swamp. The underlying R&B rhythms are somewhat catchy at least.

this is just not my kind of weird

yk that one scene in white chicks when they r like yo mama so stupid she went to dr dre for a pap smear. anyways yeah this album was abt as pleasant as a pap smear.

3/10 - It was certainly interesting. I felt like I was in the swamps. Hearing the animals growling around me as some guy dithers in front of me. I am not sure when I would play this again because I liked it, I might play it because its funny.

Sorry old man but I’m not feeling it

Well, this is one of those albums that just feels more and more racist as the years go by. The music is cool overall, though there is often not very much happening. However, this one is going to wind up with 2 stars because I refuse to give more than 50% credit to a minstrel show 2/5. Sorry Dr. John, I can see what you're going for here, but you leaned into this voodoo character a little too hard

Dr. John is pretty cool, but I do not care for Gris Gris. 'Croker Courtbullion' is especially grueling. 'I Walk on Guilded Splinters' is great though.

Interesting sounds at times, but not something I would ever listen to intentionally.

Sono certo che fosse geniale per la sua epoca

At least it was a weird psychedelic album with a voodoo, New Orleans creole kinda thing going on instead of just plain lame psychedelic rock. Not much else to say except that I will immediately forgot about this album by the time I fall asleep tonight.

Dr John is 3 stars. This album is not as good as any of the meters best albums. If course, the meters aren't on this stupid list.

Listened Before? N This is one of those "you had to be there" records from the 60's. It's very creative and very odd. I'm not on enough drugs. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Mama Roux

Definitely some interesting elements to this but I kept getting annoyed with the songs after a short time. All the New Orleans elements seems almost forced at points.

Only fair. His best is great but overall he’s rather boring.