Gris Gris

Blues staple with funky influence - good for a day of home projects or a backyard jaunt.

bit weird and waily, but not actually that bad

Quite nice.

A folk/soul hybrid. Singing and spoken word delivery make for an unusual album.

Such wonderful, swampy, sticky sounds. I can definitely see the influence on future artist like Tom Waits! Can’t wait to give it another listen and explore more Dr John.

Someone may have taken a little too much acid.

Loose, weird, bluesy and experimental. It’s got an energy all it’s own. “Croker Courtbullion” sounds like a broadcast from another world, or maybe a recording from someone’s dream. Hearing his growling, half-spoken delivery, it’s pretty clear we wouldn’t have Tom Waits without Dr. John. Highlights: “Mama Roux,” “Danse Fambeaux,” “Jump Sturdy,” “I Walk on Guilded Splinters”

Pros: - The production is really interesting. The panning on the first track is super wide and only gets more intriguing as the song goes on. The first minute and a half or so is mostly in the left ear, and then the next minute and a half is mostly in the right. That's something you don't really see too often. - I like the vibey moody sort of world of sounds that this guy is weaving on this album. Misc: Overall I liked it! Cool album from a band/act that I haven't heard of before.

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

Ge mig mer av The Night Trippers sizzling Gris-Gris! Wow! Detta var annorlunda. Mörkt, psykedeliskt, träskigt, långsamt funkigt. Jävlar vad jag gillar det. Dr. John har ett tydligt New Orleans-sound, voodoo-influerad swamp-blues. Liknar Tom Waits Rain Dogs (eller Rain Dogs som liknar Gris-Gris, såklart). I de mörkare låtarna sitter du vid en lägereld i en fuktig bayou i Louisiana. Det är mitt i natten, det regnar, du har hamnat mitt i en voodoo-ritual och vet inte riktigt om du är i fara eller inte. Allt du har att luta dig mot är shamanen Dr. Johns raspiga stämma mässandes Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya. Albumet är perfekt komponerat, lagom kort. Mitt i det skräckinjagande mörkret finns en välkomnande lättsam andningspaus i mitten med Mama Roux, och till en viss del Danse Fambeaux. Bäst är I Walk on Guilded Splinters, med det finns inte en enda svag låt. Om jag skulle tvingas ta ut min top-5 från detta albumet (på 7 låtar) så skulle nog Danse Kalinda Ba Doom och Croker Courtbullion ryka. Ett album som griper tag i en och inte går att sluta lyssna på. Jag kommer hålla hårt i denna talisman. Bästa låt: I Walk on Guilded Splinters.

I expected much different, more piano New Orleans jazz, but this was entertaining.

I enjoyed this - had it on in the background whilst doing some work. Definitely outside of what I usually listen to!

This is completely ruined by the vocalist. I'd probably rate this a 3 or 4 without the lead vocalist. Unfortunately, I find this unlistenable as recorded.

feels like I'm in the South somewhere and have stumbled across some black magic fuckery. Problem is I'm not much into that so its a 2 for me. Don't hate it but wont ever go back to it again

Fantastic stuff as always from The Dr.

Genre: New Orleans R&B 4/5 Another extreme surprise, Dr. John's Gris-Gris IS a haunting, yet highly rewarding musical experience. From its true and honest New Orleans musical roots, to its near-Captain Beefheart style vocals, to its psychedelic arrangements, Gris-Gris continued to excite me as it progressed through its tracklist. The intro, Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, an intense and mysterious tale of voodoo, featuring growling vocals from Dr. John himself, sets the tone for a real musical treat that normally wouldn't be on my radar. Songs like Danse Kalinda Ba Doom and Croker Courtbullion are tribal trips through the bayous of Louisiana, true tributes to the indigenous history of the area. The album flows beautifully through different soul and R&B backdrops, each just as interesting as the last. The outro, I Walk on Guilded Splinters, is an 8-minute swamp rock jam, ending the album on a musical high note. I was not expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did, but this one will easily slide into the spooky albums list for Halloween play. Very interesting, and very good.

Is this... psychedelic Cajun weed smoking music? Is it Cajun funk? I really can't pin down exactly what this one is, but that's part of its charm. Worth a listen for sure, but wouldn't revisit every track. However, the closing track was excellent so I'm bumping this up a star. Most songs here felt a bit dull and ambling to me, but that one was worth the price of admission. Fave track: "I Walk on Guilded Splinters"

Okaaay… Confusion aside, the album starts with a song called Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya It’s unsettling to say the least, especially with the verses. The song is very slow and druggy a bit odd for an opener. Danse Kalinda Ba Doom again is really odd honestly it’s quite good on the drum department but shit on the lyrical department. Mama roux is the most “ normal” song of the album so far still druggy but a kinda normal level. Danse Fambeaux is okay just dr John talking behind an instrumental and the normal backing vocals which I must admit I don’t like at all to be fair even on the other tracks. Starting side two is Crocker Courtbullion a nearly 6 minute track consisting of mostly instrumental work and a few of the backing singers scattered around, yeah not a fan. Jump sturdy (like mama roux) is much more normal it’s mostly just repeating but there’s a good enough verse honey don’t mind it. The album ends with the song I walk on guilded splinters it’s just like everything else but really slow and 7 minutes long. So I didn’t like it but i’am not a druggy so you know it’s not really for me. It’s weird enough to keep it out of my 1’s though.

Hard for me to describe on my own. Luckily Wikipedia has my back! Some really interesting psychedelic funk/New Orleans R&B. Can't say I've ever listened to an album quite like this one, and for that I'm grateful that this came my way. Weird and sometimes creepy to listen to, it was a unique experience that left me smiling.

Reminds me of First Utterance, or Exuma. Had no idea this existed, very very happy I now do.

Love the doc's new Orleans rag tag sound

Spooky Oscuro Vanguardista Buen álbum

This is a weird psychedelic album. I did not care for it. The first song on the album did not hook me and it did not improve. Go ahead and skip this one.

No está mal. Por la portada y el año pensé que iba a ser un peñazo. Croker Courtbullion con el clave tiene un aire al principio de Golde Brown que me gustó. Un disco raro, peculiar, casi más de horror-folk que folk. Creo que aunque no sea brillante hay que escucharlo y en 1968 debió ser impactante.

Good vibes, but nothing special

GRIS-gris is the debut album from Dr. John. Not his real name, and not a real doctor, but the character is based on a 19th century voodoo doctor. The music on this album is New Orleans R&B / swamp blues / psychedelic funk. The album failed to chart or garner much attention at release, but was re-released around 30 years later to praise from modern critics. This has been hailed as a classic from the psychedelic era, and it's extraordinary in that it fuses psychedelia with funk and R&B from the bayou. The modern reviews love this album and tote it as one of the best pieces of psychedelia, but I just don't get it. For me, most of the songs sound the same and only the first track stuck out to me as interesting. Perhaps one needs to be high to really appreciate this album, or maybe I don't have a taste for New Orleans R&B music.

Another artist I've never heard about. 3.7% of Kid Rock's persona/style could be traced to this record, I think. But I won't hold that against Dr. John. I'll be honest, spoken word over ramshackle blues music isn't really my thing. But I gave this one a fair shot and I'm glad I did. There is a a tinge of the tropicalia musical style on songs like "Mama Roux." I'm into that.

Dr. John is like the Bayou Bob Dylan. Take some drugs, mumble some shit into the microphone that only makes sense to you, and become a cult music hero. It's fun, but it's weird.

Psychedelic bayou stomp.

04/24/2022 Bizarre. Something I'd never listen to. 1000% need to be on drugs to enjoy this album. Manson family realness.

So this was a very interesting mellow and swampy and fun album. Great rhythms hinting at the Caribbean grooves with a very much Creole setting. There’s a hint of a future Tom Waits in here - I loved this. And it was short enough to keep you wanting more

Funk, soul, and jazz all combined to make the Mardi Gras sound. Dr. John's first album is a fun trek down the Mardi Gras wormhole, this is such a great album. 4/5.

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

I had watched the show "Treme" on HBO, this reminded me a lot of that, but like the previous generation. I think that's just because of some of the dated production. I like the false ending on the last song, that was a bit of a surprise. But honestly this sounded very dated. Not surprising as it was 1968. I like a few songs by Dr. John, but this whole voodoo thing seemed kinda... goofy to me. I get what he was going for, but it just didn't connect with me.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I might. He's definitely got a distinct voice but it's also familiar, and more than because I know a couple of his later hits. A bit of Sam the Sham, Van Morrison, or War? Feels like 60's psychedelia with a cajun twist. Some cool beats and some nice vocal work (from Dr. John and his backup singers). First and last tracks were my favorites. Again, enjoyed the album but not sure how many times I'd go back for another listen.

Interesting album. Not something I feel I'll need to come back for, but it definitely sets a chill, funky mood. I liked the opening track, Mama Roux, and the closing track in particular.

Very interesting Psychedelic album. Hard to believe this came out in the 60’s sounds a lot like Tom waits. Maybe a little dated now.

Listened to on 4/6/22 2/5 Favorite song: Jump Sturdy Very random mix of sounds and reggae music = chaotic album with songs that were too long…why is this song SEVEN MINUTES

Very unique and Cajun feeling album. Favorite song was probably Jump Sturdy.

4/7/22 Fun Cajun vibes! Makes me want some crawfish. I like the voodoo feel but I couldn’t see myself actually listening to this. Very unique and cool vibes. Would like as background music. Favorite song: Gris gris gumbo ya ya

weird

That was quite entertaining, not as weird as I thought.

7/10 Best song - Dense Kalinda Ba Doom

Dr. John on jäänyt mun kohdalla aina kuuntelematta. Nyt on tämäkin korjattu. Hyvää psykedeliaa ja ihme vaihtoehtobluesii. Tätä varmaan kannattais oikeesti kuunnella sienissä. Pysyy musta loppuun asti kiinnostavana musana jossa on lainattu paljon vanhaa, mutta on samalla myös luotu aika paljon uutta. En oo ehkä niin suuri psykerockdiggari että tää nousis kärkikahinoihin omien levyjen suhteen, mutta kyllä tää neljän pongon arvoinen on. Hieno. Täytyy tutustua artistin muihinkin levyihin. 4/5

Mjuuh, tykkään kyllä outoilusta mutta tää ei ollu ihan mun tyylistä outoilua.

Joitain siistejä juttuja, mutta ei ehkä ollu ihan oikea mielentila tälle.

Ihan kivaa psykedeliaa mutta ei ollut musta kovinkaan kiinnostava. 2/5.

Voodoo-flavored psychedelia, very fun and weird. From never having heard of this guy, to liking this album a lot, to looking up more about him, learning I knew a bunch of stuff from him and also learning that he was the visual inspiration for Dr. Teeth from the muppets’ The Electric Mayhem.

What an interesting combination of genres. An enjoyable listen that surprised me a couple times

One crazy spicy gumbo. Love it.

An odd album even for that time. Not sure how much I actually like it as such, though. Good, but not one I'd return to often.

2, quite bad.

Fun album for drinking on the weekend.

3. Mins

2/5 not good

Interesting vibes

You've got to love the late 60s. A wacky, brilliant little treasure like this could never get made today. This is really a singular kind of album from a singular artist. It's got a laid back and chill style of delivery but with a totally trippy and spooky psychedelic vibe. It's fascinating. Fave Songs: I Walk on Guilded Splinters, Mama Roux, Danse Kalinda Ba Doom, Jump Sturdy

Very very interesting. As a listener, I couldn't always predict what was coming next, but it always made sense. 3.5, but close enough to a 4.

Interesting stuff, not something I would have ever listened to outside of this.

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

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

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

It’s just terrible. No style. Not even sure what music genre it is!

Well that was a religious experience. It's extremely weird, but I think that's part of the charm. I like the strange chanting in "Danse Kalinda Ba Doom" and "Croker Courtbullion". Very pleasantly surprised. The first song was confusing and I wasn't sure where the album was going, but I got it after the second song and thoroughly enjoyed the rest.

I find this album to be unique, magical and local to Nola flair. Loved it.

7/10

Didn't enjoy

It’s fun and mesmerizing. First half was stronger than second half. Track 2 is soo good.

Very novel sounds! Would be a 3 but it was just so damn interesting

It’s a very experimental album which isn’t bad in my opinion just not for me

A while back I spent a lot of time trying to get a copy of this on vinyl because I had heard it was a great album. I finally got it and really enjoyed it, though something about it feels disjointed or incomplete. I really like the seedy mysticism that Dr John does so well here. Really feels different than much of the popular music of its day.

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

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

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

Just to keep review in place. I did like his last album

The first time I heard this, I thought it was an odd album to have on a list like this, but it is starting to grow on me. Getting better each time I hear it. 3/5.

Those retching, hissing, and farting sounds in the background of the last song are awfully on-the-nose.

4/5. Entertaining, and unique especially for ‘68. Dr. John reminds me of Tom Waits

Jazz - nope

A really cool hidden gem! I had never heard of Dr. John, but this is some awesome New Orleans jazz meets psychedelic nightmare fuel

Really funky album! I had no idea this was the sound of old Dr. John. Enjoyed a lot. 4/5

great album. just totally imbued with the sound of voodoo and the swamps. love zydeco and this is way at the top for me.

A light four, enjoyable stuff. 'Swamp rock' describes it pretty well, but there seem to be several genres influencing this

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

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

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

Something that a drum circle would appreciate.

This one was really hard to rate. There is something good about this yet it feels a bit too raw and weird.

7/10

Hlustaði tvisvar og hún vann á. Margt töff, hljóðblöndunin skemmtilega hrá og flott stemning. Mér finnst Dr. John sjálfur bara ekki mjög skemmtilegur söngvari.

Mjög áhugavert! Swamp Rock - blanda af psychadelic og N'awlins rhythm & blues. Geggjuð plata.

Pop psicodélico con ritmos africanos. No destaca en nada y no lo veo tan influyente

Rock psicodélico. Rarito.

Vaag. Ik vind het helemaal niks. Sorry. *

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

New Orleans Blues at it's darkest and most soulful, did like this Genre defining work. The Classic "I Walk On Guilded Splinters" the highlight for me. Don't have it in my collection but well worth a listen and rightfully in this lis

Better than I anticipated

Solid some standards

Pretty weird album, but also weirdly not that bad.

I kind of liked this, actually. Very odd, but not bad. It's between a 3 and a 4 for me. I'll go for 3 since it is a bit less appealing than others I've rated 4 stars.

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

Maybe hearing these songs after a few drinks and in a New Orleans bar would leave me feeling more satisfied - sadly I’m not there.

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

Immediate thoughts: this is super creepy in a bad way, mixing is terrible. UPDATE: This shit sucks lol

It was alright. Nothing special. Left me wanting more, but not enough

Started rough but once it clicked I was on board to the end.

Weak 3

cool shit. never listened to this before. last track is a jam

It was a solid 3/5 stars.

This Creole jazz LP struggles to string even 30 minutes of runtime together without feeling threadbare and hollow.

What an absolutely fantastic album.

I can see why it would be an important album at the time of its release, even if it's not my cup of tea today

241021 11:02 3.5

The album has new orleans style of music known as Gris-Gris. It's an ok album. Be on this list?

Some interesting songs, but not for me

This was a nice change of pace and I loved some of the sounds, but it had a lot of issues as well. I found the group vocals pretty grating at times, and the poor production did not help. 6/10

7/10. Some cool sounds, but nothing to drive me wild.

You can tell so easily that this is a New Orleans album, which I think is really cool. However, I didn't love it much past that sort of atmospheric novelty. 7/10

ja premlada za ovo

Just couldn’t find a feel for it.

Did not listen...

-This was odd. It was a psych rock-esque album, but just not very exciting

First Listen. 2/5. Different. I'd like to hear more, but not sure about it now.

…I don’t get it

Non conoscevo Dr. John e l'ho trovato molto originale. Purtroppo come al solito a un certo punto ho perso l'attenzione e ho dovuto ascoltarlo a più riprese, ma inizio a pensare che sia un mio problema. Una cosa che mi ha un po' deluso è stata la qualità dell'album, capisco che siamo a fine anni '60, ma ci sono album dello stesso periodo che suonano molto meglio. Le frequenze medio-alte sovrastano quelle basse. Tutto sommato è un album interessante! Voto 3

Questo album c'ha un grosso problema che è forse più evidente in assoluto nella prima traccia e quindi è pure un po' un trauma: l'uso a cazzo di cane del pan. Devo dire che nel '60 ogni tanto c'erano questi guizzi creativi nell'uso del pan che sarebbe stato meglio non concretizzare, ma qua sembra che l'ingegnere che ha fatto il misaggio è cascato sui fader del pan mettendoli a caso e poi ha lasciato così. Detto questo, che me lo dovevo togliere, a me sto album m'ha stregato (ah ah ah ah! ;). Cioè come fai a non innamorarti di questa unione di musica tribale, blues e voodoo? Pezzi preferiti "Danse Kalinda Ba Doom" e "Jump Sturdy" ma in generale tutti mi hanno colpito per originalità e personalità e i versi di animali in "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" sono, come Kate Bush sa bene, il modo più veloce per conquistarmi. Direi che forse è un po' meno di 4, tipo un 3.75, però dopo Robbie Williams me sembra il minimo dare 4 al buon Dr. John.

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

Practically unlistenable

Et "stemningsalbum" Men simpelthen for mærkeligt og mange laaange numre med mange lyde

Ich kann mir vorstellen, warum es Fans hat, ich muss es aber nicht haben. Das New-Orleans-Vodoo-Lokalkolorit geht mir eher auf den Sack und interessiert mich auch nicht.

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

Schönes Kleinod. Sleazy Beatnik Voodoo flambiert in karribischem Rum und von Devandra Banhart mit gegrillten Hühnerherzen serviert; im Hintergrund checkt schon Gonjasufi ab, was sich hier an Kupfer abstauben lassen könnte. Den Doktor würde ich wohl nur in bestimmten Zuständen ertragen können, mich dann aber erwartungsfroh zitternd in seine behandelnden Hände begeben. Mr. Bungle gibt zuckende 3.8

Exotisch! Darf man sagen, als Vollwestfale, oder? Ich find das ziemlich geil - gleite gerade noch durch "Walk on Guilded Splinters". Zum Glück nur auf Platte, in echt würde mich das viel zu stark ängstigen alles. Super schwül, irre Blicke, jede Menge mir unbekannte Drogen am Start, Magick und Voodoo - weiß man denn, ob's nicht doch wirkt?! Musikalisch zwar nicht immer voll mein Ding, aber für den Headtrip ziemlich perfekt. Machen wir 3,6 draus!

I have some qualms about the Dr John phenomena from a cultural standpoint but this is such a testament to his talent, taste, and personality

i had fun

Swampy chanting, occasional jazz and blues, and bits of nonsense and noise. Best Tracks: Mama Roux, Jump Sturdy, I Walk On Guilded Splinters

Way too psychedelic for my liking although Dr John has some really good music. It must be 1968.

Pretty forgettable

Speciaal, goed voor op de achtergrond maar opnieuw luisteren ga ik niet doen.

3,2 Ik vind zijn stem wel leuk, als hij begint dan luistert ge ook wel. Ook leuk dat het album niet zo lang is dat maakt het leuker om nog is op te zetten.

Oke als album tof om eens naar te luisteren...maar stel gij staat in het boechoutse op een wei en daar staat een grote witte tent en daar staat ge met in elke hand een pintje dat ge gewoon gekregen hebt samen met uw maten wat te jammen, ge draagt een wit linnen hemdje met een knopje teveel open en espadrilles. Voor u staat een nederlandse leerkracht (50+ jaar) in een driekwartsbroek, die twee lessen zumba heeft gevolgd en nu helemaal in de ban is van afrika, te dansen met een jonge 20-30 jarige man met afrikaanse roots... EN DEZE BOPS KOMEN OP... puur genieten bruurs (vooral eerste nummers gaven me deze vibe)

Funky psychedelic music

The first track grabbed me as being a perfect soundtrack to a horror movie set in the deep south of the USA. The psychedelic rock of Dr. John would also not be out of place on a mind bending trip. Although not sure if I'd recommend going down that route. The ending of "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" capped off an odd album. Best: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya; I Walk on Guilded Splinters Worst: Danse Fambeaux; Croker Courtbullion 2.5 Stars

Good. More my style.

2

Gris-Gris is the debut album by Dr. John (aka Mac Rebennack) and was released in 1968. This 33-minute LP falls under the following genres: New Orleans R&B, psychedelic rock, swamp rock, and zydeco. The track list is as follows: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya Danse Kalinda Ba Doom Mama Roux Danse Fambeaux Croker Courtbullion Jump Sturdy I Walk on Guilded Splinters This album opens with "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya," with Dr. John's raspy bluesy acid-casualty voice and subtle guitar and drums. Dr. John sings about his remedies while backing vocals carry the song along a smooth, chill vibe. The next track, "Danse Kalinda Ba Doom," opens with mandolin strums and more backing vocals. This track has a fun, positive, dancy feel... "danse" in fact! Track #3 is "Mama Roux," a smooth song about Dr. John's queen: "The Queen is comin', ooo, un ba may Queen is coming to way pocky way" Backing vocals sing "mama rouuuuux" while simple percussion and keyboards fill out the song. Track #4 is another "danse" song, "Danse Fambeaux." This track features more mandolin with some funky whistling. Folksy, story-telling lyrics carry this song while the backing vocals do a lot of the heavy lifting. This is a fun song. "Croker Courtbullion" comes next. This song features some funky instrumentation and bongo work. This track is an instrumental piece of chaos (with some backing vocals chanting the song's namesake), with constant percussion and bass work mixed with electric guitar and a maraca-like beat. The guitar work is very fun. "Jump Sturdy" is the penultimate track on this album, and at 2 minutes and 20 seconds, it's by far the shortest. Dr. John sings about a lady: "She came out the swamps like a crazy fool (Jump sturdy) Jump sturdy jump sturdy was her name She came out the swamps like a crazy fool" This track is very folksy, with the backing vocals carrying the chorus, and a cool banjo and bass guitar keeping the rhythm. This is a very fun story-song, a shame it's barely 2.5 minutes! Dr. John closes his album with his longest song at 7 minutes and 37 seconds. "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" has been covered by countless musicians, and it has critical acclaim. Critic Richie Unterberger wrote that "I Walk On Guilded Splinters" was "the album's most durable song, a creepy voodoo soup that both smoldered with ominous foreboding and simmered with temptations of sensual delights." This track is definitely creepy and definitely the album's strongest track. Great production and a fun backing band give this track its earned recognition. Favorite song: Jump Sturdy Honorable mention: I Walk on Guilded Splinters

It began to grow on me after the second play, but it's not really my type of thing. Reminds me of Screamin' Jay Hawkins/Captain Beefheart. Also very pleased and surprised to discover that 'I walk on gilded splinters' was a Dr John song - love Paul Weller's version from Stanley Road.

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

definitely and odd, eclectic sound.

ruim

Pretty bad ngl

Pretty psychedelic 70s era funk with a touch of the Louisiana sound. Very cool album. Sets a mood/tone. Not sure how often I would listen recurring.

Gris gris gumbo Ya Ya I walk on guilded splinters Etonant, mais sympa!

A pleasant surprise. Really enjoyed it

Didn't mind this at all. Almost a 3 star.

Some merit in it vut zero chance it'll ever be back on my speakers.

Garbage

An easy 3 in the end. Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Walk On Gilded Splinters and Jump Sturdy are all great. Not bad for an album with only 7 songs on it. Groovy in the purest possible sense. ✌🏼

On Gris-Gris, Dr. John gives us the most uncompromising music of his career, weaving together strands of soul, blues, jazz, and most tellingly, Indian and Cuban music, all tied together with his thoroughly stoned, even psychedelic Night Tripper persona. I wish I could tell you that Gris Gris is the masterpiece the critics would want you to believe it is, but it's too ramshackle for that. Dr. John apparently took advantage of some leftover studio time from a Sonny & Cher recording session, and not having the time or inclination to thoroughly arrange the material, counted on the expertise of a group of crack session players to fill in the gaps. That approach sometimes works in a jazz setting, but rarely in popular music, especially when you're combining at least four different music genres on the fly! To my ears, Dr. John's gamble doesn't really pay off. I prefer the more disciplined (and yes, more commercial) approach of his mid 70s albums or the rootsy, Professor Longhair inspired solo piano sides he cut in the early 80s. But still, respect is due Dr. John for having the balls to attempt such a whacked out melange of styles. I have no doubt that a great album could be made from these ingredients. Too bad Gris Gris isn't it.

Didn't do much for me. The vibe's not bad, but that's about it. It also bugs me that he misspelled "gilded".

Apart.

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

I don't like this

this was really cool and unexpected

Glory be - someone had the audacity to release this!

Recordatorio: no mezclar más de 3 drogas en una noche. Aunque no tenga nada que ver con lo que escucho habitualmente (o sí), musicalmente es una pasada.

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

Nah

Really just wasn’t a fan, despite its uniqueness

Not for me.

Love some New Orleans Dr. John. Wasn't his best but still enjoyed it thoroughly.

I like his later stuff better. This was maybe a little too weird for me.

Pleasantly surprised by this. Some of the better psychedelic music I have heard.

This one was interesting. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really love it all that much.

Really fun groovy stuff, sounds like they had a blast while making it

Really weird, but it did have aspects that I liked. I ended up, after listening to the album, to go listen to the only Dr. John song I know (Right Place Wrong Time) and have been listening to Dr, John all morning, so I like Dr. John, just not that fired up about Gris-Gris.

Shamanistic van morrison

Strange cat.

Drug music

Incredible. Fun in every way.

Frigging weird

Pretty average

Interesting

Just isn't for me.

Music to Manson Family to.

A classic if you grew up in SoCal in the 70s/80s.

Zanimljivo skroz, nisam ranije cuo

2.5

It's different, nice, interesting, nice New Orleans Psyc rock?

This was incredibly weird, and I didn’t even like a lot of it. It was a type of music I’d never heard, though, and it was pretty short, so no real complaints

Insert Bart high on pure syrup squishy gif. This album rules.

While not the best album that normally would be a 3, the whole character and music fit together perfectly and sold the album. Very creative and unique

Grimy, dive bar jives. Seems like a bit of a historical oddity

Weird swamp rock. It was fun, but I was glad the album wasn't any longer than 33 minutes. Best track: I Walk on Guilded Splinters

3/23 Wild, funky, swampy. Deep in the Bayou. Standout Tracks: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Danse Kalinda Ba Doom, Croker Courtbullion, I Walk on Guilded Splinters

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.