Dr John - Tango Palace (1979)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

Tango Palace was the second of two Dr John albums to be produced by Tommy DiPuma in New York CIty and released on Horizon Records in the late 70s. Like its predecessor, City Lights, it was notable for its smooth production, but whereas the first time round it had worked well, on Tango Palace it sounded perhaps a bit too slick.  Though several of the songs referred to his home city of New Orleans, and a cover of an old New Orleans R&B hit was also included (Chris Kenner's "Something You Got"), the music itself was curiously lacking any of the New Orleans flavours that Dr John's music had always been filled with.

The album was his final one for Horizon, but it was not his final collaboration with Tommy LiPuma.

City Lights (1978) <|> Dr John Plays Mac Rebennack (1981)
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Dr John - City Lights (1978)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

After a couple of quiet years in terms of album releases (during which he performed with The Band at The Last Waltz), Dr John came out with City Lights on Horizon Records in 1978. It was a fine album, made up of all new original songs, some of them co-writes with renowned rock & roll lyricist Doc Pomus, plus one co-written with Bobby Charles and one with Alvin Robinson. With the notable exception of the opening track "Dance The Night Away With You", the album was quite different to his previous New Orleans-styled work, which made sense considering it was recorded in New York with some top session musicians of the late 70s. Much of it had a slick, polished sound, in line with the production aesthetics of the day, but thankfully rather than taking his music in the direction of disco it gave it a smooth, sophisticated sound which suited his character well.

Hollywood Be Thy Name (1975) <|> Tango Palace (1979)
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Dr John - Hollywood Be Thy Name (1975)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

Dr John's eighth album was recorded at Cherokee Studios in L.A. and produced by Bob Ezrin, whilst he was on tour. The studio was transformed into a nightclub for the sessions, and most of the songs were recorded in front of an audience, making it a sort-of-live affair. He was backed by a fantastic ensemble of musicians, including a large brass section, female backing singers, and organist Ronnie Barron (an old friend of his from back when he started in the late 50s). The result was Hollywood Be Thy Name, an excellent patchwork of R&B, soul, rock, boogie-woogie, voodoo, gospel and more (including a surprisingly effective guitar-driven hard rock song, "Reggae Doctor"). It was heavy on cover material, including The Beatles' "Yesterday", Bill Quateman's "Back By The River", Smokey Robinson's "The Way You Do Things You Do" (sung by the backing vocalists), and a rollicking "I Wanna Rock" (written by Roy Montrell, who originally cut it under the title "That Mellow Saxophone"). Another notable highlight was a medley of "It's All Right With Me" (sung by guitarist Alvin Robinson) and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" (sung by Barron).
The end result was less about Dr John as a solo artist, but rather as the charismatic piano-playing bandleader of an awesome New Orleans musical ensemble. Quite a strange album, and not one of his better-known ones, but maybe one of his best.

Desitively Bonnaroo (1974) <|> City Lights (1978)
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Dr John - Desitively Bonnaroo (1974)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

Desitively Bonnaroo was Dr John's follow up to his successful 1973 album In The Right Place, which had re-cast him as an ambassador of New Orleans funk, resulting in his greatest chart successes. Like its predecessor, Desitively Bonnaroo was produced by fellow New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint (who also contributed keyboards and percussion), and the instrumental backing came from The Meters (Art Neville on organ, Leo Nocentelli on guitar, George Porter on bass and Joseph Modeliste on drums). It turned out to be a harder, even funkier album, with tougher, grittier grooves throughout. However it didn't turn out to be as much of a chart success as In The Right Place had been. Nevertheless, it still ranks as among one of Dr John's best albums, and is definately the place to go if you want to hear him in full on funk mode.

In The Right Place (1973) <|> Hollywood Be Thy Name (1975)
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Dr John - In The Right Place (1973)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

In 1972 Dr John had turned aside from his previous voodoo psychedelia style and made an album in tribute to the music of his native city - Dr John's Gumbo. 1973's In The Right Place was a natural progression from this, taking the traditional New Orleans rhythm & blues of Gumbo into funkier territories. It was produced and arranged by New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, and featured instrumental backing from The Meters, with some seriously tight and groovy rhythms. Dr John's vocal delivery and songwriting proved perfectly suited to this style, and the result was a masterpiece of New Orleans funk. Two singles from the album charted - "Such A Night" peaked at #42, whilst "Right Place, Wrong Time" made it to #9. The album itself got to #24, and remains the best-selling of his career.

Dr John's Gumbo (1972) <|> Desitively Bonnaroo (1974)
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Dr John - Dr John's Gumbo (1972)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

After over four years as The Night Tripper, Dr John returned to the music of his native city for his fifth album. Gumbo was a collection of covers of classic New Orleans tunes (including several Huey Smith songs), with Dr John leading a fantastic band consisting of keyboadist Ronnie Barron, bassist Jimmy Calhoun and drummer Fred Staehle, with horn arrangements from Harold Battiste. He himself called it "both a tribute to and my interpretation of the music I had grown up with in New Orleans in the 1940s and 1950s". It is often referred to as a corner-stone in New Orleans music. His version of "Iko Iko" managed to break into the Top 40, and it took him from being an underground cult musician to a widely-recognised authority on the music of the Big Easy. It also showcased his dazzling piano skills, which he had never really utilized that much as The Night Tripper (with a few exceptions). Still today it is seen as one of the crowning achievements of his career.

The Sun, Moon & Herbs (1971) <|> In The Right Place (1973)
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Dr John - The Sun, Moon & Herbs (1971)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

The Sun, Moon & Herbs was Dr John's last 'Night Tripper' album, but he made sure his witch-doctor persona went out on a high, arguably bettering the three albums that came before it. Most notably it benefited from some really fantastic production, sounding deeper and darker than ever before. His status as a cult musician had risen to the extent that the album featured numerous famous guests, with some guitar from one Eric Clapton. Other names that could be dredged up from deep within the smoky haze included Ronnie Barron, Graham Bond, Jim Price, Bobby Keys, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock and Fuzzy Samuels. Mick Jagger was also somewhere in the background. Though it did include some R&B numbers, most of The Sun, Moon & Herbs saw Dr John in full-power voodoo mode. The dark incantational power of his music was never more intoxicating and eerie than on "Craney Crow", "Pots On Fiyo" and "Zu Zu Mamou".
After this album Dr John retired his Night Tripper character and moved into traditional New Orleans R&B territory. But his voodoo stew never tasted so good as on this last exquisite outing!

Remedies (1970) <|> Dr John's Gumbo (1972)
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Dr John - Remedies (1970)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

Dr John's third album as The Night Tripper saw him change his style somewhat (or at least reveal sides of his character that had not been apparent on his first two albums). For the most part it toned down the black magic ritualism which dripped from its predecessors, and he brought in more R&B-based numbers. Though it opened with the menacing "Loop Garoo" and ended in the sprawling 17-minute ritual percussion of "Angola Anthem", found in between were three concise, horn-driven songs in the New Orleans R&B style, allowing him to showcase his dazzling piano skills (which had been overlooked on previous albums). The music throughout was still steeped in his witch doctor vibes, but whilst previously he had approached this dark mysticism with percussion-fuelled black magic chants, on Remedies he did it through horn-driven Mardi Gras celebration, resulting in something not nearly as dark and sinister. The Night Tripper was out of the swamps and onto the streets of New Orleans.

Babylon (1969) <|> The Sun, Moon & Herbs (1971)
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Dr John - Babylon (1969)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

Rebennack's second album saw him reprise his role as Dr John, The Night Tripper, with a repeat of the voodoo-psychedelia he had created with Gris Gris. Though Babylon perhaps didn't sound quite as dark and swampy as Gris Gris, it was still as strange and eerie, as he further explored the sounds of his New Orleans witch-doctor character. It includeded a fantastic take on Bernard Hermann's theme for The Twilight Zone. Elsewhere "The Patriotic Flag" incorporated a chorus of children singing "My Country, 'Tis Of Thee", and "The Lonesome Guitar Strangler" at one point broke into the riff for Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love" for a brief moment. Unsurprisingly it didn't manage any form of commercial success, but like its predecessor endures today as a strange but fascinating musical artefact. Rebennack's live shows at this time were becoming increasingly theatrical, as he took to to the stage dressed in elaborate costumes and headresses.

Gris Gris (1968) <|> Remedies (1970)
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Dr John - Gris-Gris (1968)

Dr John (real name Mac Rebennack) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as a pianist.

Mac Rebennack was born in New Orleans in 1940, and growing up was emersed in the culture and music of his native city, quickly developing into a talented musician, playing both piano and guitar. He quit high school to pursue music full time in the late 50s, by which time he was playing in local clubs whilst still a teenager. He found work as a session musician, and was hired as a producer for Johnny Vincent's Ace Records. He originally focused on guitar, but after having a finger shot off in a bar fight he made the piano his main instrument, developing a distinctive style inspired by his hero Professor Longhair. In the mid 60s he left New Orlenas for L.A., where he quickly became an established session musician in the L.A. studio scene, his piano skills much in demand.
When it came to starting his solo career, Rebennack came up with something completely new, taking on the persona of Dr John, The Night Tripper, a character he originally intended to be played by his New Orleans friend Ronnie Barron. Fusing funky New Orleans R&B with voodoo chants, free-form jazz and psychedelia, he succeeded in creating something truly unique and unusual with his debut album. With exotic mandolin and harpsichord trills, ritualistic percussion, incantational backing vocals and Rebennack's own menacing growl, it sounded closer to a psychedelic voodoo ceremony in a secret den of black magic than it did to rock music. Due to its indisputably uncommercial nature, Gris-Gris failed to chart, but became a bit of an underground hit with a legacy than endures to this day.

|> Babylon (1969)
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