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LP
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LR 301C-LP
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Lilith present a reissue of Dr. John's Anytime, Anyplace, originally released in 1974. Cutting his teeth on New Orleans session work while still a teen in the 1950s, pianist and singer Dr. John (born Mac Rebennack) emerged in the late 1960s with Gris-Gris, a blend of snaky rhythms, Crescent City funk, and swampland voodoo flair. Since then, he has remained one of New Orleans's prime musical ambassadors, an artist with his own trademark sound and style. These sessions actually have a feeling not unlike his early-70s work. Most of the titles are self-penned, and there are also a few Professor Longhair covers. If you like vintage Dr. John, this is almost mandatory. Clear vinyl.
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GET 52745LP
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2021 restock. "Pressed on splatter-colored vinyl housed in a recreation of the triple gatefold jacket from the original 1973 pressing. When Malcolm John Rebbenack Jr., best known by his stage name Dr. John, first hit the scene in the late 1960s after many years as a Wrecking Crew session musician, he developed his craft the back of an eccentric presentation. His swampy, and frequently psychedelic blend of New Orleans-inspired boogie-woogie rock paired with a macabre character heavily inspired by voodoo priests and Mardi Gras, and a highly theatrical stage show to match. Across four studio albums Dr. John cultivated this stage presence and developed a strong cult following. As Dr. John entered the 1970s however, this stage presence would undergo a major change. In 1972, Dr. John abruptly switched gears from muddy psychedelia with the release of Dr. John's Gumbo, which saw the performer covering a selection of New Orleans rhythm & blues standards. The backing band remained the same, but the sound was a slicker and more traditional fare that undoubtedly disappointed the cult following that fell in love with Dr. John's voodoo antics, but was a hit with critics and commercial audiences. Dr. John's Gumbo was Dr. John's second Billboard chart success (reaching #112) and would be named one of the '500 Greatest Albums of All Time' by Rolling Stone. Building on this success, the next year Dr. John continued upon this path, releasing In The Right Place in 1973. Produced by the legendary producer Allen Toussaint, In The Right Place took the more polished sounds developed on Gumbo, and traded psychedelia for New Orleans funk, for a sound that still pulsated with the spirit of Louisiana, but was imminently danceable as well. In The Right Place was not only a critical hit, but marked Dr. John's greatest commercial success, reaching #24 on the album charts, and rendering a Top 10 hit out of the title track."
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GET 52737LP
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Housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket; OBI. "After years of Wrecking Crew-grade session musicianship around Los Angeles, Malcolm John Rebbenack carved his own niche by the late 1960s with a distinct blend of psychedelic rock, boogie-woogie, and rhythm & blues. Taking the stage name Dr. John, The Night Tripper (later shortened to Dr. John), he developed a cult following with his music, heavily influenced by his home of New Orleans, and fascination with the voodoo religion, which was reflected in his elaborate stage shows. In 1968 he released his debut record Gris-Gris, which was not a commercial hit, but fascinated critics, and set him on an artistic path that would eventually lead to major mainstream success in the 1970s, and cement his reputation as a prominent curator and performer of the New Orleans sound. After Gris-Gris' release, Dr. John found himself in a strange and awkward position. The US was deep into the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were fresh in the public memory. On top of that, Dr. John was being pursued by various Los Angeles authorities for a handful of criminal offenses. It was, in his own words: 'a heavy time for me.' Much like Sly & The Family Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On, Dr. John's sophomore album Babylon would be a reflection of the chaotic and tumultuous time that he was living in. He and the band dove deeper into the voodoo-inflected psychedelic rock and R&B of Gris-Gris, while touching upon elements of free jazz and Captain Beefheart-style avant garde. As with his debut record, production was handled by the legendary Harold Battiste, and much of the same session personnel who performed on it returned for Babylon, including Plas Johnson on saxophone, Alvin Robinson on guitar, and backing vocals from Jessie Hill, Shirley Goodman, and Tami Lynn. Babylon stands out as one of Dr. John's most overtly political albums, and is a singularly murky and darkly entrancing record in his discography. A psychedelic swamp of apocalyptic lyrical content, drunk, disorienting experimentation, and a fascinating entry into Dr. John's catalogue well-worthy of his expansive legacy."
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JPR 051LP
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2022 repress, green vinyl. "1968 debut album from the king of the psychedelic bayou -- the hypnotic, mystical and powerful sound of the swamp coming to life. As he became Dr. John (real name Mac Rebennack), it was his LA session work with musicians like Sonny & Cher, Canned Heat, and Zappa that allowed him to start conjuring up his visions of guitar psych-pop to walk alongside his authentic New Orleans upbringing. While Gris Gris contains moments that make it a type stamped symbol of its era, it might have well been made in outer space. Recorded in its own psychic and stylistic vacuum, the album borrows as heavily from the New Orleans' musical culture in which he grew up as it does the looming continuous pulse of war, heavy drugs, and the end of the free love/hippie movement. The album was taken under the wing of a small percentage of the 'underground' upon its release in 1968 and did not find a true following for years. Limited color vinyl, first reissue for original mono mix."
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