Babylon

PRESSED ON SPLATTER-COLORED VINYL! 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

Tracks

1~1~Babylon
1~2~Glowin'
1~3~Black Widow Spider
1~4~Barefoot Lady
2~1~Twilight Zone
2~2~The Patriotic Flag-Waver
2~3~The Lonesome Guitar Strangler

Details

Format: Vinyl LP
Artist: Dr. John
Release Date: 17 January 2020
Genre: Soul
Label: GET ON DOWN
Distributor: Rocket Group