Stephen Mejias

Babylon!

Stephen Mejias  |  Sep 11, 2008

If you were to judge this album just by its cover, you might imagine the music inside to be weird and awesome. At least that's what I imagined. If you're like me, you'd be absolutely desitively right. Dr. John's Babylon is something else.

Dr. John's Babylon rocks without rocking, swings without swinging, smokes without smoking. Dr. John can't decide whether he should wail from the left channel or the right. Maybe this time he'll hit you right between the eyes. Dr. John is black and he's white, he comes in every color, he's a student, a teacher, and he's dying from stone hunger.

Dr. John thanks the kids who sang so sincerely and innocently on "The Patriotic Flag-Waver." Andrea, Beryl, Billy, Bunny, Butch, Dawn, Marzique, Terri, Troy, and Troy Lynn. They did such a good job. I wonder where they are now. Dr. John's Babylon was released in 1969 and is jazz, is noise, is a restless, relentless, psychedelic freak-out of voodoo funk and soul. A choir of female voices spooking their way through the smoke and Dr. John sounding a little too much like Van Morrison (or is it the other way around?) and Hammond B3 organ and congas, too.

Babylon!

COMMENTS
Jim Teacher's picture
Submitted by Jim Teacher (not verified) on September 12, 2008 - 6:46am

But is it better than Gris-Gris?

I find it funny that Fuzzy has spoken on the phone with Dr. John.

Douglas Bowker's picture
Submitted by Douglas Bowker (not verified) on September 12, 2008 - 7:32am

Try out Space is the Place, by Sun Ra. That is some of the funkiest, crazy-assed trippy stuff of all time. And it's fun too. :)

Stephen Mejias's picture
Submitted by Stephen Mejias (not verified) on September 12, 2008 - 11:51am

But is it better than Gris-Gris?Good question, Jim Teacher. I've read some reviews that say Babylon sucks compared to Gris-Gris. I don't know, though, because I've never heard Gris-Gris. Bring that muse over. Fuzzy is lucky to be alive.Try out Space is the Place, by Sun Ra.Thanks Doug. Sun Ra is one of those dudes who I've never explored, but have wanted to for a long time. Kind of intimidating, though -- like Frank Zappa, in a way -- due to the enormous catalog. I will look out for Space is the Place.

Dick (macksman) Gentry's picture
Submitted by Dick (macksman)... (not verified) on September 13, 2008 - 9:09am

That's the Doctor I saw play an after-the-concert show from his hotel balconies in Ft Lauderdale over the Easter holiday in 1967 or 8. He played from one balcony while the singers worked from the other with everybody in big feathers and sequin make-up. A 17 yr old kid from Dallas, I was intrigued by the completely tripped out crowd and blown away by Doctor John. The Ft Lauderdale police broke it up 'cause the streets were jammed. Front page news in the morning paper, I feigned surprise over breakfast w/the family.

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