Customer Reviews

Goin Back to New Orleans

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a fan of delta blues, chicago blues, and New Orleans blues because of Dr. John. This album has incredible blues piano on several tracks - definitely check out "Careless Love" and "Basin Street Blues" to see what I mean. My two favorite songs on this album are "I thought I heard Buddy Bolden Say" and "How Come My Dog Don't Bark When You Come Around?" It's hard to choose favorites on this album because they are all so good! The songs on this album include New Orleans blues favorites that have endured for so long it is not known who originally wrote the song!

...as well as a great Dr. John Album. When I bought it, I only knew one song, but I knew it had the best damn version of "Goodnight Irene" I'd ever heard. When I put it on and it played me "Litanie de Saints" I knew it was twenty dollars well spent. There's music for all moods on this album, from a fun rocker "How Come My Dog Don't Bark" to a moody "Goin' Home Tomorrow" to a rollicking "Indian Red" to "Goodnight Irene," which will make you fall in love with the first woman you meet named Irene.

On this disc, Dr. John covers a bunch of old New Orleans standards and they all sound great. He has home-town guests including the Neville Brothers, Al Hirt, and Pete Fountain. Even the liner notes are cool, as Dr. John gives a little bit of history for each one of the songs. Some of the lyrics are a little funny, and some of the other lyrics must have been the gangsta' rap of their day. Apparently, when there is cheating going on, somebody is going to get cut up. It's mostly just good-time music, though.
Dr. John is the coolest!

Dr John has had a hard time fore several decades living up to the promise of his amazing debut album. With this disc, however, he finally (amazingly, for the first time) records in New Orleans and covers a set of New Orleans standards. Althogh "covers" is perhaps the wrong word. Perhaps the highlight is a serious remake of "Basin Street Blues", where the original "good darkie" lyrics are re-written to describe the NO that Mac knows, rather than a place where (charmingly) the "black and the white folks meet". However, it is matched or bettered by excellent versions of such classics as "Goodnight Irene" (perhaps not the song one would think of as a natural for Dr John).

One of my top 10 favorite albums from the 1990s. The vocal interpretations of these classic New Orleans songs are fabulous. The production is lush, and in this case, all the orchestration works to propel this album into something that is both fun and exquisitely beautiful. You can listen to this album again and again and always find something new that's interesting. A finely detailed portrait of New Orleans music intelligently done.

Beginning with "des saints", Dr. John draws you into a New Orleans of many years past when you could step inside a piano bar and hear the best play. And ending with "Goin' Back to New Orleans" makes you wish you could stay in that frozen moment of time. Just hit replay, relax, and wish you had lived when it all went on.

I picked up this album while in New Orleans for Jazz Fest 2005. I found it at a discount price while shopping in the LA Music Factory. This album now remains in my rotation on a regular basis. This was my first Dr. John album and he blew me away. I knew after listening to this album I would be a fan for life. When I think of New Orleans Louis Armstrong and Wynton Marsalis come to mind...add Dr. John to that list!

I am a fan of blues and roots music who bought this album based on its interesting set list of classic songs and its rave reviews from various sources. Unfortunately, I found the album way overproduced. There is too much bland orchestra, chorus, and strings that smother the life of the songs. A few good tracks are exceptions: "Fess Up" is an affectionate solo piano tribute to Professor Longhair, "Cabbage Head" has amusing lyrics and a smaller combo that doesn't overload the sound, and "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You" has some good moments where you hear the interplay of individual instruments. But overall I would recommend this album only if you love Dr. John's voice and want to hear what he does with these classic songs. If you love his piano, go for the solo "Dr. John Plays Mac Rebannack." If you want to hear New Orleans blues played with great piano, vocals, and backup band, buy "Crawfish Fiesta" by Professor Longhair. To my ears, "Goin' Back to New Orleans" is overrated.

If you like "Gut Bucket" or "Barrelhouse" Blues, then these sides by Dr. John are for you! Done in a traditional New Awlins' style, backed by a treasure chest of GREAT artist's, such as: the Neville Brothers, Pete Fountain & Al Hirt! I was particularly intrigued by the late Prince Partridge tune: "How Come My Dog Don't Bark (When you come round')which,
written in the 40's, I had not heard for years! GREAT STUFF, Dr. John!
Encore, Encore!
Joeygee,
Host-The Roots Of Rock N' Roll-KBOO-90.7FM. Portland,Oregon]

I have been a huge fan of New Orleans music for 25 years now, and I can tell you this is one of the top 5 albums to ever come out of that town. Mac is an underrated genius, as this CD shows. If you don't have it, your collection is not complete.