🎷 AotW: Horizon Dr. John - TANGO PALACE (SP-740)

Horizon label releases.

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  • ***** (Best)

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  • ****

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  • ***

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • **

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • * (Worst)

    Votes: 1 33.3%
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  • Total voters
    3

Captain Bacardi

Well-Known Member
Dr. John
TANGO PALACE

A&M/Horizon SP-740

sp740.jpg

Released 1979

Format: Vinyl/8-Track/Cassette/CD

Produced by Tommy LiPuma and Hugh McCracken

Songs:
  • 1. Keep That Music Simple (Giddon Daniels) - 3:35
    2. Disco-Therapy (Alvin Robinson/Mac Rebennack) - 4:14
    3. Renegade (Mac Rebennack/Gerry Goffin) - 3:57
    4. Fonky Side (Mac Rebennack/Doc Pomus) - 3:19
    5. Bon Temps Rouler (Mac Rebennack/Doc Pomus) - 4:25
    6. Something You Got (Chris Kenner/Antoine Domino) - 2:37
    7. I Thought I Heard New Orleans Say (Mac Rebennack/Doc Pomus) - 4:26
    8. Tango Palace (Mac Rebennack/Doc Pomus) - 4:20
    9. Louisiana Lullabye (Mac Rebennack/Doc Pomus) - 4:03

Musicians:
Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) - Keyboards, Vocals
Abraham Laboriel - Bass
Andre Fischer - Drums (1)
Herman Ernest - Drums (3, 5, 6, 7), Percussion (4, 8, 9)
Steve Gadd - Drums (4, 8, 9), Percussion (3, 5, 6, 7)
Hugh McCracken - Guitar
Alvin Robinson - Guitar, Background Vocal (6)
Fred Staehle - Percussion & Wingertree
Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
Neil Larsen - Percussion
Ronnie Baron - Percussion
Charlie Miller - Trumpet, Cornet Solo (7)
Oscar Brashear - Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Warren Luening - Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Benny Powell - Trombone
Herman Riley - Baritone Sax
Plas Johnson - Tenor Sax, Flute & Clarinet
Jackie Kelso - Tenor Sax & Clarinet
Gary Herbig - Tenor Sax Solo (5)
Tommy Johnson - Tuba
Larry Williams - Tenor & Alto Sax, Clarinet
Kim Hutchcroft - Tenor & Soprano Sax
Background Singers - Petsye Powell, Tami Lynn, Brenda Russell, Ronnie Baron, Jim Gilstrap, Muffy Hendricks, Denise Trammell

Horns Arranged by Harold Battiste and Dr. John

Recorded by Norm Kinney and Al Schmitt at Sound Labs, Hollywood
Assistant Engineers: Linda Tyler and Don Henderson
Mixed by Al Schmitt at Capitoal Recording Studios, Hollywood
Mastered by Mike Reese at the Mastering Lab, Hollywood
Production Coordinator: Noel Newbolt

Art Direction: Roland Young
Design: Amy Nagasawa
Front Cover Art: Lou Beach
Back Cover Photo: Shot at Merlin McFly's Bar & Grill, Sanata Monica, CA by Mark Hanauer



Capt. Bacardi
 
Dr. John's OTHER "Fonky Side O' Things"...:

--Revolting!!! :hurl:


If the last album Dr. John made for this label was a real mess, then this one is a complete disaster...

Rather than earning another shot at A&M/Horizon by offering a more deserving product, this seems more like a case of someone cutting this guy a little too much slack...

"Keep That Music Simple" is a fonky, finger-poppin', almost Disco romp, slightly reminiscent of his previous effort, City Lights... But otherwise, there is really, virtually no redeeming value... Especially the chorus of "...Tango, tango, tango..." from the Title Track doing more to annoy than work...

And the remaining stuff, with the exception of the almost-"Fire Of Love" (also from City Lights)-sound-alike, "Bon Temps Rouler" and bits of "Something You Got" are barely memorable... Though you can't expect a song like "Disco-Therapy" to be real gripping as discovering even a title like "Renegade" somehow coming off rather horrid...

I'm sure "Louisiana Lullabye" might'a been covered by Maria Muldaur and perhaps to a bit better effect, while "I Thought I Heard New Orleans Say" is almost as good, if you have deep feelings for the few magical odes to the Crescent City which its Legendary Troubadour can still conjure up...

Too many musicians, overburdening arrangements, obvious hackwork and still under-supported-to-mostly-over-supported rhythm tracks really dog up this flop of a release... Lot'ta action going on at Armin Steiner's Sound Labs recording studios, though it's plain hard to see what all the excitement was really about...

It's no wonder the copy I bought was one-of-two still-sealed, next to one that was just used... Must have really been a common Cut-Out Bin item...!

And no surprise that the follow-up to this in 1981 was a more rootsier effort, Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, re-establishing once again, the ever-popular belief that "Dr. John IS New Orleans"...!



Dave
 
This is an unfortunate mess of an album. Dr. John is best when he cuts loose, but on this album he sounds a bit contrived while trying to force some hipness, and it just doesn't work. There are a couple of goodies here, such as the opener "Keep That Music Simple", a tongue-in-cheek look at the music biz, although he doesn't seem to apply it to himself. My favorite cut is "I Thought I Heard New Orleans Say", the only track that resembles the true Dr. John sound. The rest of the album is pretty weak. 2 stars.



Capt. Bacardi
 
I liken this to the works of a lot of pop stars, whom while recording their usual stock in trade in safe territory, usually confine themselves to mundane boundaries, offering good output, but sadly lacking depth, and anything "moving" just being casual momentum...

Quite the contrary, in the case that this album may be, taking unusual risks, often robs the devoted listener the familiarity in the confined comforts of which he (or she) had been a long-devoted fan, too... However, calculated or contrived the "outstretching" may be, there is a wealth of un-chartered territory explored, the artist, in this case Dr. John may or may not be good at, and while a welcoming change of pace for the fan desiring "something different", this tends to alienate the devoted following more used to his normal oeuvre, hence he may not be welcoming of the new settings Dr. John (and of course, a most-likely heavy handed producer, Hugh McCracken, and his never-ending, spewing of ideas) guides him/her into, just on account of "ambition"... Those un-familiar, altogether will most-likely find this not the place to start (and by and by, just may give this a try, should the "original flavor" really turn him on; a matter of interest and personal taste)...

All-in-all, what's kept in the safe, comfortable, non-outreaching boundaries is the Naw'Leans fare: "Louisiana Lullabye", "Bon Temps Rouler" and "I Thought I Heard New Orleans Say"... While the rest, in keeping with newer musical trends, just runs rank and disappointing, except perhaps to those seeking an alternative to Mac Rebennack's usual artistry, or a collector of dance music, soft rock, disco and easy listening, curious about how "The Dr." handles this "environment", usually done by others specializing more in those genres, though also as likely to equally be, over-produced, frivolous hackwork...

-- Dave
 
This is not a good Dr. John album at all. There's only two tracks worth listening to - "Keep That Music Simple" and " Thought I Heard New Orleans Say" - which is the best tune here. The rest is pretty much disposable.
 
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