The Wild Magnolias
LIFE IS A CARNIVAL
Metro Blue
visit the band's website
also available on amazon
The Wild Magnolias are one of the 20 or so tribes of "Mardi Gras Indians" (Social Clubs) that swarm the streets on Mardi Gras Day in African-American neighborhoods searching for other tribes so that they can show off their incredibly spectacular suits. These suits are sometimes worked on for more than a year, consisting of feathers, plumes, sequins, rhinestones, and more. This disc is probably the finest example of New Orleans funk and roll that has crossed this changer in many years. Other purveyors of this genre will not be insulted as they are probably represented on this disc. Represented here, and playing some of this most exciting music are members of the Neville Brothers, The Meters, Dr. John, Davell Crawford, Wardell Quezerque, and too many more to list. Suffice it to say this is a summit meeting of msuicians orgainzed by The Big Chiefs to work together and display what they are about, rather than stay separate and compete. The Wild Magnolias are led by Big Chief Bo Dollis and with this disc, it has recorded for the second time in 25 years, it's traditional call and response street chants fused with the incendiary rhythm and blues indigenous to the area, blended further with the funk of the Brass Band. This disc successfully fuses the different styles into one of the most infectious and danceable discs heard. I am not going to list all the musicians that grace this disc because they are too numerous. Aside from the luminaries of the New Orleans music scene listed above can we'll thow out names such as Robby Robertson, Bruce Hornsby, Rocking' Doopsie Jr., June Yamagishi, Marva Wright, and so many more are thrown into the fray. What comes out of kettle for your aural pleasure is a stew that is considerably superior to the individual pieces of the mixture, and that is what this disc is all about. The drawing together of the diverse parts into a harmonious whole. You are going to have to make your local dealer of music order this disc but it will be an investment that will repay in smiles many times the initial effort for years down the road.
Producers - Glenn Gaines
associate producers - June Yamagishi, Norwood "Geechie" Johnson, George Rossi & The Wild Magnolias except
cut 7 - June Yamagishi
cuts 4 & 6 - Cyril Neville
cuts 8,10,14 - Wardell Quezerque
1 POCK-A-NAE - 6:21 - Dr John
2 COOCHIE MOLLY - 4:22 - The Wild Magnolias
3 WHO KNOWS - 4:51 - Dr John
4 LIFE IS A CARNIVAL - 5:11 - Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm & Rick Danko
5 PARTY - 4:41 - Wilson Turbinton
6 OLD TIME INDIAN - 4:20 - Cyril Neville & The Wild Magnolias
7 ALL ON A MARDI GRAS DAY - 3:37 - Dr. John
8 SHANDA HANDA - 3:49 - The Wild Magnolias
9 COBOYS AND INDIANS - 6:08 - DR. JOHN
10 BLACK HAWK - 4:49 - Dr. John
11 POCKET CHANGE - 3:11 - Michael D. Ward
12 HEC-JOLLY-JOHN - The Wild Magnolias
13 BATTLEFIELD - 3:47- The Wild Magnolias
14 HANG TOUGH - Allen Toussaint
15 TOOTIE MA - 3:53 - Dr. John
16 PEACEPIPE - 3:51 - The Wild Magnolias
Musicians
There are more musicians than producers to name, lets just say Most of New Orleans with
Lead vocals handled very admirably by Big Chief Bo Dollis except on - SHANDA HANDA & BATTLEFIELD lead vocals by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux