Wild Tchoupitoulas

The first and last album from a classic New Orleans black Indian band is a barnburner. Producer Allen Toussaint enlisted the help of famed Louisiana musicians the Neville Brothers (whose uncle, George "Big Chief" Landry, was a member) and the Meters to help translate the Tchoupitoulas' Mardi Gras swagger. Tracks such as "Hey Pokey-A-Way" and "Brother John" juke between soul, funk, blues and gospel, hitting all points in between and reminding us why the New Orleans was the boiling point for all things funky and fun.

I'm an Indian ruler from the Thirteenth Ward Blood shief-a-oona I won't Be barred I walked
through fire and I swam Through mud Snatched the feathers from an eagle Drank panther
blood This kind of tall taletelling has always been a part of American culture, most recently
echoed in rock & roll by the likes of Bo Diddley and Bob Dylan. In New Orleans, a city rivaled
only by New York in its ability to absorb yet preserve wildly different cultures, i... More >

Here we have eight songs about dressing up in Indian costume on Mardi Gras; many of them are also about fighting with other Indians. You've probably heard the New Orleans nonsense patois before, and maybe the irresistible melodic elements, too, although I can't tell any more, because I've played this "repetitive" record so many times it sounds like where they all started (which it may be). For a while, I believed side two inferior, but eventually a longing for "Big Chief Got a Golden Crown" set in and now I prefer it for listening. Side one is the best non- (or anti-) disco dance music in years--it had folks who'd never heard it before shouting "Indians here they come" at a thirtieth birthday party. Allen Toussaint produced, the Meters played, and mighty kootie fiyo. (Grade - A)