This is a re-issue of the legendary New Orleans Mardi Gras album Wild Tchoupitoulas from 1976 that features the Neville Brothers and The Meters in the backing band of these Mardi Gras Indians (Native Americans), as they get down and funky and ready to party in the streets. So pour yourself a rum punch and get ready to party on down and testify at the same time. It is almost cruel that a stone cold party classic like this should be re-issued in the middle of a lockdown during which all parties are cancelled.
The bands name comes from the local tribe of American Indians or native Americans in current parlance and it is also the name of A Street in New Orleans that would be a great place to hang out on a Mardi Gras day.
The album opens with a eulogy to Brother John that is played in the New Orleans Mardi Gras style using the Iko Iko rhythm, so it may be about a lost friend but damn are they having a party to send him off and never forget him.
Meet De Boys On De Battlefront is a funky calypso to celebrate the Indians on Mardi Gras that you could easily be happily dancing and celebrating too without noticing the serious lyrics.
Here Dey Come is almost a theme song for the band to march down the street too and like much of the album reminds me of Dr John's On A Mardi Gras Day album with Chris Barber or any of the other versions of that album. So let your hair down and get funky with them.
Hey Pocky A-Way (Away) is a good re-working of The Meters classic Hey Pocky Way that's just perfect to dance down the street too and has some super funky stuff going on, so in this lockdown you may have to use this album for a workout routine, that will be guaranteed to keep you moving and a grooving.
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Indian Red is an almost gospel lament for all the native Americans slaughtered by the white invaders with some field hollers at the start of the verses as this magnificent song builds and falls and builds again for the memory of the victims of the genocide, it ends up being a wondrously uplifting lament.
Big Chief Got A Golden Crown is a big party celebration of the Big Chiefs crown that re-uses the Iko Iko Mardi Gras rhythm that they then riff over, this is great fun and funky as they come.
Hey Mama (Wild Tchoupitoulas) is a slinky funk shout out to all the mama's that they want to be going wild to their sound and dancing and shaking that thang with them.
The album closes with Hey Hey (Indian Comin) that reworks the albums central funky Iko Iko style beat to be a shout out for the local Indians who are coming your way and you'd better jump in the river to get out of the way.
Find out more at https://jackpotrecords.com/shop/wild-tchoupitoulas-wild-tchoupitoulas-lp-
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