Dr. John, Babylon (side A)

Dr. John is usually associated with his overwhelming debut Gris-Gris, or the more commercial turn he took beginning with 1972's Gumbo.  In between, he released two transitional albums that are less well remembered — Babylon is the first of the two.  Babylon quickly followed Gris-Gris, with both obvious similarities and radical differences.  The big similarity between the two albums is their use of simple, repetitive structures.  There are still few references here to pop song structures, verses, or choruses — instead, parts repeat to create slow builds.  The palette, however, is a big departure, with a lighter and treblier set of sounds.  Acoustic instruments create a more spacious atmosphere, and what sounds like a harp even pokes through in places.  The female backing vocals are also used to open space, and Dr. John's vocals have been largely stripped of their darkness.  The lyrics have an interesting poetic element, including the surprisingly pointed "The Patriotic Flag-Waver".  The front cover captures the feel perfectly, with a spacious, psychedelic design full of white and bright colors.