Dr John at the height of his powers – able to evoke his New Orleans roots, while reaching out to new currents of funk and soul – and opening the door to some famous guests too! A few years before, the Dr John persona of Mac Rebennack was something new – but by this early 70s point, the character had taken over completely – with a sense of mystical funky energy that really comes through on the set! And even though the record sports guest appearances from
Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, PP Arnold, Graham Bond, and Doris Troy – it's clear that the man himself is always at the lead – creating his own sort of special magic on tunes that include "Craney Crow", "Black John The Conqueror", "Zu Zu Mamou", and "Pots On Fiyo", "Where Ya At Mule", and "Familiar Reality". Amazing 3LP set – with two full records of mostly unissued work – titles that include "Free From The Beast (take 1)", "Headin A Little Closer To My Home (take 2)", "Jungle (take 2 inst)", "Fish Dance (inst)", "Catfish Soiree Medley", "Where Ya At Mule (alt)", "Numerology (inst)", "Burning", and "Trip City (edit of takes 4 & 7)".