DR JOHN w/ THE METERS 'IN THE RIGHT PLACE' 1973 FIRST PRESSING TRI-FOLD & FUNKY

$

23

DR JOHN w/ THE METERS  'IN THE RIGHT PLACE' FIRST PRESSING TRI-FOLD ~ FUNKY & FANTASTIC
DR JOHN w/ THE METERS & ALLEN TOUSSAINT "IN THE RIGHT PLACE" CLEAN FIRST PRESSING ~ TRI-FOLD GATEFOLD ~ ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE AMAZING PSYCHEDELIC, TRIPPY, TRI-FOLD SLEEVE PACKAGING LABEL: ATCO RECORDS SD 7018  (EARLY 'COLORWHEEL' LABELS) RELEASED: FEBRUARY 25, 1973 RECORD COMPANY: ATLANTIC RECORDING COMPANY RECORDED AT CRITERIA RECORDING STUDIOS ~ MIAMI ARRANGER/PRODUCER/PIANO & GUITAR: ALLEN TOUSSAINT RECORDING ENGINEER: KARL RICHARDSON MASTERING/LAQUERS: GEORGE PIROS AT ATLANTIC SUDIOS NYC MASTERING/LACQUERS: ATLANTIC STUDIOS PRESSED AT PRESSWELL ('PR' ON LABELS/MATRIX) ARTWORK/ALBUM DESIGN: JAMES FLOURNOY HOLMES GRAPHICS/DESIGN: DAVID 'WORM' HOLMES LABEL CATALOG NUMBER: ST-C-722709/722710 PR MATRIX (SIDE A): ST-C-722709-C AT PR MATRIX (SIDE B): ST-C-722710-C AT/gP PR
CONDITION:  VINYL: EX    TRI-FOLD GATEFOLD JACKET: VG++  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've been going thru my large vinyl record collection the past few months and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for nearly 50 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
After all, we are just temporary 'caretakers' of these musical gems until the next owner and next collection takes them in.
This week on EBay I'm offering up this rare, clean, excellent condition, excellent sounding, early First Pressing of Dr John's classic 1973 album 'In The Right Place'.
This is my personal, original copy that I purchased 'new' back in the mid 70's, shortly after its release, and has remained in my record collection ever since. 
Please read the full description of this album's great content, the musicians involved, and more details on the record's condition below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After several excellent, critically acclaimed, but non-commercial albums, Dr. John finally came up with the right formula and struck paydirt with his 6th album, 1973's classic 'In the Right Place', which contained the hit single “Right Place Wrong Time” 
For 'In the Right Place', the doctor fused some of the voodoo-drenched sound and mystique of his earlier albums with a more contemporary, accessible, funk sound and came up with an album that is very “New Orleans” in the best possible way.
Terrific soulful R&B style songs with lots of great funky grooves, horn arrangements, fantastic rhythmic piano and keyboard playing, and Dr John's signature gritty and vibey vocals. ~~~~~~~~~~~
THE RECORDING AND THE VARIOUS MUSICIANS ON THIS ALBUM
Dr John always surrounded himself with great side men, and women, who understood his music and the particular 'vibe' he was trying to create. 
For this album, Dr. John teamed up and collaborated with the extraordinary Allen Toussaint, a Crescent City legend in his own right, to help arrange and produce. Toussaint and Dr. John fit together well and this album is a career-defining collaboration between the two of them.
Although most of the great songs and music on this album was written and composed by Dr John, Allen Toussaint's skills are all over this album and it's arguably an Allen Toussaint album as much as it’s a Dr. John album. 
Toussaint produced the album, arranged all the wonderful horn and backing vocal parts, and he sings background. He also wrote one of the songs, side two's opener, 'Life', and plays some incredible New Orleans style piano and keyboards on many of the tracks. He also adds some percussion touches to the overall sound.
For a backing band on this album, Dr John surrounded himself with some of the Crescent City's best musicians.
Legendary New Orleans funk quartet The Meters, made up of leader and keyboardist Art "Red" Neville , guitarist Leo "Breeze" Nocentelli, drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, and bassist George "Freak Man" Porter, really add some authentic, joyous, soulful 'groove' to Dr John's earthy, gritty, R&B based songs.
The soulful funky rhythms of the Meters really come through. The Meters were performing at their peak, and were able to deliver just what the Doctor wanted and needed at these sessions.
Saxophonist Gary Brown adds some jazzy, soulful vibes and the backing vocalists, Robbie Montgomery, Jessie Smith, and Ralph MacDonald add just the right emphasis, punch and texture to the good doctor's vocals.
Dr. John's signature singing style is fantastic for this style of music. A charmingly soulful, growly, swampy vocal style with wry lyrics, sung in his distinct Cajun dialect, distilled over the years from his many musical influences.
Dr John's deep, coarse vocals and frequent use of Cajun dialect tell the song's tales, but the Doctor's vocal delivery also serves as an additional musical instrument in the mixes. 
An online reviewer said the Doctor's voice sounds like a mix of Tom Waits, Lou Reed and Van Morrison. I tend to agree. ~~~
Although Dr John was the embodiment of gritty, soulful, funky New Orleans music and culture, and this album is as New Orleans as it gets, this fantastic album was recorded, not in the storied French Quarter of New Orleans, but at Criteria Studios in Miami Florida.
Although recorded in Miami, the whole band had New Orleans flowing through their veins. The production is slick and polished, but still has a raw, gritty feel that perfectly captures the spirit of New Orleans music. A fantastic album full of great songs, slinky soulful rhythms, and pure New Orleans magic. It still sounds new, hip and fresh today.
The final mastering was done at Atlantic Studios in New York and the lacquers were cut at Atlantic by the legendary George Piros, the Bernie Grundmen of his day. Everything Piros cut sounded crisp, punchy, dynamic and magical. This album is no exception. ~~~~~~~~~
On this album, Dr John puts together a terrific set of 11 interesting and rhythmically grooving tracks. The track listing on this great album includes:
Right Place Wrong Time Same Old Same Old Just The Same Qualified Traveling Mood Peace Brother Peace Life Such A Night Shoo Fly Marches On I Been Hoodood Cold Cold Cold
This album contains 7 Mac Rebennack originals, plus four well-chosen covers, including a terrific version of Allen Toussaint's 'Life'. All of the songs are great and there are  really are no weak tracks or 'duds' on the album. 
Dropping the needle on this amazing record creates a time machine that transports you back several decades to the right place and the right time, early 70's New Orleans.
The album kicks off with the groove and swagger of 'Right Place Wrong Time', a song built around a driving funky rhythm, with a catchy hook, that only the Meters could pull off.
Dr. John is soon singing about “brain salad surgery,” “refried confusion,” and “slipping, dodging, sneaking, creeping, hiding out down the street” over an irresistible groove before David Spinozza lays down an excellent guitar solo.
A fantastic way to start things off, the funky rhythms of the Meters really come through, and it's easy to see why this song was a big hit. The album version is slightly longer and slicker than the 'single' version that most people are familiar with.
This opening track is by far the funkiest song on the album, and while several others have a slinky funky groove, most of the songs on this album have more of a soulful southern R&B groove. 
The other 'hit' on this album is the wonderful, slow-rolling, dreamy, atmospheric tune "Such A Night", a song that even casual Dr. John fans will be familiar with.
Dr John famously performed this tune several years later in Martin Scorsese's amazing concert film of The Band's 'The Last Waltz', which is where many people were first introduced to, and discovered, the great Dr John.
Other highlights on this album include 'Traveling Mood', a funky little number, and 'Qualified', both of which feature the doctor’s fine New Orleans style piano skills.
'Shoo Fly Marches On' features some second-line soul and 'Same Old Same Old' has a steady, chain-gang rhythm and a funky groove.
'I been hoodood' has more of a psychedelic, voodoo feel, which evokes Dr John's older 'Night Tripper' albums.
The album closes out with the brash, upbeat, R&B stylings of 'Cold Cold Cold' which has a great groove, excellent horns, punchy drums, solid bass, a tight arrangement and smooth honest lyrics about a hot relationship gone cold. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 'In the Right Place' album, released in February 1973, was a gamechanger and transformed Dr John’s career. 
The raw funky groove of the album's lead-off single 'Right Place Wrong Time' was a huge hit and peaked in the top 10 on the Billboard Charts.
The single, and other great songs on the album, pushed 'In the Right Place' to #24 on the Billboard Album Charts and it would become the best selling album of his long career, with 'Right Place, Wrong Time' becoming his biggest hit and one of his best loved classic songs. 
The record brought his funky soulful swampy voodoo-laden music to new ears, to people who never stepped one foot in New Orleans, and helped develop more interest in the songs and styles of people like Professor Longhair, Huey Smith, James Booker and countless other NOLA legends. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As mentioned, this is an original First pressing from 1973, pressed on the Atlantic Record's ATCO label with the early SD 7018 catalog number. The labels are the early yellow 70's style, with the color wheel to the left of the center spindle hole.
This original 1973 pressing has a fantastic all-analog 'tube-y' sound that can't be beat and a sound that the modern repressings can't match.
The sound is bold and powerful with great dynamics. All the horns, guitars and drums have great tone, mid-range and 'crispness'.
There's a punchy bottom end with George "Freak Man" Porter's rich, full-bodied bass having nice weight to anchor the rhythm and groove.
This record has that rich, warm, natural sound that all vintage tube gear analog recordings are known for, why we love them so much, and why we seek them out and collect them.
You can really hear all the details, 'see' all the performers, and it feels as if you are sitting in the studio with the band, watching and hearing the funky groove and the magical voodoo unfold.
The rich instrumental textures, the groove of the Meters, and the evocative, gritty vocals of Dr. John are recorded perfectly. 
There's a nice tight punch to the horns, and fast, clear, sharp, transient attacks on the drums. Tight, rich, full-bodied bass, with the perfect amount of weight and funk down low, and the funky rhythms of the Meters really comes through. Great mastering and great sound for this type of Bayou Funk and R&B.
This is one of those records where the original first pressing is, by far, the best and only way to hear and appreciate this rich, layered, soulful music the way it was intended.
For some reason, the later repressings of this album, even the Record Store Day release, don't sound as crisp and clear as these all-tube, all-analog, first pressings. 
The reissues sound flat, veiled, less dynamic, and unfortunately don't capture the fidelity and funky, soulful voodoo magic of these original first pressings.
This nice clean original 1973 first pressing is the only way to properly hear this amazing record. ~~~~
These original pressings came in a beautifully designed, very colorful, tri-fold gatefold jacket, custom printed by Queens Lithography in NYC.
The cover art incorporates all sorts of fantastic strange, psychedelic and trippy images, all drawn with amazing detail and bold use of color.
It's really a piece of art all by itself, and made back in the days when album covers were just as important as the music inside.
Some of the later re-pressings of this album reproduced the tri-fold jacket and artwork, but they look dull and lifeless compared to these original pressings. They just couldn't reproduce the bold rich colors and amazing details as well as these custom printed originals.
These original 1973 pressings are simply stunning and have become quite rare and just don't turn up for sale that often. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr John, (Malcolm John Rebennack), was a New Orleans musician’s musician. A man steeped in the town's musical & cultural heritage, but also well experienced in the darker side of the Crescent City's ways and lifestyle.
A visionary artist who took local New Orleans sounds and traditions; jazz, funk, soul, and R&B, and transformed them into a brilliant, innovative, and at times unsettling, synthesis of New Orleans style music that sounded like nothing else on Earth.
Dr. John put a little New Orleans style, rhythm and blues that was funky, smooth, soulful and catchy, in all the right ways, into everything he did. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While the other outstanding albums from Dr John's 'voodoo' era: 'Gris-Gris', 'Babylon' and 'Remedies' are all terrific, and a great listen for any fan of the Doctor, this original pressing of ''Right Place" has an amazing sound, vibe & energy, some fantastic soulful musical grooves, and is one of my favorite Dr. John albums from his early period.
'Right Place' is a terrific album and a fun musical gumbo that sways to a fantastic funky, soulful groove and pulses with Dr John's magical voodoo power.
The perfectly mastered, rich, full, detailed sound and the beautiful, colorful, trippy tri-fold gatefold album art of this original First pressing makes this an essential record to have in your vinyl collection. The one album that fans of funk, R&B, New Orleans, piano music, or rock should have in their collection. 
It's easy to hear why this fantastic album was his most popular and most commercial of all the terrific albums in New Orleans legend ‘Mac’ Rebennack's, aka Dr John, The Night Tripper's long career. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
I purchased this copy 'new' back in the mid 70's, 50 years ago, shortly after its release, on one of my regular vinyl digs in those days, and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl is still fantastic. Clean and bright. No hairlines, scratches or damage. It looks nearly perfect. It's been played a few times over the years, but always well taken care of. It still looks great. I'll call it a conservative VG++, to keep everyone happy, but you can see from my photos how terrific it looks. 
The Deadwax has the simple early stamped matrix numbers, with the 'AT/GP' mastering mark, and the 'PR' for the Presswell pressing plant. (See the full Matrix numbers above.)
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good it still looks. Still very clean and I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
I haven't messed with it or cleaned it, other than my trusty 'DiscWasher' brush, in 50 years, since Nixon was in office. It has some light 'dust' and paper specks and could use a good deep cleaning to make it even better looking and better sounding than it already is, but I'll leave that up to the winning bidder.
LABELS: This is pressed with the classic early Yellow 'color wheel' ATCO labels. The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and my careful handling over the years.
INNER SLEEVES: This early pressing also comes with it's original Atlantic 2-sided inner sleeve showing other hit albums of the day. 
JACKET: As you can see from my pictures, this still looks fantastic for a 50+ year old copy. This one's a beauty!
The trippy, psychedelic artwork is bold and bright, and the colors just Pop. This fold-out jacket is notorious for showing creases, tears and damage, but this copy is in excellent shape. No damage or flaws, and the corners are relatively sharp. No seams splits and the spine is straight, and also has the original, first pressing, '0598' price code.
The address for Atlantic is the early 1841 Broadway address. In 1974, they moved to Rockefeller Center, so only first pressings have the Broadway address.
The surface of the jacket is still fantastic. No marks, names, writing, scratches, dents or stains. No ringwear. Some very mild wear along the very bottom edge from decades of being shifted around on my record shelves, but not bad. 
This record has been sleeved and stored properly for Decades, and, as you can see from my pictures, it's still quite nice for an early first pressing from 1973. A nice, clean, beautiful survivor. 
If you like Dr John's swampy, voodoo-tinged music, 70's soul and R&B, the New Orleans funk and groove of the Meters, or just want something cool and different, you really need this absolutely essential album in your collection.
Also, if you like bands such as Little Feat, this album should be right up your alley. 
Add this classic, First Pressing copy of Dr John's 'Right Place' to your collection today.
~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare, super clean, and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. 
Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
My grading is fair and honest. I have had over 3,600 happy and satisfied EBay customers over the years, with 100% positive feedback, and I have been buying/selling on EBay for well over 25 years, so please bid with confidence!
I'm a 0ne-man operation, this is a hobby, not my job. I do this for fun. I do this because I love music, love collecting vinyl and want others to share in that same experience. I take my time listening, researching, grading, listing and packaging. I will NOT sell any record that I personally would not want in my collection.
As you well know, packing and shipping rare records requires special care and attention, therefore, shipping cost within the lower 48 states is $5.00 on this item. If you would like insurance, or anything faster than Media/Economy Mail, please let me know and I can arrange it for you. I’ll work with you to make sure you’re happy!
I will gladly combine multiple records, or other items on my page, and make the shipping much less for you. I don’t inflate the shipping costs; they are what they are. I strive to keep them as low as possible. See my feedback for comments on my quality packing and shipping.
All items are packaged with sturdy cardboard mailers and appropriate padding. I take pride in my packaging and shipping and package all my records as if I were sending them to myself. I refuse to use cheap flimsy packaging material when sending my vinyl. I treat them as if they were my own and mail them the same way. 
All orders are processed and shipped within 2 business days of receipt. We package and ship our vinyl records with the greatest care, using proper packaging to ensure that your rare and collectible vinyl records arrive in pristine condition.
Payments can be made by any of the multiple options that Ebay offers.
I will be happy to exchange feedback with anyone I complete a transaction with.
THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far. I know I rambled on a bit, but can't help it. I have a passion for records and music, especially classic 70's rock and the great Dr John.
 I hope this listing was entertaining and informative.   -- JOHN