The Sun, Moon & Herbs

The Sun, Moon & Herbs
Studio album by Dr. John
Released	August 31, 1971
Recorded	July – October 1970
Studio	Trident (London, England) Criteria (Miami, Florida) Dimension Recorders (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Rock [1]
Length	38:59
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Mac Rebennack, Charles Greene
Dr. John chronology
Remedies (1970) The Sun, Moon & Herbs (1971) Dr. John's Gumbo (1972)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Record Guide	C+ [3]
Rolling Stone	(mixed) [4]

The Sun, Moon & Herbs is a 1971 studio album by New Orleans R&B artist Dr. John, noted for its contributions from Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, and other well-known musicians. It was originally intended to be a three-album set but was cut down to a single disc. ^[5] The album was described by James Chrispell on AllMusic as "dark and swampy" and "best listened to on a hot, muggy night with the sound of thunder rumbling off in the distance like jungle drums". ^[2] The album was Dr. John's first album to reach the Billboard 200, spending five weeks there and peaking at number 184 on November 6, 1971. ^[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mac Rebennack except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black John the Conqueror"	6:20
2.	"Where Ya at Mule"	4:56
3.	"Craney Crow"	6:40

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Familiar Reality (Opening)"	Rebennack, Jesse Hill	5:25
2.	"Pots on Fiyo (Filé Gumbo) / Who I Got to Fall On (If the Pot Get Heavy)"		5:48
3.	"Zu Zu Mamou"		7:57
4.	"Familiar Reality (Reprise)"	Rebennack, Jesse Hill	1:53

Personnel

Musicians

• Dr. John – vocals, piano, organ, guitar, vibes, percussion
• Tommy Ferrone – rhythm guitar
• John Boudreaux – drums

The Memphis Horns

• Andrew Love – tenor saxophone
• Jack Hale, Sr. – trombone
• James Mitchell – baritone saxophone
• Ed Logan – tenor saxophone
• Roger Hopps – trumpet
• Wayne Jackson – trumpet, horn

(tracks 1, 2, 5)

Guest musicians

• Eric Clapton – slide guitar (on “Black John The Conqueror”) wheres eric
• Ronnie Barron – keyboards (track 4)
• Graham Bond – alto saxophone (track 1)
• Steve York – acoustic bass (tracks 5, 6)
• Jesse Boyce – bass (track 3), percussion (track 6)
• Carl Radle – Fender bass (tracks 2, 7)
• Ron Johnson – bass (track 4)
• Walter Davis Jr. – piano (tracks 1, 3, 5)
• Jim Gordon – percussion, conga (tracks 2, 7)
• Vic Brox – pocket trumpet & organ
• Ray Draper – tuba, percussion & background vocals
• Chris Mercer – saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 7)
• Jerry Jumonville – saxophone (track 4)
• Bobby Keys – tenor saxophone (tracks 2, 7)
• Jim Price – trumpet (tracks 5, 7)
• Edward R. Hoerner – trumpet (track 4)
• Kenneth Terroade – flute (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6)
• Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels – percussion (track 5)
• Freeman Brown – percussion (track 3, 5, 6)
• Freddie Staehle – trap drums
• Mick Jagger (track 2), Doris Troy, Shirley Goodman, Tami Lynn, P. P. Arnold, Bobby Whitlock, Joni Jonz – backing vocals

Technical

• Dr. John – producer, arranger
• Charles Greene – producer
• Roy Thomas Baker – engineer
• Juddy Phillips – engineer (track 4)
• Albhy Galuten, Tom Dowd – remix engineers
• Howard Albert, Karl Richardson, Ron Albert – overdub engineers
• John Millerburg – design concept
• Gary Burgess – photography

References

1. Andrews, Michael (2003). "Dr. John". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. pp. 301–302. ISBN   978-1-84353-105-0.
2. Chrispell, James. "The Sun, Moon & Herbs – Dr. John at AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 24, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
4. Crouse, Tim (October 28, 1971). "Dr. John: The Sun Moon & Herbs". Rolling Stone . Straight Arrow. ISSN   0035-791X. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
5. "Dr John Anthology". Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
6. "Billboard 200 – November 6, 1971". Billboard . Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2017.