Dr. John's early work as a producer, sessionman, and songwriter for Ace Records is legendary, not only among fans of
Mac Rebennack but among devotees of New Orleans R&B. Unfortunately, there was no easy way to hear this material until Music Club's 1999 release, Medical School: The Early Sessions of Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack. Clocking in at 18 tracks, the disc isn't complete, but it is definitive -- all the best-known cuts are here, along with a generous selection of little-known gems. To anyone but scholars and aficionados, most of the names on the compilation will not be familiar (The Ends,
Al Reed,
Ronnie & the Delinquents,
Sugar Boy Crawford,
Bobby Hebb, among others), and many of these cuts have never been well-circulated, or even released, but that's what makes the compilation so special. Not only are these lost classics from
Dr. John, but these are lost gems from the prime period of New Orleans R&B. And this is not hyperbole -- listening to
Medical School, it's hard not to escape the feeling that almost every song is a hit you've never heard or have forgotten about. The instrumentals are not weak, the novelties (such as "Morgus the Magnificent") are fun, and cuts like "It Ain't No Use," "Bad Neighborhood," "You Don't Leave Me No Choice," and "Keeps Dragging Me On" are simply fantastic, sounding for all the world like classics, not throwaways. And that's the reason why
Medical School isn't simply a necessary addition to
Dr. John's catalog -- it's an essential addition to any New Orleans R&B library. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine