Wild Magnolias "They Call Us Wild" [Red Vinyl]

Following Jackpot Records' vinyl reissue of The Wild Magnolias' self-titled debut, They Call Us Wild returns the group’s 1975 follow-up to the spotlight. Praised by critic Robert Christgau as “the most boisterous recorded party I know,” it builds on their funk foundation with a deeper psychedelic edge.

Where the debut, the first commercially released record by a Mardi Gras Indian group, declared Smoke Your Peace Pipe (Smoke It Right), this album leans into a different kind of elevation. Vocals echo and drip, saxophones and keyboards weave together, and the layered percussion shows why they remain so widely sampled, from Nas to Public Enemy to Jungle Brothers.

With producer Philippe Rault again capturing the band’s dense magic, They Call Us Wild takes a darker, more haunted turn. Injuns, Here We Come features a jazzy piano and bass meltdown from Erving Charles Jr. and Wilson Turbinton of The Gaturs, while Jumalaka Boom Boom slows things down with a seductive groove and spoken-word storytelling.