May 24, 2009
"You know that onion from 'Green Organs'?"
Just something I said while listening to "McLemore Avenue" (Booker T. and the MG's) — an amusing recording, but really nothing more than a completely literal instrumental version of "Abbey Road." It's a pretty simple commercial idea for a record — we'll do the songs everyone already likes, play our instruments better than the Beatles (do they?) — plus: that organ from "Green Onions." Or as I like to say: that onion from "Green Organs."
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8 comments:
Real music by the Green Organs is a true treat for Memorial Day Weekend. Thanks for the memories, Ann of Green Blogging. That song was the theme song of the best half of the 1960s.
(1) The album cover would be better if they were walking behind a giant duck.
(2) “Green Onions.” Unless you’re teaching yourself to play in a band, it’s way too repetitious and really not worth paying attention to. For me those days are long gone and so I only made it to two minutes and twelve seconds. Was there a drum solo?
I like "Time is Tight" better than "Green Onions."
On the musicians, I'd say Booker T. and the MGs are produce about the same quality of instrumental music as the Beatles. Both bands play for the groove. Neither allow any virtuoso showmanship.
Steve Cropper's "Cropper Chop" rhythm guitar style is a foundation of R&B. It's an original creation and completely native to the electric guitar (rather than an acoustic guitar adaptation). Dack and Paul are in the same league as bassists. (Neither quite as good as James Jamerson or Carol Kaye.)
Look into the contribution that Tim Whitsett had in the overall history of Booker T et al.
Before I watched the Green Onion video link, I did know Tim Robbins liked to play in bands, but I didn't know he went all the way back to playing bass for BT&MGs.
:)
Booker T. and the M.G.s started out as doing studio backup, did they not? Hence their playing style, and the tightness of their sound. Lots of practice at meshing.
I like "Time is Tight" too.
Groovy.
Bizzare.
Somehow a Booker T song without a Hammond B3 with Lesley speaker cabinet does not even make sense.
Thanks for posting the live version, that was a nice extended version of the song.
I used to listen to them as a youth, but had never seen any of them. While Booker T was no Jimmy Smith, he could play well and knew his way around a keyboard.
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