BOOKER T. & THE MG's: "The Booker T. Set"

Original released on LP Stax SXATS 1015

(US, May 1969)

Opening up in a fury with “The Horse”, "The Booker T. Set" is one of the least effective of all MGs albums. The opening track is great. It features a rare bass solo by Donald “Duck” Dunn and can’t be found anywhere else. Their great versions of “It’s Your Thing” and “Mrs. Robinson” (which had some chart success) have shown up on several compilations. But this was a set of all covers, though Booker T. Jones did co-write “I Never Found a Girl” with singer Eddie Floyd. The musicianship of Jones, Dunn, Steve Cropper(guitar), and Al Jackson, Jr.(drums) makes it a worthwhile listen, but the title was very ironic, since reportedly Jones wasn’t thrilled with the overall product. Afterwards, he and the band would stretch out quickly and effectively with the epic medleys of "McLemore Avenue" (their instrumental treatment of The Beatles’ "Abbey Road") and the all originals tour-de-force of Melting Pot. (in RateYourMusic)

BOOKER T. & THE MGs Debut Album

Original released on LP Stax 701

(US, October 1962)

There's not a note or a nuance out of place anywhere on this record, which featured 35 of the most exciting minutes of instrumental music in any category that one could purchase in 1962 (and it's no slouch multiple decades out, either). "I Got a Woman" is the single best indicator of how superb this record is and this band was - listening to this track, it's easy to forget that the song ever had lyrics or ever needed them, Booker T. Jones' organ and Steve Cropper's guitar serving as more-than-adequate substitutes for any singer. Their version of "Twist and Shout" is every bit as satisfying. Even "Mo' Onions," an effort to repeat the success of "Green Onions," doesn't repeat anything from the earlier track except the tempo, and Jones and Cropper both come up with fresh sounds within the same framework. "Behave Yourself" is a beautifully wrought piece of organ-based blues that gives Jones a chance to show off some surprisingly nimble-fingered playing, while "Stranger on the Shore" is transformed into a piece of prime soul music in the group's hands. Just when it seems like the album has turned in all of the surprises in repertory that it could reasonably deliver, it ends with "Comin' Home Baby," a killer jazz piece on which Steve Cropper gets to shine, his guitar suddenly animated around Jones' playing, his quietly trilled notes at the crescendo some of the most elegant guitar heard on an R&B record up to that time. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

HIP HUG-HER

Original released on LP Stax 717

(US, May 1967)

Still riding high years after the success of "Green Onions," "Hip Hug-Her" is another 11-song solid session of Southern soul delivered by one of the best bands in the business. In an attempt to appeal to the up-and-coming mod movement, the cover features an alluring model flanked by fashionable faceless people. But not to judge the album by its cover, "Hip Hug-Her" finds the group diving deeper into soulful territories, no doubt aided by the addition of bassist Duck Dunn to the fold. The title track is clearly one of the stronger cuts on the album, but other tunes such as the midtempo Motown anthem "Get Ready" and the group's interpretation of "Groovin'" make this one of the strongest full-lengths in the Booker T. & the MG's catalog. (Rob Theakston in AllMusic)

4 GUYS AND A GAL ON LIMBO

Original released on LP STAX SXATS 1001

(UK, September 1968)

This 1968 album found the Memphis instrumental group running through the usual batch of then-current soul hit covers ("La La Means I Love You," "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy"), pop tunes ("Eleanor Rigby," "Foxy Lady") and hits like "Hang 'Em High" and the title track in their own trademark style. Most interesting are the tracks where Booker T. switches over to piano and the band suddenly becomes a very jazzy outfit, like "Willow Weep for Me" and "Over Easy." One of the better albums in their discography. (Cub Koda in AllMusic)