Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Although all of these 25 cover versions were recorded in the '60s, none of them were released at the time. Unfortunately, info as to the exact dates of the individual tracks has been lost, though Stax scholar Rob Bowman's liner notes figure that most of them were cut between 1965-1968, with some possibly dating from 1962-1964. Putting all of them onto a single disc decades later might seem like a vault-cleaning exercise of secondary material. But this turns out to be a surprisingly good and vibrant collection of instrumental soul interpretations of rock, soul, and pop hits of the '60s, even if it's not up to the level of Booker T. & the MG's more famous hits and original numbers. Even though these were often laid down quickly before or after sessions on which the band was backing other artists, most of these don't sound like throwaways. They're characteristically disciplined and imaginative, and the scope is remarkably wide, taking in Beatles songs, blues ("Wang Dang Doodle" and "Baby Scratch My Back"), Motown, straight pop ("Downtown"), and even some songs on which Booker T. & the MG's actually played on the original recordings (Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby," and Eddie Floyd's "On a Saturday Night"). Not all of the reworkings are top-notch; the Beatles' "You Can't Do That" is taken at a jazzy shuffle that doesn't suit the tune. But most of them are very good, and not straight copies of the original arrangements, with the band effectively cooking up different tempos and simmering guitar/organ interplay.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
JAMES MOORE, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
TONY HATCH, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Robert Higgenbotham, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Robert Higgenbotham, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Henry Cosby, ComposerLyricist - Sylvia Moy, ComposerLyricist - Stevie Wonder, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist - Lula Mae Hardway, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
HOAGY CARMICHAEL, ComposerLyricist - Stuart Gorrell, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Ramsey Lewis, Arranger, Work Arranger - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Rick Hall, ComposerLyricist - Dan Penn, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist - Oscar Frank, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
John Lennon, ComposerLyricist - Paul Mccartney, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
John Lennon, ComposerLyricist - Paul Mccartney, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Johnny Otis, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Marvin Tarplin, ComposerLyricist - Warren Moore, ComposerLyricist - Robert Rogers, ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
John Lennon, ComposerLyricist - Paul Mccartney, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Steve Cropper, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Floyd, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Wayne Thompson, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Richard Parker, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
WILLIE DIXON, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Al Jackson, Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Booker T. Jones, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Cropper, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Donald "Duck" Dunn, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Lamont Dozier, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Producer, Recording Producer, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Stax Records, Distributed by Concord.
Bob West, ComposerLyricist - Willie Schofield, ComposerLyricist - Lance Finney, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Bill Justis, ComposerLyricist - Sid Manker, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Charles Mitchell, ComposerLyricist - Jimmie Davis, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Isaac Hayes, ComposerLyricist - David Porter, Composer - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Spencer Davis, ComposerLyricist - Steve Winwood, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Isaac Hayes, ComposerLyricist - David Porter, ComposerLyricist - Booker T. & The M.G.'s, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Album review
Although all of these 25 cover versions were recorded in the '60s, none of them were released at the time. Unfortunately, info as to the exact dates of the individual tracks has been lost, though Stax scholar Rob Bowman's liner notes figure that most of them were cut between 1965-1968, with some possibly dating from 1962-1964. Putting all of them onto a single disc decades later might seem like a vault-cleaning exercise of secondary material. But this turns out to be a surprisingly good and vibrant collection of instrumental soul interpretations of rock, soul, and pop hits of the '60s, even if it's not up to the level of Booker T. & the MG's more famous hits and original numbers. Even though these were often laid down quickly before or after sessions on which the band was backing other artists, most of these don't sound like throwaways. They're characteristically disciplined and imaginative, and the scope is remarkably wide, taking in Beatles songs, blues ("Wang Dang Doodle" and "Baby Scratch My Back"), Motown, straight pop ("Downtown"), and even some songs on which Booker T. & the MG's actually played on the original recordings (Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby," and Eddie Floyd's "On a Saturday Night"). Not all of the reworkings are top-notch; the Beatles' "You Can't Do That" is taken at a jazzy shuffle that doesn't suit the tune. But most of them are very good, and not straight copies of the original arrangements, with the band effectively cooking up different tempos and simmering guitar/organ interplay.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 25 track(s)
- Total length: 01:09:09
- Main artists: Booker T. & The M.G.'s
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Fantasy Records
- Genre: Jazz
© 2003 Fantasy, Inc. This Compilation ℗ 2003 Fantasy, Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.