Track listing
- A1 Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Green Onions
- A2 Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Red Beans and Rice
- A3 Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Tic-Tac-Toe
- A4 Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Hip Hug-Her
- A5 The Mar-Keys - Philly Dog
- B1 The Mar-Keys - Grab This Thing
- B2 The Mar-Keys - Last Night
- B3 Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Gimme Some Lovin'
- B4 Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Booker Loo
- B5 Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Outrage
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4 Issues
4 Reviews
If someone were to lay out a how to crash course in instrumental party albums, this is the only resource they would need to turn to. Great progression in the set as the band builds up to the inclusion of the Mar-Keys, giving a little teaser of the full sound as Side 1 comes to a close before really unleashing the power and fury of this soul machine.
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Recorded live at the Olympia Theatre in Paris in March of 1967 (during a European tour of the Stax-Volt Revue), this disc captures a fine performance by Booker T. & The MG's during their peak period. They open with a pretty straightforward rendition of their smash hit, "Green Onions," followed by the always funky "Red Beans and Rice" and "Hip Hug-Her," which would become another big hit for them that summer. Midway through the set, the group is joined by the horn section of Andrew Love, Wayne Jackson, and Joe Arnold to become the Mar-Keys for three numbers, including their signature hit, "Last Night."
The sound is extremely clear and clean for a live recording, and the audience is hardly audible at all during the actual songs (even throughout the rousing "Gimme Some Lovin'"). However, despite some excellent playing by the musicians, this album is rather unremarkable. It's interesting to hear one of soul music's greatest house bands doin' their thing on stage, but the selections are almost interchangeable with the album versions. Even though they could surely tear the roof off in concert, they never attempt any extended jams or improvisational moments (and if they did, they're not included here).
With the exception of the band introductions, there's zero chitchat between tracks, and the guys knock out ten instrumentals in just over 30 minutes. It's certainly not essential, but for fans of the classic Stax-Volt sound, it's worth a listen. Half of this album's cuts are also included on the much better The Stax/Volt Revue . Volume 3 - Live in Europe, which also features some great stuff by Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, and Eddie Floyd.
The sound is extremely clear and clean for a live recording, and the audience is hardly audible at all during the actual songs (even throughout the rousing "Gimme Some Lovin'"). However, despite some excellent playing by the musicians, this album is rather unremarkable. It's interesting to hear one of soul music's greatest house bands doin' their thing on stage, but the selections are almost interchangeable with the album versions. Even though they could surely tear the roof off in concert, they never attempt any extended jams or improvisational moments (and if they did, they're not included here).
With the exception of the band introductions, there's zero chitchat between tracks, and the guys knock out ten instrumentals in just over 30 minutes. It's certainly not essential, but for fans of the classic Stax-Volt sound, it's worth a listen. Half of this album's cuts are also included on the much better The Stax/Volt Revue . Volume 3 - Live in Europe, which also features some great stuff by Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, and Eddie Floyd.
Published
This is an exceptional live recording. It captures Booker T. & The MG'S and The Mar-Keys at their rawest. The playing is great for all parties concerned. It does seem a little one-sided that Booker T. manages to get 7 tracks while The Mar-Keys only have 3. But with music this good, who cares?
Published
I have become very fond of this album, which just simmers with raw energy from the start. There's a fun introduction that leads into one of the most smoking versions of "Green Onions" I've heard. Duck Dunn's impact is felt immediately. He thumps his bass a little louder and digs into the groove a little deeper than his predecessor, Lewie Steinberg, who played on the Green Onions and Soul Dressing albums. Granted, this is a live recording and Steinberg would have probably been more aggressive live, but nobody can groove like Dunn. He rips through "Red Beans and Rice" and the rest of the set with swinging authority. This was recorded live in 1967, not 1997, but the sound is really good. Booker T. Jones played superbly on this night. His B-3 sounds amazing. The album's energy dips somewhat when The Mar-Keys come on. Except for Steve Cropper, Dunn, and trumpeter, Wayne Jackson, the original Mar-Keys basically ceased to exist after their 1961 hit "Last Night". What they became, in fact, was Booker T. & the MGs plus The Memphis Horns, the heart of soul music in the '60s. The material and sound of The Mar Keys is similar to high school R & B bands and fraternity circuit bands of the late '50s and early '60s, and thus, is just not as creative or as exciting as the MGs'. It's good, solid dance music of that period. The horn section leaves Booker T. and company to finish things off. After Cropper's soulfully sly guitar solo on "Booker Loo", the group, led by Al Jackson's "get out your seat" drumming, hits a groove so strong, if you can't shake your backside to it, you've got a hole in your soul. The first time I heard this album, I wasn't overly impressed. I had silly thoughts like, hey, that's not how Cropper played on the original "Hip Hug-Her". But, this album is deceptively addicting. Seems the longer I own it, the more often I play it. Just as almost anything from the MGs' catalog, or all of Stax Records, for that matter, it gets better with every listen.
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