Booker T. & The MG's: McLemore Avenue CD Track Listing

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Booker T. & The MG's McLemore Avenue (1970)
\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Though Booker T. & the MG's had always been more of a singles act, they made a series of respectable long-players throughout the 1960s as well, culminating in the fine Melting Pot from 1971. Prior to recording that album, however, they assembled this Beatles homage, tackling an entire album from the Liverpool quartet. Rather than stroll down the Abbey Road they pay tribute to, however, organist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson, Jr. strut down McLemore Avenue, the funky Memphis location of the equally legendary Stax studios. Most of the songs are arranged in a fluid medley style, maintaining the suite-like feel that unified the original. The results often veer toward a sort of funky muzak. Imagine, if you will, the sort of tunes you might have heard piped into the Stax offices or renditions offered up by a late-night lounge act. Following the introductory pairing of "Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight," the quartet flexes its combined muscle on "The End," a performance complete with soloing from Cropper and heated organ bursts from Jones. It's all over far too quickly, however, lapsing into George Harrison's "Something" and bringing up the main problem with McLemore Avenue. As the backing band behind countless Stax classics, rhythm, rather than melody, has always been the MG's' strong suit. Thankfully, the Abbey Road material balances the schmaltzy sentimentality of tracks like "Golden Slumbers" and "Here Comes the Sun" with the tougher grooves of "The End" and "Come Together": songs that lend themselves much better to the MG's' approach. The quartet may have been better off stretching out on a few of these tracks, rather than rendering the bulk of the album. As it is, McLemore Avenue remains a curio for Booker T. and Beatles fans alike. -- Nathan Bush\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA total curiosity, August 13, 2004 \nReviewer: A. J Metz (San Francisco, CA USA) \nThis is an oddball, clearly a product of the times, and constantly walking the fine line between totally inspired and totally elevator. Their rendition of "Something" approaches a level of George Bensonish inpiration. The large instrumental suite near the end of the album (track 4) sometimes catches fire, but often, you get the impression that BT&MGs are only doing this because they're (1) short on material or (2) because they can. The latter is reason, in and of itself, to check it out. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nU.S.A.'s best vs. U.K.'s best, March 31, 2002\nReviewer: thestaxman (Jackson, MS United States)\nThe greatest band in America took on the greatest band in England, and the boys from Memphis held their own. This is a very cutting edge and ahead of its time (Think Pink Floyd, Metallica) album. The Beatles and The MGs' influence and superiority on and over the future of music is clearly evident here. Some may not consider it an essential MGs album, because by covering Abbey Road, it doesn't feature original material. However, hearing the Stax Records house band burn through these great compositions is an amazing experience. Al Jackson does things that the wonderful Ringo Starr could never imagine. Duck Dunn does the Paul McCartney thing better than Paul McCartney. And Steve Cropper never even heard Abbey Road! Booker T. Jones taught him what to play! Another testament to these two men's greatness. How could you do The Beatles without lyrics? Only one band could. When the MGs got their hands on anything, including the material here, one quickly forgets and doesn't need anything but the music. The whole band is in peak form. They bring their Stax soul/funk to the table and also, show themselves as world class musicians as on their both beautiful and barn storming cover of "Something". And In The End, McLemore Avenue equals or argueably betters Abbey Road.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nFunky Memphis Beatles!, April 6, 2000\nReviewer: A music fan\nAn odd but great album. Releases like this are common now in this era of "tribute" albums, but in the late 60's something like this was uncommon. Booker T. Jones (organ, piano) and Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass) were big Beatles fans and cooked up the idea of covering the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album in the MG's laid-back funky Memphis soul style. It sounds like a bad idea, but it works. The stripped-down, propulsive MG's arrangements bring an edge to these familiar songs that makes them sound brand new. This isn't the best MG's album, but it's close.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThey gamely press on to The End.........at the beginning., November 27, 1999\nReviewer: DJ Rix (NJ USA)\nCertainly a mixed bag. The guys might have done better doing an album of Rolling Stones material if they were compelled to find a musical concept.\n\nNatcherly, they do better on the harder, more funky numbers like I Want You and Come Together. Other cuts just sound clumsy, as if the band isn't fully committed to the material. Even the incomparable Al Jackson seems a bit uncomfortable. But they gamely press on to the end, leaving out Paul's surprise Her Majesty tag. Three stars for an interesting idea, but there's lots of a MG's music to own before you get around to this one. -- DJ Rix\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nBooker T. & The MG's: Booker T. Jones (keyboards); Steve Cropper (guitar); Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass); Al Jackson, Jr (drums).\n\nEngineers: Ron Capone, Gordon Rudd, Rik Pekkonen.\nDigitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1990, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).\n\nLet it never be said that Booker T. and the MG's were conceptually timid. McLEMORE AVENUE, released in 1970, is a tribute to/cover of the Beatles' ABBEY ROAD, right down to the cover art featuring the MG's crossing McLemore Ave. (the location of Stax Studios) in the fashion of John, Paul, George and Ringo. The MG's recording takes tracks from the Beatles original (only "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," "Oh Darling!" and "Octopus's Garden" are absent), rearranges and threads them together in three distinct medleys.\n\nThe treatments are generally faithful to the originals, though the occasional stylistic deviation, such as the lounge boogie of "Here Comes the Sun," keeps things interesting. The band fares best on the funkier numbers such as "I Want You" and "Come Together," while Booker T.'s keyboards nicely round out the "orchestral" feel of songs such as "Sun King." Thirty years of Beatles covers in elevators and department stores the world over may have made it difficult to listen to instrumental versions of "Something" without cringing, but the playing here is outstanding as always, and the disc/concept remains of interest to Beatles collectors and serious MG's fans alike.
This blues cd contains 4 tracks and runs 38min 12sec.
Freedb: 2608f204

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: Music

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: music songs tracks blues Soul

1. Booker T. & The MG's - Medley: Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End / Here Comes The Sun / Come Together (15:50)
2. Booker T. & The MG's - Something (04:11)
3. Booker T. & The MG's - Medley: Because / You Never Give Me Your Money (07:28)
4. Booker T. & The MG's - Medley: Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard / Polythene Pam / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window / I Want You (She's So Heavy) (10:39)