Booker T. & the M.G.'s: McLemore Avenue CD Track Listing
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
McLemore Avenue (1970)
Originally Released 1970\nCD Edition Released November 7, 1991\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 MeltingPot 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. strutdown McLemore Avenue, the funky Memphis location of the equallylegendary Stax studios. Most of the songs are arranged in a fluidmedley 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 andheated 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 materialbalances the schmaltzy sentimentality of tracks like "Golden Slumbers" and "Here Comes the Sun" with the tougher grooves of "TheEnd" and "Come Together": songs that lend themselves much betterto 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) becausethey 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 overthe future of music is clearly evident here. Some may not consider it an essential MGs album, because by covering Abbey Road, itdoesn'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 onanything, 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 andbarn storming cover of "Something". And In The End, McLemore Avenue equals or argueably betters Abbey Road.\n\nAmazon.com CustomerReview\nFunky Memphis Beatles!, April 6, 2000\nReviewer: A musicfan\nAn odd but great album. Releases like this are common now in this era of "t
This blues cd contains 4 tracks and runs 38min 11sec.
Freedb: 2508f104
Category
: Music
Tags
: music songs tracks blues Rock
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s - Medley: Golden Slumbers + Carry That Weight + The End + Here Comes The Sun + Come Together (15:50)
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s - Something (04:10)
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s - Medley: Because + You Never Give Me Your Money (07:28)
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s - Medley: Sun King + Mean Mr. Mustard + Polythene Pam + She CameIn Through The Bathroom Window + I Want You (10:39)
