Green Onions is the debut album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released on Stax Records in October 1962. It reached number 33 on the pop album chart in the month of its release. The title single was a worldwide hit and has been covered by dozens of artists, including the Blues Brothers and Roy Buchanan (both with Steve Cropper on guitar), as well as The Ventures, Al Kooper, The Shadows, Mongo Santamaría, Deep Purple (Live and studio versions) and Count Basie.
Three previous Stax LPs – two by the Mar-Keys, one by Carla Thomas – had been issued on Atlantic Records. Green Onions was the first album released on the Stax label. It was also Stax's first charting album, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard 200. The album features only instrumental songs and features Steve Cropper playing a Fender Telecaster.The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
This sounds like something that Feathers McGraw from Wallace and Gromit would enjoy. And that Chicken/Penguin has great taste.
A really catchy and enjoyable instrumental R&B/soul record, with a distinctive Hammond organ sound front and centre. It would perfectly soundtrack various daily tasks like doing the washing up, spreading toast or walking through a town or city.
I'm glad they didn't try to put vocals on it, as any words matching the unashamedly joyous, and cool vibe would probably be really cheesy and ruin it. It's a perfect example of what it is and still sounds fresh almost 60 years after it was recorded. 5/5.
This is an enthusiastic “ok”. The title track throws thunderbolts down on everything around it, but the record is consistently pleasant. It just makes me wish they’d stretched to write more of their own compositions, rather than this bunch of covers that slide smoothly down amnesia alley. Gives me the feeling of walking into a sleazy bar in an old movie, which I like.
Reading about it prior to listening, the title track is called out as one of the most recognized instrumental tracks... No idea. Hearing it the penny drops immediately, and I'm reminded again fo the depth and breadth of my ignorance.
Imagine recording this when you’re 17? Like that’s all you need to know about this record. This record is so smooth and for 1962 was largely new landscape for soul and R&B. You can put this on at any time and you know you’re going to have a good time.
Favorite song: Green Onions
Least favorite: honestly didn’t have one
I can remember about 15 facts and one of those facts is that Steve Cropper was in The Blues Brothers. And that's all I knew about Steve Cropper. I expected his obit to read, "Former Blues Brother Steve Cropper died". I'm not proud of any of this. Some other useless facts I know:
* Rod Stewart really likes soccer.
* In Smokey and the Bandit, The Bandit's real name was Bo.
* Steve Busby threw two no hitters for the Kansas City Royals.
* Joe Walsh was on campus during the Kent State Tragedy.
* Jason Patric is Jackie Gleason's grandson.
* There's no instrumental album quite like this one.
Opening track is iconic, repeated again slightly different later on. The rest of it is funky instrumental versions of other people's songs. Do I like it? Yeah, it's great background music with a bit of oomph and fun, but it's not really anything more than that. Tough to give a high score based on one original song and a load of instrumental cover versions really, opening track almost drags it up to a 3 but doesn't manage it. 2/5.
I’ve always loved the title track, Green Onions. To me it’s always been more than just a fun song to hear in movies, but just a really good listen on its own merits.
I like the tone of the guitar and organ, and I really enjoy drums like this, where they are both assertive in the mix and also really simple.
The only real problem I have with this record is that it is instrumental. Plenty of the songs hold up without vocals, but I felt a few tracks would have been improved by them.
Also, is there a music genre whose meaning has evolved more than R&B?
My personal enjoyment: 4/5
Did it belong on this list: 4.5/5
I didn't have a bad time, but I have to admit that this sounds like a bunch of dude noodling around in a garage. Maybe it was revolutionary for its time, but in a modern context this just feels like laid back covers of mostly existing songs.
might be an interesting historical document, but was it really essential that I hear a Hammond organ noodling its way aimlessly around an Acker Bilk tune? doesn't even have the cricket theme on this one. hence, 2 stars given although perhaps a bit stingy
I'm only familiar with the title track that I'm aware of, but I really love it so this should be fun!
Green Onions - an excellent blues/funk sound. 9/10
Rinky Dink - easy listening with some familiar chord progressions. 7/10
I Got a Woman - Great Memphis Blues twist on this familiar classic I've heard by Elvis and Ray Charles. I'm not sure which is the original, but this instrumental is fun. 8/10
Mo' Onions - A variation on "Green Onions" that's more bluesy. I like it a lot! 9/10
Twist & Shout - Another instrumental cover. Pleasant but nothing spectacular. 7/10
Behave Yourself - Truly Memphis Blues, feels like walking down Beale Street! 9/10
Stranger on the Shore - Feels like a 50s slow dance hit. 7/10
Lonely Avenue - Typical blues sound, the organ is a bit more creative on this one. 8/10
The One Who Really Loves You - Heavy organ with nice guitar riffs. 7/10
You Can't Sit Down - Nice funk/blues track 8/10
A Woman, A Lover, A Friend - Slow typical blues track. 7/10
Comin' Home Baby - Nice cover with just the right blues flavor.
If you like the blues, you'll enjoy this album. Just be warned it's more organ driven than guitar. It's an interesting twist on blues though. I don't know if it beats out other blues artists as far as a must hear, but it's a fun listen.
The cafeteria at work puts green onions in their chicken salad (“scallions”, if you’re nasty…wait… what?) and I don’t mind it, but I also wouldn’t go out my way to add green onion to my chicken salad if I was making it at home, you know what I mean?
Amusement park remixes of popular hits... Opening track is obviously embedded in our musical cultural identity. But aside from being groovy background music I don't know what purpose this music serves.
4/2
Some classic instrumentals on here, replayability is low for me.
Standout Tracks: Green Onions, Mo' Onions, Behave Yourself, Stranger On The Shore, Comin' Home Baby
Classic vibe record, if that makes sense.
At a certain point, Twist and Shout started sounding more like REM's Stand. I know they were big fans of 60s rock and pop so I would not at all be surprised if this infected their minds.
An integrated instrumental band back in the days when being an instrumental band was common and being integrated wasn't.
Now being an instrumental band is uncommon and being integrated is... better but not as common as it should be.
A great example of early-60s groove. Original compositions are much more interesting than the covers (although plagiarising yourself three tracks after your signature song is a choice).
Brooker T. & the M.G.'s released their single 'Green Onions' and the people loved it so they went back and recorded it again but completely different 11 more times, put it on an album and made a surprisingly impactful album. It not only smoothly blends the still very young Soul with established Rythmn & Blues and does all of it without saying a single word but they also gave Soul a whole new light and how there can be instrumental Soul without it being Soul Jazz.
The legendary title track 'Green Onions' starts off the album with a classic Electric Blues song that smoothly goes through its parts. I absolutely understand how the song became such a classic because it is a very playful and fun song while not taking too much attention away from you. The song features rhythmic playing and a well added organ which was already established in the Soul and especially Soul Jazz scene even if this is far from being latter. The song is definitely great but it doesn't do enough for me so that I actually love it. Rather it's very nice and beautiful but I don't care for it too much.
Another very catchy track is 'Rinky-Dink' which plays with much more Soul aspects. It's definitely a good song but I do think that some organ parts are a little bit annoying after a while and the overall structuring is a little bit too broken up in between to actually flow well enough the whole way through and the second part just doesn't hit well enough anymore. Also, I am not a big fan of how the songs just tune out instead of ending properly.
'I Got a Woman' might be the best achievement they got on this album. It's fast paced and energetic and easily the catchiest song on the entire album. I get why the title track gets all the attention but this should maybe get an equal amount of love. I personally think this is probably the closest they ever got to making a perfect track although some parts here and there are a little bit too rushed or left alone which do hurt the song especially in the second half enough for to "just" view this as a great track.
The themes of the first track return on 'Mo' Onions' which is just the same song but a little bit different with a little more Blues added. It's definitely not a bad song but it does feel like a bad cover song. It isn't of course but as a continuation it does feel very, very average.
After the Beatles version, this next track might be the second best known version of 'Twist and Shout'. It's very much a R&B and Soul song and the melody is nice to hear in that organ style but it is far from a good or interesting song. Maybe I am biased but it feels dull and not played around with enough. It gets stale the second it starts to repeat itself in the first few moments. It's a pretty boring song overall.
The purest Soul song on the album is without a doubt 'Behave Yourself', it strips away all the Blues and makes a calm and relaxed organ Soul song to close off the albums first half with. It is not a bad song the songwriting especially when more instruments join at a few points do make this much more interesting but I think that the song should've just extended on these additions instead of going right back. Overall it again, feels a little bit dull and boring after a while.
'Stranger on the Shore' starts the second side of the album with the same melancholia the first half ended. This is not a song to start anything with, it should be a closer at best. The song is just tiring and sometimes even annoying when it takes too long to end properly. Not a good song by any means.
'Lonely Avenue' starts off way more promising but falls in the same trap of overindulging melancholia and coolness which ends up making the track boring and simply not enjoyable. They can make really fun and playful songs but when they don't do that it automatically makes it tiring and basic.
Luckily, 'One Who Really Loves You' comes in to save the album from this boring spiral of doom. It returns with a fun and playful tune with a much better organ playstyle than on the other songs. It is genuinely a fun and actually really good song.
The song that feels the most like Blues is definitely 'I Can't Sit Down'. It starts off by sounding like a Muddy Waters tune but replaces the voice with the organ. It does sound very silly and it is but it works at least a little bit. The song isn't the greatest but it is without a doubt an above average track with multiple very enjoyable moments.
The mellow style of 'A Woman, a Lover, a Friend' is done much better in comparison to other songs on here but it still gets a little bit stale and old after a while and turns a good starting song quickly into a pretty average one but at least it doesn't get as boring (or even bad) as some tracks before did.
The album closes with 'Comin' Home Baby', another quite mellow but this time much more dull sounding one. It gets annoying very quickly as the rhytmn guitar and the bass play in a very halting style that isn't played around well enough with the organ to make it work at any point. The song is genuinely bad because of it. It is not pleasent at all to listen to it especially as it is supposed to end the album.
favourites: Green Onions, I Got a Woman
least favourites: Comin' Home Baby, Stranger on the Shore
Rating: decent to strong 5
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Nr. 10/1001
Green Onions 3/5
Rinky Dink 2/5
I Got A Woman 2/5
Mo' Onions 2/5
Twist And Shout 3/5
Behave Yourself 2/5
Stranger on the Shore 2/5
Lonely Avenue 2/5
One Who Really Loves Me 3/5
You Can't Sit Down 2/5
A Woman, A Lover, A Friend 2/5
Comin' Home Baby 2/5
Average: 2,25
Features some well known arrangements. Beyond that it didn't have a lot to offer
I am drowning in organ music. I do however enjoy the bass on the album. But the only song I think I will ever listen to again is the titular track. Though I will probably listen to a different version of all of the covers at some point. Just way too much organ to want to listen to these ones again.
This is one of those albums that should be on this list due to its legacy in music and media, but one I didn't like a lot. The title track has been heard several times in the past in movies and on Spotify shuffles and its a good song. Good organ and guitar riffs and solos here and there but got bored of it all very easily.
Didnt mind this, but way too much organ in the end. Loved Green Onions...who doesnt and there were some good tunes. Thet did kill Twist & Shout though. Listened to once, wont do it again!! 2stars
Classic title track but little else. Several covers, even another version of their same song. Kinda funk, kinda soul, really just background music. Struggled to get through 36 minutes.
The title track is great, and of course everyone knows it (even if they can't immediately recall its name - I couldn't for the longest time).
As for the rest of the album though, I imagine discussions in the studio went something along these lines:
"Alright, we've got one banger we can market this with. How about we fill the rest of the album with dull as dishwater, lift music-esque covers of rock and roll songs? We can make a killing doing that because who cares? People will lap it up as long as we've got one decent song."
"The kids aren't that stupid though, right? Surely we've got a bit more in our locker to make this stand test of time?"
"Hmmm fair point. Suppose we could tweak "Green Onions" slightly, slow it down a bit and call it "Mo' Onions" so it sounds like we tried. Then we'll call it a day and lull everyone into submission by just doing whatever the fuck else on the other nine tracks. You with me?"
"Yeah I'm down, what about the artwork though?"
"On the off chance that any divvies out there will think they've popped into Morrisons instead, we'll make it look like a supermarket advertising hoarding."
"Genius! Some random bloke in 40 years will put this on a shrine and deem it worthy of everyone's time".
1/5. At best, it is good elevator music. I understand it didn’t have a lot of competition in 1962 and sure felt ahead of it’s time but at the moment it just feels dated.
Not my cup of tea. Sounds way too dated and mild, almost like muzak. Might have been something back in the days, but it didn't age well at all. Maybe if I was 70+ and nostalgic.
Masterclass in how to do a whole lot with a little for each organ, guitar, and bass. Listened to this album 3x times today. I can't seem to convince myself to back down from a 5 on this one - no bad songs, ultimate reslistenability, top tier technical talent, wildly influential on the whole of music, how can that not be a 5?
1001 Albums Challenge (15/1001)
Green Onions (5/5)
Rinky Dink (5/5)
I Got A Woman (5/5)
Mo' Onions (5/5)
Twist And Shout (5/5)
Behave Yourself (5/5)
Stranger On The Shore (5/5)
Lonely Avenue (5/5)
One Who Really Loves You (5/5)
You Can't Sit Down (5/5)
A Woman, A Lover, A Friend (5/5)
Comin' Home Baby (5/5)
Total (5/5)
There are many reasons this is considered a classic, but far and above, it's the ability for this band to make these songs sound amazing through their talent and abilities. There are very few bands that could walk into a studio, do their thing and walk out with a stone cold classic but that is exactly what happened here.
ohhh my god oh my god this is so fun. just some guys hanging out making some music at it's best, i'm not usually one for instrumentals so this is huge for me.
LOVED all of it, the vibes are out of the world from start to finish, will be listening again (a lot) as this is entering my daily rotation.
For me, Green Onions is like the clean, live-band counterpart to Donuts. Dilla chopped our soul into a beautiful, stuttering future, but Booker T. & the M.G.'s played it whole. They took classic blues and rock tunes and didn't just cover them—they injected them with this effortless, cool swagger that makes their versions feel like the originals. It’s that same foundational groove, but polished to a pristine, timeless shine. I put it on and immediately feel cooler.
First, the song Green Onions is one of my favourite instrumental pieces. So I'm excited to listen to the rest of the album too.
Rinky Dink sounds like every sitcom theme song from the late 60's and 70's.
This album is fantastic. To me, this album is THE soundtrack of the 60's.
I could play this album on loop all day long!!! Had a really great time listening to the songs while working. I already added their songs to my spotify playlist. They're just sooo good!
There isn't many things in life better than listening to this on a sizzling hot Sunday while watch baseball. While we're at it, let's eat a grilled cheeseburger with mustard, ketchup, lettuce, jalapenos, and green onions. A masterpiece, and classic.
Favorite Track: "Green Onions".
Love the title track. It’s always reminded me of the summers of my youth and of my father, who was a jazz enthusiast. I was pleasantly surprised that following the famous title track were 11 tracks of equal quality and influence. Look no further than the track Twist and Shout, which The Beatles famously covered.
Recognized the title track immediately. Whole album was great, I loved hearing the organ play around with the guitar. Green Onions and You Can’t Sit Down were my favorites.
Love the 12-bar blues open on "Green Onions," almost positive The Doors sampled it as well. "Mo' Onions" also great, and the vibes of "Stranger on the Shore" really do it for me.
When the 1st track played l perked up, "I know this song!" Now sure how I know it or from where though! I'm playing catch-up and randomly selecting albums from various genres, and this was my Soul selection. It's an enjoyable album and I will listen again!
So smooooth... Instrumentals with hammond organ + guitar, brilliant!
Favorite track: Green Onions
other tracks: mo onions, behave yourself, stranger on the shore