The Memphis Soul Sound Of

Description

European reissue of the original Green Onions LP.

Theres not a note or a nuance out of place anywhere on this record, which was 35 of the most exciting minutes of instrumental music in any category that one could purchase in 1962 (and its no slouch four decades out, either). I Got a Woman is the single best indicator of how superb this record is and this band was listening to this track, its easy to forget that the song ever had lyrics or ever needed them, Booker T. Jones organ and Steve Croppers guitar serving as more-than-adequate substitutes for any singer. Their version of Twist and Shout is every bit as satisfying. Even Mo Onions, an effort to repeat the success of Green Onions, doesnt repeat anything from the earlier track except the tempo, and Jones and Cropper both come up with fresh sounds within the same framework.
Behave Yourself is a beautifully wrought piece of organ-based blues that gives Jones a chance to show off some surprisingly nimble-fingered playing, while Stranger on the Shore is transformed into a piece of prime soul music in the groups hands. Lonely Avenue is another showcase for Jones keyboard dexterity, and then theres the groups cover of Smokey Robinsons One Who Really Loves You, with a ravishing lead performance by Jones on organ and Croppers guitar handling the choruses. Just when it seems like the album has turned in all of the surprises in repertory that it could reasonably deliver, it ends with Comin Home Baby, a killer jazz piece on which Steve Cropper gets to shine, his guitar suddenly animated around Jones playing, his quietly trilled notes at the crescendo some of the most elegant guitar heard on an R&B record up to that time. [The Concord Music Group reissued Green Onions in 2012, with live versions of Green Onions and Cant Sit Down, both drawn from a live show in L.A. in 1965, and originally released on the album Funky Broadway: Stax Revue Live at the 5/4 Ballroom, added as bonus tracks.] ~ Bruce Eder