Green Onions (album)
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 had been a hit worldwide and was covered by dozens of artists, including the Blues Brothers and Roy Buchanan (both with Steve Cropper on guitars), as well as The Ventures, Al Kooper, The Shadows, Mongo Santamaría and Count Basie.
Green Onions | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 1962 | |||
Recorded | June–August 1962 at Stax Recording Studio, Memphis | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:55 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Jim Stewart | |||
Booker T. & the M.G.'s chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic |
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.[2] The album features only instrumental songs and features Steve Cropper playing a Fender Telecaster.[3]
The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[4]
Track listing
Side one
- "Green Onions" (Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg, Al Jackson Jr.) – 2:53
- "Rinky Dink" (David Clowney, Paul Winley) – 2:41
- "I Got a Woman" (Ray Charles, Renald Richard) – 3:35
- "Mo' Onions" (Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr., Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg) – 2:57
- "Twist and Shout" (Phil Medley, Bert Berns) – 2:13
- "Behave Yourself" (Steve Cropper, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg) – 3:55
Side two
- "Stranger on the Shore" (Acker Bilk) – 2:22
- "Lonely Avenue" (Doc Pomus) – 3:30
- "One Who Really Loves You" (Smokey Robinson) – 2:26
- "You Can't Sit Down" (Dee Clark, Kal Mann, Cornell Muldrow) – 2:51
- "A Woman, a Lover, a Friend" (Sidney Wyche) – 2:33
- "Comin' Home Baby" (Bob Dorough, Ben Tucker) – 3:12
Personnel
- Booker T. & the M.G.s
- Booker T. Jones – Hammond M3 organ
- Steve Cropper – guitar
- Lewis Steinberg – double bass, bass guitar
- Al Jackson Jr. – drums
- Technical
- Haig Adishian - cover design
- Irving Schild - cover photography
Chart history
Name | Chart (1962) | Peak position |
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Green Onions | U.S. Pop Albums Chart | 33 |
"Green Onions" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
"Green Onions" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 1 |
"Mo' Onions" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 97 |
"Mo' Onions" | U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 97 |
Notes
- Eder, Bruce. Green Onions at AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Trade. p.229-233 ISBN 0-8256-7284-8
- Electric Guitar Classics:2010 Calendar Published by Sellers Publishing, Inc. Archived 2010-12-29 at Archive.today Copyright 2009
- ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.