Booker T & the MGs Albums Ranked

Booker T. & the M.G.’s are an American instrumental R&B/funk band that was influential in shaping the sound of Southern soul and Memphis soul. The original members of the group were Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cropper (guitar), Lewie Steinberg (bass), and Al Jackson Jr. (drums). In the 1960s, as members of the house band of Stax Records, they played on hundreds of recordings by artists including Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Bill Withers, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, and Albert King. They also released instrumental records under their own name, including the 1962 hit single “Green Onions”. As originators of the unique Stax sound, the group was one of the most prolific, respected, and imitated of its era. By the mid-1960s, bands on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to sound like Booker T. & the M.G.’s. Here are all of Booker T & the MGs albums ranked.

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10. McLemore Avenue (1970)

“The sound quality and the quality of the musicianship on McLemore Avenue is superb. Additionally this disk has other Booker T. & The MGs Beatles covers which are excellent. I like this because of the Memphis, Stax sound. This is a great companion to other Satx recordings, such as Albert King, which utilize different configurations of the same musicians.”

9. And Now! (1966)

“This album was very rare when I found it as a library discard 30 years ago. Now I’ve got the cd and it sounds better than ever. It’s one of my favorite albums from the 1960s.”

8. Soul Limbo (1968)

“his is one of their better efforts, and a sort of lost album. As the Sixties progresses, anger rose along with peace and love. You can hear these forces balance each other out in the organ-driven r n b, funk, and soul of this mixed-race band. Booker T’s restrained and tasteful approach to music is in opposition to the more exuberant practitioners of the legendary Hammond B-3, beloved of rockers from California to London.”

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7. Up Tight (1969)

“hile “Uptight” is a soundtrack album and so contains few “hits”, it is easily one of the MGs’ best. The second and third tracks, “Children, Don’t Get Weary” and “Tank’s Lament”, are especially moving. The latter begins as a downbeat version of the album finale, “Time Is Tight” but soon morphs into a deeply-moving soul anthem in its own right. Two other tracks, the aforementioned finale, “Time Is Tight”, and the refreshingly upbeat “Down At Ralph’s Joint” (my personal favorite) capably showcase Booker T. Jones’s artistry at the Hammond B-3 organ.”

6. Hip Hug-Her (1967)

“It’s hard to pick a favorite track since they are all equally good. I especially love Booker T.’s Hammond B-3 playing. At times it can be soft and eerie and at other times it can growl and wail. Booker also gets in some fine piano playing on the cuts ‘Slim Jenkin’s Place’ and ‘Booker’s Notion’. This is an excellent release from the gents in Memphis.”

5. The Booker T. Set (1969)

“Entirely beautiful soul music from beginning to end, with lots of nice touches from everyone in the band…..as usual! Listen and Believe. FAVE TRACKS: Sing A Simple Song, It’s Your Thing…..ahhhh, what am I saying- THEY’RE ALL FAVE TRACKS! Cheers Messrs Jones, Cropper, Dunn, and the late, great Al Jackson, Jr.”

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4. Soul Dressing (1965)

“The music pumps out of big speakers and bounces off empty walls – no vocals – only organ, drums, bass, guitar – grinding a patient, sturdy groove marked out in 4/4 time solid enough to build a house on (just what Stax did). Every eye trained intently on the stripper, and all you call say is – Ride Sally Ride.”

3. The Best Of Booker T & The MG’s (1984)

“Booker T and the MG’S were one of the finest groups of instrumentalists who would emerge in the last 50 or more years ago. They were the first racially integrated assemblage, served backup at Memphis’s very fine Stax Records for several years in the sixties and were honed into shape by the multi-talented Booker T. Washington; the superb 16 hits, each of them worthy of an infinite number of rehearings, were the fruits of years of no excuse self-discipline/teamwork.”

2. Melting Pot (1971)

“This was one of the last releases by these guys. This one is different from their others there are no covers here all songs were written by the group and I love this one because of that. The sound is here that we have grown to love from these guys. They were one of the first of the studio bands to cut records and release them. Most of the stuff was made after those classic Otis or Sam and Dave were done and there was still time to lay down some more music”

1. Green Onions (1962)

“This is it the first Booker T. and the MGS album. They were the band behind all of that great music to come out of Memphis soul playing behind Otis and Sam and Dave. What a great group and what a great album. Green Onions that hugh hit is here along with some many other tasty treats. I love this group and the sound of that Hammond B-3. I love the remasters of the classics that have been coming out hearing these classic albums with their facelift sounding better than ever.”