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- Date Released: January 1, 1970
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Label: Fantasy Records
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We Say...
One of the weirder, end-of-an-era artifacts you'll ever hear came when keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and late drummer Al Jackson, Jr. — collectively, the hit-making instrumental outfit Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the house band during soul sonic temple Stax Records' heyday (Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, et al.) — cut an all-instrumental version of the Beatles' Abbey Road. (The title refers to the street outside the original Stax studio in Memphis.) Released in 1970, this album omits four of its template's tunes and the running order is slightly scrambled; with the exceptions of the snakey, dark "Come Together," the bluesy "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and the soulfully astringent "Something" ('cause Cropper's pinched guitar attack is so different from Harrison's familiar slurred approach) the result is closer to hip Muzak than a bona fide, Southern-fried funk fest.
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They Say...
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 Melting Pot 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. strut down McLemore Avenue, the funky Memphis location of the equally legendary Stax studios. Most of the songs are arranged in a fluid medley 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 and heated 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 material balances the schmaltzy sentimentality of tracks like "Golden Slumbers" and "Here Comes the Sun" with the tougher grooves of "The End" and "Come Together": songs that lend themselves much better to 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.
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| 01. |  |
Medley: Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End/Here Comes The Sun/Come Together
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15:50 |
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| 02. | |
Something
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4:11 |
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| 03. | |
Medley: Because/You Never Give Me Your Money
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7:28 |
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| 04. | |
Medley: Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window/I Want You (She's So Heavy)
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10:40 |
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04 Total Tracks, 38:09 Total Length
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Credits
- Booker T. & the MG's - Arranger // Booker T. & the MG's - Producer // Steve Cropper - Guitar // Steve Cropper - ? // Ron Capone - Engineer // Donald "Duck" Dunn - Bass // Donald "Duck" Dunn - Bass (Electric) // Booker T. Jones - Organ // Booker T. Jones - Bass // Booker T. Jones - Guitar // Booker T. Jones - Piano // Booker T. Jones - Keyboards // Rik Pekkonen - Engineer // Gordon Rudd - Engineer // Al Jackson, Jr. - Drums // Al Jackson, Jr. - ? // Booker T - ?
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