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1962 studio album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s
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AllMusic
[1]
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 .
[3] The album features only
instrumental songs and features
Steve Cropper playing a
Fender Telecaster .
[4]
The cover photo was shot by
Irving Schild , who would go on to have a 52-year career as
Mad Magazine 's primary photographer.
[5] The album was included in Robert Dimery's
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die .
[6]
In 2012, the album was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant".
[7]
Track listing
Side One Title Writer(s) 1. "
Green Onions "
Booker T. Jones ,
Steve Cropper ,
Lewie Steinberg ,
Al Jackson Jr. 2:53 2. "
Rinky Dink " (
Dave "Baby" Cortez cover) David Clowney, Paul Winley 2:41 3. "
I Got a Woman " (
Ray Charles cover)
Ray Charles , Renald Richard 3:35 4. "Mo' Onions" Jones, Cropper, Steinberg, Jackson 2:57 5. "
Twist and Shout " (
The Top Notes cover)
Phil Medley ,
Bert Berns 2:13 6. "Behave Yourself" Jones, Cropper, Steinberg, Jackson 3:55 Total length: 18:14
Personnel
Booker T. & the M.G.s
Technical
Haig Adishian - cover design
Irving Schild - cover photography
Chart history
Notes
Studio albums Live albums Singles