Green Onions

Recently finished a great documentary on Stax Records on Now TV. Satisfying to put records like this into context.

That title track is just a classic. One of those songs that feels like it's always existed. More a part of culture than a song in its own right.

Rest is mostly enjoyable enough filler.

Day 14 - this one is Fun!!! 4/5 #albumsky #musicsky

2.75

Who else is feeling the uncontrollable urge to play stick ball

This week's discs were 100MPH of intensity: Santana's "Abraxas", Talking Heads' "Remain in Light", Adele's "21," and Nirvana's "Unplugged," not to mention the Slits! Maybe because I listened to the latter four all on the same day. Maybe it's the combination of that and winter and the sheer frustration of living in America in 2025. Maybe it's the fact that my house is constantly under construction and I feel powerless to make it stop.

I almost started to cry today, man. All Apologies was a gut-punch.

Then, just when you're ready to just give up, Green Onions comes on and everything seems like it's gonna be OK. The first thing I ever played on the drums. Steve Cropper's semi-surf guitar. That walking rhythm. Let it go on forever.

Enjoyed the title track, but covers are not what I expected on this list

Yes, loved this!!

Green Onions - on a debut album, incredible! A great example of a song thats lasted the test of time

Great tracklist and I recognised majority of these songs. Really enjoyed this listen

5 ⭐️

Would have been a 5 if the album had Soul Limbo on it - but cant take away anything but the fact this is an incredible album

Amazing instrumental album. Have to revisit this one later

Starts out with a stone cold banger of an instrumental in the title track, but everything else is just dripping with the understated funkiness of 4 guys just jamming on an organ, drums, bass, and guitar.

The song Green Onions keeps popping up in my playlists. It's so cool and always fun. I've never heard the rest of the album before. Unfortunately, the guys don't manage to keep the level as high as on their opening track. Overall, the album was quite fun, but reminded me in part of the music at private parties where a solo entertainer wanted to try out the possibilities of his new synthesizer. I will continue to listen to the Green Onions track with enthusiasm, but probably not the rest of the album.
3/5

Love, love, LOVE, this album! Arguably my favorite of this era, which is saying something because it was a GREAT time for music. My dad introduced me to Booker T when I was very young and it will always remind me of watching The Blues Brothers with him. These guys basically become the Stax "house band" and backup MANY of the well know artists that came through that studio. Truly amazing album from a truly amazing group of musicians.

Definitely a bit slight in terms of composition and variety, but I still dig it a good amount based on the strength of the playing and the overall style.

3.5/5

Nothing exciting about it.

June 28, 2024

HL: “Comin’ Home Baby”, “Lonely Avenue”, “One Who Really Loves You”, the title track to end all title trax, “I Got a Woman”

I like how they had “Mo Onions” ready to drop as a single 2 years after “Green Onions”

This is really the pop answer to Jimmy Smith’s jazzy Back at the Chicken Shack, though I knew of Booker T long before Smith. That probably accounts for the higher rating, even though the album is a somewhat disjointed grab bag of covers. My Dad always playing instrumental oldies in my youth clearly rubbed off on me.

Though, as far as ‘60s instrumental albums go, this has about as much right to be on the list as any of em.

Ein bisschen Swing und ein bisschen Jazz angeführt von einer Bontempi Orgel und einem frühzeitlichen E-Bass sind gar nicht so schlecht. „Green Onion“ ist weltbekannt und „Mo Onion” ist ok. “Twist & Shout” ist eine Erinnerung an frühere Tanzschulzeiten. Aber alles in allem ist das Album ok.

Green Onions is pure nostalgia—an iconic track that instantly takes me back to growing up and unforgettable nights out. One hell of a tune!

The album as a whole is incredibly easy to listen to—catchy, fun, and packed with groove. It’s a standout R&B/soul record with a distinctive instrumental sound. Many of the tracks have been sampled or heard elsewhere, a testament to the group’s lasting influence.

Favourite Song: Green Onions – timeless, unmistakable, and still hits hard.
Least Favourite: All solid tracks, though the overall sound can get a little repetitive over time.
Album Artwork: Iconic—just like the music inside.

A foundational album that still sounds fresh and full of soul.

So many classic songs sampled in so many places. You cannot beat Booker T.

The title track is sorta famous, I think? At least, I've heard it before and I have no clue who this band is. Furthermore, the second song, Ricky Dink, has some parts that are very familiar to me even though I'm fairly sure I've never heard the entire song.

The third song is I Got A Woman, which is a cover of a Ray Charles song. It took this long for me to be sure that that this is just an instrumental album. It's kind of catchy, but it's a lot of organ playing, which gets old fast. Otherwise, it's just kind of there, you know? I'm not sure what's special about this album other than the fact that it appears to be a vehicle for promoting the organ, which doesn't really scratch any of my personal itches.

Listening more through the album, it seems like it's very bluesy but distinctly, like, 60s rock organ bluesy. It's not my jam, but I think I can see why it was included in this list, because it is kind of its own thing, but at the same time, there appear to be several covers, which is the opposite if "it's own thing."

I don't know. I'll never listen to it again. 2.5 stars.

The title track was good but the rest of the album was covers are reprise of green onions. 2/5.