Photo Credit: Gary Copeland of Boston.com
I never had the opportunity to experience ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T and the M.G.s when it first came out and revolutionized the music industry. Much like my desire to have seen the Beatles or the Grateful Dead, I know it will never happen but I still think about how it would have been and how it would compare to the live music that I am seeing now.
I have heard ‘ Green Onions’ thousands of times before I started writing this post but I just saw the music video for the first time today. It was something that seemed like it was out of an Austin Powers’ movie and seemed so over-the-top that I didn’t know what to think. Check it out below and see what you think:
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‘Green Onions’ has been a staple at ballparks across America and Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the #181 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time. Jones wrote ‘Green Onions’ when he was a senior in high school in Memphis, TN. The money that he made from this song gave him enough money to be able to go to college at Indiana University where he studied classical music composition, composing and transposition in between playing gigs with the M.G.s.
Jones spent a lot of time writing music and working with other musicians like Otis Redding and Neil Young where he lent his infamous skills on the organ and keyboard to their records. Over time, he found himself left behind by the changes in the recording industry due to advancement in technology of the digital era. Jones decided that he would take some courses to educate himself on these new technologies so he could continue doing what he loves.
Jones’ name is synonymous with the Hammond B-3 organ and definitely does it justice on his new album, ‘Potato Hole.’ Jones recorded the album with the Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young as the back-up band. This album is more than the normal Booker T. and the M.G.s’ soul music that once was. It is now a powerful rock and roll sound that defies classical interpretations of what rock and roll is. Click the PLAY ALL button below to listen to the album free (courtesy of LaLa.com):
Jones’ album welcomes all different types of listeners. It seduces fans of the hip-hop genre with the cover of OutKast’s ‘Hey Ya’. It beckons Tom Waits’ fans to hear another version of ‘Get Behind the Mule’ which is much funkier than the original. The southern rock and roll fan will appreciate the DBTs (Drive-By Truckers) sound and Neil’s guitar, which is reminiscent of some of the stellar rips from CSNY, as the backup to Jones’ Hammond B-3 organ throughout the album.
I really don’t know what else to say other than that the album is a thing of beauty. I own few albums that can have such a direct impact on my mood like ‘Potato Hole.’ If I am feeling down because of a long day at work or because I saw a depressingly low number pop up on the ATM screen, all I need to do is toss this album on my car stereo and it will instantly make me feel better.
Booker T. and the Drive-By Truckers have been on tour for the past few weeks and one of their stops was at Bonnaroo earlier this month. I wasn’t able to make it out to Bonnaroo but I found a live recording from Booker T. & the DBTs’ set and it was amazing. The majority of the performance were selections from ‘Potato Hole’ but Booker T. asked the DBTs if they would perform some of their songs with him backing them up. They played ‘Zip City’, ‘Homefield Advantage’, ‘Let There Be Rock’ and ‘Lookout Mountain’.
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