Uptight [Soundtrack]

Booker T. & The MG's | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 29, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Stax
• ASIN: B000000ZL1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,070 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an unusual & excellent collection, November 25, 1999

By 

DJ Rix (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uptight (Audio CD)

A remake of the film, "The Informer," the imposed demands of soundtrack music combined with the funky discipline of the band make this an unusual & excellent collection. Besides a couple of versions of "Time is Tight," & turns at the mic by Booker T & Judy Clay, this is perhaps the most musically diverse album BT & the MGs made (McLemore Avenue excepted, but a few other guys wrote those songs). Straight blues, tricky turns of time signature, angular rhythms, even a carousel waltz. The band really stretches. & the late Al Jackson is absolute perfection, bless him.

Bob Rixon, WFMU-FM

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A third of the tunes are closer to film scoring than juke joint jams, April 2, 2010

By 

Sambson (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uptight (Audio CD)

The catch here is that Booker T. & The MG's are famous for their rump shakin' instrumentals, but the first three instrumentals here are much closer to film scoring than juke joint jams. That is to say that they were written for the purpose of ambient visual support, rather than catchy R&B hits. Truth be told, the two selections with vocals are right in there with the best instrumental material on this disc. Personally, I find "Deadwood Dick" to be a catchy but rather strange Arabic Circus tune (were they trying to re-invent "People Are Strange"?!), and "Cleveland Now" a pastoral organ and bongo creep, "Tank's Lament" a smartly devised piano and organ solo, while "Run Tank Run" is an ambient bongo and guitar workout. This leaves only "We've Got Johnny Wells", "Down At Ralph's Joint" and "Time Is Tight" for a BEST OF set (plus I'd include the two vocals and the spiritual "Blues In The Gutter"). I think it's quite nice coupled with MELTING POT. One bonus is that all the tunes are self-penned, rather than featuring any cover tunes; which they were as famous as The Ventures for doing.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars some amazing stuff, September 28, 2002

By 

none of your business "just a dude" (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uptight (Audio CD)

Exactly what I meant - "some" amazing stuff. Half of these songs side with the best stuff the band ever did. Some of it might be a bit more fluffy, but don't let the two-star "music fan from Richmond" review steer you wrong: I mean, come on, s/he says that the album pales next to songs like "time is tight," and that song is actually ON the freaking album. So get off the pipe, friend. "Tank's Lament" is one of the more beautiful and poignant tunes ever; "Down at Ralph's Joint" swings like hell, "Run Tank Run" might be Al Jackson Jr.'s finest hour, and yeah, "Time is Tight" just can't be stopped. So at least listen to the samples.