Time Is Tight [BOX SET]

Booker T. & The MG's

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 1, 1998
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Stax
• ASIN: B00000C2PD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,934 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > R&B > Soul > Memphis Soul

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Almost an accidental ensemble, Booker T. & the MGs came together for a functional reason--to play as the house band for Memphis's Stax Records. But organist Booker T. Jones and guitarist Steve Cropper found alchemy, transforming rhythm-section riffing into an art, slicing through air where listeners expected vocals and doing so with tremendous success on their first single, "Green Onions," which was later featured on the American Graffiti soundtrack. This three-CD set captures the quartet's core in plentiful doses, leading off with their 1961 first salvo and cruising through numerous attempts at remaking the soulful classic. But in tinkering with the "Green Onions" formula, the band found dozens of instrumental variations, much like later, all-instrumental genre straddlers like Medeski Martin & Wood. They also found countless hours of work, backing some of Memphis soul's most revered artists (think Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett) and defining a backbone sound of organ and guitar layered over the increasingly vital rhythms of bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and original drummer Al Jackson. They played expansive minor-key soul, as "Ode to Billie Joe" and many other tunes here attest, and later in the 1960s went on to churn out charting hits and great albums alike. The second CD in this set captures some great moments, especially the segments from McLemore Avenue, the quartet's all-instrumental tune-for-tune riposte to Abbey Road. Later in the set you get Albert King on vocals for a gritty "Born Under a Bad Sign" and then Boz Scaggs and Neil Young fronting the quartet (with Steve Potts or Jim Keltner drumming in place of the long-ago murdered Jackson). This collection will leave you wanting more. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ONE ***H-U-G-E*** FLAW!!!, August 16, 2004

By	Skylark (a human on Island Earth) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're a serious Booker T & the MGs fan you'll probably want to get this set BUT, because of ONE HUGE FLAW, it stands FAR from being definitive; THE TITLE TRACK IS THE WRONG TAKE!!! I cannot imagine how this could have happened. (And I can scarcely believe that I don't see this glaring flaw mentioned in any of the other reviews!) The bass line ---arguably the most definitive element of the song--- is ENTIRELY DIFFERENT, which makes it interesting from an oddities/rarities perspective, but... "Time Is Tight" is one of my favorite cuts from this band and one of the main reasons I bought this set. I'm a professional bassist and it's one of the first songs I learned to play, one of the songs that played a significant role in my most formative years; I know it intimately. What a HUGE let-down it was when I discovered that the famous version of the song was not included and, after dropping fifty bucks, I still had to go out and buy "The Very Best Of..." to scratch the itch! And, while I'm a it... I have a compilation from the late '60s that has many cuts missing from this set. I'd much prefer to have some of those, rather than the 'live stuff. So, in summary; Hard-core fans only... Those willing to buy additional CDs to fill out the collection.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Instrumental fans enjoy, February 17, 2001

By	J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would actually give this set 4.5 stars. I have been waiting for a comprehensive collection from this band for a long time. The only reason I am not giving it five stars is the live cuts at the end of disc 3 with the exception of the Albert Kings numbers, are unnecessary. Especially since studio versions of some of these songs are already on the set. These songs are from the period after the band reformed WITHOUT Al Jackson, Jr. on drums. If live versions were selected they could have been chosen from the classic period. Rob Bowman and Bill Belmont would have been better served to add more studio rarites, either non-lp sides or unissued tracks. Ace currently has an excellent import cd entitled "Play The Hip Hits" which includes unissued and rare cover versions from their classic period only one of which "Fannie Mae" appears on this set. The liner notes inside that cd state that there are also unissued cuts written by the band still in the vaults. This being said "Time Is Tight" is an great box set. I have many box sets and I play this one more than most. I like the fact that the first disc concentrates on the period when the band was distributed by Atlantic. The second disc starts after this distribution deal had ended. The discs themselves contain most of their "hits" along with familiar covers and cool album tracks. However "Booker-Loo" & "Red Beans & Rice" were omitted from the "Greatest Hits" cd. These discs illustrate what a tight band that the MGs were. Steve Cropper is an excellent but underrated guitarist. Al Jackson Jr. is a steady and funky drummer. Donald "Duck" Dunn is an inventive bass player while Booker T. Jones is equally adept at organ or piano. It is easy to see why these musicians were/are in such demand to back their more famous contemporaries. In summary if you are a fan of instrumental music or funk/soul this is an essential purchase. It is also great music to play in the car while cruising.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Instrumental fans enjoy, February 17, 2001

By	J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would actually give this set 4.5 stars. I have been waiting for a comprehensive collection from this band for a long time. The only reason I am not giving it five stars is the live cuts at the end of disc 3 with the exception of the Albert King numbers, are unnecessary. Especially since studio versions of some of these songs are already on the set. These songs are from the period after the band reformed WITHOUT Al Jackson, Jr. on drums. If live versions were selected they could have been chosen from the classic period. Rob Bowman and Bill Belmont would have been better served to add more studio rarites, either non-lp sides or unissued tracks. Ace currently has an excellent import cd entitled "Play The Hip Hits" which includes unissued and rare cover versions from their classic period only one of which "Fannie Mae" appears on this set. The liner notes inside that cd state that there are also unissued cuts written by the band still in the vaults. This being said "Time Is Tight" is an great box set. I have many box sets and I play this one more than most. I like the fact that the first disc concentrates on the period when the band was distributed by Atlantic. The second disc starts after this distribution deal had ended. The discs themselves contain most of their "hits" along with familiar covers and cool album tracks. However "Booker-Loo" & "Red Beans & Rice" were omitted from the "Greatest Hits" cd. These discs illustrate what a tight band that the MGs were. Steve Cropper is an excellent but underrated guitarist. Al Jackson Jr. is a steady and funky drummer. Donald "Duck" Dunn is an inventive bass player while Booker T. Jones is equally adept at organ or piano. It is easy to see why these musicians were/are in such demand to back their more famous contemporaries. In summary if you are a fan of instrumental music or funk/soul this is an essential purchase. It is also great music to play in the car while cruising.