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 .[ 10] The album features only instrumental songs and features Steve Cropper playing a Fender Telecaster .[ 11]
The cover photo was shot by Irving Schild , who would go on to have a 52-year career as Mad Magazine 's primary photographer.[ 12] The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die .[ 13]
In 2012, the album was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant".[ 14]
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 Richard3:35 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
Booker T. & the M.G.s
Technical
Haig Adishian – cover design
Irving Schild – cover photography
^ a b Eder, Bruce. Green Onions at AllMusic . Retrieved December 1, 2015.
^ a b Lydon, Michael (2016). "Booker T. And the M.G.s.". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . London: Cassell Illustrated . p. 56.
^ Egan, Sean. "Booker T. & the MG's: 'Green Onions' review" . BBC Music . Retrieved September 21, 2024 .
^ Larkin, Colin (1998). "Booker T. & the M.G.'s". Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Groves Dictionaries . pp. 664–655 . ISBN 1-561-59237-4 .
^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Booker T. & the M.G.'s". The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books . pp. 172–173 . ISBN 1-84195-615-5 .
^ Graff, Gary; Freedom du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim, eds. (1998). "Booker T. & the M.G.'s". MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide . Visible Ink Press. pp. 62–63 . ISBN 1-57859-026-4 .
^ Leight, Elias (February 28, 2013). "Booker T. & the M.G.'s: Green Onions (Stax Remasters)" . PopMatters . Retrieved September 21, 2024 .
^ Evans, Paul (1992). "Booker T. & the M.G.'s". In DeCurtis, Anthony ; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House . pp. 74–75 . ISBN 0-679-73729-4 .
^ Rushbury, Ian (June 29, 2023). "Booker T. & the M.G.'s: Green Onions (Deluxe 60th Anniversary Edition)" . Under the Radar . Retrieved September 21, 2024 .
^ Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Trade. p.229-233 ISBN 0-8256-7284-8
^ Electric Guitar Classics:2010 Calendar Published by Sellers Publishing, Inc. Archived 2010-12-29 at archive.today Copyright 2009
^ https://staxmuseum.com/meet-irving-schild-who-took-the-very-first-stax-records-lp-cover-photo-green-onions/ [bare URL ]
^ ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2 .
^ "2011 – National Recording Preservation Board" . Library of Congress . Retrieved April 25, 2017 .