The Beatles and Booker T and the MG's

[lennon211]

Having gone to Memphis this past weekend to watch my football team play in their bowl game, I began listening to the local music in earnest...specifically Sun and Stax. I sated my Sun appetite, but have been listening to Stax non stop over the past few days. As a result, I've been revisiting the large amount of Booker T and the MG's that I have which leads me to this: they have produced some of the best covers of the Beatles ever. If you've never had the chance to look into the material that the Memphis-based quartet created around the songs that the Beatles wrote, do yourself a favor. The covers that they put out of the Beatles' songs include: "Lady Madonna", "Michelle", "Eleanor Rigby", "Day Tripper", "You Can't Do That". They also had a full album called McLemore Avenue consisting of Abbey Road covers; the sleeve even features them walking across McLemore Avenue in Memphis. The songs on McLemore are "Medley: Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End/Here Comes the Sun/Come Together", "Something", "Medley: Because/ You Never Give Me Your Money", and "Medley: Sun King/ Mean Mr. Mustard/ Polythene Pam/ She Came in Through the Bathroom Window/ I Want You (She's So Heavy)."

Additionally, if you've not heard the Beatles' song "12-Bar Original," it's not too difficult to hear a clear Stax/Booker T influence.

[kiramdear]

Matthew, I'm with you here. Their Beatles covers are a few good reasons that I dug these cats since the sixties.

Har, I forgot about that album cover

[ozover50]

I have all their albums and have always really enjoyed their Beatles' covers. I've loved 'McLemore Avenue' since the day my brother gave it to me for my birthday many, many years ago.

The reverse of the cover is pretty cool too........ love the derelict guy!

[lennon211]

They really nailed the songs into the R&B grooves, but kept the melodies just right. I don't think that I've ever heard a BAD song by Booker T & co. The cover that they do of "You Can't Do That" is among my favorites of their Beatles' covers and their work in general.

[Scastles]

Fitting Booker T would do excellent covers of the Beatles. It was the Beatles' plans to originally record Revolver at the Stax studios. If for nothing more than to get that same sound that had come from nearly every artist that recorded at Stax.

[lennon211]

Fitting Booker T would do excellent covers of the Beatles. It was the Beatles' plans to originally record Revolver at the Stax studios. If for nothing more than to get that same sound that had come from nearly every artist that recorded at Stax.

Part of that great sound came from the acoustics of the room which was a converted movie theater. That and of course the fact that Booker T and the MG's were the house band that played on the bulk of the recordings made there.