"I'm shocked that some of these things didn't get released...Man I could have used these things...we could have just put this out...That would have been the perfect album!" Steve Cropper in an interview with Rob Bowman, 1994, when he heard these tracks again
We were one of the few bands that were popular covering other people's songs says Booker T. He's right. With the exception of their second LP Soul Dressing, Booker T & The MGs albums were (indeed, are) predominantly composed of cover material. During their years at Stax, the group acted as session house band for innumerable stars, including everyone from southern soul giant Otis Redding to blues legend Albert King. They played almost continuously, often tacking short sessions of their own on to star sessions that had either finished early or started late. Some of the material found its way on to their own many albums, but much of it was put on the shelf and forgotten about in their hectic recording schedules. When MGs guitarist Steve Cropper heard a tape of this collection of 25 previously unissued tracks he said: I'm shocked that some of these didn't get released. I think we just forgot them. I think they were just back on the shelf and nobody took the time (to ever listen to them again). Man I could have used these things, I guarantee you. There was a time when we needed a record and Booker wouldn't record, we could have put this out. We had the rights to the stuff. That would have been a perfect album!Cropper's assessment is spot on and Stax, instrumental, and just plain Booker T & The MGs fans are in for a real treat. Thanks to the Stax Sessions series and the diligent tape research by Ace's Roger Armstrong, a beautiful slice of 1960s soul history is finally brought back to life.
