Booker T. & the M.G.'s (1962 original US pressing) Green Onions/Behave Yourself
$
25
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Description
The product is a 1962 original US pressing vinyl single by Booker T. & the M.G.'s on the Stax Records label, catalog number S-127 (also listed as Stax 127 or STX-6295/6296 on the matrix sides). This is the classic debut single that launched the group's fame and became a cornerstone of instrumental soul/funk. With its unique vintage charm and soulful melodies, this record is a must-have for any music collector or enthusiast looking to add a piece of musical history to their collection.
* Side A: "Green Onions" (written by Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson Jr., and Lewie Steinberg; runtime ~2:45; instrumental). The track is a pure instrumental (no vocals), built on a gritty 12-bar blues progression with that iconic & unforgettable Hammond organ B3 riff, tight rhythm section, and Steve Cropper's signature guitar stabs. This iconic organ-driven groove and raw Memphis sound—peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart for four weeks in 1962. It's one of the most sampled and covered instrumentals in music history, defining Stax's gritty, soulful identity.
* Side B: "Behave Yourself" (same writers; runtime ~3:15; instrumental). The original A-side (before "Green Onions" was flipped to the plug side due to its popularity)—a smoother, mid-tempo organ groove with more melodic flair, showing the band's versatility.
Released in August 1962, this single was recorded at Stax Studios in Memphis (as the house band backing Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, and others). The track was largely improvised in the studio during a jam session, with Booker T. Jones bringing in the core Hammond organ riff (he was only 17 at the time and had played a version of it in clubs before). The group fleshed it out collaboratively—Cropper on guitar stabs, Steinberg's bass line, Jackson's tight drumming—making it a true band composition rather than a single person's work.
"Behave Yourself" was initially the intended hit, but DJs flipped it to "Green Onions," which exploded nationally. The white/gray Stax label with stacked records logo and "Distributed by Atlantic Record Sales" note (New York address) is typical for early Stax 45s (pre-1968 redesign). This pressing is from the first run on Stax before they switched to the more common later labels.
This is a monumental piece for your collection... the birth of Stax's signature sound.
This original was pressed by MGM Custom Pressing Division with lacquer cutting done at Atlantic Studios. This is an authentic early Atlantic-distributed pressing, not a later reissue or bootleg.
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