{|Booker T. Jones|} was so taken with {|the Beatles|}' {|Abbey Road|}, he claims he had to respond, just to say thanks. He convened {|the MG's|} -- drummer {|Al Jackson Jr.|}, bassist {|Donald Duck Dunn|}, and guitarist {|Steve Cropper|}, and recorde... Read more

{|Booker T. Jones|} was so taken with {|the Beatles|}' {|Abbey Road|}, he claims he had to respond, just to say thanks. He convened {|the MG's|} -- drummer {|Al Jackson Jr.|}, bassist {|Donald Duck Dunn|}, and guitarist {|Steve Cropper|}, and recorded {|McLemore Avenue|}, a cover version of the entire {|Abbey Road|} album in three long medleys (that approximated the structure of {|the Beatles|}' album -- particularly its second side) with a cover of {|George Harrison|}'s {|Something|} set aside as a single. {|The MG's|} even aped {|the Beatles|}' cover photo, with one of them strolling down McLemore Avenue, the home of {|Stax Records|}. {|Booker T. & the MG's|} turned an already hip record into one that was funky as hell, and one that kept listeners guessing by rearranging the order of the tunes to suit {|the MG's|} as a band. The set begins with a medley of {|Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End/Here Comes the Sun/Come Together.|} The juxtaposition of the first two cuts is jarring but seamless. The quartet nails {|The End,|} with fine soloing from {|Cropper|} and heated work from {|Jones|} on organ and electric piano, before a crescendo and a Moog intros {|Here Comes the Sun,|} done as a summery {|Jimmy Smith|}-styled jazz number before turning all sinister on {|Come Together.|} {|Something|} may have seemed a curious choice for a single, but with {|Cropper|}'s greasy, bluesy guitar break and {|Jones|} playing his organ rhythmically more than melodically, it works beautifully. {|Because,|} wedded to {|You Never Give Me Your Money,|} is a spacious blend of melody and psychedelic groove, setting up the final medley. It is the set's tour de force, commencing with a shimmering {|Sun King,|} before {|Jackson|}'s drums announce a sprightly, funky {|Mean Mr. Mustard|} that careens into the guitar overdrive of {|Polythene Pam|} and the breezy {|She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,|} which morphs into a dramatic, blues-drenched, {|I Want You (She's So Heavy)|} to close it out. Not only is {|McLemore Avenue|} a stellar interpretation of {|Abbey Road|}, it's one of the finest {|Booker T. & the MG's|} albums to boot. ~ Thom Jurek Less