Search - Booker T & the Mg's :: Uptight

An unusual & excellent collection

DJ Rix | NJ USA | 11/25/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A remake of the film, "The Informer," the imposed demands of soundtrack music combined with the funky discipline of the band make this an unusual & excellent collection. Besides a couple of versions of "Time is Tight," & turns at the mic by Booker T & Judy Clay, this is perhaps the most musically diverse album BT & the MGs made (McLemore Avenue excepted, but a few other guys wrote those songs). Straight blues, tricky turns of time signature, angular rhythms, even a carousel waltz. The band really stretches. & the late Al Jackson is absolute perfection, bless him.

Bob Rixon, WFMU-FM"

Some amazing stuff

none of your business | Charlottesville, VA United States | 09/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Exactly what I meant - "some" amazing stuff. Half of these songs side with the best stuff the band ever did. Some of it might be a bit more fluffy, but don't let the two-star "music fan from Richmond" review steer you wrong: I mean, come on, s/he says that the album pales next to songs like "time is tight," and that song is actually ON the freaking album. So get off the pipe, friend. "Tank's Lament" is one of the more beautiful and poignant tunes ever; "Down at Ralph's Joint" swings like hell, "Run Tank Run" might be Al Jackson Jr.'s finest hour, and yeah, "Time is Tight" just can't be stopped. So at least listen to the samples."

Poor quality

BRETT ROBSON | Tokyo | 10/28/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I am not particularly happy with the audio quality of this CD. There is a lot of noise that should not be there. The original recording was done in 1969 and it should have a lot less noise than there is.



The stereo separation is extreme, which was often done in those days but could probably have been fixed in the remastering process; the organ and drums are hard right, the guitar and bass hard left. This varies a bit between tracks but is most prominent on Time is Tight; some tracks have instruments center but the bass and drums are always hard panned. Combined with the noise this makes it hard to listen to with headphones.



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