As the Stax house band, Booker T. & The MG's (stands for "Memphis Group") provided the soundtrack for some of the best soul music cut during the 60's. Booker T. Jones (organ), Steve Cropper (guitar), Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass), and Al Jackson, Jr. (drums) virtually invented the term "tight" as used to describe a band. They seemed to be one instrument, grooving cool and quiet in its own universe. Their hits, beginning with "Green Onions" (1962) and continuing on through the early 70's, were all-instrumental odes to the good life, providing an oasis during a much more tempestuous and libidinal time.

Rhino's Very Best Of Booker T. & The MG's is a first-rate sampler, compiling most - but not all - of the group's hit singles. Stax UK's Time Is Tight boxed set is better, but it is designed more for serious collectors instead of casual fans; oddly, it omits the superior 45 version of the marvelous title track in favor of an inferior live version. Digging deeper, the MG's best original albums Green Onions, Hip Hug-Her, McLemore Avenue, and Melting Pot are available on CD, too, as is their beautiful holiday record, In The Christmas Spirit (read more).