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Booker T. & the MG's do what they do very well. What they do is present a spare, funky sound in which each instrument, drums (here played by Steve Jordan or James Gadson), bass, guitar, and organ, is heard distinctly, playing medium tempo melodies with slight variations. Precision is a key, and the result, while impressive, is anything but showy. Seventeen years since their last outing, the group exhibits the same qualities and the same limitations it did in its heyday.

With apologies to groups like The Meters, Bar-Kays, and Average White Band, when it comes to all-time great instrumental R&B bands, for most folks Booker T. & the MG's represent the gold standard. And with good reason'or, actually reasons! First of all, as the house band of the hallowed Stax label, The MG's pretty much invented the sound of Southern soul, playing on records by everybody from Otis Redding to Wilson Pickett to Carla Thomas. Second, on their own as Booker T & the MG's, they came up with some of the most indelible instrumental jams of all time, including'but by no means limited to!''Green Onions.' And, third, each member of the band was an absolute monster on their instrument, to this day revered and copied by untold numbers of musicians. Indeed, by the time the mid '60s rolled around, bands on both sides of the Atlantic wanted to sound like Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr, and Lewie Steinberg (replaced about halfway through this collection by the great Donald 'Duck' Dunn).

A very cool, very unusual set from late 70s Finland - a keyboard-heavy batch of electronic pop that feels much more like UK work from a few years later - which might make T.T. Oksala way ahead of his time! T.T. plays a range of keyboards and guitar on the record, augmented by bass and drums - and most numbers have this tight, tuneful approach - but one that still allows for plenty of experimental elements too - almost a fusing of earlier prog with an 80s electro pop mode - with all the best bits still left in the middle! Lyrics are in English, which furthers the appeal of the set - and the whole thing almost feels like some of those obscure 80s records reissued recently by Medical Records.

Following their highly acclaimed studio album "Into The Great Unknown", H.E.A.T. went on an extensive tour to showcase their incredible live performance skills…

This Rhino U.K. 2012 box set rounds up the prime of Booker T. & the MG's, the five albums they released between 1962 and 1968: Green Onions, Soul Dressing, And Now!, Hip Hug-Her, and Doin' Our Thing. Often, Booker T. & the MG's are seen as nothing more than a singles act but these records illustrate just how deeply their gifts ran, as they are all deeply funky, gritty, soulful records that are easy to enjoy. And when they're collected in this convenient little box, they're even easier – and cheaper – to appreciate.

A compilation of Miami disco heat! T.K. Records was created 1973 by Henry Stone in Miami, FL and closed down in 1981.