Just before Beatlemania was unleashed onto the world, this album was released, way back in 1962. It was seen as a revolutionary album of its kind. Does it still sound good after several decades and many different musical genres coming and going? Let’s find out.

First we kick off with the title track Green Onions which is an amazing piece driven by organ and a Jazz backing band, It is instantly recognisable and wonderful, too. There is subdued guitar here as well. It is a very good listen, even today and is really timeless. The lead guitar playing throughout is awesome, and the whole piece is awesome. A nice retro mesh of keyboard and other excellent musicianship, this is a winner. A memorable and historic tune, this is wonderful.

Next is Rinky Dink is a more summery feeling tune with some really great drum rolls in it. The keyboard in it is very retro, although at the time would have been revolutionary. The riff played on both organ and guitar is very good. An interesting listening experience, this is very awesome and memorable. A top listen, and very interesting for music of this sort. It fades out gently.

I Got A Woman is next, with an uptempo drum beat and a fine launchpad of sonic performance. In retrospect, this is very good, although perhaps somewhat directed to a niche audience. A fine and fast piece of instrumental organ driven music. The guitar solo here in the middle is really well done, too. A great piece of music, this is really awesome. Great to hear this sort of music here, the playing is fantastic. Very fast and interesting.

Mo’ Onions begins with a quiet drumroll and is a reprise of the title track. It is much more subdued than the original track, and sounds really quiet, but groovy. The guitar playing here is really rhythm based in a lead guitar melodic sense. This is quite good, and is much like what a DJ remix would be today. Interesting to hear, although not as good as the title track here.

Next is Twist and Shout which is a classic instrumental rendition of the original song, covered by many others at the time. Interesting to hear, and the organ and guitar playing are really excellent here. This whole piece sounds really top. Very groovy and very 1960s, these guys knew their craft. Excellent tune.

Following is Behave Yourself which is much slower and more melodic than you’d expect. It has some incredible organ playing, somewhat a reminder of the keyboard solos of Progressive Rock. It rolls along gently, before guitar and drum rolls enter to join the organ playing. This is hard work, and is nicely played here. A slow and subdued listen, this is quite good for an effort. Interesting listening, this sounds really quite good. Nice for something different.

Stranger On The Shore begins with a slow keyboard playing away with that typical 1960s sound to it. Good to hear, mind you at this point, the album begins to drag. This music is not bad, it’s just not as good as it could have been. Some relief comes with electric guitar here, but still, it is a bit slow this tune. This is easily forgivable in retrospect, though. There is some nice electric guitar playing here too.

Lonely Avenue is next and sounds chilled and slow, with some more great organ playing. Once again, this is a little too slow for many people but bear in mind that this album was groundbreaking at the time. A really great piece of music in a sense, although by this point, the album’s appeal wears thin. A decent tune, however with a good guitar solo. One can appreciate the effort here, although this is way too slow and subdued for many.

Next is One Who Really Loves You which is better and more interesting than what has come before it. The 1960s organ still reigns high here, and this piece is decent. It is a strange mix of Rock and keyboard sensibility, but works quite well here. Good tune, although perhaps not as great as one may feel. Interesting anyway.

Following is You Can’t Sit Down which is far more upbeat. It begins with some top organ work, before going into a better piece of music that is quite energetic and interesting, with some great clean guitar work in it. This piece is really quite good, and although this album is rather patchy, this is a highlight of the album. Decent to hear, this is very enjoyable listening, with alternating sections that sound quite good. A better piece from this album.

A Woman, A Lover, A Friend is next, and sounds like a slower piece, which is like the other slow cuts on this album, a bit of a drag in that sense. In any case, it is a good listen, just not overly impressive. Still, good but just not great here. Fortunately, we are heading towards the end of this album, so no issues there. The outro is pretty good, however.

Comin’ Home Baby is last here and has an alternating section between bass guitar and organ. This cut is left as last for an obvious reason, by this point, the album’s appeal is losing it. Still, a good effort, just not a really great one. Nonetheless, it is good to hear this album conclude well, although not fantastically. The guitar work is quite good here though, and is a welcome change from the organ playing here.

Okay this is not the greatest album of all time, let alone the 1960s. Still, it is a masterclass in organ playing, even if some of the material is a drag here. Points for the organ performance, but just unappealing otherwise. Worth listening if you like great organ keyboard playing, otherwise, avoid.

A bit dull.

7/10