Time Is Tight
A soundtrack instrumental that became their second biggest hit and was later covered by the Clash.
Booker T. & The MG's (1969)
- Released
- 1969
Time Is Tight was recorded for the soundtrack to the 1968 film Up Tight, which Booker T. Jones scored. The group cut two versions. The single, at 3:14, is shorter and slower. It was released in 1969, reached number 6 on the pop chart and number 7 on the R&B chart, and went to number 1 in South Africa. The 4:55 album version is faster and has an extended introduction and a breakdown section.
The Clash covered it, having already used it as a live warm-up, and put it on their 1980 compilation Black Market Clash. Topper Headon, their drummer, recorded a version for his 1986 solo debut Waking Up. The Blues Brothers used it as an intro to their shows in a medley with Otis Redding's I Can't Turn You Loose. Buckwheat Zydeco gave it a zydeco treatment on On a Night Like This in 1987.
Covers and versions
- The Clash (1980) On Black Market Clash. They had played it as a warm-up in concert.
- Topper Headon (1986) On his solo debut Waking Up.
- Buckwheat Zydeco (1987) A zydeco-styled version on On a Night Like This.
More songs by Booker T. & The MG's
Green Onions, Hip Hug-Her, Soul Limbo, Melting Pot
Sources
- Time Is Tight, Wikipedia
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Wikipedia