Soul Limbo

Soul Limbo
Studio album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Released	September 1968
Recorded	1968
Studio	Stax Recording Studio, Memphis
Genre	R&B, instrumental rock
Length	39:21
Label	Stax
Producer	Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s chronology
Doin' Our Thing (1968) Soul Limbo (1968) Up Tight (1969)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	(positive) [2]

Soul Limbo is the seventh studio album by the American R&B band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released in 1968 on Stax Records. The album was the first Stax LP issued after the label severed its ties with former distributor Atlantic Records in 1968.

The song features a marimba solo by Terry Manning and cowbell by Isaac Hayes. The song was later covered by the English punk band Snuff. It references the Trinidadian dance and game The Limbo, which had a surge of popularity in the United States starting in the mid-1950s. The song makes use of a common chord progression that was featured in such 1950s and 1960s hits as "La Bamba", "Louie Louie", and "Wild Thing".

The album also features the group's hit version of the title theme from the film Hang 'Em High . ^[3]

In popular culture

The title track is perhaps best known in the United Kingdom as the theme tune for BBC Television's cricket coverage and also for BBC Radio’s Test Match Special . For the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup in England, the Barmy Army group of English cricket supporters recorded "Come on England", set to the tune of the title track and released by Wildstar Records. The music video included appearances from Ian Botham, Ronnie Irani, Dickie Bird and Chris Tarrant. ^[4]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" (J.R. Cobb, Ray Whitley)
2. "La-La (Means I Love You)" (Thom Bell, William Hart)
3. "Hang 'Em High" (Dominic Frontiere)
4. "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell)
5. "Over Easy" (Booker T. & the M.G.'s)
6. "Soul Limbo" (Booker T. & the M.G.'s)

Side two

1. "Eleanor Rigby" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
2. "Heads or Tails" (Booker T. & the M.G.'s)
3. "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" (Aretha Franklin, Teddy White)
4. "Born Under a Bad Sign" (William Bell, Booker T. Jones)
5. "Foxy Lady" (Jimi Hendrix)

Personnel

Booker T. & the M.G.s

• Booker T. Jones - Hammond organ, clavinet, piano, guitar
• Steve Cropper - guitar
• Donald Dunn - bass guitar
• Al Jackson Jr. - drums, percussion

with:

• Terry Manning - marimba on "Soul Limbo"
• Isaac Hayes - cowbell on "Soul Limbo"

References

1. Koda, Cub Thomas. Soul Limbo at AllMusic
2. Giraudo, Peter (November 9, 1968). "Reviews". Rolling Stone . San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
3. Galloway, A. Scott (1994). Rock Instrumental Classics Volume 4: Soul (p. 14) [CD booklet]. Los Angeles: Rhino Records.
4. England's Barmy Army (April 23, 1999). Come on England (Music video). Wildstar Records. Retrieved June 29, 2025– via YouTube.