Universal Language (Booker T. & the M.G.'s album)

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Universal Language is a 1977 studio album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. It was released on Asylum Records after the Stax Records era ended in 1975. The album is dedicated to M.G.’s drummer Al Jackson, Jr., who was murdered in 1975; Willie Hall played drums on the recording in his place. The group wouldn’t release another album for 17 years, returning in 1994 with That’s the Way It Should Be.

Recording details:
- Studio: Clover (Hollywood), California
- Genre: Soul, instrumental rock
- Length: 32 minutes and 59 seconds
- Producer: Booker T. & the M.G.’s; Tom Dowd co-produced on the track Space Nuts
- Background: Recorded after Stax’s closure; the album marked a new chapter for the band

Songs and writing:
- All songs were written by Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, and Donald “Duck” Dunn, except where noted
- Tie Stick is co-written with Johnny Stevenson

Track listing
Side One
1) Sticky Stuff – 4:09
2) Grab Bag – 4:32
3) Space Nuts – 3:27
4) Love Wheels – 3:38
5) Motocross – 4:33

Side Two
6) Last Tango in Memphis – 5:26
7) MG's Salsa – 5:27
8) Tie Stick – 5:01 (credits: Cropper, Dunn, Jones, Johnny Stevenson)
9) Reincarnation – 5:12

Personnel
- Booker T. Jones – keyboards
- Steve Cropper – guitar
- Donald “Duck” Dunn – bass
- Willie Hall – drums

Technical
- Engineers: Austin Godsey, Toby Scott
- Art direction: Tony Lane
- Cover: Jonathan Seay

Reception
- AllMusic gave the album 2 out of 5 stars
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Music rated it 1 out of 5 stars
- The Rolling Stone Record Guide also gave it 1 out of 5 stars

Notes
- The album followed the end of Stax Records and was a transitional release for the M.G.’s
- It was dedicated to Al Jackson, Jr., with Willie Hall joining the group for this recording
- The band would not release another album until 1994’s That’s the Way It Should Be