Reissued for the First Time Since Original 1971 Release; 180g Vinyl LP All-Analog Mastered by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl and Pressed at Memphis Record Pressing

In the fall of 2019 Craft Recordings will reissue five albums from the Stax vault on 180-gram vinyl including The Bar-Kays' Gotta Groove, Booker T. & The M.G.'s Melting Pot, Delaney & Bonnie's Home, David Porter's Victim of the Joke?...An Opera, and Johnnie Taylor's Who's Making Love. All LPs have been cut from their original analog tapes by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl and manufactured at Memphis Record Pressing. These reissues are part of a yearlong celebration of Stax, and of the 50th anniversary of the legendary label's "Soul Explosion" – an era of rebuilding following its separation from Atlantic Records. During this period, the newly independent label not only signed fresh, emerging talent but also released an impressive collection of 27 albums and 30 singles in just a handful of months.

Melting Pot marked a turning point for the influential instrumental group Booker T. & The M.G.'s. Released in 1971, it was the final studio album to include the original lineup of the longtime Stax house band (Booker T. Jones on keyboards, Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, and Al Jackson Jr. on drums). Comprised entirely of original material, Melting Pot finds the four-piece digging deep into some expansive jams. Highlights include the eight-minute-long title track, which became an underground hit and drove the album to No. 2 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. The song's tight drums, upbeat organ, and catchy guitar licks have been sampled in over 20 songs by such artists as Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Big Daddy Kane, and Kenny Dope. Other highlights include the poppy "Sunny Monday," as well as the nearly 9-minute-long "Kinda Easy Like," which harkens back to "Green Onions."

Praised as one of the band's best albums by Rolling Stone and All Music, among others, this reissue of Melting Pot will be the very first vinyl reissue of the LP since its original release.

Features:
• 180g vinyl LP reissue from Craft Recordings
• Reissued for the first time on the format since original 1971 release
• All-analog mastering by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl
• Pressed at Memphis Record Pressing
• Classic tip-on jacket