50th Anniversary 2-LP Reissue COMPILATION 2 LPs, gatefold jacket Original analog Master tape : YES Heavy Press : 180g Record color : Black Speed : 33 RPM Size : 12'’ Stereo Studio Record Press : Memphis Record Pressing Label : Craft Recordings Original Label : Stax Lacquer cut by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl Originally released in 1969 Reissued in May 2019 Tracks: Side A: Who’s Making Love - Johnnie Taylor Like Everything About You - Jimmy Hughes Hang ‘Em High - Booker T. & The MG’s Where Do I Go - Carla Thomas [click here to see more vinyl featuring Carla Thomas] I’ve Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do) - Eddie Floyd Smell Of Incense - Southwest F.O.B. Cold Feet - Albert King [click here to see more vinyl featuring Albert King] Side B: Soul Limbo - Booker T. & The MG’s So Nice - The Mad Lads Bring It On Home To Me - Eddie Floyd Private Number - William Bell & Judy Clay Long Walk To D.C. - The Staple Singers [click here to see more vinyl featuring The Staple Singers] I’ve Got A Sure Thing - Ollie & The Nightingales Copy Kat - The Bar-Kays Side C: Soul Clap ‘69 - Booker T. & The MG’s Hear My Call - The Staple Singers [click here to see more vinyl featuring The Staple Singers] Save Your Love For Me - Johnnie Taylor Peeped Around Yonder’s Bend - Jimmy Hughes Book Of Love - Carla Thomas These Old Memories - The Mad Lads Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - Southwest F.O.B. Side D: Hot Hips - The Bar-Kays Heartache Mountain - Ollie & The Nightingales Twenty Years From Today - Johnnie Taylor It’s Wrong To Be Loving You - Eddie Floyd It’s Me - Judy Clay Booker’s Theme - Booker T. & The MG’s Left Hand Woman (Get Right With Me) - Albert King Reviews: "1969 was a hell of a year, something’s that quite obvious from all of the 50th anniversary celebrations going on right now. What you probably didn’t realize is that 2019 is also the 50th anniversary of Stax Records’ Soul Explosion, a landmark collection of songs that was released in an effort to re-brand Stax as the most important soul label of the day. Stax released 27 albums and 30 singles over just a few months in 1969, and Soul Explosion celebrated this feat in a compilation album that featured such iconic artists such as Booker T. & the MG’s, Johnnie Taylor, Carla Thomas, Albert King, The Staple Singers, Eddie Floyd and oh, the list just goes on and on. Soul Explosion wasn’t a greatest hits collection–it was a proclamation that soul had arrived in full force, and Stax was the new king. (…) If you think 27 straight tracks of classic ’60s soul music can test your attention span, you’ll be surprised by the sheer variety on Soul Explosion. These artists were all doing their own things in the studio and sounded very different from each other. You probably already know about the groovy instrumental tracks from Booker T. & the MG’s, but how about the psychedelic, rock-based rhythms of Southwest F.O.B.’s “Smell of Incense”? Albert King dove deep into the blues with a fitting sense of regret, but the Bar-Kays’ “Copy Kat” sounds like it was delivered by a bunch of kids running wildly through the streets on a hot summer day.” Part time Audiophile Ratings : Discogs : 4.16 / 5
