- Issac Hayes "Hot Buttered Soul" !
- Small Batch 180 gram LP from Craft Recordings !
- Pressed using a one-step lacquer process at RTI utilizing Neotech's VR900 PVC compound !
- All-analog mastering by Bernie Grundman from the original master tape !
- Housed in a foil-stamped linen-wrapped slipcase !
- In-depth liner notes !
- Numbered and limited to 3000 copies worldwide !

"(A) kind of you-are-there intimacy..." - The Absolute Sound
Isaac Hayes earth-shattering record Hot Buttered Soul is the sixth release in Craft Recordings' acclaimed one-step lacquer process series, Small Batch. Released on Stax Records in 1969, Hot Buttered Soul pushed the boundaries of soul music, while setting Hayes on the path to superstardom, thanks to such groundbreaking tracks as "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", plus ambitious renditions of the Bacharach / David classic "Walk on By" and Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".

As with all Small Batch titles, Hot Buttered Soul was mastered from its original master tapes (AAA) by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180 gram vinyl at RTI using Neotech's VR900 compound, using a one-step lacquer process (as opposed to the standard three-step process). This technique allows for the utmost level of musical detail, clarity, and dynamics while reducing the amount of surface noise on the record. The limited nature of these pressings guarantees that each record is a true representation of the original lacquer and is as close as the listener can get to the original recording. This pressing is limited to 3,000 copies worldwide.

Please note, because the lacquers are cut directly from the original tape with no digital manipulation, there is very minor tape noise on the album's Side B caused by the tape's age and use over time, however it does not distract from the overall superb listening experience. Lacquers are cut from the master tape, except for track B1 in which the original safety was used.

About Hot Buttered Soul

Described by liner notes writer Scott Galloway as "a searing souvenir of the art form, that will emphatically inspire into eternity", Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul has long been considered a landmark title in R&B one that pushed the limits of soul music and influenced countless artists in its wake.

"I always try to make my music interesting in the sense that you can't figure out where I'm going", Hayes told Galloway in 1995. "I don't like people to second guess me. I had no formal training therefore I knew no boundaries. When you break the rules and go outside the box, you become innovative".

Hayes recorded lead vocals and rhythm tracks in a single eight-hour session, during which he simultaneously served as lead vocalist, keyboardist (on the Hammond organ), and conductor. Performing alongside him at Memphis' Ardent Studios were bassist James Alexander, drummer Willie Hall, and rhythm guitarist Michael Toles-all members of the recently reformed Bar-Kays-plus pianist Marvell Thomas (son of Rufus). The album, which was produced by Thomas, Al Bell, and Allen Jones, also featured lush orchestration (arranged by Johnny Allen) and soaring backing vocals-all of which were captured during additional sessions in Detroit.

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