Underground Vegetables – Melting Pot
I was very very very happy to run into another version of “Melting Pot,” one that I’d never even heard of, recently courtesy of the legendary Danny Holloway. Of late, Holloway has been issuing/reissuing hard to find music via his label Ximeno Records. Just ahead of the recent Beat Swap Meet, he sent a message that he would be there with this 45, and I immediately put in a reservation for a copy. Since I had to run to do my show on KPFK, I missed him that day, but was able to track him down before a recent gig at Dub Lab. Underground Vegetables’ version of “Melting Pot” on this 45 is shortest of any of the other versions (also considerably shorter than the version that can be found on Studio One Funk put out by the good folks at Soul Jazz Records), but it’s just as tasty as Boris Gardiner’s verison, with some interesting subtle changes to the sound of the original. On the flipside of this 45 is another rare cut, “Gonna Get U,” from Grace Jackson. Though this has a pretty straight reggae vibe, the track was actually recorded in Nigeria! Both tracks are most welcome additions into my collection as the summer of 2014 gets off to a fantastic start.