The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records – Volume One (1917-27)

Over the last year or so, the record industry has heard rumors of an ambitious historical release from a mid-west label.  Eventually the rumors proved to be true as Revenant Records and Jack White’s Third Man Records were working on such a grand collection.

Today, the collection is complete, featuring 800 songs, 200 restored original ads and images, two books – one, a history of Paramount and the second, a field guide to the artists and their recordings – culminating in six 180-gram vinyl LPs.  The contents are ensconced inside a “wonder cabinet” of handcrafted oak, modeled after a phonograph case of the 1920s. The Rise and Fall also includes a clever USB drive, fashioned after a period phonograph needle diaphragm, which contains a unique music and image application, with numerous indexes, that allows you to easily explore this vast collection. The six vinyl LPs contain 87 recordings.

You’ll find artists such as Louis Armstrong, Ma Rainey, Fletcher Henderson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver and Ethel Waters among others… a treasure chest of classic jazz and blues.

Here is Rolling Stone’s review: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jack-whites-third-man-records-to-co-release-paramount-records-set-20130924

Here is Spin’s review: http://www.spin.com/articles/third-man-paramount-records-rise-fall-compilation-archive/

Third Man Records link: http://thirdmanrecords.com/news/view/paramount-records-wonder-cabinet

Revenant Records: http://revenantrecords.com/musics/

This collection will be available for sale from Third Man Records starting on October 29^th and to the general public on November 19^th.  This project was a pleasure to develop and produce; all while meeting some really great people.

On to the package:

BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE HI-QUALITY IMAGES TO ENLARGE

 

(Behold the wonder cabinet)

  (Custom molded metal logo)

 

  (Custom metal handle)

 

(Custom metal crank hole)

 

(Custom sequentially numbered metal plate)

(Water transfer + metal plate)

  (LP Folio nested in top layer of tray)

(LP Folio detail)

  (LP Folio detail; Laser-etched birch creates a flexible hinge in the wood)

  (Spectacular laser etched detail)

(Vellum sleeve pages of LP Folio)

 

(Marbled vinyl with gold foil stamped label)

 

(LP Folio removed to reveal the Art Book) 

(Art Book - History of Paramount Records)

 

(Close up of fly sheet edge detail)

 

  (Fly sheet edge detail)

  (Period advertising reproductions)

  (History of artists + 14 Fold-outs)

(Label reproductions)

 

(Field manual)

 

(Field guide removed to reveal the USB drive)

 

(USB drive – Needle diaphragm replica)