Product Description Format: 6LP, 180 Gram ''Burled Chestnut'' Colored Vinyl, 2 books, USB drive, image player app (see below for details) Packaging: Handcrafted quarter-sawn oak cabinet with lush sage velvet upholstery and custom-forged metal hardware Genre: Blues, Folk, Jazz Release Date: 11/19/2013 Availability: LIMITED (quantity unknown) Weight: 22 lbs. SRP: 469.98 Cost: $355.99 EXPORTS = OK THIRD MAN + REVENANT PARTNER TO RELEASE HISTORIC TWO-VOLUME WONDER-CABINET 'THE RISE & FALL OF PARAMOUNT RECORDS 1917-1932' How did a Wisconsin chair company, producing records on the cheap and run by men with little knowledge of their audience or the music business, build one of the greatest musical rosters ever assembled under one roof? The answer lies in 'The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records 1917-1932,' an epic, two-volume omnibus of art, words and music housed in a limited-edition, hand-sculpted cabinet-of-wonder, to be jointly released by Jack White's Third Man Records and John Fahey's Revenant Records. 'Volume One,' which covers the label's improbable rise from 1917-1927, will be released exclusively through Third Man on October 29, and worldwide on November 19. The project is co-produced by leading Paramount authority Alex van der Tuuk, and 'Volume 2' will be released in November 2014. Paramount Records was founded on a modest proposition: produce records as cheaply as possible, recording whatever talent was available. Over its lifetime, the label would become a "race records" powerhouse, its sound and fortunes directly linked to the Great Migration. By the time Paramount ceased operations in 1932, it had compiled a dizzying array of performers still unrivaled to this day, spanning early jazz titans (Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller), blues masters (Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House, Skip James), American divas (Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters), gospel (Norfolk Jubilee Quartette), vaudeville (Papa Charlie Jackson), and the indefinable "other" (Geeshie Wiley, Elvie Thomas). Paramount would also directly influence the style of Robert Crumb and countless other 20th century artists and illustrators, through a series of hand-drawn ads promoting its releases in the pages of the Chicago Defender. The 'Rise and Fall' wonder-cabinet gives equal status to page-turning narrative and new scholarship; original and newly created graphic art; industrial design; and compelling analog and digital music experiences. 'Volume One' contains the following: * 800 newly-remastered digital tracks, representing 172 artists * 200+ fully-restored original 1920s ads and images * 6x 180g vinyl LPs pressed on burled chestnut colored vinyl w/ hand-engraved, blind-embossed gold-leaf labels, housed in a laser-etched white birch LP folio * 250 page deluxe large-format clothbound hardcover art book * 360 page encyclopedia-style softcover field guide containing artist portraits and full Paramount discography * Handcrafted quarter-sawn oak cabinet with lush sage velvet upholstery and custom-forged metal hardware * First-of-its-kind music and image player app, allowing user mgmt of all tracks and ads, housed on custom-designed USB drive Review 5***** --Mojo Magazine
E**H
Gets you immersed
This very large - and rather costly - set has, I think, one main aim; to provide materials over-and-above the music that allow the listener to make 'contact' with sounds that might otherwise sound simply too dated. Does it manage this? I think it does.The music can be enjoyed in one of two ways; via the six records that look very nice in their 'walnut' finish, and via the flashdrive (which you plig into a usb port on your computer).The flashdrive contains, in all, some 800 tracks, which is a daunting number and could easily be off-putting. But here is where the supplementary materials come into play. The hardback book gives some historical background on the Paramount company via a series of essays, together with a range of publicity material from the 20s and earlier (these are also vailable to view on your computer courtesy of the flashdrive). Possibly more useful is the softback manual that provides a wealth of information on all the artists that make an appearance on this first volume (of two, the second appearing 12 months from now). So, manual in hand, you can use the various functions on the App that manages the flashdrive to acquaint yourself with artists you've never heard of but have, almost invariably, something fascinating in their background.The sound quality is no more than you would expect given the age of the recordings and the poor reputation of Paramount QC, but this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone shelling out for this.So, in summary, a lot of money but it does its job, for me at least. You could get your hands on a couple of hundred of these tracks, together with a book on the history of Paramount records (search on Google) for a fraction of the price of this particular behemoth. But then you probably wouldn't be as 'immersed' in the world of jazz and blues in quite the same way. This is a tactile feast, from the wooden box (nicely made, and not flimsy as I had worried it might be) through the various levels of books and booklets all the way down to the metal flashdrive.A special mention to the staff at Amazon who obtained for me (I had pre-ordered two months early) after it became clear it was difficult to source (and apologies for the rant that was really aimed at the courier....). The price has risen by 50% since I ordered (and it was hardly loose change then!) so it might well turn up for half this amount months from now (I can't believe there are 5000 buyers for this, even worldwide, at these prices).So one star deducted simply on the grounds of value (but maybe that is harsh given this is an import and is probably subject to the appropriate levels of taxation). A nice thing, and will provide hours of enjoyment if you have the time -and cash-to spare.
B**T
WARNING USB MAY BECOME CORRUPT
This is based upon the fact that in under 2 years the USB stick became corrupt losing me the 800 plus songs on it and not working at all due to it being corrupt. No one seems to want to take responsibility on sending a replacement making the product incomplete and pretty much usless without all the songs. At this sort of price I expect the USB to stay in good working order for longer then 2 years and if not the manufacturer or amazon should rectify the problem. I have always ejected the item before just taking it out the laptop and other places yet the item has still somehow managed to corrupt and stop working. Waste of money I was looking at getting part 2 not now buy at your own risk.
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