Volume One (1917-27) chronicled Paramount's improbable rise from also-ran to jazz-blues juggernaut, launching the recording careers of giants like King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Alberta Hunter, Blind Blake, Ethel Waters, Ma Rainey, Papa Charlie Jackson, Big Bill Broonzy, and Fats Waller.
But just as it seemed Paramount might be losing steam, it began a second act that threatened to dwarf its first. This astonishing second act is the subject of The Rise & Fall of Paramount, Volume Two (1928-32), the final chapter in our commemoration of America's greatest record label.
In its final 5 year push from 1928-32, Paramount embarked on a furious run for the ages, birthing the entire genre of Mississippi Delta blues recordings and issuing some of the most coveted records in the history of wax - a staggering playlist including Skip James, Charley Patton, Son House, Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, King Solomon Hill, Tampa Red, Lottie Kimbrough, Rube Lacy, Meade Lux Lewis, Buddy Boy Hawkins, Jaydee Short, George "Bullet" Williams, Cow Cow Davenport, Clifford Gibson, Ishman Bracey, Louise Johnson, Geeshie Wiley & Elvie Thomas, The Mississippi Sheiks. and hundreds of other artists.
Paramount simply killed. But more than that, it changed how this country thought of itself. It was the first enterprise of any kind to capture what America really sounded like in the 1920s and '30s - on its street corners, at its fish fries and country suppers, in its nightclubs and dance halls and showtents. In the process, it was profit-minded Paramount - not a preservationist body like the Library of Congress - that inadvertently created the most significant repository of this young nation's greatest art form.
Six LPs, 800 digital tracks, two definitive large-format books. All housed in a polished aluminum case evoking the era's high art deco stylings and America's own Machine Age take on modernist design.
A joint release by Third Man and Revenant, co-produced by leading Paramount scholar Alex van der Tuuk, with all Paramount masters issued under license agreement with GHB Jazz Foundation. The Rise & Fall of Paramount, Volume Two (1928-32) is available for pre-order beginning TODAY. Learn more about the set, and pre-order your copy HERE
And, if you're in the New Haven area, make sure to spend your evening tonight with Jack White, Greil Marcus, Dean and Scott Blackwood, Adia Victoria, and Daphne Brooks, exploring the history of Paramount Records. 7pm at the Battell Chapel at Yale University.
YES!!! My Precioussssss no.2 just arrived, using my lunch break right now to unpack it and transfer the files on the Jobber-Luxe onto my computer here at work so I can begin listening now, hope like crazy we close early for the incoming snowstorm so I can get home earlier and play the records and go through the books and fondle that sleek silver case. It’s so gloriously beautiful!
I talked to Ian at TMR last week and he said there’ve been issues getting the aluminum cases from the manufacturer. I dunno about other folks but for me, that little bit of information makes all the difference between waiting patiently and wondering what the hell is going on.
I pre-ordered through Amazon.ca on November 15 and just got it on Friday – so it seems to be taking a long time no matter where you order it from. It is well worth the wait though! Now I just need to find the time to listen to it. Mine is 0423.
Any word on this at all…? Desire and patience are doing a ferocious battle over here, especially since some people have received their orders. Please, Third Man, could you just let us know what’s up? This is a lot of money to spend without any explanation for the delay.
william: My favorite of the TMR Mississippi Sheiks reissues is number 5. The assortment of songs on it is great fun. All of the Sheiks reissues are actually terrific, but the last one stands out just a bit above the others for me. Same with Blind Willie McTell, number four of his reissues is also my favorite. I don’t know if it’s his singing altered over the years or if something was different about the recording of the songs on that collection, but his voice has a depth on number four that I don’t hear on the first three.
I am staying excited @3rdManRules, I am looking forward to the day when I will spend all day long sipping KY moonshine and spinning Paramount Vol. 2! I have a question that is off subject of Paramount Vol.2. Does any one here own a Mississippi Sheiks Recording? I recently received the Vol. 4 from 3rd Man Records and it is AMAZING, Red vinyl, really informative band information on the back of the cover, and the songs are lyrically masterful. I will never grow tired of this album. I wonder if Vol.1,2,3, and 5 are just as good?
I sent a second e-mail to TMR last night, so hopefully we’ll get some news. You watch, I was going to wait until I got my tax refund to order this, so since I couldn’t be patient and went ahead and ordered sooner, it’s now going to be delayed until I get my tax refund. Wouldn’t that be hilariously ironic? (And I mean real irony, not hipster irony.)
Nothing yet Kali, but will post if I do. Stay excited William ;-)!!! The anticipation is killing me……..
Ordered on Nov 29th, not arrived yet, but still excited! :)
3rdManRules: My shipping confirmation in December ended up being a false alarm, as I received the singles I’d ordered at the same time as Vol.2 but not the set. I can imagine how frustrated you must be to have ordered so much earlier and still be waiting. Have you heard anything from Third Man about the delay?