800 newly-remastered digital tracks
200+ fully-restored original ads and images
6 x 180g LPs w/ hand-engraved metal leaf center labels
Deluxe large-format hardcover art book: 250 pages, narrative w. full-color plates
Encyclopedia-style reference manual: 360 pages, field guide to artists & repertoire
Handcrafted elements: rich woods, lush upholstery, and custom-forged metal hardware
Track & Image App: First-of-its-kind music and image player app, allows user management of 800 tracks and 200+ original ads; housed on custom-designed USB drive
The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27), part one of a two-volume omnibus of art, words and music in a limited-edition cabinet-of-wonder format, is a joint release from John Fahey's Revenant and Jack White's Third Man Records, co-produced by the leading researcher/writer on Paramount, Alex van der Tuuk. The set is available today from Third Man Records with a full release slated for November 19th.
The Rise & Fall cabinet chronicles in words, images and sound the curious tale of Paramount, an early American record label which, despite being run out of a Wisconsin chair factory, with bargain-basement recording and production methods, by men with few connections to and little idea of what black (or rural white) audiences were interested in, nevertheless managed to create a repository of American art that can stand with any this country has produced.
Volume One focuses on the label’s improbable rise from also-ran (known for its “tin pan tone”) to Race Records powerhouse, exploring how its fortunes were tied to the Great Migration as well as to its unconventional strategies, “open door” recording policy, opportunism, sleight-of-hand, and incredible luck. Learm more about the set and purchase yours here.
Third Man is also offering fans the opportunity to win this incomparable set by entering The Paramount Records Wonder-Cabinet Giveaway.
