The second half of the mammoth Paramount project makes its debut next week. The set covers the label’s last years, 1928 to 1932, with another 800 songs including tracks by Skip James, Charley Patton, the Mississippi Sheiks and Son House, among dozens of artists. The project is released by Revenant and Third Man Records and once again restored and mastered by Airshow’s David Glasser and Anna Frick with transfers and mastering by Christopher King. The set was celebrated at a preview in September at the Americana Music Conference in Nashville.
Producers on the project are Alex Van der Tuuk, Jack White and Dean Blackwood. Art directors are Jack White and Dean Blackwood, with Susan Archie again doing production design.
After the oak “cabinet of wonder,” we were curious to know what the design team had in store for Volume Two. The early ‘30’s was a period of Machine Age design, and the new box is made of streamlined metal, influenced by the design of the RCA Victor Special Model K, pictured here next to the Paramount Volume Two box.
“Wired” Magazine was out early with comments on the project; we’re looking forward to sharing reviews from the music press as they appear.
You can read some of the story behind “Volume One” here.