The set was eventually released in November 2023 – as a 20 disc collection accompanied by an LP-size coffeetable book – after various delays and re-starts that were mostly due to world events and life getting in the way: from lockdowns and a ship getting stuck in traffic to paper shortages and language problems. On the upside, all this nerve-wrecking stuff came with some advantages – the producer, Martin Hawkins, kept on researching and adding revisions to the content, and of the 534 tracks included, 533 came with pictures of the original disc labels, meticulously compared, scanned and restored each one of them. And after several updates and »final check« versions – just two days before the whole set was about to be delivered to the printers, some mysteriously lost paragraphs from the liner notes were discovered and could be reinstated. Phew…
The cover of the box also went through various stages of development. One of the early favourites – a vintage shot of Beale Street – eventually got used for other Bear Family projects as the years went by, and several visual approaches were tested. It was a suggestion of Bear Family’s Detlev Hoegen – and the discovery of a colour version of one of the jug band pictures in the book – that led to the final cover.
With more than 25 hours of music and a 360-page book we hope our design for repeated listening will enhance your enjoyment and curiosity. Meanwhile, the Rich-R-Tone box is undergoing yet another revision – with even more 78s having been discovered it’s now up to eleven discs. Stay tuned & be patient.
Get your copy from Bear Family or at the record shop down your street.
Type On A Sunday 