Oversized 7-CD historical retrospective box set issued by Verve/PolyGram in 1995, documenting Mercury Records' seminal blues, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and early bebop sessions spanning 1945–1949.
PACKAGING NOTE:
This highly unique release features novelty packaging designed to replicate a vintage 1940s tabletop tube radio. The outer slipcase/shell is a deep, molded 3D plastic cover featuring a cream-colored faux-marbled finish, a red speaker grille with the embossed Mercury logo, two red control knobs, and a printed AM radio dial reading "The 1940s Mercury Sessions" (visible in Box_Set_Front.jpg).
The rear of the box features a printed graphic depicting the open back of a vintage radio chassis, complete with vacuum tubes and a mock "CAUTION: Risk of electric shock do not open" warning label (visible in Box_Set_Rear.jpg).
The 7 discs are contained inside individual cardboard digipaks stacked vertically within the plastic radio shell, alongside a square, staple-bound historical booklet (visible in Box_Set.jpg).
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
A definitive audio preservation effort containing 158 tracks (including rare alternate takes and breakdowns) from a volatile transitional era in American music. Features major post-WWII sessions from Albert Ammons, Helen Humes (with Buck Clayton), Jay McShann, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Roy Byrd (Professor Longhair), Buddy Rich, and Gene Ammons. It charts the precise cultural moment where Big Band Swing fractured into the driving rhythms of Jump Blues (the blueprint for Rock & Roll) and the complex structures of modern Bebop. Sourced from original 1940s lacquer masters and shellac 78 RPM acetates.
Annotation last modified on 2026-06-03 18:39 UTC.
Play on ListenBrainz