The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings, Volume 2
This is the second two-CD volume in an eventual four-volume series collecting the complete weekly output of the Hit of the Week franchise, along with rare test and promotional records from the parent Durium Corporation. Hit of the Week records, made with the patented Durium formula on top of a cardboard surface, were the cheapest and best-selling records at the outset of the Great Depression. This second collection picks up where Volume 1 left off, in late 1930, and continues through mid-1931. The selections here were some of the best-loved and most popular issues of Hit of the Week. The songs are still performed today, and the top musicians who made them hits are still well-known artists. The crack musicians include the likes of Ted Fio Rito, Eddie Lang, and Harry Reser. Additionally featured are a couple of ultra-rare test records (a five-minute microgroove test and a "live" recording of stride pianist Leola Felton playing "St. Louis Blues" from the legendary ! Harlem hotspot, Connie's Inn) and all five of the A-series Durium Juniors released ca. 1931, four performed by Frank Luther and Carson Robison under the pseudonyms of Cal and Gid Carson, and one rarity performed by Eva Taylor. These are exclusive Archeophone releases, brought to you once again in collaboration with producer and engineer Doug Benson and Hit of the Week expert Hans Koert.