PARTY AFTER HOURS by V/A

RSD 2015 release. The Party After Hours 10" album is an iconic early 1950s R&B collectible -- one of LA-based Aladdin Records' first forays into the then-emergent long-playing 33 1/3 album format.As with the mega-rare original 1950 pressing, Jazzman has pressed the 10" album on dark red wax using virgin vinyl and faithfully reproduced the stunningly evocative original artwork: a beautiful pencil drawing of a late-night barroom scene featuring a blues pianist and a dame whiling away the early hours. Lavishly restored and produced in a run of only 500 copies in a vintage-style paste-on, thick-card sleeve, this is Jazzman's contribution to Record Store Day 2015. The only difference from the original Aladdin release is that this reissue is better! Not only has the sound been much improved with hours of painstaking digital restoration, but there is also a unique insert with notes and pictures that offer a snapshot of the history of the long-playing record format, as well as an overview of the featured artists. Including songs from such West Coast jump blues luminaries as Wynonie Harris and Amos Milburn, the laid-back, lazy, boozey music is just as alluring, but the sum of its parts elevates Party After Hours above many comparable pieces, and, in the midst of the revival of the vinyl album, it's also a timely reminder of a formative era for the LP record. Also includes tracks by "Crown Prince" Waterford and Velma Nelson.