Ian Dewhirst

I don't see any compilers on here who aren't record collectors in one form or another. Who are you referring to and do you actually know any of the compilers? Ian D

Hi Steve, Yep got the CD mate. I'm going to listen to it today in fact. I would have called you last week but for the fact that I'm kinda overwhelmed with stuff at the moment what with 14 albums all due to come out over the next 8 weeks! I actually finished work @ 1.30am this morning after I got off the phone with Tom Moulton who's finishing off the Philadelphia International remixes album, which frankly, is the greatest album I've heard in my life! An absolute mind-blower. So will deffo call next week mate! Ian D

LOL, 'a proper job'. You sound like my Dad! PM me your e-mail address and I'll thwack you some goodies over. By the way, I just got off the phone with Tom Moulton after a one hour session and what we have coming up with the 4 x CD 'Philadelphia International Classics:The Tom Moulton Remixes' is basically the best album I've ever heard in my life. No joke. Tom was complaining about the 'emotional drain' this project had on him due to the wealth of beautifully recorded stuff on the original 2" masters. It's so good it's scary. Will release the info on the 2nd January 2012. Ian D

Yep. PM'd ya back. Tell Laurence he needs to let me know what he thinks his initial order is likely to be and then I can hopefully up the level of stock @ Proper. It's been doubled already but I'm gonna double it again...... Ian D

I'm a little bit worried about you Bob. The rare record obsession makes all the sense in the world but this penguin scenario is the thing I can't get my head around...... Ian D

That really is a beautiful piece of art for a tiny independent record label. It basically demonstrates that the people involved either cared enough or had plenty of money. A brilliant design. I also like Mary Jane. Ian D

Y'know what? I'm going to re-read all these old threads over the Xmas holidays. I forget this stuff and then I start reading it again and it's really funny and instructive at the same time. I've just re-read stuff that I wrote that I completely forgot about. It might be worth thinking about doing a historic threads section. This could be a section where anyone who is new to the scene could check out the 'historic threads' section and get a feel for the different areas that the site has covered over the years and which could be ranked via the historical popularity of each thread. It could be an interesting archive feature for the site maybe? Ian D

Gotcha! Nice idea Sebastian! Let's talk..... Ian D

Bada Boom! All 10 Backbeats and "Philadelphia International:The Re-Edits" are now are in the Amazon Soul/RnB Top 20! No.3 HURTXCD111 Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits No.5 BACKB026 Backbeats -2 Steps To Soul Heaven - More 70s & 80s Steppers No.6 BACKB024 Backbeats - Phillybusters - Underground Philly Dance Floor Gems No.7 BACKB027 Backbeats - They Call It Crossover - More Mid-Tempo Soul No.8 BACKB023 Backbeats - Smooth Grooves - Sophisticated 80s Philly Soul No.9 BACKB021 Backbeats - Soul A La Mode - 1970s Modern Soul No.11 BACKB029 Backbeats - Lost In Time -More Northern Soul Treasures No.12 BACKB030 Backbeats - The Pain Goes Deep - More Deep Soul Gems No.16 BACKB025 Backbeats - Busting Out - Ghetto Grooves from Dusty Cellars No.17 BACKB028 Backbeats - Mod Life Crisis - 60s Mod Anthems No.19 BACKB022 Backbeats - What's The Word? - Socially Conscious Soul Music https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=amb_link_19349665_33?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A754576%2Cp_69%3A0x-90y&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0SWT9EMJH9CMMRE84R02&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=205283627&pf_rd_i=297457#/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A229816%2Cn%3A%21520920%2Cn%3A754576%2Cp_69%3A0x-90y&ie=UTF8&qid=1323942283 Happy Xmas to all! Ian D

Straight in @ No.3 on the Amazon RnB & Soul/Disco Chart! Amazing start! https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=dp_srsubj_entry?ie=UTF8&index=music&field-keywords=R%26B%20and%20Soul%20%2F%20Disco Ian D

Yep, it's rockin' 60's Soulboy! Should be the soundtrack over Xmas if there's any justice! Ian D

There's something very very wrong in my life Ali. How come I can't even get to Philly and you're sending random holiday snaps of PIR headquarters....? You always were blessed with stuff like this. I'm in the wrong job......... Ian D

Wow, pre-orders on series 3 have way outflanked series 1 & 2, so it'll be a great Xmas this year touch wood! Amazon just doubled their order! Yippee! Ian D

For anyone who fancies a sneak preview of "Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits", my good friend and co-compiler Jay Negron threw a Philly Re-Edits launch party on his HUGE Saturday night show on New York's Disco 935. Download Link here:- Jay Negron Presents "Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits" Preview Party On Disco 935 https://rcpt.yousend...a8e772503a72368 Nice to know there's plenty of excitement abroad too! But there again PIR sold worldwide so maybe it's no surprise. Nice one Jay! Ian D

Hi Ali! Hope yer well and all is good! You lucky bugger! Even I haven't been over there yet! The guys over @ PIR will be reading this thread at some point I'm sure, so I'll point 'em to the pics. I keep telling 'em that PIR is one of the holy grails over here but they think I'm exaggerating....... Ian D

I refer the honourable Geeselad to the answer I gave earlier..... "However, with the advent of re-edit culture and the increasing sophistication of affordable new technology, suddenly there was no longer the need to physically access the original master tapes - a costly and expensive process at the best of times. Now a re-editor could work from the comfort of his laptop and craft a re-edit at his or her leisure. This meant that rather than working in an expensive studio and compressing all your ideas into several hours or even several days, now re-edits can be done to each re-editors individual time-scales, whether they be over a couple of weeks or even a couple of years in some cases. The result has been that now a finished re-edit can finally be presented once someone has lived with it and tweaked it for weeks, months or even years. So, essentially, the disadvantages in not having access to the original multi-track tapes (and being able to isolate each track separately) can often be outweighed by the sheer time you can spend in getting something absolutely right without the time constraints of using an expensive studio". So, no. No master tapes required for re-edits. However, the upcoming Tom Moulton project is all from the original master tapes, which cost a fortune in tape location, baking and transfer costs (which is why it will be more expensive than the usual Harmless release and also 'cos it'll be 4 x CD's in a mini box). There's a lot to be said for re-edits though. Because they have to work with the finished master it means that none of the original production can be changed too much which really suits a lot people since the originals were so brilliant. Sometimes remixing the master tapes means that a lot of the original instruments are replaced or over-dubbed which can mutate the record into something it was never intended to be. It's a fine line though Geeselad..... Ian D

Yep, absolutely the same re-edit plus his brilliant edits on "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Was That All It Was" - a remarkable trio from this San Franciscan veteran! You've never forgiven me for gazumping you with this in Morcambe a few years ago have ya???? The new Walter Mengon re-edit? Played it on the show last week dude! But let's do some haggling over the hols. I can feel some swaps coming up! Ian D

No worries on that score Jimmy! It's a wonderful package and worth it for the price for the Morning Star (aka Larry Sanders) re-edits alone. Also, a reminder about the Moulton PIR remixes which are coming in mid February, which should be right up your street. In fact, here's the itinerary for the Philly 40 campaign:- Philly 40 The Philadelphia International Records 40th Anniversary Campaign Harmless Records are proud to announce a campaign to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest black music record companies of all time - Philadelphia International Records. Founded by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971, the label launched with the album "Going East" by Billy Paul in October 1971 but really hit its stride throughout 1972 with a brace of international hits from veteran Philadelphia based signings like the O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and the Three Degrees. Legendary A&R visionary Clive Davis was responsible for bringing the Philly hit machine to the Columbia group for distribution - a gamble which proved to be extraordinarily successful as the major distributor struggled to keep up with the hits that were pouring out from Sigma Sound studio in downtown Philadelphia - the recording home of P.I.R. where smashes like "Backstabbers", "Love Train", "Me & Mrs Jones", "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and numerous others all rolled out in 1972 alone. Just two years later, Philadelphia International became the second largest black-owned company in the U.S.A. following Berry Gordy's Motown, which had similarly forged its identity with a trademark sound from Detroit. Jump forward 40 years and Philadelphia International is still independent and still owned by its original founders, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff - an extraordinary achievement in an age where most other independent companies (including Motown) have long since been absorbed into large conglomerates. We are delighted to be welcoming Kenny Gamble to the UK in mid November where he will doing a number of specially selected interviews to support the launch of the campaign in January through February 2012. Details of these will follow shortly. In light of the above, we felt it was only fitting to celebrate the 40 anniversary of Philadelphia International with some brand new "Philly 40" PIR releases which have been long overdue and will be eagerly anticipated around the world..... HURTXCD111 Released: 16/01/12 Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits 21 of the hottest PIR Re-Edits which have been done by PIR enthusiasts from around the world. Fully approved by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff. HURTXCD118 Released: TBC Philadelphia International: The Roots of PIR What happened before PIR? Ace historian and compiler Richard Searling compiles the pre PIR gems from the Gamble & Huff stable plus an exclusive DVD interview with Kenny Gamble.. HURTXCD112 Released: 13/02/12 Philadelphia International: The Tom Moulton Remixes The godfather of the Disco Mix and inventor of the 12" format returns to the label where he started and remixes 15 more original PIR tracks to add to 16 of his best original PIR mixes. HURTBOX1 Released: 27/02/12 Philadelphia International: 40th Anniversary Box Set PIR expert Ralph Tee goes through the complete history of PIR with a lovingly compiled 10CD deluxe box set with 60 page booklet. That should keep you going for a while ay? Ian D

Hahaha. Wait 'til they hear J*ski's (aka Jay Negron) re-edit at full blast. That'll knock their friggin' socks off! Ian D

Hi Rick, Like I said, according to legend Sam plays hardball. My guess is that Atlantic business affairs probably quickly hit a brick wall and simply concluded that this would be a problematic deal to conclude, so probably lost interest pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure Paul Mooney on here could give a more detailed explanation as I'm sure he has publishing connections with Sam. In fact Paul has something of mini bonanza coming up as he has loads of publishing on this set of Backbeats! Ian D

You're welcome John. Busy time ay? Ian D

Yep, there should be a limited-edition vinyl 4 x LP Version out at the same time touch wood. Details will follow. Incidentally for anyone who's interested there's also a limited-edition vinyl version of Philly Re-Grooved Vols 1 & 2 that will be on the way soon too. Will post the details up shortly! Ian D

It was myself and Jay Negron who basically managed the process. We both seriously collect every PIR re-edit we can get our hands on, so we had to whittle down from over 100 different re-edits. Some tracks fell through due to licensing restrictions, namely Onur Engin's brilliant 8.00 re-edit of "Show You The Way To Go" - The Jacksons and Julian Love's athemic re-edit of "Living Together" - The Jacksons. Hopefully we'll be able to clear those two at some point in the future. And samples would be handy wouldn't they? OK, They should be on Juno shortly but I think I'll get a soundcloud link so people can hear how special these are. Good thinking Garv! Ian D

Great Swifty! Should be a refreshing blast of great music to hit the new year running! Ian D

Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits Released 16/01/2012 The first release of the 'Philly 40' campaign celebrating the 40th Anniversary Of Philadelphia International Records. This labour of love originally commenced sometime around February 2010 and has subsequently gone through numerous different drafts and licensing hassles until we eventually managed to complete the package below. The idea behind 'Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits' was really to examine the effect that the label has had upon subsequent generations of fans throughout the last 40 years. The sheer volume of credible new re-edits that have emerged throughout the last 10 years or so from the PIR stable is truly astonishing and underlines the enduring nature and international appeal of the label's repertoire. Thus we have a truly international flavour to the project with key re-edits from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, West Palm, Miami, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in the USA, Bristol, Grove, Sunderland and Manchester in the UK, Dublin in Ireland, Glasgow In Scotland, Stuttgart in Germany, Brescia in Italy and Toronto in Canada to name but a few. One reason why there has never been a package like this before is because it's extremely difficult to improve upon perfection anyway plus the quality control standards at Philadelphia International have always been top level and generally out of reach in order to preserve the integrity of the catalogue. However, with the advent of re-edit culture and the increasing sophistication of affordable new technology, suddenly there was no longer the need to physically access the original master tapes - a costly and expensive process at the best of times. Now a re-editor could work from the comfort of his laptop and craft a re-edit at his or her leisure. This meant that rather than working in an expensive studio and compressing all your ideas into several hours or even several days, now re-edits can be done to each re-editors individual time-scales, whether they be over a couple of weeks or even a couple of years in some cases. The result has been that now a finished re-edit can finally be presented once someone has lived with it and tweaked it for weeks, months or even years. So, essentially, the disadvantages in not having access to the original multi-track tapes (and being able to isolate each track separately) can often be outweighed by the sheer time you can spend in getting something absolutely right without the time constraints of using an expensive studio. So in the case of 'Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits' we were able to submit 2 full CD's worth of re-edits which had been fully completed and honed to perfection by everyone. In many cases the structures of the songs had been extended quite radically, the breaks toughened up, the beats altered and, in one case, a stone-killer ballad was transformed into a House anthem. My sincere thanks go out to Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, not only for their stunning musical legacy, but also for their vision in understanding that today's audiences often require an additional slant on such evergreen classics. Thank you gentlemen! CD 1 Uptempo Good Time Philly 1) Satisfaction Guaranteed - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes 7.22 Re-Edited by Morning Star 2) Only The Strong Survive - Billy Paul 8.19 Re-Edited by J*Ski 3) Save A Place - The Trammps 6.37 Re-Edited by J*Ski 4) Free Love -Jean Carn 7.04 Re-Edited by Victor Rosado 5) Do It Anyway You Wanna - People's Choice 6.35 Re-Edited by Keep Schtum 6) Life On Mars - Dexter Wansel 5.35 Re-Edited by DJ Mila 7) Mysteries Of The World - MFSB 6.00 Re-Edited by J*Ski 8) Ain't No Stopping Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead 7.30 Re-Edited by Noodleman 9) Dance Turned Into Romance - The Jones Girls 6.55 Re-Edited by DJ Friction 10) Be For Real - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes 7.43 Re-Edited by Tim McAllister 11) Message In Our Music - The O'Jays 9.16 Re-Edited by Jimmy The Twin CD 2 Mellow Slinky Philly 1) If You Wanna Go Back - Jean Carn 6.46 Re-Edited by Morning Star 2) Darlin' Darlin' Baby - The O'Jays 8.08 A Deep&Disco Rework 3) You're Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else - The Jones Girls 8.36 Re-Edited by Henry Greenwood 4) Strategy - Archie Bell & The Drells 6.05 Re-Edited by Touchsoul 5) Let The Dollar Circulate - Billy Paul 6.41 A scratchandsniff re-rub 6) Easy Money - Dee Dee Sharp Gamble 6.56 Re-Edited by Todd Terje 7) Was That All It Was - Jean Carn 7.59 Re-Edited by Morning Star 8) Nights Over Egypt - The Jones Girls 6.59 Re-Edited by Womack & TOT 9) Don't Let Love Get You Down - Archie Bell & The Drells 8.00 Re-Edited by Ed Zone 10) Wake Up Everybody - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes 9.31 Re-Edited by Apt One Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philadelphia-International-Re-Edits-Various-Artists/dp/B0067FGO7U/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1323478170&sr=1-1 HMV Link: https://hmv.com/hmvwe...its&primaryID=0 i-tunes Link: https://bit.ly/rC9ZYE Should be a blinding start to the new year! Ian D