Ian Dewhirst

Thanks Ollie! As per usual, Sean's "They Call It Crossover" is leading the pack, selling incredibly and is top of all the key charts for Series 3 so far. However my 'Soul A La Mode' is tracking very closely followed by 6 others from Series 3 which are sniping at our heels LOL. It'll be interesting to see whether any of these get near to "Soul Steppin'" from Series 1 which is the No.1 all-time Backbeats best-seller. However the Dean Rudland compiled "Crate Diggin' Fever" is still selling at such an incredible rate some 16 months down the line and unfortunately looks to dethrone my crown in the next couple of weeks. (Note to self: remember to ask Dean why is this selling at such an incredible rate so far down the line?). 500 copies sold in the 8 weeks up to the end of 2011 alone.......can "Soul Steppin' hold it off.....? Fascinating stuff watching how these titles move...... Ian D

Yep. Mere access and potential legal issues have always traditionally been the main barrier to the vaults throughout the last 30 years as David Nathan, Tony Rounce, Ralph Tee and plenty of others will no doubt confirm. The PIR operation has always been a very, very disciplined and tight organisation which has always prioritized it's main income streams and has always been run from the top down with what many people would describe as ruthless efficiency. Outsiders come and go but the core machine has always taken care of business for the last 40 years through thick and thin which is no doubt why Philadelphia International is still independent and still run by the original founders, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff . I guess when you control a catalogue which contains dozens of million-selling records and numerous historical evergreen classics that has to be the main perogative. So whenever these crazy English guys start harping on about getting access to the legendary vaults for the obscure unheard rarities, PIR would probably be more concerned about making sure that the royalties from "Me And Mrs Jones", "If You Don't Know Me By Now", "When Will I See You Again" and numerous other timeless classics and worldwide hits, are working properly and going in the right direction. And who could blame 'em? You'd be crazy to do otherwise. Additionally, Kenny and Leon are involved in many other areas these days, not least a number of areas which are Philadelphia based, involve giving something back to their local community and, as such, are obviously close to their their hearts and social conciousness. In other words, they have much bigger priorities to deal with these days. Essentially these guys have never stopped working since the early 1960's and never really had the time to savour the result of their hard work outside of the US in general and Philadelphia in particular. They were that busy keeping the hits rolling and making great records that they seldom had the time to appreciate the mark that their music was making throughout the rest of the world. For sure, telexes or calls would have come in to PIR in the 70's telling 'em that the O'Jays, Three Degrees or Billy Paul were hitting big in the UK, France, Germany or Japan but they were probably too busy making the next Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes or Lou Rawls smash to smell the coffee. I think a major logjam was broken when Kenny Gamble (who was accompanied by long-term colleague and PIR minder Phil Asbury), recently visited both the UK and France on holiday and gracefully allowed us a couple of days of promotion and PR. I think it was this trip that clearly communicated the level of love and devotion that is held for PIR outside of the US. I don't think Kenny had any idea of the level of knowledge, appreciation and respect for his entire career that was demonstrated by the numerous serious afficionados that he met from the UK and France. When I say this was one of the highpoints of my career watching all this unfold before my eyes I'm really not kidding. It really couldn't have gone any better. I think we're going to unearth some fantastic stuff from the PIR vaults over the next few years and it's really been down to the reception that Kenny received in the UK and France in mid November 2011. So watch this space! Ian D

Hiya Dave. Happy New Year mate. What Moulton found on the full multi-track for the Robert Upchurch track is frankly astounding in my opinion. One of the best Philly sessions I've ever heard and hopefully the full 10 minute opus will propell the track to the glory it deserves. I'm actually finally receiving the final, final finished mixes tonight and then I'm gonna listen to 'em all the way through as I blast up the M42 and M6 to Blackpool tomorrow - the perfect way to listen to 'em for me. Also we should start seeing the first proofs for the artwork and content for the 60 page booklet for the 10cd box set in a couple of weeks, so I'll expect you to proof read your comprehensive PIR and associated labels discography! Can't wait. Oh, lest I forget, PIR send their warmest regards. I reckon Kenny and Leon will be back over here shortly. Plus the first proper access to the vault is upon us and I'll be receiving some unreleased Billy Paul and Phyllis Hyman stuff shortly! 2012 could be a watershed year! Ian D

OK, 'Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits' is now nicely positioned in the following charts:- Amazon Soul/RnB - Disco Chart - No.1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=dp_srsubj_entry?ie=UTF8&index=music&field-keywords=R%26B%20and%20Soul%20%2F%20Disco Amazon Main Soul/RnB Chart - No.10 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/music/761124/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_m_h__1_3_last Amazon Main Rankings (Everything) - No.762 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philadelphia-International-Re-Edits-Various-Artists/dp/B0067FGO7U/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1325772818&sr=1-1 All looking healthy 10 days before release! Ian D

OK, the moment of truth with the first week of sales and I'm delighted to see all 10 Backbeats albums hit the Top 1000 on the Amazon rankings which is a great achievement considering that these are all budget 'specialist' CD's. Plus at this time of year all the big-hitters are selling, all the TV/Supermarket comps and virtually everything else is discounted or in sales campaigns, so for these to get in the Top 1000 sellers in the internet's biggest account is brilliant to see! Also all 10 are in the Top 75 Amazon Main Soul/RnB chart against all the Soul/RnB (and a lot of Pop) big hitters. Amazon Soul/RnB Chart & Overall Amazon Rankings BACKB027 Backbeats - They Call It Crossover - More Mid-Tempo Soul No.19 No. 281 BACKB021 Backbeats - Soul A La Mode - 1970s Modern Soul No.30 No. 487 BACKB030 Backbeats - The Pain Goes Deep - More Deep Soul Gems No.34 No. 541 BACKB026 Backbeats - 2 Steps To Soul Heaven - More 70s & 80s Steppers No.35 No. 547 BACKB024 Backbeats - Phillybusters - Underground Philly Dance Floor Gems No.37 No. 553 BACKB029 Backbeats - Lost In Time -More Northern Soul Treasures No.41 No. 594 BACKB023 Backbeats - Smooth Grooves - Sophisticated 80s Philly Soul No.47 No. 633 BACKB028 Backbeats - Mod Life Crisis - 60s Mod Anthems No.50 No. 722 BACKB025 Backbeats - Busting Out - Ghetto Grooves from Dusty Cellars No.58 No. 831 BACKB022 Backbeats - What's The Word? - Socially Conscious Soul Music No.65 No. 938 I think we can confidently expect the Backbeats Artists series to launch in early Summer now! Thanks to everyone for great support! Happy New Year to all! Ian D

By all accounts there was a collective of serious Japanese collectors who were doing the rounds in the late 60's. According to some very reliable sources they were taking at least 10 copies of everything direct from the companies at the time (especially from Detroit). This doesn't surprise me at all. In my experience the Japanese used to be every bit as tenacious as the early Northern diggers. It wouldn't be unusual for me to bump into these guys and end up arguing over a Little Charles record on Botanic or something similar. When I was seriously digging for Northern in '76 the only competition I was worried about at the time was the Japanese because they would get in the way looking for that Deep Soul crap that we weren't interested in at the time........ Flynny has a better overview on the Japanese side of things which is presumably why he moved there in the late 90's. I bet more stuff has been found in Japan over the last 15 years then anywhere else........... Ian D

In which case Flynny should have dug up some copies? I keep hearing these fantastic stories about some dedicated Japanese collectors going over to the U.S. in the late 60's and scooping up multiples of some super rare stuff which have been in Japan ever since. It wouldn't surprise me at all. I kept stumbling into serious Japanese collectors all over the U.S. in 1976. Because the yen was so strong at the time, the Japanese collectors could get to a shop or record fair stall and make a pre-emptive offer to buy the entire stock without any problems at all. In fact, the key issue to Northern collectors at the time was to get to a stall before they did. It kinda makes sense. I know a hell of a lot of stuff is sourced in Japan these days and they've been collecting rare Deep Soul for as long as I can remember so there's probably more chance of finding seriously rare stuff in Japan than anywhere else these days. But that Little Joe Romans record is still a seriously rare record in my eyes along with "So Sweet So Satisfying" - Bobby Treetop and even "Peace Of Mind" - E. Rodney Jones. I'd love to know what the respective original pressing runs were.......... Ian D

That's gotta be a different Charles Daniels surely Andy? How do you go from a killer Little Joe Romans uptempo Soul record from Chicago to a rip-roaring out and out C&W record from (presumably) Nashville? Gotta be a different Charles Daniels I would have thought.....? Ian D

More than anything else, Northern Soul taught me the value of a brilliant song, an incredible arrangement and mind-blowing production. Here's the one that got me into it all in 1967 when I heard it on Radio 1. An early Barry White production which I love as much now as I did 45 years ago! Ian D

See? Something else that Northern Soul has taught me after some 40+ years in! Sometimes it just be's that way........ Ian D

Yeah, what the hell was with those Jody records? What's the history of the Jody connection? It started with Johnnie Taylor didn't it.....? Ian D

LOL, but how many did YOU get to keep Kev? Great stuff mate! Your wish is my command LOL.... For instance, his hatred of funk was legendary. If he hit a load of funk in a place, he'd start snapping copies of the records in half! I'd say 'Oh c'mon Simon, you don't have to break the bloody records do ya"? And he just keep snapping 'em and saying, "It's repetitive garbage (pronounced REPET-TAT-TIVE GAR-BAAAARRRRGE) baby boy, they just get in the way"! One time he was in real snit - I think he'd had a bust up with Sabrina and he was really pissed-off. We were driving along Sunset Boulevard in his car and he switched the radio on and the Isley Brother's "Fight The Power" came on and he went "F*&king FUNK! I HATE "f*&king FUNK"! and he jabbed the car radio's pre-set buttons to another station and the Ohio Player's "Love Rollercoaster" came on - steam started coming out of his ears and he screamed, "F*&king FUNK! What ees wrong with zees people? F*&king FUNK Motherf*&kers! Why can't zey play some Northern instead of this motherf*&king FUNK all ze time"!!! He then furiously jabbed the pre-sets again only for the Brothers Johnson "Get The Funk Out Of My Face" to come blasting out of the speakers. He looked at me, "OK, that's it now"! He then just jerked the car to a complete halt right in the middle of Sunset Strip and started smashing the car radio with his fists. When his hand started bleeding, he got out of the car, took off one of his shoes and continued smashing the radio until parts of the radio were all over the floor of the car. He then physically tore the radio out of the car and threw what was left of it onto the road and then started stamping on it with his other shoe-clad foot. By this point there was a half-mile tailback on Sunset and the horns going off were almost deafening and the driver of the car behind us was just watching all this with her mouth wide open in shock...... I said, "Err, Simon, maybe we'd better go......" He just got back in the car, slammed it into gear and said, "Well, at least we won't have to listen to that REPET-TAT-TIVE GAR-BAAAARRRRGE anymore!" Ian D

Kev could start by telling everyone how he found 30 copies of the Casualeers (when the only copy then was one that Simon had in his collection) and yet somehow allowed Soussan to take all copies back to Simon's place so he could 'evaluate the one in the best condition' LOL..... My favorite is where Kev got access into a warehouse that Simon had previously been banned from and Simon ended up breaking into the warehouse through the roof window whilst Kev was in there. That's a sensational story He used to have to send his wife Sabrina around the record shops with a wants-list 'cos he was banned from so many places. He certainly knew how to piss people off LOL... Ian D

Only 'cos I left it there Dave! Ian D

I'm pretty sure I first found it on a rare early dig with Soussan. I can kinda remember pulling it out of a pile and saying with barely controlled excitement, "hey Simon. What's this Ray Agee on Soultown"? and him wrinkling his face and saying "garbage baby boy, garbage." So naturally I assumed that he knew the record and would have written it off. Probably too slow or too dated for the time. It's not like he even looked at it. Very dismissive. The bugger was that I kept finding the Ray Agee record after that including in some loads that Simon had previously been through. I always pulled 'em out because I'd have taken as many Sweets or Trips that I could find at the time, so picking out Soultown 45's was second nature but I never bothered taking 'em. In fact I remember finding 3 Ray Agee's in an LA garage full of stuff and leaving 'em even though something was nagging at me to take at least one. Hindsight's a great thing innit Jocko? Happy New Year! Ian D

Tell 'em the story about the Casualeers if nowt else Kev. That story alone completely explains the personality of Soussan back then. Another cracker is the Reddington's Rare Records warehouse story which still has me in stitches 35 years later! Ian D

LOL, I remember finding copies of Ray Agee back in '76 and Simon saying "don't bother with that baby boy. It's repetitive garbaaaaage". The amount of future biggies that we ignored because they were too dated or too slow or too RnB for the time is astounding - if I'd have brought back any of them in '76 they'd have been totally ignored anyway. We couldn't get arrested with things like James Dockery or Bobby Angelle or Fortson & Scott back then...... Ian D

Gotcha. Will do! Nice idea. Ian D

Hi Dave, Good. I think they're slowly coming into the racks now. I did investigate yesterday and was told that they should be racked everywhere 'in the next couple of days or so' whatever that means LOL. Never easy at this time of year but hopefully the message is getting through now..... Amazon sales are pretty spectacular so they're looking good now! Hope ya like 'em after all that LOL... Ian D

RCA UK had the UK rights for Brainstorm originally. I've got "Wake Up And Be Somebody" on a UK RCA 7". Whilst "Loving Is Really My Game" never came out on UK RCA it did eventually came out on UK Miracle I believe.......... Ian D

I think Pete Smith tried this with the Carstairs and had a similar result didn't he....? Ian D

Hey Steve, Happy New Year! Purely out of curiosity why would an insurance company insure people in flood prone areas? If the area is flood prone it wouldn't be a particularly good bet to insure would it? Ian D

Is Boogaloo still there? If it is, then it's within walking distance....... https://www.broadwayboogaloo.co.uk/ Ian D

Actually my company (Demon) does some business with the company which controls some of those early Monents/Whatnauts/O'Jays/Linda Jones masters (I just used some on the new Backbeats comps). They could well be interested.......... Ian D

Phew. Thank f*ck for that Darryl. I was beginning to think I'd just imagined the bloody things! Enjoy mate! I haven't had time to listen to 'em for a couple of months LOL.... Ian D