Ian .........

Any news on the PIR stuff you mentioned on here last year?, the last i remember you were trying to get access to the unreleased, deemed not to be release worthy, master tapes, different versions etc etc.

Picking up Breaks & Mellow mellow this weekend........ looks like an excellent package

Ian .........

Any news on the PIR stuff you mentioned on here last year?, the last i remember you were trying to get access to the unreleased, deemed not to be release worthy, master tapes, different versions etc etc.

Picking up Breaks & Mellow mellow this weekend........ looks like an excellent package

Hiya Garv,

Good question mate. I've pitched a comprehensive game-plan for a Philadelphia International Records 40th Anniversary Campaign which would include a schedule of re-issues of some of the unreleased recordings which would be compiled in conjunction with Ralph Tee and all other expertise we can bring to the project. As everyone already knows, the potential of the unreleased PIR catalogue is the holy grail for many of us and one of the things that makes me get out of bed at some unearthly hour every day.

PIR have acknoweldged receipt of the package and I await instruction from Kenny, Leon and Chuck.

That's the only way it's going to be and that's fine with me. I'm pretty optimistic because I think that PIR share my my concern that this could well be the last opportunity to get this repertoire out in a physical format and also be able to cover the costs of transferring so much unheard material from the original tapes to a digital format.

Also, speaking personally, Philly is one of my favourite periods and I would just love to see 2011 become a celebration of one of the most significant eras of black music in our history.

Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff are my personal heroes and I'm deadly serious about making sure their legacy is preserved to the best possible degree throughout the future.

Nice article in the Guardian last week too........

Philly International - Guardian Article

Fingers crossed!

Ian D

Oh, I almost forgot, in answer to your original question Garv, one of my Directors dug into his cupboard following my relentless harassment and eventually managed to produce a comprehensive 200 page book from 1999 which lists everything within the PIR master tape inventory.

Staggering. There's no other way to describe it.

The difficult bit is getting access to it.

Working on it!

Ian D

Edited March 11, 201114 yr by Ian Dewhirst

Oh, I almost forgot, in answer to your original question Garv, one of my Directors dug into his cupboard following my relentless harassment and eventually

managed to produce a comprehensive 200 page book from 1999 which lists everything within the PIR master tape inventory.

Staggering. There's no other way to describe it.

The difficult bit is getting access to it.

Working on it!

Ian D

Hope you have better luck than I did. mate. I even got as far as booking flights, twice, only to be fobbed off with excuses at the last minute.

12 years later the tapes are still under wraps. Don't want to be a pessimist but I wouldn't schedule your year's releases around 'em, if I were you...

Cheers (and nice to see you today!)

TONE

Hope you have better luck than I did. mate. I even got as far as booking flights, twice, only to be fobbed off with excuses at the last minute.

12 years later the tapes are still under wraps. Don't want to be a pessimist but I wouldn't schedule your year's releases around 'em, if I were you...

Cheers (and nice to see you today!)

TONE

Yep, I know Tony. Val told me all the stories. Plus Ralph Tee reckons he's been trying for 15 years as well, so I'm under no illusions mate.

So my main angle is the fact that the way that the music biz is currently receeding means that there's only a very limited window of opportunity to ever get this stuff out physically ever again.

As you well know (and there are many times that I wished I worked for Ace), the opportunities to get unfettered access to the original master tapes and the ability to transfer 'em are becoming few and far between.

With a bit of luck, I'm hoping the penny will finally drop with PIR.

Incidentally, if that happy event ever happens, can you get your arse over to Philly and do an audit?

Have a great time in Houston!

Ian D

Hiya Garv,

Good question mate. I've pitched a comprehensive game-plan for a Philadelphia International Records 40th Anniversary Campaign which would include a schedule of re-issues of some of the unreleased recordings which would be compiled in conjunction with Ralph Tee and all other expertise we can bring to the project. As everyone already knows, the potential of the unreleased PIR catalogue is the holy grail for many of us and one of the things that makes me get out of bed at some unearthly hour every day.

PIR have acknowledged receipt of the package and I await instruction from Kenny, Leon and Chuck.

That's the only way it's going to be and that's fine with me. I'm pretty optimistic because I think that PIR share my my concern that this could well be the last opportunity to get this repertoire out in a physical format and also be able to cover the costs of transferring so much unheard material from the original tapes to a digital format.

Also, speaking personally, Philly is one of my favourite periods and I would just love to see 2011 become a celebration of one of the most significant eras of black music in our history.

Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff are my personal heroes and I'm deadly serious about making sure their legacy is preserved to the best possible degree throughout the future.

Nice article in the Guardian last week too........

Philly International - Guardian Article

Fingers crossed!

Ian D

Thanks for the update

From the outside i can`t for the life of me understand why PIR have just sat on this stuff for all these years , like you & i imagine countless black music lovers worship at the feet of Philly [ ott or what] but you get my drift.

I was concerned at reading Tony`s reply as i did`t know others had tried & been unsuccessful but here`s hoping.

Any clue or a wee flavour as to whats in them there vaults .

Best of luck with this as i think its very important for black music & black American history that these recordings should be available to the world.

Garv

Thanks for the update

From the outside i can`t for the life of me understand why PIR have just sat on this stuff for all these years , like you & i imagine countless black music lovers worship at the feet of Philly [ ott or what] but you get my drift.

I was concerned at reading Tony`s reply as i did`t know others had tried & been unsuccessful but here`s hoping.

Any clue or a wee flavour as to whats in them there vaults .

Best of luck with this as i think its very important for black music & black American history that these recordings should be available to the world.

Garv

Yep, absolutely Garv. It's my No.1 objective this year.

Good vibes coming from PIR so I'm cautiously optimistic.

Will report back as soon as I have something to report!

Ian D

Ian, will that lot incude the Neptune master tapes ???

Can we expect one day to hear an unreleased follow up to the Vibrations "Surprise Party For Baby"?

Or more O'Jays unreleased uptempo finger snappers in the vein of "Looky Looky" or "Deeper In Love"?

Always wondered what course the Gamble & Huff story would have taken if their Neptune deal with Chess hadn't collapsed .....