Ian Dewhirst

LOL, I don't even have time to read anymore leave alone write anything Neil. I'll save it for retirement! Hope you're well and all is good. Give my love to the missus....... Ian D

Thanks for reminding me Garv. Here's some clips of the great man from when we did "Philly ReGrooved".... Tom Moulton and Reid Whitelaw talk about "Philly Re-Grooved" Part 1 Tom Moulton and Reid Whitelaw talk about "Philly Re-Grooved" Part 2 Ian D

Yep, he's a real one-off who has never moderated his views or kissed ass to anyone. This project had so many logistical problems and licensing issues that there were times when I thought it would never happen but I'm so relieved that we got there in the end. He's still tweaking even as I write this. Once a perfectionist, always a pefectionist ay? Hope you're well mate! Ian D

Yep, got it in one Mike. In fact I wrote this on the 'Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits' thread:- "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". Ian D

LOL you're right Winnie. He was probably a regular @ Burnley Cricket Club on those Tuesday nights in the early to mid 70's when I was probably too busy buying records off Brad........ Ian D

Tell me more Steve! I'm pretty tight with Kenny & Leon these days! Ian D

I had to nurse Tom throughout this whole project. He was still tweaking some mixes @ midnight last Saturday night after working solidly for the last 4 months and he was physically and emotionally drained which I completely understand. I've been listening to these mixes since just before Xmas and the sheer wealth of material and musicianship on those master tapes is almost too much to comprehend and incredibly humbling when you understand the sheer level of musicianship and expertise employed on these recordings. I'm pretty confident in saying that these were the most well written, well produced and well arranged songs in 1970's Soul Music history. We will NEVER hear repertoire and productions of this level again in our lifetimes. We were so lucky to experience such a rich musical legacy as we were growing up. As Tom himself said the other night, "where the hell can we go after this"? to which I replied, "we've peaked mate, it'll NEVER get any better than this"! Ian D

Ralph Tee's definitive 10CD Philadelphia International 40th Anniversary Box Set is coming up in March and then Richard Searling's "The Roots Of Philly" (with an exclusive Richard Searling/Kenny Gamble interview on DVD) should be ready for April touch wood. Personally I'd think about taking out that second mortgage about now Garv! Ian D

I dunno Winnie. If you chuck in Stuart Cosgrove from Channel 4 and Jeanette Swift from 20th Century Fox U.S. (I think), then it seems that quite a few giants of the mainstream media spent a large part of their teens there. I wish I'd bumped into Anna back then though......... Ian D

Well I obviously caught his accent on Newsnight and I love his no-nonsense down to earth approach to the economic issues of the day (plus he nicely counterbalances Jeremy Paxman anyway), but I had no idea he was well-versed in Northern Soul. I'll send him a nice package over next week 'cos I can do it internally (Demon is owned by the BBC). It's fantastic to see the kind of cultural reach that Northern Soul had on all kinds of teenagers in the 1970's from all kinds of diverse backgrounds. I love the fact that he kept his Wigan membership card plus the photo which reinforces the fact that Northern Soul was important to him and a key part of his experience. There's only a handful of 'real' Northern Soul fans in the upper echelons of the media so it's great to see that Paul Mason is one of 'em! Great stuff Mike! It's brilliant to have serious fans in high places isn't it? Ian D

If ever there was a package that should in everyone's collection, then surely this one must be it! Following on from the massively popular "Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits" package, here is the 2nd release in our special "Philly 40" campaign which is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Philadelphia International Records. Welcome to the hugely anticipated "Philadelphia International Classics: The Tom Moulton Remixes". Tom Moulton's involvement with Philadelphia International spans the entire 40 years of their existence with many of his early mixes unaccredited in the era before the 12" Disco Disc. In 1977 PIR released the ground-breaking historic original double LP "Philadelphia Classics" which featured 8 of Tom Moulton's greatest PIR mixes. The album has subsequently been reissued several times and is rightly hailed as a 'must have' classic for ANY serious music lovers' collection. We have now taken all 8 tracks featured on the original "Philadelphia Classics" added a further 7 'lost' Tom Moulton mixes which have previously never been easily available and commissioned a further 16 BRAND NEW Tom Moulton mixes on The O'Jay's "Back Stabbers", The Intruder's "(Win, Place or Show) She's A Winner", Billy Paul "The Whole Town's Talking", Robert Upchurch "The Devil Made Me Do It", The Three Degree's "Year Of Decision" and "When Will I See You Again", Archie Bell & The Drells' "Let's Groove" and "Where Will You Go When The Party's Over", Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" and "See You When I Git There", People's Choice "Jam Jam Jam (All Night Long)", Teddy Pendergrass' "I Don't Love You Anymore", The O'Jay's "This Time Baby", The Futures' "Party Time Man", Jean Carn's "My Love Don't Come Easy" and The Jones Girls' "Nights Over Egypt". This will be 31 true full-length Philadelphia International Classics in total delivered in a deluxe box with 4 separate CD's plus a 20 page booklet with sleeve notes by Lloyd Bradley and containing some rare photos of Tom and Sigma Sound studios. In short, "Philadelphia International Classics: The Tom Moulton Remixes" will be one 2012's most revered releases. Philadelphia International Classics: The Tom Moulton Remixes - Track Listing (All songs in chronological order from when they originally charted on the Billboard RnB Single or Album Chart) CD 1 1. Back Stabbers 9.36 - The O'Jays Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 08/07/72 2. (Win, Place Or Show) She's A Winner 7.28 - The Intruders Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 19/08/72 3. Slow Motion 7.47 - Johnny Williams Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 09/09/72 4. Love Train 6.14 - The O'Jays Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 20/01/73 5. I'll Always Love My Mama 9.41 - The Intruders Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 12/05/73 6. The Love I Lost 12.28 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 22/09/73 7. Dirty Ol' Man 8.17 - The Three Degrees Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 06/10/73 Total Playing Time: 61.31 CD 2 1. The Whole Town's Talking 8.39 - Billy Paul Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 24/11/73 2. Love Epidemic 7.32 - The Trammps Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 29/12/73 3. T.S.O.P The Sound Of Philadelphia 5.42 - MFSB Featuring The Three Degrees Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 02/03/74 4. Year Of Decision 6.44 - Three Degrees Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 09/03/74 5. Where Do We Go From Here 5.30 - The Trammps Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 18/05/74 6. Love Is The Message 11.30 - MFSB Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 13/07/74 7. The Devil Made Me Do It 10.35 - Robert Upchurch Original U.S. Single Release (Didn't Chart) 8. When Will I See You Again 5.52 - Three Degrees Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 28/09/74 Total Playing Time: 62.04 CD 3 1. Trusting Heart 5.58 - The Trammps Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 23/11/74 2. Bad Luck 8.00 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 01/03/75 3. Trammps Disco Theme/Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart 6.41 - The Trammps Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 10/05/75 4. Do It Any Way You Wanna 5.30 - People's Choice Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 19/07/75 5. I Love Music 9.43 - The O'Jays Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 01/11/75 6. Don't Leave Me This Way 11.03 - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 06/12/75 7. Let's Groove 10.20 - Archie Bell & The Drells Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 27/12/75 8. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine 9.57 - Lou Rawls Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 15/05/76 Total Playing Time: 67.12 CD 4 1. Where Will You Go When The Party's Over 9.05 - Archie Bell & The Drells Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 22/01/77 2. Jam Jam Jam (All Night Long) 7.42 - People's Choice Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 26/06/76 3. I Don't Love You Anymore 8.41 - Teddy Pendergrass Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 19/03/77 4. See You When I Git There 9.36 - Lou Rawls Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 16/04/77 5. This Time Baby 9.50 - The O'Jays Original U.S. Album Chart Debut 29/04/78 6. Party Time Man 9.09 - The Futures Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 13/01/79 7. My Love Don't Come Easy 10.46 - Jean Carn Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 22/12/79 8. Nights Over Egypt 9.12 - The Jones Girls Original U.S. Single Chart Debut 13/02/82 Total Playing Time: 67.12 Amazon Link:- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philadelphia-International-Classics-Moulton-Remixes/dp/B006W33UC4/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1326472760&sr=1-1 This is seriously the greatest album I've ever heard in my life! Once the mixes start filtering out I reckon most people will feel the same. An absolute pleasure to have such brilliant repertoire to work with in the hands of the best person in the world to remix these beauties. A phenomenal album! Ian D

This guy seems like a major obssessive and apparently doesn't really like selling anything....... https://akoustikanarkhy.blogspot.com/2012/01/500000-records-counting-north.html Ian D

Also a lovely piece in Saturday's Daily Telegraph which I had to hunt down in Blackpool LOL...... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/worldfolkandjazz/8995265/Gamble-and-Huff-the-dons-of-disco.html Ian D

Lenny Curtis "Nothing Can Help You Now" End 10p Ronnie & Robyn "As Long As You Love Me I'll Stay" Sidra 10p Both Bradford Market in the early to mid 70's...... Ian D

Yep, all part of the Philly 40 campaign which is running between now and the end of March. I'll feed stuff through as it comes in. A great 2 hour in-depth Kenny Gamble interview with Robbie Vincent on Jazz FM is also available on playback and this is really worth listening to for all you Philly aficionados........ Robbie Vincent Talks To Kenny Gamble Part 1 https://www.jazzfm.com/shows/robbie-vincent-talks-to-kenny-gamble-part-1/ Robbie Vincent Talks To Kenny Gamble Part 2 https://www.jazzfm.com/shows/robbie-vincent-talks-to-kenny-gamble-part-2/ Mike - if there's a good place to put this, then please feel free. It's great stuff! Best, Ian D

I actually went to that gig and it was absolutely mid-blowing. Certainly the best Rock/Pop gig I think I've ever seen....... Ian D

OK, with just a few days to go before release, "Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits" is shaping up to be the biggest Harmless release of the last few years with a phenomenal pre-sell and ticking all the right buttons on all the key 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.7 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/music/761124/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_m_h__1_3_last Amazon Main Rankings (Everything) - No.364 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philadelphia-International-Re-Edits-Various-Artists/dp/B0067FGO7U/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1326188374&sr=1-1 Hopefully we'll see Philadelphia International back in the mainstream UK charts from a week on Monday! Ian D

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