Philadelphia International Records Marks 50th Anniversary With Yearlong Celebration

Billboard Magazine:
Philadelphia International Records [[PIR) is bringing home the gold once more — this time in celebration of the legendary label’s 50th anniversary. Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment’s catalog division, and Warner Chappell Music, Warner Music Group’s global publishing division, are announcing the launch of a yearlong salute today [[Jan. 25).

In addition to highlighting the label’s storied songs and artists, the celebration will involve exclusive partnerships, product and content releases and various artist initiatives.

Crafting one of the most significant chapters in music history, visionary songwriter-producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff co-founded PIR in 1971. The O’Jays, Patti LaBelle, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Paul, Lou Rawls and McFadden & Whitehead are just some of the stars who took the duo’s sumptuous Philly Soul, aka “The Sound of Philadelphia,” to the top of the charts.
Just as pivotal were the producers, songwriters, musicians and engineers that Gamble & Huff brought into the PIR family, among them Thom Bell, Dexter Wansel, Bobby Martin, Bunny Sigler Phil Hurtt, Joe Tarsia and house band MFSB. PIR’s 50-year history of R&B, soul, funk and disco is featured on this highlight reel.

Read More & See Highlight Reel Here:
Philadelphia International Records Marks 50th Anniversary With Yearlong Celebration | Billboard

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Originally Posted by Motown Eddie

Billboard Magazine:
Philadelphia International Records [[PIR) is bringing home the gold once more — this time in celebration of the legendary label’s 50th anniversary. Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment’s catalog division, and Warner Chappell Music, Warner Music Group’s global publishing division, are announcing the launch of a yearlong salute today [[Jan. 25).

In addition to highlighting the label’s storied songs and artists, the celebration will involve exclusive partnerships, product and content releases and various artist initiatives.

Crafting one of the most significant chapters in music history, visionary songwriter-producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff co-founded PIR in 1971. The O’Jays, Patti LaBelle, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Paul, Lou Rawls and McFadden & Whitehead are just some of the stars who took the duo’s sumptuous Philly Soul, aka “The Sound of Philadelphia,” to the top of the charts.
Just as pivotal were the producers, songwriters, musicians and engineers that Gamble & Huff brought into the PIR family, among them Thom Bell, Dexter Wansel, Bobby Martin, Bunny Sigler Phil Hurtt, Joe Tarsia and house band MFSB. PIR’s 50-year history of R&B, soul, funk and disco is featured on this highlight reel.

Read More & See Highlight Reel Here:
Philadelphia International Records Marks 50th Anniversary With Yearlong Celebration | Billboard

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Wonderful news. The Philly sound may just be my all time favorite. So many classic tunes and outstanding producers and performers.

Hoping for some unreleased Teddy!

How about finally releasing the Intruders music in a CD box set and whatever happened to the book from G&H.

In other words Happy Five-O. I've been with you since "Cowboys To Girls" & There's Gonna Be A Showdown." Thanks a million.

Looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

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Originally Posted by jack020

Hoping for some unreleased Teddy!

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That would be nice, but i think most of the unreleased stuff came out on the final pair of Philly albums following his terrible accident.

Here's an article from Second Disc.com with a little more info.

Fifty years ago, the release of Billy Paul’s Going East on LP and The Ebonys’ “You’re the Reason Why” on a 45 RPM single marked the birth of Philadelphia International Records. By 1971, co-founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff had already garnered significant chart success with their songs and productions for such artists as The Soul Survivors [[“Expressway to Your Heart”), The Intruders [[“Cowboys to Girls”), Archie Bell and the Drells [[“[[There’s Gonna Be A) Showdown”), Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, Jerry Butler, and Wilson Pickett. But with the birth of PIR, all of the diverse elements they brought to their music coalesced to create “The Sound of Philadelphia” – an unmistakable brand of sophisticated soul characterized by lush arrangements, irresistible proto-disco rhythms, and a “message in the music.” With Motown having left Detroit for Los Angeles and Stax struggling in Memphis, Philadelphia [[already the original home of American Bandstand and PIR breeding ground Cameo-Parkway) became the soul destination to beat in the 1970s. And the music has endured.
Now, Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings division is teaming with a variety of partners to mark the groundbreaking label’s golden anniversary and celebrate the music of Gamble and Huff as well as their musical associates including the third member of “The Mighty Three,” Thom Bell; Sigma Sound Studios engineer Joe Tarsia; the members of house band MFSB [[among them Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, Earl Young, Bobby Eli, Vince Montana, Roland Chambers, T.J. Tindall, and Larry Washington); Don Renaldo and His Horns and Strings; and multi-hyphenate musical talents such as Bobby Martin, Jack Faith, Lenny Pakula, and Dexter Wansel. Together, they launched or burnished the careers of timeless artists including The O’Jays, Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Paul, Lou Rawls, The Three Degrees, McFadden and Whitehead, Phyllis Hyman, Patti LaBelle, Jean Carn, Dee Dee Sharp, The Jones Girls, The Jacksons, and less-heralded [[but no less talented) lights like Dick Jensen, Johnny Williams, Bunny Sigler, Anthony White, The Futures, and Edwin Birdsong. Established artists who worked with Gamble, Huff, and/or Bell earlier in their careers came back to join the PIR fold, too: think The Stylistics, Archie Bell and The Drells, or Jerry Butler.
Kenny Gamble comments in the press release for this campaign, “It’s a blessing to celebrate all of the writers, musicians, engineers, disc jockeys, and all the people that were on our team. When I listen to this music now, I can close my eyes and the music brings us all back together again. Hearing this music reminds me of all the hard work and dedication our team went through to make such a long-lasting catalogue, that has been embraced by the world and I’m thankful.” Philadelphia International Records co-founder Leon Huff echoes his longtime friend’s words in succinct fashion: “Long live the music of Gamble and Huff!”
Today, Legacy released McFadden and Whitehead’s 1979 double-platinum disco anthem and R&B chart-topper “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” in new remixes by Eric Kupper [[responsible for Diana Ross’ recent Supertonic collection) and executive producer Brad LeBeau. These are currently available for streaming and download. Beginning February 24, listeners to Sonos Radio HD can also enjoy a new channel, The Sound of Philadelphia, featuring a playlist of PIR favorites curated by Kenny Gamble. A new video answering “What Is Philadelphia International Records?” is also available now on YouTube.
Physical releases will arrive on both vinyl and CD. A new box set, The Story of Philadelphia International, will be released by Vinyl Me Please. As with the label’s past “anthology” box sets dedicated to Grateful Dead, Herbie Hancock, the women of Motown, and others, this set will feature deluxe vinyl pressings of eight newly-remastered albums from the label’s vast discography plus liner notes and interactive content.
The U.K.-based Snapper Music-United Souls label in conjunction with Legacy Recordings will release a series of 15 limited edition 8-CD sets celebrating PIR’s album catalogue. [[That catalogue roughly totals over 140 original albums released between 1971 and 1998. It’s not yet clear whether this campaign will address any of the pre-PIR material from Gamble and Huff which was absorbed into the label’s library; for instance, The Intruders’ first LP on the Gamble label arrived in 1967.) Collectively, these sets are promised to “[bring] together the entire PIR studio album collection for the very first time.” According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the first box is set for release in April: Get on the Soul Train features albums from The O’Jays, Billy Paul, The Intruders, and Dick Jensen. The second set, Satisfaction Guaranteed, follows in June, with Love Is the Message and I Love Music scheduled for later in the year. Other box sets will be released in 2022 and beyond.
Each set is limited to 2,500 units and will contain a unique giant poster, exclusive 12-inch single, endorsed numbered certificate, a 48-page hardcover book with a comprehensive archive of rare photographs compiled and curated in association with artists, engineers, and producers relevant to the label’s story. All discs will be freshly remastered from the original tapes. This series will be the latest in a long line of PIR boxes on CD from Legacy and affiliates including the 1997 3-CD box The Philly Sound: Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and the Story of Brotherly Love [[1966-1976); 2008’s 4-CD Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia; 2012’s Philadelphia International: 40th Anniversary from Demon’s Harmless imprint; and 2014’s The Collection: 20 Original Albums from Legacy’s U.K. arm.

Interested in learning more about the CD box sets

Love the 40th anniversary set [[need to listen to it again, been a long time)

I have all PIR boxes mentioned above and also these:
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Phil...elease/1017232
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Phil.../master/104263
Attachment 18598Attachment 18599

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Originally Posted by Optimal Saint

Interested in learning more about the CD box sets

Love the 40th anniversary set [[need to listen to it again, been a long time)

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Me too. Besides the Intruders albums, I'm interested in the stuff that I've never heard on various albums that I've never owned. It's nice finding gems and nuggets.

This is spectacular...someone knows how to celebrate such the contribution of PIR.

Patti LaBelle?

I have a fabulous 2CD set called “The Sound Of Philadelphia”, which is packed full of Philly classics, including some of Trammps’ Buddah recordings and a couple of classic Avco Stylistics tracks. All in all, it’s a great compilation, but sticking out like a sore thumb on CD1 is the Allen Toussaint-produced “Lady Marmalade” by LaBelle which, to my knowledge, was actually recorded in New Orleans.

Is it me?

What interests me about PIR is that its producers and roster are mainly from the same generation as the classic Motown producers and roster, but the PIR artists had to pay an extra decade’s worth of dues before achieving truly major and consistent success.

Was the additional sophistication associated with PIR also a consequence of the greater maturity of everyone involved?

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Originally Posted by Sotosound

Patti LaBelle?

I have a fabulous 2CD set called “The Sound Of Philadelphia”, which is packed full of Philly classics, including some of Trammps’ Buddah recordings and a couple of classic Avco Stylistics tracks. All in all, it’s a great compilation, but sticking out like a sore thumb on CD1 is the Allen Toussaint-produced “Lady Marmalade” by LaBelle which, to my knowledge, was actually recorded in New Orleans.

Is it me?

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More often than not, Hall and Oates will turn up on Philly soul playlists, despite never even having recorded at Sigma Sound Studios.

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Originally Posted by Sotosound

Patti LaBelle?

I have a fabulous 2CD set called “The Sound Of Philadelphia”, which is packed full of Philly classics, including some of Trammps’ Buddah recordings and a couple of classic Avco Stylistics tracks. All in all, it’s a great compilation, but sticking out like a sore thumb on CD1 is the Allen Toussaint-produced “Lady Marmalade” by LaBelle which, to my knowledge, was actually recorded in New Orleans.

Is it me?

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Patti released three solo albums on PIR in the early- to mid-80s: The Spirit's in It, I'm in Love Again and Patti. I'm in Love Again was certified gold and featured two of her biggest solo R&B hits ever, "Love, Need and Want You" and "If Only You Knew."

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Originally Posted by Sotosound

Patti LaBelle?

I have a fabulous 2CD set called “The Sound Of Philadelphia”, which is packed full of Philly classics, including some of Trammps’ Buddah recordings and a couple of classic Avco Stylistics tracks. All in all, it’s a great compilation, but sticking out like a sore thumb on CD1 is the Allen Toussaint-produced “Lady Marmalade” by LaBelle which, to my knowledge, was actually recorded in New Orleans.

Is it me?

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No it's not You! The compliers of The Sound of Philadelphia collection you mentioned made a mistake when they included LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" since the song has nothing to do with the Philly Soul Sound. As we know, Patti LaBelle did record 3 albums with Philadelphia International when she went solo and any of those songs [[like "If Only You Knew" or "Love, Need And Want You") should've taken the place of "Lady Marmalade".

Looking forward to the Philadelphia International album CD box sets. Hoping we get a set of unreleased PIR recordings and... someday... non-PIR Gamble & Huff collections [[early Intruders albums/non-album singles, Neptune label singles set, freelance writing/production set). -Jim

As The Jones Girls 2 CD set was cancelled, due to legal reasons? is it possible that it may be picked up and released with these collections?

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Originally Posted by sansradio

Patti released three solo albums on PIR in the early- to mid-80s: The Spirit's in It, I'm in Love Again and Patti. I'm in Love Again was certified gold and featured two of her biggest solo R&B hits ever, "Love, Need and Want You" and "If Only You Knew."

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Many thanks.

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Originally Posted by Motown Eddie

No it's not You! The compliers of The Sound of Philadelphia collection you mentioned made a mistake when they included LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" since the song has nothing to do with the Philly Soul Sound. As we know, Patti LaBelle did record 3 albums with Philadelphia International when she went solo and any of those songs [[like "If Only You Knew" or "Love, Need And Want You") should've taken the place of "Lady Marmalade".

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Many thanks.

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Originally Posted by jaybs

As The Jones Girls 2 CD set was cancelled, due to legal reasons? is it possible that it may be picked up and released with these collections?

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Jay, that was my first thought when I read all of the PIR albums would be released in the box sets.

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Originally Posted by JimBagley

Jay, that was my first thought when I read all of the PIR albums would be released in the box sets.

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I hope so! I see someone has started a new thread, hoping that it may still et released? all we can do is wait and see!

Whatever they have planned, I'm looking forward to it!

Best,

Mark

Anyone know when this stuff will start to drop?

Lately, I've been hooked on The Futures "Party Time Man" - - I love it when you discover something new that's old and amazing.

Try to get this one then:
Attachment 18679
https://www.discogs.com/Futures-Past...elease/5092301