Philles Records
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music industry |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | Phil Spector, Lester Sill |
| Defunct | 1967 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; catalog acquired by Sony Music Publishing |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Phil Spector (owner from 1962) |
| Products | Singles, albums |
Philles Records was an American record label established in 1961 by Phil Spector and Lester Sill, its name derived from a combination of their first names. Initially, distribution was handled by Jamie/Guyden in Philadelphia. In 1962, at just 22 years old, Spector acquired full ownership, becoming the youngest label head in the United States at that time.
Founding and background
Philles primarily issued singles, releasing only 12 albums, with A Christmas Gift for You standing out as a significant exception. Some B-sides were straightforward instrumentals attributed to the Phil Spector Group to maintain focus on the A-sides. The label's catalog features unusual instances, such as two records sharing the same catalogue number Philles 123: Darlene Love's withdrawn "Stumble And Fall" and The Ronettes' "Walking in the Rain." Later releases (numbers 134–136) received limited radio play; notably, single 136 failed to chart despite promotional copies being distributed. Additionally, a rare promo single titled "(Let's Dance) The Screw" by The Crystals exists.
After experiencing diminishing chart performance, Spector stopped issuing Philles records in 1966 and signed producers Bob Crewe and Jeff Barry to work with The Ronettes and Ike & Tina Turner. The label effectively ceased operations in 1967, with Spector taking a two-year hiatus from production. A final Philles release, The Phil Spector Spectacular, was distributed exclusively to radio stations in 1972.
Currently, the Philles catalog is overseen by Sony Music Publishing following its acquisition of EMI Music Publishing. Distribution rights are managed by Sony Music's Legacy Recordings through a licensing agreement completed in September 2009. Prior to this arrangement, reissues were controlled by ABKCO Records.
Production
Phil Spector produced the majority of singles released on Philles, with five and a half exceptions: Lester Sill produced Philles 101, 103, and 104 before his departure; Jeff Barry produced Philles 133; Bob Crewe handled Philles 134; Ike Turner produced the B-side of Philles 136. Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers has claimed production credit for "Unchained Melody" (Philles 129), though this remains unverified. Originally issued as an uncredited B-side, Spector later asserted production once the track gained popularity.
Among productions not helmed by Spector, only "I Can Hear Music" charted, reaching #100. Almost all singles produced by Spector charted within the U.S., except for Philles 136, one of the two releases numbered Philles 123, the withdrawn Philles 105, and both holiday singles. Eighteen records from Philles reached the Top 40, including two #1 hits: Philles 106 in 1962 and Philles 124 in 1965.
Notable artists
- The Crystals
- Darlene Love
- Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
- The Ronettes
- The Righteous Brothers
- Ike & Tina Turner
Singles discography
| Catalogue | Release date | Chart peak | Song title | Writer(s) | Artist | Time | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philles 100 | 10/61 | #20 | There's No Other (Like My Baby) | Phil Spector and Leroy Bates | The Crystals | 2:31 | ||||||
| Philles 101 | 3/62 | Here I Stand | Tony Mottola | Joel Scott | ||||||||
| Philles 102 | 3/62 | #13 | Uptown | Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann | The Crystals | 2:19 | ||||||
| Philles 103 | /62 | Malagueña | Ernesto Lecuona | Ali Hassan | ||||||||
| Philles 104 | 6/62 | Lt. Colonel Bogey's Parade | Lester Sill | Steve Douglas and His Merry Men | ||||||||
| Philles 105 | 7/62 | withdrawn | He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss) | Gerry Goffin and Carole King | The Crystals | 2:32 | ||||||
| Philles 106 | 9/62 | #1 | He's A Rebel | Gene Pitney | The Crystals | 2:25 | ||||||
| Philles 107 | 10/62 | #8 | Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah | Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | 2:49 | ||||||
| Philles 108 | 1/63 | #43 | Puddin' N' Tain | Gary Pipkin, Alonzo Willis, Brice Coefield | The Alley Cats | 2:48 | ||||||
| Philles 109 | 12/62 | #11 | He's Sure the Boy I Love | Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil | The Crystals | 2:44 | ||||||
| Philles110 | 1/63 | #38 | Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts | Ellie Greenwich, Tony Powers, Phil Spector | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | 2:48 | ||||||
| Philles111 | 4/63 | #39 | (Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry | Greenwich, Powers, Spector | Darlene Love | 2:48 | ||||||
| Philles112 | 4/63 | #3 | Da Doo Ron Ron | Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector | The Crystals | 2:17 | ||||||
| Philles113 | 5/63 | #63 | Not Too Young to Get Married | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | 2:27 | ||||||
| Philles114 | 7/63 | #26 | Wait ‘til My Bobby Gets Home | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | Darlene Love | 2:23 | ||||||
| Philles115 | 8/63 | #6 | Then He Kissed Me | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | The Crystals | 2:37 | ||||||
| Philles116 | 8/63 | #2 | Be My Baby | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | The Ronettes | 2:40 | ||||||
| Philles117 | 10/63 | #53 | A Fine Fine Boy | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | Darlene Love | 2:46 | ||||||
| Philles118 | 12/63 | #24 | Baby, I Love You | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | The Ronettes | 2:50 | ||||||
| Philles119 | 11/63 | Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | Darlene Love] | 2:45 | |||||||
| Philles119x | 1/64 | #92 | Little Boy | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | The Crystals] | 2:59 | ||||||
| Philles120 | 4/64 | #39 | The Best Part of Breakin' Up | Vini Poncia, Pete Andreoli, Phil Spector | The Ronettes] | 3:02 | ||||||
| Philles121 | 6/64 | #34 | Do I Love You? | Poncia, Andreoli, Spector | The Ronettes] | 2:50 | ||||||
| Philles122 | 7/64 | #98 | All Grown Up | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | The Crystals] | 2:49 | ||||||
| Philles123 | 10/17/64 | #23 | Walking in the Rain | Weil, Mann, Spector | The Ronettes] | 3:16 | ||||||
| Philles124 | 11/64 | #1 | You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' | Weil, Mann, Spector | The Righteous Brothers] | 3:46 | ||||||
| PhillesX-125 | 12/64 | Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | Darlene Love] | 2:45 | |||||||
| Philles126 | 2/65 | #52 | Born to Be Together | Weil, Mann, Spector | The Ronettes] | 2:57 | ||||||
| Philles127 | 4/65 | #9 | Just Once in My Life | Goffin, King, Spector | The Righteous Brothers] | 3:56 | ||||||
| Philles128 | 5/65 | #75 | Is This What I Get for Loving You? | Goffin, King, Spector | The Ronettes] | 3:21 | ||||||
| Philles129 | 7/65 | #4 | Unchained Melody (originally B side to "Hung On You") | Hy Zaret and Alex North / "Hung on You" by Gerry Goffin, Carole King and Phil Spector | The Righteous Brothers] | 3:37 | ||||||
| Philles130 | 11/65 | #5 | Ebb Tide | Carl Sigman and Robert Maxwell | The Righteous Brothers] | 2:48 |
Albums discography
| Catalogue | Release date | Chart peak | Album title | Artist | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHLP-4000 | 8/62 | Twist Uptown | The Crystals | ||
| PHLP-4001 | 2/63 | #131 | He's a Rebel | The Crystals | |
| PHLP-4002 | 2/63 | Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | ||
| PHLP-4003 | 7/63 | Sing the Greatest Hits, Vol. I | The Crystals | ||
| PHLP-4004 | 10/63 | Philles Records Present Today's Hits | Various Artists | ||
| PHLP-4005 | 11/22/63 | #13 | A Christmas Gift for You | Various Artists | 34:12 |
| PHLP-4006 | 11/64 | #96 | Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica | The Ronettes | |
| PHLP-4007 | 1/65 | #4 | You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' | The Righteous Brothers | |
| PHLP-4008 | 6/65 | #9 | Just Once in My Life | The Righteous Brothers | |
| PHLP-4009 | 12/65 | #16 | Back to Back | The Righteous Brothers | |
| PHLP-4010 | 1/66 | Lenny Bruce Is Out Again | Lenny Bruce | ||
| PHLP-4011[lower-alpha 1] | 9/66 | unissued | River Deep - Mountain High | Ike and Tina Turner | |
| PHLP-100 | 1972 | DJ only | The Phil Spector Spectacular | Various Artists |
Albums numbered 4007, 4008, and 4009 were concurrently released in stereo format under the ST- prefix. The stereo edition of album 4006 was made available in July 1966. Album 4000 originally came out exclusively in mono in 1962 but was re-released through the Capitol Record Club by late 1966 in both mono and rechanneled stereo versions.
See also
References
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