Q and A about the PWL Catalogue

Please Note: Questions may be edited and please be patient if your question requires a direct answer from Pete Waterman as these will take a little more time.

Q: "What with all of the current interest in the 1980s and the music of Stcok Aitken Waterman, do PWL have any plans to re-issue any of its old Kylie and Jason albums in a 'remastered with added-bonus-tracks' CD format?"

A: As many of you will know, Steve Jenkins has joined forces with us at PWL and some of his biggest successes during his time at Jive were back catalogue album releases. Naturally he has very similar thoughts to the suggestion that you make in your question and it is definitely something he wants to do at PWL. Sadly we have no idea at this moment when we can start with these projects as 2005 is already proving to be very busy...but we will keep you informed.

Q: "I've got an old Jukebox 7" with the centre missing from it. All I can make out is the catalogue number PWL10 - can you please tell me what it is?"

A: According to the PWL back-catalogue, the single in question is none other than Pat and Mick's debut release, "Let's All Chant". The 'B' side is entitled "On The Night".

Q: "A question for you.....In Pete Waterman's official biography it states that PWL records was started for Kylie Minogue but I know that 'I Should Be So Lucky' was cat no. PWL8 and that Mandy Smith was PWL1 with 'I Just Can't Wait' so this was not strictly correct. I'd like to know the titles and artists of the other releases on PWL Records - pre Kylie (presumably 6 records?) Thanks!

A: The PWL Records label did not strictly just deal with the actual release of singles and albums. Instead some PWL catalogue numbers refer solely to tracks that PWL own the copyrighted sound recordings to. These tracks were then licensed to other companies who released it on their own labels. This is the case with PWL tracks 2 - 7 inclusive. The following information was taken from the official PWL Records back-catalogue:

PWL Records back-catalogue

PWL2 - Carol Hitchcock. Get Ready / More Than Words Can Say

PWL3 - S/A/W. Roadblock

PWL4 - Mandy Smith. Positive Reaction

PWL5 - Edwin Starr. Whatever Makes Our Love Grow

PWL6 - Kylie Minogue. Locomotion (Australian Version)

PWL7 - S/A/W. Packjammed (With The Party Posse)

Q: "In your early PWL catalogue, mention is made of a track by Mandy Smith called 'Terry' - can you give me anymore information on this; was it ever recorded?"

A: Ohh, you get the award for 'Best Question Yet'! Much discussion went around the studio offices when this question was mentioned, and the simple answer is 'Don't know mate!' Pete seems to recall that there was a lot of talk about this back in the late 1980s; both SAW and Mandy wanted to record it, however he is 95% sure that it was never recorded at PWL - and if it was it certainly wasn't with Stock Aitken Waterman.
Update:
As fans of PWL Radio will know, the guys behind the scenes have managed to locate the masters of this frequently-discussed track and have aired it on their station (a clip of this song also appears on this site). When one considers the sheer volume of material that was recorded in the halcyon days of the Hit Factory, it is very understandable why Pete genuinely had forgotten about this overlooked gem.

Q: "The official PWL catalogue mentions a track called 'Hurts So Good' by an artist called Kenny Beck - was this ever issused as a promo, and will it be considered for inclusion on the Internet CDs?"

A: The track in question is indeed listed in the PWL catalogue (cat no PAW 10), however the recording was never completed. Pete Waterman says that the recording had to be abandoned after Mr Beck returned unexpectedly to America. PWL never heard from him again!

Q: "I've just recently read the Pete Waterman official biography that appears on your website. It says that Pete has worked with the Backstreet Boys - is this true?"

A: It does seem that the Backstreet Boys DID record a track at PWL back in 1998. According to Pete Waterman's official discography, the track was called 'Rumours'. A collaboration between BSB and PWL's Work In Progress team was also lined up and then put on hold due to problems remixing the required track.

Q: "In the late 1980s, PWL contributed a track to the British Film 'The Fruit Machine'. The song in question, (recorded by Paul Lekakis), was credited in the end titles as a Stock, Aitken & Waterman production...was this track ever released anywhere, and if so where can I get hold of a copy?"

A: My oh my...if I had a pound for each e-mail that I've received concerning this track I'd be extremely rich indeed! It's taken me a little while to get the definitive answer to this little query, but at long last I think that I have it! (Hoorah!) It seems that the mighty S/A/W did indeed record 'The Fruit Machine' with Paul Lekakis, however this track was never issued anywhere in the world. The reason? Well it seems that this song is in fact an unfinished track! According to Helen Dann at PWL, the track lasts for less than a minute (around 40 seconds in fact). Hence it was just long enough to have been included briefly in the film (and get a credit), but not long enough to be released as a single or album track. Therefore it seems more than likely that the only way you're ever going to get to hear this little gem is to track down a deleted copy of the film on VHS video! If I get to know any more, I'll post it here on the site.
Update!
Once more the guys at PWL Radio came up trumps when they unearthed the full version of this Paul Lekakis track! Please forgive us!

Q: "Is there an unreleased track from Donna Summer's 'Another Place & Time' album lying anywhere in the vaults of PWL? Also I heard that she'd gone back to PWL and recorded some other tracks with Pete; is this true?"

A: As far as Pete is aware, there aren't any additional Donna Summer tracks from the 'Another Place & Time' album in his studio vaults - everything that was recorded back then in late 1988 was issued by her record company. Ms Summer did return to PWL late in 1993 and recorded a track with Pete Waterman and Gary Miller (which was featured in her stage musical). This track is now on her latest US album (issued by Epic/Sony).

Q: "I was wondering if you could tell me if any of the old Kylie Minogue videos are available for purchase?"

A: YES! All of Kylie's PWL video hits are now available to buy on DVD. Check out online stores for more details!

Q: "Does PWL have a comprehensive list of all of their production involvements available for the fans to read?"

A: Wow - a complete PWL discography which details everything that they've ever done - what a document that would be! Although a comprehensive PWL discography, (including Pete Hammond, Phil Harding, Dave Ford etc. remixes/productions) will take time to compile, PWL has however recently completed a comprehensive list of all recordings that Pete Waterman has ever been involved with (both commercially released and white-labelled tracks).

You can SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO questions@pwl-empire.com NOW!