Imported Blue Note Lps with "Biem" stickers??

[Homefromtheforest]

Hello,

I just recently bought a NM copy of "preach brother" by Don Wilkerson for $75. It's a mono copy with NY labels and "van gelder" stamp and ear mark in run out grooves. It's non-deep groove but here's the puzzler - it's got a tiny "biem" sticker affixed to both labels which I have never seen before.

Any blue note scholars out there that can enlighten about this? Were these imported overseas?

[J.A.W.]

BIEM: http://www.biem.org/index.php/en/

[clifford_thornton]

Any blue note scholars out there that can enlighten about this? Were these imported overseas?

Yes, probably to France, Holland or Belgium. At least the ones I've acquired from those countries seem to carry them.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've a feeling that BIEM appeared on BN LPs imported into Britain by a different method in the period between the sale of BN to Liberty and Liberty's establishing a UK office of Blue Note - a period of a bit more than a year, if memory serves.

Original BNs from the early sixties came through an exclusive importer, whose name I've forgotten, who charged top bucks for the albums. I THINK two of the LPs I got at Dobells shortly before the British office opened - 'Along came John' and 'Brown sugar' - had BIEM stickers. I no longer have either. Chewy has the John Patton disc though. Perhaps he could confirm. Sure he'll be reading this.

If BNs in the interregnum came via France or elsewhere in Europe, that could explain the BIEM sticker on British BNs.

MG

[sidewinder]

I've got quite a few of these Blue Note import LPs with 'BIEM' stamps on the back. Early to mid-60s vintage, 4000 series.

[BillF]

I've got quite a few of these Blue Note import LPs with 'BIEM' stamps on the back.

Me too.

[brownie]

Those BIEM stamps showed up in France on quite a number of vinyl imports from various labels (BN, Riverside, Contemporary among others) throughout the 60s and 70s.

They adorned the labels or the album back covers!