Journey into Paradise: The Larry Levan Story

• Artist: Larry Levan
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 11, 2006
• Type: Collection (various artists)
• Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

One look at Journey into Paradise: The Larry Levan Story will incite skepticism from many longtime disco collectors. How can the Warner-distributed Rhino justify a title so definitive when the compilation is so heavily weighted toward Warner-distributed material? (Levan did happen to remix and play a lot of Warner-distributed singles.) Why are Patrice Rushen's "Haven't You Heard," Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime," and Phreek's "Weekend" -- three Warner-distributed tracks played by Levan -- included instead of non-Warner tracks that were both remixed and played by Levan, such as Central Line's "Walking into Sunshine," Padlock's "Seventh Heaven," and Class Action's "Weekend"? (Rhino probably opted to save some money on licensing.) Why are so many of these songs appearing on CD for the umpteenth time? (Because they've never been concentrated quite like this, and some of the preceding compilations take some effort to track down.) Potential bellyaching aside, Journey into Paradise is another excellent way of commemorating the late Larry Levan, the Paradise Garage DJ, remixer, and occasional producer who exacted an immeasurable impact upon disco's underground culture and many of the singles that would eventually bubble up to the top of the disco and club charts. The project was handled with great care, from the colorful packaging to the extensive and insightful liner notes penned by the very plugged-in Adam Goldstone. These two discs complement the anthologies that focus on Levan's remix work for Salsoul and West End, though there is some overlap: Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat" (one of the sexiest, sweetest, slowest post-disco singles) and Inner Life's version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (a towering, sprawling, life-affirming anthem) are too crucial to be left off, as they also exemplify Levan's creativity as a remixer. If you were to compare Levan's work to the original mixes of these tracks, you'd really get the full effect of his instincts and mastery. His mixes of Janice McClain's "Smack Dab in the Middle," Dee Dee Bridgewater's "Bad for Me," and David Joseph's especially radical "You Can't Hide (Your Love from Me)" have also appeared on CD before, but they have a very long way to go to threaten "I Will Survive" as the most-compiled disco single. Not nearly enough people have heard them, and odds are good that some clubbing vets haven't reconnected with them in years. The addition of tracks that Levan merely spun only enhance the set, because they're all dynamite -- they include Chaka Khan's "Clouds," Sister Sledge's "Lost in Music," Trussel's "Love Injection," and Change's "Paradise" (which could also be titled "The Glare of Love"). Issues or no issues, this is one of the finest compilations of late-'70s and early-'80s dance music, and it is no mere coincidence that Levan is inextricably linked to everything on it. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Paradise	David Romani	Change	(5:14)
Weekend [12" Extended Version]	Leroy Burgess, James Calloway	Phreek	(8:15)
Clouds	Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson	Chaka Khan	(4:30)
Haven't You Heard	Patrice Rushen, Sheree Brown, Charles Mims, Jr.	Patrice Rushen	(6:47)
We Got the Funk [12" U.S. Re-Edit Version]	Albert Williams, Nate Edmonds, Brenda Reynolds	Positive Force	(7:18)
Smack Dab in the Middle	Thom Page, Milt Tennant	Janice McClain	(6:51)
Bad for Me [12" Long Version]	Deborah Thomas, Charles Veal, Jr.	Dee Dee Bridgewater	(8:34)
Heartbeat [Club Version]	Kenton Nix	Taana Gardner	(9:53)
You Can't Hide (Your Love from Me)		David Joseph	(6:46)
Love Honey, Love Heartache [12" Vocal Version]	Brodie Williams		(5:19)
Don't Make Me Wait [12" Extended Version]	Michael DeBenedictus, R. Bernard Fowler, Larry Levan	Peech Boys	(7:25)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Baby I'm Scared of You	Cecil Womack, Linda Womack	Womack & Womack	(5:41)
Lost in Music [Special 1984 Nile Rodgers Remix]	Bernard Edwards	Sister Sledge	(6:38)
Why Leave Us Alone [12" Long Version]	Ron Banks, Tony Green, Raymond Johnson	Five Special	(10:12)
Love Injection	Hannon B. Lane, Ronald Smith	Trussel	(7:52)
Can't Play Around [12" Vocal Version]	Ron Tyson	Lace	(5:30)
Ain't No Mountain High Enough [The Garage Version]	Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson	Inner Life	(10:31)
It Should Have Been You [12" Vocal Version]	Darryl Thompson	Gwen Guthrie	(7:08)
A Lover's Holiday [12" Version]	David Romani	Change	(6:28)
Situation (Lyrics)	Vince Clarke, Alison Moyet	Yazoo	(5:46)
Once in a Lifetime (Lyrics)	David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Brian Eno, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth	Talking Heads	(4:20)
Love Has Come Around [12" Version]	William Duckett	Donald Byrd	(7:53)

Credits

David Byrne (Mixing), Patrice Rushen (Arranger), Patrice Rushen (Producer), George Duke (Producer), Bernard Edwards (Producer), Nile Rodgers (Producer), Nile Rodgers (Remixing), Patrick Adams (Arranger), Patrick Adams (Producer), Reggie Andrews (Producer), Ron Banks (Producer), Jim Burgess (Mixing), Leroy Burgess (Arranger), Leroy Burgess (Producer), Greg Carmichael (Producer), Vince Clarke (Producer), Michael DeBenedictus (Producer), Sly Dunbar (Producer), Brian Eno (Producer), Brian Eno (Mixing), Rick Gianatos (Mixing), Paolo Gianolio (Arranger), Paolo Gianolio (Conductor), Paolo Gianolio (Producer), Isaac Hayes (Producer), Lewis Hahn (Mixing), Dave Jerden (Mixing), François Kevorkian (Remixing), Stewart Levine (Producer), Godwin Logie (Producer), Mauro Malavasi (Conductor), Mauro Malavasi (Producer), Arif Mardin (Arranger), Arif Mardin (Producer), Daniel Miller (Producer), Rik Pekkonen (Mixing), Jacques Fred Petrus (Producer), Johnny Potoker (Mixing), Eric Radcliffe (Producer), Sylvia Robinson (Producer), David Romani (Arranger), David Romani (Conductor), Robbie Shakespeare (Producer), Jocelyn Shaw (Vocal Conductor), Steven Stanley (Producer), Fred Wesley (Producer), Larry Levan (Producer), Larry Levan (Mixing), Charles Mims, Jr. (Producer), Reggie Collins (Discographical Annotation), Bill Bernstein (Photography), Johnny de Mairo (Executive Producer), Johnny de Mairo (Compilation Producer), Tanya Willoughby (Vocal Conductor), Issy Sanchez (Mixing), Rick Essing (Remastering), Adam Goldstone (Song Notes), Sheryl Farber (Editorial Supervision), Nate Edmonds (Producer), Karen Ahmed (Project Supervisor), R. Tyson (Producer), Karen LeBlanc (Project Assistant), Dennis Menace Weeden (Arranger), Brodie Williams (Producer), Kenton Nix (Arranger), Kenton Nix (Producer), Manny Lehman (Compilation Producer), Thom Page (Producer), Milt Tennant (Producer), Allen Richardson (Producer), Robin Hurley (Executive Producer), Masaki Koike (Art Direction), Masaki Koike (Design), Matt Abels (Product Manager), James O'Toole (Project Assistant), Mel Marcelo (Art Direction), Mel Marcelo (Design), Mel Marcelo (Illustrations), Bryan George (Project Assistant), Janice McClain (Performer), Billy Jones (Producer), Billy Kessler (Mixing)