Philly con Carne
2007-04-09 by Kevvy K
Jean Carne – Was That All It Was (Extended Mix)
Happy chocolate Jesuses everyone! Had a very full on week of aged Spanish in-laws doing an awful lot of sight-seeing, my neice’s stage-debut in the children’s chorus in Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat, and most dramatically, after a very frightening bout of pre-eclampsia followed by eclampsia followed by an emergency Caesarean, all in the space of 24 hours, I became a godfather, when my bestest friend and soul-sister, brought the gorgeous Hunter Earnest Lyndon Herbert into the world. He is going to be in the incubator for a while yet, so we are all hoping for him to stay well until he can come home to his doting parents.
So Was That All It Was with it’s bitter indifference is a wholly inappropriate track for a weekend that was packed with so much action and a very special being brought into my life, but a) it’s a great track that I’ve been playing to death of late (and it also featured on the aforementioned Fingermag podcast of the 25 greatest disco tunes ever) and b) I already had it loaded to post and I am heading out the door very quickly now to take the in-laws to the airport to head on Spain-wards.
In an alternate-dimension quite similar to our own, I can imagine this tune as having become an anthemic as I Will Survive and raucously sung-along to at weddings and hen nights. It showcases Carne’s incredible gospel-trained and jazz-nuanced voice on top of one of Gamble and Huff’s barn-storming Philly production joints. Enormously uplifting, but with a pretty cycnical message in the lyrics. I have this labelled as being a Larry Levan mix, but I’ve been googling and don’t see it listed anywhere.. but it is a longer version… any disco-nerds out there care to shed some light?
Download MP3 (0:00min / 0MB)
Comments 
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I have, what sounds like, the exact, same MP3 though, mine is 7:50 in length (some silence included). Coincidentally, the day before this post, I did my own research into the valdity of such a Larry Levan mix version. I couldn't find one valid reference. That's not to say I'm an expert on Larry Levan mixes or, that one does not exist. However, I suspect this is a version that was released on Philadelphia International records (I think 1979 or 1980)at a length of 7:45 and, somehow, ended up circulating with the Larry Levan Tag. The album makes no mention of mix credits and, to me anyway, sounds more Tom Moulton influenced. I would certainly like to know, for my own piece of mind, if anyone can present any difinitive references on this version.