Singer Alisha and legendary producer Mark Berry discuss the making of her 1984 debut single, the explosive “All Night Passion.”
Back in the early ‘80s, Brooklynite Alisha Ann Itkin was pretty much your average American teenager. Outgoing yet a bit timid onstage, she shined as a cheerleader, and scored roles in school plays and functions. Oh, and she was also an outstanding vocalist who began training at the age of 8 with the support of her parents, Lillian and Al.
As fate would have it, a demo of hers recorded with a rock band called The Babysitters landed in the lap of then Vanguard Records engineer and producer, Mark Berry, already established with his work on landmark records such as Carly Simon's “You’re So Vain,” and Man Parrish's “Hip Hop (Be Bop)”.
Berry chose Alisha to lay vocals on a track written by Rick Tarbox, featuring lyrics that seemed somewhat racy for a girl her age. Alisha’s performance, however, embodied feelings of desire to full effect, coupled by an extravagant reverb-filled production that signaled a new era in Dance music.
Recorded in the summer of 1983, and released in early 1984, “All Night Passion” was played in virtually every club in New York City, crossing the Atlantic with ease. Four decades later, it still withstands the test of time as one of the era’s best freestyle jams.
Show Tracklisting
Host and Producer: Diego Martinez
Executive Producer: Nicholas "NickFresh" Puzo
Audio Engineer: Adam Fogel
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