Nov 11, 2017

RhoDeo 1745 Grooves

Hello, final post on War


Today's artists are an American funk band from Long Beach, California, known for the hit songs "Spill the Wine", "The World Is a Ghetto", "The Cisco Kid", "Why Can't We Be Friends?", "Low Rider", and "Summer". War is a musical crossover band which fuses elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae. Their album The World Is a Ghetto was the best-selling album of 1973. The band also transcended racial and cultural barriers with a multi-ethnic line-up. The band was also subject to many line-up changes over the course of its formation, leaving member Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan as the only original member in the current line-up.  ........ N'joy

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Eric Burdon was a founding member and vocalist of the Animals, a band originally formed in Newcastle in the early 1960s. The Animals were one of the leading bands of the "British Invasion", and the band had quite a following around the world. Along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, and Gerry and The Pacemakers, they introduced British music and fashion to an entire generation in an explosion of great tunes and outspoken attitude on, and off the stage. Burdon sang on such Animal classics as "The House of the Rising Sun", "Good Times", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Bring It On Home to Me", and "We Gotta Get Out of this Place". The Animals combined the traditional blues with rock to create a unique sound. By 1966 the original members had left, except for Barry Jenkins, and the band was reformed as Eric Burdon and the Animals later going through several line-up changes, the New Animals .This lasted until 1969.

War formed out of the ashes of an earlier R&B covers group, The Creators. In 1968, the band was reconfigured and dubbed Nightshift; Peter Rosen was the new bassist, and percussionist Thomas Sylvester "Papa Dee" Allen, who'd previously played with Dizzy Gillespie, came onboard, along with two more horn players. In 1969 they were discovered by producer Jerry Goldstein, he suggested the band as possible collaborators to former Animals lead singer Eric Burdon, who along with Danish-born harmonica player Lee Oskar had been searching L.A. clubs for a new act.

After witnessing Nightshift in concert, Burdon took charge of the group. He gave them a provocative new name, War, and replaced the two extra horn players with Oskar. To develop material, War began playing marathon concert jams over which Burdon would free-associate lyrics. In August 1969, Burdon and War entered the studio for the first time, and after some more touring, they recorded their first album, 1970's Eric Burdon Declares War. The spaced-out daydream of "Spill the Wine" was a smash hit, climbing to number three and establishing the group in the public eye. A second album, The Black Man's Burdon, was released before the year's end, and over the course of two records it documented the group's increasingly long improvisations.

Burdon's contract allowed War to be signed separately, and they soon inked a deal with United Artists, intending to record on their own as well as maintaining their partnership with Burdon. Burdon -- citing exhaustion -- suddenly quit during the middle of the group's European tour in 1971, spelling the beginning of the end; he rejoined War for a final U.S. tour and then left for good.

In 1971 Burdon began a solo career. Around this time, he also recorded the album Guilty! He has led a number of groups named Eric Burdon Band or some variation thereof, with constantly changing personnel. Burdon rejoined briefly with the other original Animals in 1976 and 1983, but neither union lasted. His popularity has remained stronger in continental Europe than in the UK or U.S. Today he continues to record and tour either on his own, or in front of yet another version of "Eric Burdon and the Animals" as Black & White Blues

War had already issued their self-titled, Burdon-less debut at the beginning of 1971, but it flopped. Before the year was out, they recorded another effort, All Day Music, which spawned their first Top 40 hits in "All Day Music" and "Slippin' Into Darkness". The follow-up album, 1972's The World Is a Ghetto; boosted by a sense of multicultural harmony, topped the charts and sold over three million copies, making it the best-selling album of 1973. Deliver the Word was another million-selling hit, though it had less of the urban grit that War prided themselves on. War consolidated their success with the double concert LP War Live, recorded over four nights in Chicago during 1974.

Released in 1975, Why Can't We Be Friends returned to the sound of The World Is a Ghetto with considerable success. The bright, anthemic title track hit the Top Ten, as did "Low Rider," an irresistible slice of Latin funk that became the group's first (and only) R&B chart-topper, and still stands as their best-known tune. 1976 brought the release of a greatest-hits package featuring the new song "Summer," which actually turned out to be War's final Top Ten pop hit. A double-LP compilation of jams and instrumentals appeared on the Blue Note jazz label in 1977, under the title Platinum Jazz; it quickly became one of the best-selling albums in Blue Note history.

In 1977, the band switched labels, moving to MCA for Galaxy; though it sold respectably, and the title track was a hit on the R&B charts, disco was beginning to threaten the gritty, socially aware funk War specialized in, and it proved to be the last time War would hit the Top 40. After completing the Youngblood soundtrack album in 1978, the original War lineup began to disintegrate.

Things started to go downhill for the group in the late 70s when bassist B.B. Dickerson left and another member, Charles Miller, was murdered. Various line-up changes followed but the original magic was lost and the group were not as successful, eventually becoming just a touring act. Papa Dee Allen collapsed and died on-stage of a brain aneurysm in 1988, leaving Jordan, Hammon, Oskar, and Scott as the core membership. Interest in War's classic material remained steady, as they have been heavily sampled by hip-hop artists creating a new generation that discovered the music of War. The band continues to tour, although with only one of the original members.

On 21 April 2008, Eric Burdon and War reunited for the first time in 37 years to perform a one-time-only concert at the London Royal Albert Hall. The reunion was actually only between Eric Burdon and Lonnie Jordan, as the other original surviving members had not been asked to be a part of the reunion. The concert coincided with Avenue / Rhino Records' Eric Burdon and War reissues which included Eric Burdon Declares "War" and The Black-Man's Burdon, plus compilations The Best of Eric Burdon and War and Anthology. In 2008, Lonnie Jordan's edition of War released a live album / DVD of songs originally from 1969 to 1975: Greatest Hits Live. War were unsuccessfully nominated for 2009 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[10] There were rumours that Burdon would join them again in summer 2009, but it did not happen. In 2011, War played "Low Rider" and many other hits at the Rack n' Roll in Stamford, Connecticut with Remember September and Westchester School of Rock.

In 2014 the "new" War released a new studio album Evolutionary, coupled with  a remasterd edition of their smash hitsampler from 1976. Also in 2014, War was a nominee for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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With the utterly dismal and critically hammered Music Band trilogy thankfully behind it, War ground to a halt in the wake of the death of former saxophonist Charles Miller. After a time out of the spotlight, and shrugging off the shadows, a rejuvenated War reappeared on RCA in 1982 sporting bright '80s-hued bandannas. Learning from (recent) past failings and leaving them behind, Outlaw saw the band taking tentative steps back toward its roots across a solid if at times slightly flat set. Both the punchy, funky opener, "You Got the Power," and the older-styled title track propelled the band back into the Top 20, while leaving plenty of room for the reggae-rhythmed "Just Because" and the outstanding "Baby, It's Cold Outside" to muscle in. But where War proved that it was back on track was across the muscular medley "The Jungle," which combined classic funk across bass and horns with politicized patter and surprisingly placed vocal harmonies. Outlaw, then, became a triumphant trumpet, a heralding battle cry -- War was returning to form. It was a strong comeback that not only brought the band back to its old fans, but also sowed the seeds for the themes and grooves that would be so prevalent on the following year's Life (Is So Strange) LP.



War - Outlaw      (flac  322mb)

01 You Got The Power 5:41
02 Outlaw 5:02
03 The Jungle (Medley) 8:06
----Beware It's A Jungle Out There, The Street Of Walls/Lights/Now
04 Just Because 4:09
05 Baby It's Cold Outside 5:51
06 I'm About Somebody 5:34
07 You Got the Power 5:45
08 Cinco De Mayo 3:59

War - Outlaw    (ogg  121mb)

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War kept battling in the mid-'80s, switching labels and trying different producers in an attempt to maintain their viability. This was the second of two albums they recorded for RCA, and they were unable to sustain the comeback begun with the previous album. The title track was a moderate success, but by now they sounded weary and uninspired. The same was true for their production, arrangements, and compositions, as well as past strengths like group interplay, musical support, and solos.



 War - Life (Is So Strange)    (flac 269mb)

01 Life (Is So Strange) 5:58
02 Happiness 7:39
03 W.W. III (Medley) 7:53
----The Dawning Of Night , Waiting At The Church, When The Nightime Comes
04 Shake It Down 4:58
05 Summer Dreams 5:00
06 U-2 (Medley) 9:47
----U-2 (Part 1), Automatic Eyes, U-2 (Part 2), U-2 (Part 3)

War - Life (Is So Strange)  (ogg  109mb )

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Though War has been a consistent touring entity in the 21st century, they haven't released an album of new studio material since 1994's Peace Sign. During that silence, four of its original five members left to form the Lowrider Band, with only lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Lonnie Jordan remaining. (Conceptualist, arranger, co-songwriter, and co-producer Jerry Goldstein also remains part of the equation.) Musically, the studio group behind Jordan continues to meld funk, jazz, soul, Latin, and rock in what might seem at first hearing to be their signature sound. Set-opener "That L.A. Sunshine" is a different tune from their iconic "L.A. Sunshine," but the title's reference is deliberate. This is a smooth, contemporary, jazzy funk number with bright, breezy overtones; it's well-chosen as a first single. The USC Trojan Marching Band lends syncopated, chunky brass to the bottom and L.A. Fats adds a guest rap. A bonus version features Cheech & Chong in classic dialogue style to the mix. The Tower of Power Horns and Eagles' guitarist Joe Walsh aid the band on "Mamacita," a knotty fusion of cumbian funk and reggae. The song is great, but the production is too frosty to accommodate the percussive heat in the chart. There are two medleys here: the first is a lengthy jazz-funk jam that features a previously unrecorded composition by the original band -- "It's Our Right "-- with Funky Tonk," an instrumental tag written by Jordan and Goldstein that's grafted on in order to stretch it to over nine minutes. It's the best cut here. The latter combines a cover of Norman Whitfield's and Barrett Strong's Motown classic "War" to another tag entitled "War After War (A Soldier's Story)," with rapper Malik Yusef delivering a narrative above the timeless chorus -- to no good end. The mix is confused, full of sterile digital dub effects and overly busy guitars; even USC's brass can't save it. The other winner here is "Outer Space." It too makes liberal use of dubwise tactics, but Jordan's soulful vocal and acoustic piano are enhanced by them in a sultry, hypnotic groove. "This Funky Music" borrows the organ swell of "Slipping Into Darkness" for an intro, but is so compressed -- despite a hip, synth bassline -- it falls utterly flat. "Bounce" just doesn't. Evolutionary is a ultimately a failed attempt by Jordan and Goldstein to jumpstart War as a recording entity. [The budget-priced set comes packaged with a thoroughly remastered version of War's initial (and platinum-selling) Greatest Hits album making its first appearance on CD. Its ten tracks are worth the purchase price for anyone who doesn't yet have them.]



War - Evolutionary   (flac 467mb)

01 That L.A. Sunshine 5:31
02 Mamacita 4:29
03 It's Our Right/Funky Tonk 9:20
04 Just Like Us 6:31
05 Inspiration 4:15
06 Scream Stream 5:24
07 This Funky Music 3:23
08 Outer Space 4:16
09 War / War After War (A Soldier's Story) 5:16
10 Bounce 4:21
11 Everything 3:31
12 It's My Life 7:57
13 That L.A. Sunshine (featuring Cheech & Chong) 5:29

. War - Evolutionary  (ogg  169mb)

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It doesn't have the sound of today's R&B, not the super sharp polish or ultra compression that seems to emasculate much of today's music. It is much more raw, and is really a Pop/Funk/R&B crossover of the best kind. As a greatest hits compilation, it has cuts from most of their albums from 71/72 to 76. There's some great funk bass (Cisco Kid) and some mellow stuff (Summer, All Day Music). For those tired of the over-produced Pop and R&B of the new millenium, these guys played stuff that was just right. Here, the thoroughly remastered version of War's initial (and platinum-selling) Greatest Hits album.



War - Greatest Hits   (flac 267mb)

01 All Day Music 3:59
02 Slippin' Into Darkness 3:47
03 The World Is A Ghetto 3:59
04 The Cisco Kid 3:47
05 Gypsy Man 5:23
06 Me And Baby Brother 3:30
07 Southern Part Of Texas 3:55
08 Why Can't We Be Friends? 3:49
09 Low Rider 3:11
10 Summer 6:38

.War - Greatest Hits  (ogg  101mb)

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