885 War - The World Is A Ghetto (1972)

 885 War - The World Is A Ghetto (1972)

Studio Album - Funk Rock




About the Act:

War are a band from California, formed in 1969 and are generally described as Funk but their music incorporates elements from diverse influences including Jazz, Reggae, Rock, Soul, Blues, Latin and Afrobeat. They have had a reasonable turnover of members, the only original member left is Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan. 


About the Album:

This was the fifth album by War, and their best-selling. In fact, in America, it was the best-selling album of 1973.  


My History with this Album:

None. Shame.


Review:

I love this album. A few years ago I delved into 70s Funk quite a bit, but seem to have missed War. To be honest, to call it Funk is too narrow a term, this is a melting pot of fusion, but at heart it feels like Funk, and occasionally Jazz Fusion. The music is bouncy and fun, except when it is slow, when it isn't. There are definitely elements of Parliament, and Stevie Wonder, and even James Brown, but parts of it, especially the extended jams (I love a good extended jam) that remind me of Afrobeat, and even of Gong. Some of the more mellow bits sound very west coast. It's just luscious!

Lyrically, not so interested, it's all about the music to be honest. Great music. The sax is sublime!


8.2/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4UZmpGH8kpAgyZ2yqQ8sP9

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSoNQKSOvCoJP-QitJkzeA3hGK9sEPx10

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Is_a_Ghetto



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop
Read more

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots
Read more

591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952)

Image
 591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) Compilation Album - Americana About the Act: Harry Smith is not the performer here, he is the collector. He was a film-maker, occultist, and eccentric. About the Album: Harry Smith had a collection of early 78rpm records of various "folk" styles dated from 1927 when such things first started to be commercially available to 1932 when the Great Depression put a stop to the sales of folk records. In 1947 he approached a label, Folkway Records, about releasing a collection of them transferred onto LPs. This they did in 1952, without seeking copyright permission, making this technically a bootleg. It was released as three double-LP boxed sets, and sold very poorly. In the first year it sold 50 copies, 47 to libraries and colleges. It was reissued later, and gained traction and sold better. It now has a reputation for being one of the most influential compilations in the history of Americana, and is cited as being a ma
Read more