Reviews (page 11 of 11)
pass
alright, not amazing
I've been a fringe fan since I was a kid based on the tunes they had on the classic rock stations I grew up listening to. Fun 70's album cover art that made you want to review it from corner to corner, that's just not something you see anymore. That must be the band standing in the alley watching their limo get towed? With only 6 songs it seems like a short album but one song is 13 mins, another is 8.5 mins and another is over 10 mins long. Decent listen counts for a 50+ yr old album but not impressive. "Cisco Kid" is one of those underappreciated classics you enjoy hearing, great percussion, vocals and groove. I couldn't get into the wandering "City, Country, City" and feel that's 13 mins of my life I won't get back. "Four Cornered Room" starts off as a dark stoner dirge then morphs into a spoke word thing before reverting back to a slow burn. It was ok, but not impressive. That rolls into the 10+ min "The World Is A Ghetto" which I got very little enjoyment from. Repetitive and depressing, maybe that's why it's on the T1001 list, they're talking truths from the 1970's but how about some positivity and how to change things?! His screaming vocal the last 2 mins was completely unnecessary. Wrapping up with "Beetles In The Bog"was another group chant sung in a in intelligible way, if you weren't depressed already, you are now. Outside of the uplifting "Cisco Kid" this one's a real stinker. 2 Stars since the musicianship is good, the vocals suck most of the time (they miss Eric Burdon!) and the variance from song to song is minimal after the opening track. Wouldn't listen to it twice.
Has great ideas but takes too long to get to them. Their ten minute instrumental track is so good, but it just keeps going. It's great artistry, but couldn't help but feel it didn't earn all ten of its minutes. Some songs were forgettable, others were good but weren't great. An album close to greatness but just so sorely... Lacking. Some of the bass likes makes me thing it should be 3 stars, but I can't ever see myself coming back to this album. Maybe I'll return to the title track, but not much else.
The songs that are over 10 minutes long here lack justification for their length; they could have made a shorter record and spent the extra time on something more productive. Although I'm sure this is better than a real life war
Groupe inconnu. J'ai apprécié les morceaux plus longs comme 'City, Country, City' et 'The World Is a Ghetto' majoritairement instrumentaux avec des chorus très réussis (+1). Les autres morceaux ne sont pas vraiment intéressants à mon gout ('Four Cornered Room' trop lent et long). Pas sur d'y revenir une seconde fois. =>2/5
I loved city, country, city. The rest was fine, though. The lyrics calling out the nation and it's ghetto acts was a nice listen, but i didn't stick with me to much.
I can appreciate how seemlessly the musicians here managed to blend together funk, rock, jazz, and the blues. However, this is very much not my cup of tea, like, at all. There's just too much jam band-type bullshit on here for me to like this. 2/5.
Slow - good background music - not too demanding
J - 2/5 Best Track - "Where Was You At"
Ehhh not great.
2/5 no es para mi esto
This one just didn’t grab me. Maybe I need to listen more. But I feel like a great album should get me the first time around more than this
Interesting bit of funk to hear, I am a little familiar with War’s big hits but nothing here. Wasn’t terribly engaged with this album, a little boring and fell into the background very quickly. 2.25/5 today but may have been higher on a different day
Kind of boring after Cisco
This probably needs more listens, as there are a lot of layers to unpack here. The songs are long and complex, but melodically they don't really stand out too much. Very cool mix of genres, though.
the first couple of songs are pretty good, but after that this album falls off a cliff.
Never liked this shit. Now, I dislike it even more. Why is this here?
When my wife came home last week and announced "I'm going to be a dungeon master!" a chill ran down my spine. "Perhaps I should have seen this coming," I thought. She had recently been talking about "alternate revenue streams" and I (it seemed naively in that moment) had assumed she meant something like couples crafting or selling items on eBay. I could never have imagined that she was thinking of dipping not only her toe, but her whole self into the murky world of BDSM. "Well, I suppose we could convert one of the rooms in the house..." I said. "But, of course we don't have a basement, so it won't be a real dungeon." She looked at me blankly. "What are you talking about?" she said. "A place for the apparatuses!" "What apparatuses?" "The ones for your clients! You think they'll just want to be spanked here on the couch in front of the cats? A dominatrix dungeon mistress will need a dungeon, for Christs sake! It'll be an investment, but I imagine the returns will offset the expense within the first quarter of operation..." She turned and left. Turns out she was talking about running a game of the collective-imagination RPG "Dungeons and Dragons." I'd have preferred the dominatrix angle. What does this have to do with "The World is a Ghetto" by War? More than you could ever imagine, as it happens. Her group are coming over tomorrow and this might be the perfect distraction music. They'll be about to kill a goblin and then suddenly ask "Wow, is it just me or has this song gone on for fucking ever?!" "It has!" I'll reply, "and so has your game!" Ideally they'll leave. I'll return and report the results. As for the album itself, it's maybe the funkiest thing I've ever listened to in one whole sitting. It does go slightly longer than necessary (especially "City, Country, City", "Four Cornered Room" and "The World is a Ghetto"). This does detract significantly from the funk.
Hmm, this is different
The record 100% Summer in 1970's Brooklyn vibes. And that's not a bad thing. My 2 star rating is purely based on relistenabilty. The album is solid, front to back, but its just not my thing, but damn, this has such a strong feeling to it.
Wow this is way more meandering than I expected from the "Low Rider" band! Really wild pacing to go from two tight 3-min songs to a 13-minute jam, an 8-minute jam, and a 10-minute jam, especially when none of them have anything technically dazzling or proggy or exploratory going on. The band itself is tight but overall it's not doing much for me. I'll take "Cisco the Kid" for its Pineapple Express vibes and leave the rest.
Kinda a vibe but most of it is not my jam
I found this fairly monotonous and jammy. Sorta reggae. Sorta funk. Not bad but not something I'll likely return to.
Not for me in the slightest this one. It's not offensively terrible or anything, but it just did nothing for me whatsoever.
Das Album The World Is a Ghetto wurde 1972 von der US-amerikanischen Band War veröffentlicht und in den Crystal Industries Studios in Los Angeles aufgenommen. Die Gruppe, die sich durch eine multinationale Besetzung auszeichnete, verband in ihrer Musik Funk, Soul, Rock und Latin-Elemente. Dieses Album reflektiert diesen hybriden Stil besonders deutlich. Zu den bekanntesten Titeln gehören „The Cisco Kid“, ein funkbetonter Song mit eingängigen Bläserlinien, und der titelgebende Track „The World Is a Ghetto“, der mit seinem langen, atmosphärischen Aufbau auffällt und sozialkritische Untertöne trägt. Auch „City, Country, City“, ein instrumentales Stück, zeigt die improvisatorische Bandbreite der Band und war prägend für den Crossover-Sound jener Zeit. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album zwischen rhythmischer Dichte und zurückgenommenen Passagen, wobei die Instrumentierung Raum für längere Jam-Segmente lässt. Die Arrangements wirken durchdacht, ohne aufwendig zu wirken, und spiegeln ein hohes Maß an musikalischer Eigenständigkeit wider. Insgesamt bietet das Album eine ausgewogene Mischung aus politischen Themen, tanzbaren Rhythmen und musikalischer Experimentierfreude. Es ist ein sorgfältig produziertes Werk, das den Zeitgeist der frühen 1970er Jahre ebenso abbildet wie die stilistische Offenheit der Band.
Just felt kinda long. I like other War tracks from other albums more than this one.
A but too jazzy and not my style, but I still liked a few songs, especially the first one and the world is a ghetto. Who knows, maybe as time passes my taste will change and I will someday regret this rating.
Kind of meh
meh
City country city is v great This is what the eagles would sound like if they we’re war protesting hippies instead of the cocaine kind Loved the jamming and the screeching sax
Not for me.
Not really for me
Not bad, just kind of boring
The funk overstays its welcome on a lot of these tracks. The music is competent and kind of fun, but nothing really resonated with me outside of the album’s closing number, Beetles in the Bog. I can’t see myself revisiting this particular album by the War again. Though learning these guys did Low Rider and Why Can’t We Be Friends came as a bit of shock. A shame they didn’t come up on this record! ⭐️⭐️
This was actually nice to work with. I don’t think I would ever choose it by itself, but while being busy it was calming but kept me awake. cool.
This might have caught me on the wrong day, but so much of it felt annoying that I can’t say I enjoyed it. Nearly every song on the album started okay, then ran way too long and overstayed its welcome and eventually got annoying. Not a good album to listen to when extremely tired.
I was expecting something groovier and more latin influenced from the band that brought us Low Rider. Heartbroken to say that this fell flat for me.
I couldn't work out why some of these slow jams are long and some are short. How do they decide when to end? There are no builds, no climaxes. Listening to the single version of the title track doesn't help. It is makes no difference if it is four minutes or ten, unless you're using it to time an egg. 1.5 This is boring, no? So much rehearsal room time spent fashioning fancy grooves and, as is often the case with groove-making, no one noticed that there wasn’t much worth grooving about. The base melodies here are dull, however 6 or 7 good musicians (too often playing all at once) may dress them up and drag them out. 1.5/5
A decent album. There was a lot of repetition lyrically. It would be good to have on in the background.
I wasn’t a huge fan of this. Seemed very all over the place and I disengaged often
Not horrendous but not for me either. Instantly forgettable
Oh the conflict: it turns out I like funky soul/jazz way more than I get would have expected based on the albums that have come up. Parts of this really remind me of Gorillaz which was a surprise. But... A 13 minute 18 second long instrumental?! No. A 2 seems harsh, but a 3 absolutely too much... As no half marks, a 2 it is: 2/5
I don't mind this, but i dont rate it much either. It seemed to lack any agency or motif that held attention.
War is a band I’ve wanted to know more about so I looked forward to The World is a Ghetto. I knew The Cisco Kid as well as the title track but I’d never checked out the whole album. And, unfortunately, The World is a Ghetto came up short. Outside of the two songs I knew, the only other one that resonated with me was Where Was You At. The over thirteen minute instrumental City, Country, City couldn’t end fast enough and there wasn’t much to Four Cornered Room to get me interested. The final song was really forgettable. I could maybe play this as background music but that’s about it. I have to go with a 2 rating here. 2/5
Crap
funky and fine. sounds like the era it was made in. my mind took a walk through 70's Harlem while listening to this album.
Pet fav song: Four Cornered Room I find the fact this was the best selling album of 1973 fascinating. It made me wonder why I didn't know about it. Honestly I wanted to like this album more, but I'm underwhelmed. This makes me think of a middle-aged man in his wood-paneled den drinking a Schlitz, and him thinking he's with it because he's listening to this album.
..
Can’t really remember how it was but I don’t remember anything good so it must be shit
I have to say that when I looked up the track list and saw six songs, I thought it was going to be a quick and easy listen. Wow there are some long songs on this thing! It’s not something I would normally seek out but I did enjoy it. It sounds like it could have been very influential to a lot of future artists. It has a great groove to it and an interesting sound. Album stand outs for me would be Where Was You At and the title track The World is a Ghetto.
nothing inspiring or interesting, blah
I don't know what to make of this. 2 stars.
Not my brew
nap
70s soul. Funk, jazzy elements. Well done, just not my thing.
Meh gave up on it sorry there was one cool song
Weird
Ok
I honestly expected something heavier and rougher from the band name and album title.
Couldn't get into it, was quite bored a lot of the time or my thoughts drifted off.
no
This album cannot possibly belong on this list.
The whole world? Are we a corner of the universe aliens are instructed not to go to? Maybe that’s why there hasn’t been contact yet. Either way, due to the fact that I have no further comments regarding the planet earth being a ghetto and of course the rigorous time constraints imposed upon me by big music review, let us proceed. Mount your bayonets, men. The Cisco Kid? What, does he wield a six shooter packed with lard? Greasing the wheels of justice. Oh wait. That’s Crisco. Is he trying to sell me the CiscoPone with Ed Bagley Jr.? Oh that’s Cinco. Well. St least thinking about these things helped pass the time. Musically pretty cool, dampened heavily by the constant repetition of a nonsense lyric. The Cisco kid is not a friend of mine. Oh no. The swamp critters opening. Oh wait it’s actually pretty cool. The vocals are far better than before and this was pretty funky. The ol’ thumbs in the middle treatment. Fog settles over a small church in the Spanish countryside. This desert-tinged epic is atmospheric to the point of bringing to mind landscapes across the world. A cowboy out of place and time. Not a lame cosplay cowboy way either. An outlaw pulled right from the 1800’s and dropped into 1970’s NYC. That oughta do it. Enjoy the pre-tourism Times Square and try not to get/spread syphilis you little rascal. A long track, a good track. Another long one folks. The 45 minute run time is divided amongst six songs, so if you’re not already buckled up, your mangled carcass is already smeared across the road. I do talk about runtime a whole bunch hey? OnCinema was onto something about hack reviewers. How niche can I make my references? Not to call plagiarism, but this sounds so similar to Planet Caravan. Right down to the vocal melody. Pretty sweet song to imitate but it doesn’t quite have the focus of its predecessor. Not a bad track but this one is not jumping out the windshield at me. The titular track begins with a warning. A warning that this may be grinding to a halt. Oh here we go. We need a little bit of energy after some extended downtime. At least the previous downtime felt cool. This is death. The gavel comes down resonating through the court of music nerds. Surprise being exhaled through allergy laden nostrils resonates through the wooden courtroom. The crime? Heavily criticizing PJ Harvey and Britpop. The sentence? Death. No last meals in this savage realm. Simply a final song. The world is a ghetto. 9 minutes I await my demise. 9 minutes stretches into the infinity that is my final rest. Woe is the reviewer who besmirches the quirked up indie girls. Fie upon the house of Yorke I scream as the final Starsky & Hutch lick ushers me into eternal sleep. Just kidding. I’m alive. I am jolted awake by funny words like “Beetles” and “Bog.” Luckily it’s not spelled “Beatles” or it takes on the grim veneer of a search party looking for the remains of Ringo in a wetland marsh. This was another dud. War. What is it good for? A few decent tracks, I reckon. This thing had some good moments despite my review, which seemed to frequently return to the concept of mortality; whether mine or that of the venerable Ringo Starr esquire. The netherworld seemed to be lurking beneath each grammatically laboured sentence this album drew out of me. Look. Tracks two and three were fun, and the rest fell off a cliff. Somebody call a search party, or maybe a chief of armistice, as this war is all but over. 2-2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Where Was You At, City, Country, City
I know a couple of songs by War ("Low Rider" and "Why Can't We Be Friends"), but this will be my first time listening to an album of theirs. I've been looking forward to this album, because based on its cover, I assume it's got some pretty great social commentary. Hopefully this album can satisfy my expectations! Unfortunately, I thought The World Is A Ghetto was a bit of a dud. Musically, this album had some promise, but it never really fully took off for me. It didn’t help that this album started off with “The Cisco Kid,” a song that I actually know, but unfortunately, it’s also a song I hate. The Latin elements that are woven into the instrumentals are pretty good, but I hate the vocals and lyrics, which just so happen to be really repetitive in a way that I find incredibly grating. “Where Was You At” was okay, but I wasn’t really into the organ melody, and the lyrics were pretty repetitive here too. “City, Country, City” wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t very interesting either, and it felt like it just plodded along for its entire 13-minute run time. The second side of the album didn’t fare much better with me; the instrumentals were fine, but the first two songs were pretty long, and just like the first side of the album, these songs didn’t really go anywhere interesting for me. I don’t think this album was bad, but it just didn’t really bring much to the table. I expected this to pack a bit more of a punch, but unfortunately, it just fell flat.
Not much to say. Not my cup of tea but didn’t hate it.
I couldn’t finish it.
too slow and too long. nothing breathtaking about this record. "City , Country, City" sounds like a bad jam that where musiciens don't listen to each other. boring. the title track "The World is a Ghetto" is the only track i saved. nice chord progression, nice chorus. that's it
It was Ok, but couldn't really make me want to listen to it again.
It was okay but I’ve woken up today and don’t remember any of it.
boring
It's a vibe for sure! Not my cup of tea, but was interesting to listen to.
Not very memorable to me
..
Decent jazzy album. Nothing amazing. Quite short… but fun little listen.
Starts promising, but the songwriting is not up to scratch. The last half of the album is really dull, not danceable at all, and I don’t feel the soul. Too much sax in the monitor
Cisco Kid is a well known track. Nice beat, probably a good dance choice. The rest are unmemorable. 2.5/5
Again, pretty tired writing this but this album was okay. These are the longest tracks I've seen on an album and my attention was dwindling. Just don't think I have the patience for this one today. Might update it later, 2/5 for now.
I've never listened to a funk album all the way through, so this was a cool experience. I was also intrigued to see how short the album was but that it had a 13-minute and a 10-minute song. It was even more shocking to me to see that "City, Country, City" was a 13-minute long instrumental song?? Overall the album was fun. I don't think I'd reach to listen to it again, but I liked how unique it was
70s classic R&B. Not necessarily distinctive. Bass track and vocals
This was a fun funk/jam album. It was great music to play while I worked. Not too much about the album stood out to me but it was fun. Great vibes. Some songs went on for WAYYYY too long, but I know that is the style. Actually a 2.5. Liked Songs: "The Cisco Kid" and "Where Was You At"
The Cisco Kid is about the only bright spot for me, I doubt I would revisit this anytime Best Song: The Cisco Kid Rating: 3.5/10 2 Stars
I had this one way back in the day when I was doing this project solo. I rated it a 2 then, but didn't leave a review.
Ein paar gute Hooks dabei, hätte Potenzial, aber der 13 Minuten Instrumentaltrack hat sich ziemlich gezogen und manchmal plätscherte es einfach nur vor sich hin.
Cisco Kid I enjoy. The rest is a bit of a slog.
Nice groove, nice sound but ultimately just a bit boring.
Boring schnooring
Eclectic album. A mix of funk, jazz, Latin, soul, and r n b. Started strong but then took a dip it didn’t recover from it. I like the Sly feel of the first two songs - wish it stuck with that formula.
Für mich zu soulig, wenig innovativ. 2/5
Not for me; barely made an impression at all.
Why were some of these songs so long?
I was interested to here this but this is some really songs where they are trying to create more a vibe than a song. If you are big into funk you might get something out of this, but honestly I wasn't keen 2.5*
The World is a Ghetto by War showcases the undeniable talent of the band’s musicians, but despite this, I found the album tedious. War has a reputation for their unique blend of funk, jazz, and Latin influences, and while the musicianship is clearly there, the result, in this case, fell flat for me. Though I’m no stranger to lengthy songs, the two extended tracks on this album felt unnecessarily drawn out. Instead of using the length to build something immersive or dynamic, the tracks just seemed to prolong a sense of repetitiveness, making it feel like dullness stretched to its limits. For me, any momentum the band could have built is lost in this excessive runtime. Standout Track: Pass Score: 2/5
it's interesting with lyrics and tempos, but not anything that I would seek out to listen to again. another ok background music album. 2.5 stars
Not my thing
Música ambiental para trabajar pensando que la Guerra es en verdad una movida
No es mi estilo
No more jam bands please
1. cizco kid - 1.5 2. uuhere - 1 3. city - 1.5 4. room - 1.5 5. ghetto - 1.5 6. beetlez - 1
Minna meg om Far East Family Band (hvis eg huske riktig). Streit, men ikkje essensielt i mitt liv
There are much better albums out there for this kind of music. There was too much of everything, just overloaded. Then those long tracks, just jammin' on and on. And the lyrics: always repeating to the point of annoyance. Some shorter tracks were okay, but that's it.
Nice fusion of soul, jazz, and funk with a laid-back vibe. Clearly very talented group. There are a couple of good grooves. Still, some of these songs are way too long. I don’t mind a long jam as long as it holds my attention. I will not revisit this. I was actually very surprised to learn that this was Billboard magazine's Album of the Year and best-selling album of 1973. Never would have guessed that. I’ve never even heard of this album before
13 minute instrumental is too much
Somtething different and although good its not life changing music. Good musicians and instrumental songs are very good. I just cluldnt get into it, maybe its just not my type of music.
there's some great music on this album but too much fucking around for this to be truly good. i swear city, country, city just sat on the same 2 chord vamp for 8 minutes straight, which is usually my sort of shit, but they didn't do anything with it to make it my sort of shit. it felt like listening to the sort of band practice you have in your teens where you start playing your repertoire but get bored halfway through the first song and end up jamming on it for the rest of the hour. from the gospel of francisco vincent zappa: "we was playing the same old song / in the afternoon, and sometimes we would / play it all night long / it was all we knew, and easy too / so we wouldn't get it wrong"
War, what is it good for? Apparently just one great song, which isn’t on this album. “Cisco Kid” and “Where Was You At” are fine, but the extremely extended instrumental of “City, Country, City” was a slog to get through. There is an interesting blend of soul, funk, and prog rock here that is pretty unique, but it only really clicks on the second half of “Four Cornered Room.” War’s biggest and most lasting hit is, of course, “Low Rider,” and it’s a bit of a surprise to find that it was on the same album as “Why Can’t We Be Friends.” Perhaps that is a better album to represent the band?
155/1001
Cisco Kid is a great tune. The rest of it was not notable but not terrible
Fan of the greatest hits for years, on repeat early in my college years. This full album has its moments but the longer songs get monotonous for me.
Beetles In The Bog
Super repetitive. Loved the sax solos though.
Liked Song The Cisco Kid
Fuck me but this album is so repetitive. Everything would be so much more enjoyable if it lasted for at most half of the time it does. Still, I can't understand how Fleetwood Mac didn't get the shit sued out of them for ripping off Beetles in the Bog for Tusk
5/10. I'll not place a detailed rating here as this isn't really something I vibe with very much. Some snippets of tracks here and there catch my attention, but this certainly isn't my thing.
Interesting mix. Not my style
Ik hoor soul, jazz, funk, reggae, blues op dit album. Je zou het geweldig kunnen vinden, maar ik vind het wat teveel en daardoor klikt het album totaal niet bij me. Daarbij helpt het niet dat er (met name op side A) een aantal geluiden aanwezig zijn die wat gedateerd klinken. Het is kwalitatief zeker geen slecht album, maar het is gewoon niet mijn album. Als ik hier een 3 voor zou geven zou ik mezelf voor de gek houden.
Hmm, not really for me
Funky, but not get a high score funky.
Overall very forgettable music.
Mig langaði mikið til að fíla þetta en lagasmíðin er bara ekki nógu áhugaverð.
If Why Can't We Be Friends was a five (which it is) then this is no where near it. Doesn't need to be here and detracts from their better work
A little too much of this, and a little too less of that... and a 13 minute song I did not like.
Fine. Not my jam. I don’t need eight and 10 minute experimental songs.
Good
Uninspiring and lackluster r&b, funk and soul. War seems to act as parliament funkadelic in some of the movements on this album and its good music but it lacks something in either genre or category its operating in to make it a mainstay for me. Still, good music.
An easy listening album
not really my jam
Listened Before? N It was okay. A little jammier and more repeat-y than I like from funky stuff like this but still solid work. Some of the song lengths are insane. I see why it's on the list but I probably won't revisit it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: The Cisco Kid
Я не понимаю этот фрифлоу балдёж. Типа вот у меня есть rat taxi -- крутой альбом в котором я ЧУВСТВУЮ крысиный городок и житуху маленького крысиного таксёрика. А тут... мир гетто не чувствую. Не моё.
This is why I have a lot of Greatest Hits albums. By the time I was finished I had forgotten how great Cisco Kid is. Rated D- or barely a 2.
I like the vibe, but I didn’t feel myself falling into the music, and was just thinking about other things most of the time.
Do you think bands plan on making 10+ minute long songs, or is it a situation where they need to fill time? "Alright everyone that's a wrap. Good work. Wait a minute... we've only got 23 minutes here. Think you guys can just sort of jam out for another 20 minutes?" I was vibing with this album at the start, but it started to lose me with the long songs.
It’s just not for me
Inte min kopp te direkt.
I can feel the degree of feeling and the freshness of the sound... like, I can hear the accomplishment of refining/mastering something unique. And that is pretty cool. It's sonically pleasing between the musical jazziness and production technique. Something major about its representation of a pretty specific era is lost on me. I like it but also can't have all of it.
There's nothing offensive about this album, it just kinda does its thing never really goes anywhere interesting and drags on for too long. 70s funk is really hit and miss, and this one is a hard miss for me.
Too long, sparse
Familiar with Low Rider, and that War is a funk band. But I didn't find that this record was overly FUNKY - or at least in the way I'm familiar with. It was more chanting sorta long drawn out sequences that get maybe more jazzy & jammy then anything. Needless to say a little underwhelmed, was hoping for more.
If it’s not Low Rider, I don’t want it
I don't get this one. Though the Cisco Kid isn't bad, it it quickly gets repetitive and that is a short song. Though City, Country is an instrumental, it's a 13 minute trip that doesn't really go anywhere. Certainly by the time four cornered and world is a ghetto rolled around it was getting pretty tiresome. Not enough to make these track compelling, especially over their long durations.
Didn't meet my expectations
Eh? It was nice but was kind of just background music. Maybe I would have liked it more if I wasn’t freaking out about my life while I listened to it
No thanks
This is quite a slow album and is seems to fall through the cracks a bit. It's funky but not full on funk. It's slightly jazzy, slightly soulful, slightly Latin but doesn't really hit home anywhere stylistically. No songs jump out at you either but there are some nice moments going on. Ultimately it's doesn't have an edge to it and it's just a bit dull. A solid 2 stars.
Had a pretty good funky sound, but none of the songs felt creative or innovative and it kind of dragged on
While the fans wanted low rider, War is good for somethings. Best Song: N/A Worst Song: N/A
Mostly bored while listening sadly
The World Is a Ghetto is the fifth album by American band War. It was Billboard's #1 album of 1973 and was certified gold in the US. War is known for their Latin/funk/rock/soul music and they spiced this album up further with jazz and psychedelia. The band grew closer to mastery of their type of music with this album, although some critics found the rhythm a little too slow. I thought this was a great soulful, but funky jazz album. The music really encompassed the feelings of the poor and minorities during the early 70's, while still delivering good grooves. Jazz and soul lovers will enjoy this classic album.
Bassist: "So, lads, I'm gonna lay down some bumbly rhythms." Dummer: "Coolcoolcool. I can tiddly-bop on the top of that." Bassist: "Nice. Now, Sax?" Sax, presently cutting his toenails: "Huh?" Bassist: "We'll need you in a few minutes. Cool?" Sax: "Yeah, I guess. Kinda busy. But anyways..." Bassist: "Ay-right. Guitar dudes, you're up!" Guitar dudes: "On it, big man. We'll doodly-dop on top of your bumbly-bips." They play. Minutes pass. Bassist: "Sax, now!" Sax, baking a cake, in a flour-covered apron: "Aw crap. Now?!" Bassist: "Yes! Now!" Sax wipes flour off his nose and starts to honk-hunk. Bassist: "That's some nice hunk-honking, Sax!" Sax looks at Bassist witheringly. And so it goes for minutes at a time until the oven dings, the cake is ready, the group loses interest in each other, and the music fades out through lack of any other plan or intention.
2 - I got kinda bored over the course of the album, but it isn't bad or anything.
war makes video game hub area music
not my vibe really
Interesting album, I liked the tone and style for some settings. I do prefer the bands earlier work with the powerhouse blues vocals of Eric Burdon. I have been known to appreciate extensively long album side length tracks, but a couple of these play a little long for even me. It is unique. Interesting liner note that the final live performance of the great Jimi Hendrix was with this band the day before his death. 2/5
Songs were fun for the first two minutes and then felt like they never ended. My dog died the day I started this, so dnf.
Couple of good songs 2 stars
Too much going on for my liking. Title track was alright.
Nice to listen to but doesn't really connect with me
It was ok I guess. Recognised the last tune from the Fleetwood Mac sample on Tusk?
It was OK, nothing special. Don't think it will get another spin any time soon, even though i am beginning to rekindle an interest in 70's funk because of doing this. Good enough for a low 2.
Old school cool. 2/5
First track was groovy as hell. Second track I dont care for harmonica. There was a lot of jamming in the record and at parts I liked it, but at parts it got a bit stale. Four cornered room was a great spiritual/gospel switch up from the new agey/disco tracks that preceded it and sported some excellent vocals. The musicianship is pretty good, if not great, but at times predictable. Jam bands are for some people, but not so much for me and that is subjective. I will say the percussion work was excellent as well as the bass lines. The melodic musicianship left a little to be desired at times, but I did like some of the ambient sounds they played around with. The band shines when it finds a groove and can get a bit darker in my opinion and for God sake turn off the fucking harmonica. I loved the gong. The record picks back up the last two tracks with the World is a Ghetto and Beatles in the Bag. If it weren't for those two jam tracks this would be a really great record. Even so it still hits some key points.
The Cisco Kid is great. Everything else is not for me.
Meh
Meh….nothing blew me away. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t exciting either. The title track was pretty good.
Quite a short album that I had on in the background doing work. Probably not the best way to listen as I’m not sure how much I absorbed, and I don’t feel overly motivated to listen to it again.
Good Relaxing Music
it really is just not for me Significant 36/109 Liked 17/109 Added 4/109 NNN
I wasn't really feeling it. Didn't catch my ear
I had trouble getting through this one. And while I was familiar with earlier hits like “Spill the Wine” when Eric Burdon from The Animals was involved, I’m mystified at how this album was Billboard’s top seller that year.
Get the funk outta my face. I must be missing something with this one, as apparently it was album of the year and the years best selling album, but to me it’s just boring. They definitely know how to find a groove and hang on it for several minutes, I guess that’s something.
Actually thought this was pretty good. Some nice grooves and jams with a variety of instruments. Not something I’d typically listen to and thought it was interesting. In the end though, not sure it’s something I’d go back to.
I thought I was going to like this album. I did not like this album. I’m shocked it was the best selling album of 1973 and appeared on the original Rolling Stone 500 best albums of all time list. There’s other albums on the 1001 albums list I don’t like, but get why they’re there (influence on the music landscape, other artists, etc). I don’t get that here. Most songs sound like the theme music of a sitcom. Not a fan of jam bands and 12 minute songs. I did enjoy The Cisco Kid. This is a shrug emoji album to me. 1.75/5
Me encanta la portada del disco
Not my jam.
Really not my thing.
Not bad. Different but didn’t mind.
i never need to listen to this album again
It turns out my life didn't need an eight minute organ solo. Who knew.
War, huh.
Concept, but it falls flat. There are a couple catchy songs and a few good jams, but overall it's forgettable.
Does anyone remember "cut-outs"? Those were deeply discounted longplayers with, well, cut-outs in the covers to mark them as discounted. Instead of shelling over the typical 15 - 20 Deutschmark for standard LPs, you bought the real good ones (say, Supertramp's Crisis What Crisis?) for 10 Deutschmarks (we are beaming back into the late 70ies here). On the low cost end were bands like "Ace" (famous for their "How long" hit and their singer Paul Carrack) and, tataah, WAR. As memory serves me, almost the complete WAR catalogue was on available in the cutout shelves. They seem to hold a cultural significance to make it onto the 1001 list, but the reasons fail me. In other word, not my type of beer. I'll wait for Marvin Gaye or Isaac Hayes to hand over four stars.
#84. The first song was good, but then it faded fast. Like real fast. Honestly the rest of the album kinda sucks. But hey, at least they're being consistent with adding an album from a one hit wonder which that one hit isn't on. 2/5: pass
Gut aber langweilig
Boring
Meh, it is jazzy and good saxophone but will probably never go back to it.
I had high hopes, but it was just fine. Good coffee shop backdrop.
I was into it for the first two songs and then the 13 minute instrumental track lost me completely.
2.4 The Geto Boys do a version/sample of world is a ghetto and that song bangs. Didnt care for the original, felt a bit drab. The rest of the album, meh. The songs were long and didn't really go anywhere.
Catchy, but not something I enjoy too much. Lost me at the jazzier parts.
I got some Pink Floyd vibes on a couple of songs.
gueti hintergrundmusik, but not my vibe
Almost a 3.
- WAR war mir bislang nur vom Hörensagen ein Begriff - entspannter 70s-R&B-Funk - mir war nicht klar, dass Eric Burdon neben The Animals und seinem Soloprojekt noch Frontmann einer anderen Band war - würde es wahrscheinlich aber nicht von selbst anschmeißen (höchstens als Hintergrundmukke zum Essen) Rating: 2,5 / 5
Sadly this album passed through my ear holes with ne’er a glance.
Too scattered and 70s sounding for me.
This album is “easy listening” / background music. It has this jazz/world feel that reminds me of Comfort Food, the band headlines by Pnina’s uncle. After a couple of listens I didn’t really get hooked by any songs.
Nice to hear some of their stuff besides Low Rider.
Enjoyed some of instrumentals. Didn't care for the vocals.
funk
This was meandering and long. Kind of grating. Less cheesy than the funk. But still not my thing.
A little too slow for me, good stuff but not my type.
Hmm idk hørte en sang på vej imens jeg kørte gusse, og synes den virkede meget grineren men også en lidt kikset fusion af funk og rock?
Not bad, but not something I'd listen to
Cisco kid is a great track, vibes are good. Good background tunes
Favorite Tracks: The Cisco Kid, The World Is A Ghetto
It was okay. Really short. Recognized the first song, but wasn't really my thing.
There are some enjoyable moments but it felt like it never really got going
Occasional decent bit of funk but generally all over the place and never really good.
Loses its way a fair bit, going too out there, instrumental, and samey for quite a while in the middle of the album. The rest of it is fine, but not good enough to make up for the wanderings. Cisco Kid and The World Is A Ghetto are catchy, memorable songs, but again overly drawn out. 2/5.
Honestly, not convinced
Not bad but I dk if I would listen again
Me he aburrido. El sonido me gusta pero divaga en exceso. Entiendo que ha envejecido mal ya que para ser el mejor album de 1973 según Billboard ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_200_number-one_albums_of_1973 ) en un año que estaba "Dark side of the moon" pues tu me dirás.
This felt longer than it actually was.
Mostly instrumental.
Nice jazzy album, but too low energy for my liking. 2/5
p282. 1972. 2 stars. Not my thing. No standout songs, and no-one needs multiple meandering 8+ minute tracks.
Interesting, some good small moments but overall it does not feel cohesive or maybe it's not just for me. My rating would be 2.5 stars. I didn't dislike it fully but I cannot just leave it play it in the background without being annoyed in some segments.
Plays like the soundtrack to a 70s cop drama all car chases and slow mo walking down the tough streets of Detroit, or Philly or NYC
Cisco Kid - feels like you're part of the 70's urban scene. The rest of the album not my fav but it definitely has a vibe.
Minna meg om Far East Family Band (hvis eg huske riktig). Streit, men ikkje essensielt i mitt liv
Tässä oli ainakin vaihtuvuutta kun melkeen jokainen biisi oli "eri genreä". Ei varsinaisesti pahaa sanottavaa, kerta riitti ja eteenpäin.
Not in the mood. The opening track, "Cisco Kid" is the only memorable hit from the record. The rest is just ok.
Go - funk being funk. Plaat bleef precies soms hangen.
I don't like it much
i don't reckon any ghetto sounds like this outside of a james bond film.
Sipping whisky out of a discarded doll's head and listening to this record at full blast is the best way to spend a beautiful day. Unfortunately, I spent the day cleaning dog shit out of my new shoes.
2/6
Had a hard time stringing these tracks together as an album. Maybe needs multiple listens but I kept checking Spotify to see if it was still the same album / artist. 2.5
Ja feelar nästan ge de en två men int helt de va ba kinda tråkigt
i love the musicality this album provided. i was listening to it while reading and really complimented. it was enjoyable and also different to my usual taste
boring as fuck
C'est pas ma tasse de thé
Horrible not my taste. Im hungover so maybe thats not helping
Not bad.
Did not like it at all. Really thought I would.
I'm sure it was a breath of fresh air when it came out. I was bored from the outset, especially since there are MANY local bands that focus on setting a rhythmic groove with similar instrumentation and noodling forever. This was my subjective opinion of the album.
Aburrido, no me llamo la atención para nada
Music for people who love sitcom theme songs
Put it on the prog rock pile
Херня, просто спокойная музыка, хотя никакая. Я даже не знаю зв что тут можно ухватиться. 2/10
Det är nog det tråkigaste albumet jag lyssnat på i mitt liv. Alla låtar är långsamma och det är inget som sticker ut. Jag orkade inte ens lyssna klart på hela, trots att det bara var sex låtar. The Cisco Kid var iallafall bra.
😩
Absolutely love the French Dispatch-esque cover of the album but this was boring </3
More of a lyrical person
not for me particularly... appreciate the attention to the instruments though, if i had to choose top songs itd be the titular song and beetles in a bog
Meh
Sigh... so, now even soul's gone progressive? Yeesh... Look. If your song goes over 6 minutes, it had better have a very good reason for doing so, and I don't believe the offenders on this album had any justifiable excuses. Was this boring? Pretty much. Was it painful? At times (lookin' at you, sax). Was there ANYTHING I enjoyed? Not really. Does it deserve a 1? I guess so.
Not my thing
1.1/5 I didn't mind the first 2 tracks but im not that big into funk and soul so some of these songs were pretty repetitive.
Niet echt mijn ding.
Mňa toto nezaujalo, podľa všetkého, viackrát si to nevypočujem.
не мое. больше всего понравилась the world is a ghetto. звукоподражающий инструментал позволяет представить себе обстановку, которую описывали авторы
Not a fan
Saw what the album was & thought “War, huh? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” Asked and answered.
One time there was an emo night in Santa Clarita. War was playing the same venue. They closed with a 15 minute rendition of Low-Rider. This album sucked.
Desperately dull
Naja. Gut. Schön, ...aber Top 1001 Alben? Hat mich nicht so berührt, als dass ich nicht den Verdacht hätte, da gäbs nicht 1001 bessere Alben. Von demher eher tiefes Rating. Aber generally pleasing vibes.
no likey
No, it's not.
this sounded like a 3 hour improv jam session and it wasnt good 3/10
1. Packt es mich? (2) ➤ die Stimmung an sich war gut aber es hat mich nicht abgeholt 2. Kreativität & Ideen: (2) ➤ gerade bei den längeren Parts fande ich es sehr eintönig, für mich hat nichts rausgestochen 3. Wohlfühlfaktor: (1) ➤ Die Musik hat mich irgendwie genervt 4. Genre & Offenheit: (1) ➤ bin bis jetzt noch kein Fan von Soul gewesen und das konnte es jetzt auch nicht retten 5. Zugänglichkeit: (1) ➤ Ich musste mich zwingen zuende zu hören, einen Song habe ich auch fast komplett übersprungen, sorry aber die 8min konnte ich mir nicht mehr geben. Gesamt: 7 / 25 → ⭐ 1,4 / 5 Sterne Kommentar / Lieblingssong(s): Lieblingssongs gibt es hier nicht. Ich bin mir sicher das das Album seine daseinsberechtigung hat und auch die Message davon gut ist. Aber das wird auch nichts daran ändern das ich diese Songs wahrscheinlich nie wieder hören werde.
Ass
Not for me. 1/5
I could not recommend this album less, it’s like listening to paint dry.
Why
I should’ve enjoyed this - but I didn’t. At all. Completely forgettable, and far too long for a 6-track album.
Heard via Megan. Not a fan.
I couldn't get into this. It felt like it had elements of things I like in it, but as a whole I found it boring. Then they had the gall to test me with 13 minutes long versions of the stuff I didn't enjoy. Gah. I do not like war.
George Lopez made this worse
slow and the songs were excessively long
Nah.
In theory I should have really liked this album. I read up a little on War, having never really heard of them and love the concept of the band, but something didn't click for me with this one. I liked the use of so many unique instruments and sounds, but found the whole album kind of aimless. I think wrapping so many genres and styles into one album kind of hurt them in the end. A huge chunk of it was just very slow and almost purely ambient noise, which isn't always bad but in this case didn't help. Standouts were the first half of "City, County, City" - I found parts of its 13+ minute track length a little grating - "Four Cornered Room" - had a really cool western vibe but again dragged in the back half. I think this has to be my first 1 star album; it's just not my style and I wouldn't listen to any of it again. It's an album out of time for me and I didn't really enjoy my time with it.
Chilled out funk with jazzy horns, busy percussion, gospel vocal harmonies and an deep groove to it. Though it presages a lot of very annoying and smooth jazz funk it's dynamic and soulful enough to avoid being easy listening. At the very least the contrast between the urgent social commentary of the lyrics/titles and the upbeat fun of the music is pretty striking.
i feel like i’ve lost my mind… y’all liked this???
i couldnt make it past the 8 min song sory
Too slow and too repetitive for me. I didn't enjoy listening to this
I have no idea what to make of this album. But I don't really like it. Maybe the lyrics give more insight into its meaning, but I don't really feel like listening to them. The music is lame and doesn't grab me anywhere. When I think of War, it's always with Eric Burdon, that's a completely different story. Yes, I've decided, I don't like this album.
THIS SHIT WAS SO FUCKING SLOW I NEEDED SUBWAY SURFERS TO GET THROUGH IT
It can only get better from here. I’d honestly rather play ds2 with both hands tied behind my back before I listen to anything even tangentially related to this dogshit.
Been away for six weeks and this hasn't got any better. Found this one bland, self indulgent, lacking energy and why did these songs need to be so long. The seventies produced some great music but a lot of shit also. Not for me.
0 stars actually
Don’t know. Didn’t listen.
This was not for me. It fell into the background, and I didn't connect to the album.
What the…
I don't live in a ghetto, that's probably why I didn't like it
I don't really like the harmony
good but not for me
Nicht meine Richtung
Really didn’t like it, the songs were also way too long
Old Wihout ideas
I don’t enjoy it. But low rider is goated by War
Terrible. Songs were too long, too instrumental, just not enjoyable for me.
Overall: WAR was a staple in rotation played in my home as a child. I can appreciate the record for the jazz funk vibe and vocals that are reminiscent of sorrow songs. I'll probably add Cisco Kid to a regular playlist to hear it more in the future. As a full album, I probably wouldn't go back to it, but I can see how everyone SHOULD hear this and other WAR albums at least once. There is something incredibly important to the feel of the album that captures not only the struggle at the time it was written, but the struggle that has continued across time. Track Breakdown: Cisco Kid - this is a childhood classic, brought me back to being 6years old again.. my parents would play this often in the house through the giant floor console stereo cabinet while did chores Saturday or had a lazy Sunday City, Country, City - thoroughly enjoyed this jazzy funky jam instrumental, until about the 6 minute mark, I was almost ready to skip it.. then the sax cut out and keyboards took over and won me back Four Cornered Room - many parts of this song really touched my empathetic heart, the entire tone of the song made me think of a sorrow song that would come from the fields of the 1800s, mixed with some blues and funk.
After the first two tracks, I was ready to write this album off (I've never intentionally listened to War) but "City, Country, City" captured my attention with its funky saxophone / organ leads and energetic, dense percussion. FUN listen that had me dancing around. This might be a 70's track from Santana if you swapped the sax with guitar... And right after that, "Four Cornered Room" has me bored and tuned out again. War simply isn't for me, and that's fine. But I did add "City, Country, City" to an instrumental playlist I have to get fired up, so it's not a total loss.
Zu sehr 70s
DNF
1/5
🥱
Second flop in a row