Reviews (page 3 of 12)
From the start with 'The Cisco Kid' this is funky... I'd listen to this again. It is funky and still sounds fresh. The music is great. 5/5
So funky it'll make you want to institute change for the better in your community. 5/5
Great mix of genres. Awesome funk.
some really great, classic funk grooves here. to be honest, i feel like for a lot of people, this album might be boring, but this really just hits the spot for me. i knew cisco kid and the title track before listening to this album, so I kind of had an idea of what I was getting into, but the album cuts on this one really cemented it for me. just a good, groovy album.
Where has this album been my entire life! What a great album! Absolutely loved it.
wow holy shit, I thought I'd probably enjoy it but this is PHENOMENAL, the spaciest smoothest sax ever over classic motown grooves. So good
So good - reminds me of Cymande
Good to great album.
This was fun! A very unique sound to it that I really liked. Excellently played and written, fun album cover as well. So much to love and nothing to hate.
The sounds that a lot of my childhood were based on, very cool to engage with this.
first album about soul music.Sounds good!
Really enjoyed that - this is more like a 4.5. I'm more familiar with War's collaboration with Eric Burdon than their own stuff, so it was good to rectify that... Fave tracks - "The Cisco Kid" is a great opener. "City, Country, City" is wonderfully cinematic. "Four Cornered Room" is probably my fave track on the album - lovely dreamy hypnotic atmosphere - kinda reminded me of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan". "The World is a Ghetto" is a jam, and I liked the afrobeat sounding "Beetles in the Bog" You know what, gonna round this up to a 5 since every track apart from one caught my attention!
So good
1972 - Funk; Soul; R&B; Psychedelic Soul
C’est pas un album que tout le monde va aimer, mais j’ai beaucoup apprécié l’expérimentation jazz couplé au son classique de War
A couple familiar songs, but otherwise very jazzy. I’m all about this. Favorite song on the album: The World is a Ghetto
Favourite War album
Great mix of genres. Way exceeded expectations.
The Cisco Kid is an overplayed turd but thankfully it picks up after that
Glad I listened to this again cause I'd forgotten how much of it was instrumentals. Anyway: iconic
I hear “Cisco Kid” now and again on the radio but didn’t know anything else about War. I think I really like 70’s funk like this and Sly. That bass and that groove I can really get into. Even the 10 minute plus instrumental “City, Country, City” slaps hard. “World is a Ghetto” is a standout with its socially conscious lyrics.
Loved the voice. Interesting
Great diversity of instrumentation, an amazing fusion of soul and jazz, with touches of psychedelia, funk, and blues. All in all a great listen, and easily one of the best album covers of all time. Favorite Song: City, Country, City Score: 87/100
it’s like walking in the street, is kinda cold, is fall, you are going home kinda album
City, Country, City is the shit.
Cool, easy listening
Love the slow funk grooves. Lots of room for the instruments to breathe.
Really good funk
Pretty cool album. I think the only song I had heard from war before was Low Rider. This album sounded like a funky, jazz album. Kinda like Steely Dan but better than them. Enjoyed it.
Pretty cool, but some tracks were overly long
great 7/10
The Cisco Kid - 8/10. Funky and classic. Where Was You At - 7/10. More good soul music. City, Country, City - 8/10. Jazzy and slick. Four Cornered Room - 8/10. Jazzy and slick. The World is a Ghetto - 9/10. This is chill in the best possible way, and a reminder that the conflict has always been Rich vs Everyone Else. Beetles in the Bog - 8/10. Super cool and chill. Overall Rating - 4.00/5 (8.00/10). This is classic, old-school soul, and I'm totally here for it. Chill, relaxed, but with a clear and positive message through the lyrics. We're all in this together.
Surpreendente
Gear: ZMF Bokeh Closed Artwork: 🪝🚗🏚️ Production (50th Anniversary Edition): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🐢🎷💎 Rating: 👑👑👑👑(👑)/5
😃
Very groovy. Love it
低端派对感觉是对的啊
4.4/5 Favorite Songs: The Cisco Kid City, Country, City The World Is A Ghetto
The Cisco Kid - 4/5 Where Was You At - 3.5/5 City, Country, City - 4/5 Four Cornered Room - 3.5/5 The World is a Ghetto - 4/5 Beetles in the Bog - 4/5 A good funk outing with some influences of soul, latin, jazz, rock, and others. A perfect soundtrack for traveling around New York during the 70s. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: The Cisco Kid, The World is a Ghetto
Jag har lite blandade känslor för detta album. Det är sjukt groovy och instrumentalt helt otroligt skickligt utfört. Älskar alla funky vibes, alla jazziga vibes och det allmänna groovet. ”City, Country, City” är min favoritlåt på albumet. 13 minuter rå banger. Det enda negativa jag har att säga om albumet är att jag inte alltid älskar sången. Jag tror säkert detta album skulle kunna vara en av mina favoriter om jag lyssnar mer.
Gillar albumet mycket, om jag hade mer tid att lyssna hade detta blivit bättre i bättre. Vilket jag märkte efter andra och tredje lyssningen. Ger detta en 8
some fun prog jazz
"Cisco Kid" is a song I always liked when I heard it on the radio back in the day, so hearing that funky vaguely Latin beat song first put me in a good mood to hear the rest of this record. I was worried that “City, Country, City” was getting a little too smooth jazzy for me, but then the sax, keyboards, and percussion stepped outside of those bounds to great effect. (I’d love to know what they were thinking when they wrote “Beetles in the Bog” - it’s a weird little song, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as a person who likes both insects and bogs.) There’s a lot of interesting space-jazz-blues-funk on this record - glad I got to hear it, since all I knew before this was “Cisco Kid.”
I know of the band, but hadn't heard this before. It's great. Not quite at "What's Going On?" level, but man, I dig it.
4/5
I feel like Cisco Kid is also a friend of mine, too. Really fun, competent funk album with a lot of groove. Extremely solid all around.
I'm happy to report that the band who made one of the most annoying songs of all time (freaking George Lopez show) is in fact, an excellent soul/funk/r&b band that knows how to play and write. All the hate to low rider aside, this is a really great album. the jam length is, truthfully, a little dragging for me but only because I think the complexities only will grow on me in time. Only one star off for not being immediate but I think this will only grow on repeat listens.
3.5
War's smash hit album, The World is a Ghetto, is a treasure chest of genres compressed into six songs. Prog, soul, R&B, funk, and psychedelic rock all live together (mostly) successfully. The quality of the production lifts the tracks up a level, which for a couple is better than they deserve. It's a good album made great by this excellent work with the knobs.
Pretty good actually
groovy
This one blew me away. I'd heard the main hits from War, but had no idea of the depth of their game. There's jazz, funk, blues, reggae, and even a little afro-beat within this epic of an album, and I honestly had so much fun here. The lyrics contain plenty of staying power even today, the dude on sax was going ham during "City, Country, City", and once again it provides the perfect sunny day soundtrack. More of this please.
Egentligen behöver de inte sjunga över huvud taget. Det är så bra instrumentalt att sången mest kommer in och stör. Som tur är är det inte allt för ofta.
Så här vill man ju att det ska vara med sajten. Att man upptäcker något nytt (eller dryga 50 år gammalt) som förut gått utanför radarn. Så klart borde man haft koll på War, men så är inte fallet. Det här, liksom några andra spår jag hunnit lyssna in under dagen, är i vilket fall som helst riktigt bra. Det börjar dock lite trevande. De båda inledande spåren är fin psykedelisk funk utan att stick ut allt för mycket. Från och med ”City, country, city” tar albumet nya höjder. Låtarna blir jazzigare. Såväl lurtut som rytmsektion får ta större plats och gör det med den äran. Det lär inte dröja länge innan War finns representerade i skivhyllan.En fyra, hur stabil som helst.
Man these guys were great! Well ahead of the time in terms of incorporating jazz, funk and rock in different combos. Loved it
Elite early-70's soul/funk album. Hugely successful. Pitchfork: 8.8 (50th anniversary reissue rating) Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs The Cisco Kid City, Country, City The World Is A Ghetto
Quite short but would defo listen again. First song was a banger
One of those releases I didn't know the existence till now. Especially in the longer tracks the soul, funk and jazz are working well together to some psychedelic effect. The only downside of this album is that not all songs are long. The shorter tracks are more song based and leans more to soul funk and should have been replaced with one longer track.
Funky, jazzy jams. The more I listened, the more I wanted to listen.
wish i had my record player set up because i own this one on wax! great grooves on here, but the real winner is the title track. one of the best 10 minute soul songs of this era, of which there's a fair amount of competition. i don't think it's controversial to say that the 70s are probably rnb's peak. and this is a really sparse and loose interpretation of it. it's really interesting that this was as popular as it was, because it's rather formless. don't come in expecting Why Can't We Be Friends (which is admittedly a wonderful song). deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah
Interesting album cover, great music. Would recommend to everyone. Easiest four stars in my life.
Very very cool
Nice! I really like it.
I wish there were 1 or 2 more uptempo tracks on this but I guess it's not necessarily supposed to be a fun, party album. Groovy stuff
Funky! Really enjoyed this one.
I only knew War from their singles and that Eric Burdon was involved. This album didn’t have any of the singles I knew and Eric was no longer part of the group when this album came out. Despite all of that, I really liked it. I can’t get into pure Funk bands but this has the perfect blend of funk, soul, and rock that I can get into. This will be one I come back to.
Super groovy. Love me some funk
Sounds like a quintessential album of it's time and style. 3.8/5.
Liked it a lot! very groovy. some songs felt like they went on for a bit too long but overall enjoyed the listening experience
Surprise surprise
Good album with some classic funky 70s songs.
New to me. My knowledge of funk and soul is woefully limited. This sounded like an excellent example of the genre and I enjoyed it.
Liked this much more than expected.
First listen. I enjoyed this. It’s a great sounding album. It’s a funky vibe with some honest themes.
Someone get me my flared trousers! Where are my platform Mary Janes? "The World is a Ghetto" is just infectious, it's road-trip music, it's walking-down-the-city-street music, it's Angel Dynamite music, it's hookah-smoke music. The saxophone on this album is also stellar.
fuck.
This album is funky.
Some amazing grooves
It took me a bit to get into, but after a couple tracks, I was really digging it. Not exactly my jam, but absolutely worth the listen
Cool rock/soul fusion album. Good bass throughout
Good soul/funk album. Kind of repetitive, but still fun overall. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again
What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Fave Tracks: City, Country, City, The World Is A Ghetto, Beetles in the Bog 4.2/5
Topical, confrontational, and funky as hell. Don't know if it was supposed to be a concept album, but it sure feels like one. Incredible record.
You have about ten seconds before you realize this is gonna be a funky one. The vibe on this album is immaculate pretty much every second. It feels like a hot summer day in the city. What city? Any city where you might actually spend time on the sidewalk and not in your back yard. Where there is a neighborhood that is a self contained microcosm. It feels like the mythical city block of movies and Coke commercials. And it feels like the vague “before”. It's not today's global warming heat, but the comfortable sweat of the before. You probably are pulling out an ice cold Coke in your mind, aren't you? It's tasting like it did as a kid, crisp and cold and actually thirst quenching, not weird, heavy, syrupy. Maybe this is just my fantasy. The centerpieces here are the two long-form vamps: the title track and City Country City. Both groove hard, but we shouldn't ignore the driving Cisco Kid, or the contemplative Four Cornered Room, or even the jazzy Beetles in the Bog. This isn't an anytime album, but it's a great one and I think this is the time to hear it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nice, like it a lot!
This album is great, THE INSTRUMENTS ARE FIRE, but I don’t have much to say other than it was a nice listen
Funky. In the right mood, this album hits perfectly.
Enjoyed this one after a series of bad listens.
The Cisco Kid is a new favourite of mine !!! I loved the sound of this album - some of the songs were too long for my taste but it was still GREAT I shall be listening again for sure !
What a discovery, past the opening track this was a fresh album that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially after the rough week of entries
Phenomenal album
Smooth & funky. Savner litt sterkere låter eller litt mer intens jamming, men overall mye bedre lytteopplevelse enn jeg hadde forventa fra et band som før idag fremstod for meg som et one hit wonder.
Seigt og funky, jammete og jazzy. Likte det godt. Kan hende det hadde vokst mer på meg etter enda flere gjennomlyttinger.
Groovy, soulful stuff.
I liked the blend of genres and thought I would enjoy it when I listened to the first track but then it waned, still a good listen, just not superb.
Great!
Enjoyed this, especially City, Country, City. I liked the hand percussion throughout.
9/10
Not my thing but recognise the quality.
I really liked the sound of this album!! I enjoyed getting swept away by the cool beats. Could definitely see this music in like a 70's movie. The last song was rough! It didn't have the feel of the rest of the album.
Initial post listing ranking: 7/10 (4 star) Type of music / Reminds me of: Somewhat jazzy for an album like this. Pink Floyd esqu Thoughts: Cool, very cool, I like the more I listen Favorite Track: Four Cornered Room
Starting to like this band
Great musicianship and groovery
I enjoyed this one a lot
Muy bien
*Cool instrumentation- great percussion, saxophone, guitar *Nice mix of long form jazz with shorter songs
Syksy
There’s good material here, but I just couldn’t immerse myself in it. I’m not sure what it was. I think if I were in a different mood it may have gotten a 5
Just a good funky album here. Cisco kid is so smooth
This….this is what war is good for
I'm afraid I cannot listen to this album because it makes me do things with my body that are unseemly for a white man of a certain age. This is for your own good.
Not my usual jam but I liked the funky jam vibe - have played it a few times and enjoyed grooving along despite a bit too much sax. Probably a 3 but the sunshine is nudging it up to a 4.
i liked it. very cool and psychodelic
really interesting album
A bit of me. Great grooves.
Really enjoyed this one, even if the songs were long it was a nice chill good vibe. Great driving music. Glad I was able to hear more from a band that I’d normally only hear the cult classics from.
I enjoyed this opportunity to hear War beyond their singles and feel that this album does great justice to the band's artistic talent. Songs like Lowrider are catchy hits whose justifications for reaching popularity are obvious, but this album feels more like a true work of art from a collection of coordinated musicians, rather than some hit and miss attempts at commercial success. I think this speaks to the virtue of War's achievement in producing this genuinely high ranking album. However, the album is slow and takes patience to appreciate the many instruments coming and going throughout, and I feel that my patience was exceeded by the song Four Cornered Room, which is a very slow song following an already slow, 13-minute track in City, Country, City. While I enjoyed the long instrumental sequences featured on several of the songs, I feel they needed more counterbalance to their tempos.
24.06.2026
beautiful. i had never heard of war before so when i saw the name i assumed it would be metal. couldn't have been more wrong.
This was actually quite a groove to start out my work week. I haven't ever given War the listen, outside of Low Rider. This record was nice to get a little bit of many things. It had the disco feel, the funk, the groove of the 70s, some really good instrumentation, and was overall a smooth listen. Maybe this isn't their most popular work, but I wouldn't write it off either. It's got soul, funk, blues, jazz, and R&B in it. Just what the doctor ordered on a rainy Monday back to work.
Ytterligare än spännande ny bekantskap från den här tidsperioden. Det gjordes helt enkelt skitmycket bra musik runt 1970. Här gillar jag det jazziga anslaget utan att det någonsin slutar vara pop. Melankolin passar också en svensk lyssnare. En fyra.
Enjoyed it a lot
cool!
just the Right amount of 60s race politics (and occasional misogyny) to get phOnkyyyyyyy. good juneteenth pick. 3.5-5.
Dope
Groovy, mix of genres. More instrumental than lyric driven. Found out Janet’s “You” was a sample of one of the songs here.
Lovely, visual, varied.
Groovy as beans
9/10 ME ENCANTAAAAA.
Really enjoyed this record. I was familiar with War before this, mostly because of the copious amounts of the hit 2000's television show 'George Lopez' I watched as a tiny child and the opening theme song Low Rider that played during the shows intro credits. I didn't know they had the chops to get this funky and jazzy with their sound, and I gotta say, after listening to the album for the first time, I'm a fan. Definitely gotta listen to some more of their work in the future.
lässig
8/10 Really enjoyable album. Kinda funky, groovy, soul vibe. Though the name of the album/tracks are evocative (indicating, perhaps, a perspective on politics of the early 70s), the lyrics don't do much more than just repeat the song titles ad nauseum and call it a day. Typical for albums of this specific genre of this specific time, but disappointing nonetheless. Regardless, I really like the album.
A really pleasant soul album that just kind of played on in the background and I enjoyed it a lot. Its not everyday music to me but when the mood hits I will definitely search this band up again.
3.5
Enjoyable. Isn’t as heavy as the album title suggests!
The grooves these guys are hitting on this thing are just impeccable.
Hard not to groove to this. It has a pumping beat throughout the whole album which I feel would make it perfect for driving on a summer day with the windows down. Or next to a pool with a beer. I will try both asap. City, Country, City seems out of place but was a good song nevertheless.
I’ve seen this cover in the record store and told myself this was one to check out and I guess today is that day. This was a really great album. Very funky and soulful and jazzy. I like that in the longer songs space is left for each instrument to have their moment while the jam continues. Favorite songs were The Cisco Kid and The World Is A Ghetto.
Deep groove funk. Not mad about it.
Classic soul and funk beats.
I wasn't mad for this on first listen but returning led to better results.
Lovely blend of soul, jazz, and funk. Smooth as butter, but also had some liveliness to it that kept the whole album very dynamic.
Its diverse and incredible at times, but I think it's a bit too disconnected to be a 5 for me. On their own most songs are grand, together I feel the resonance lessens a bit
4 Love the first half but I feel the last 3 songs aren't on the same level
Gostei mais do álbum do que imaginei. Jazz e outros elementos com uma vibe urbana muito interessante. QoA Adonis New.
Loved it. This is the first time I’ve listened to this band, and I regret not finding them sooner.
I only knew War from the singles released when I was in high school. I never fully appreciated their musicianship
Great funk album!
Ontdekking!! Heerlijke soul-funk!
High 3
Really nice album but I like All Day Music more. This seems quite dark to me.
I could listen to The Cisco Kid all day. Rest of it isn’t grabbing me quite as much but still a solid four
This was fun and enjoyable for me. 4/5
A multi-layered album. Progressive soul — I haven't heard anything like it before. I'll remember it, I'll come back to this album later. For now, a 4
I was pleasantly surprised. The album flows beautifully and you start to hum the melodies almost immediately. I will be coming back to that record.
Enjoyed this one. Likely come back to it in the future.
experiência mt agradável e diferente. gostei mt. destaque na primeira faixa.
Funk has been a weird genre for me to navigate. It either feels too mellow or just a little too heavy-handed for me to really gel with it. War's approach here is sort of a middle-ground feel, loose and jammy and improvisational but with a solid groove, and when this album decides to go a little spacey (the sax solo in the title track, for example), it ends up being transportive and beautiful.
This feels experimental, a bit folksy I like the sound feel and the texture of noise. The church organs feel odd and clashing but I like it. This album feels like travelling through a city and really listening to everything.
This is a fun psychedelic album mixed with funky horns and great grooves. I really only knew War for the hits. Cisco Kid, Lowrider, Spill the wine, but this whole album really delivered. Pleasant surprise. I mean I thought I would like it, but was surprised for how great it was.
It's a groove! 4/5
Starts fantastic for the first three tracks, fantastic fusion of funk and Latin music and psychedelic rock and a bunch of other stuff, genuine treat for the ears and with some good snappiness in the energy and pace despite the track lengths. But then, the energy starts to waver in the back half and the song lengths start to feel a bit more present, and I don’t know, just loses me a bit in there. I can get down with a long blues-y tune or a long political ballad at the right time, but the songs don’t necessarily develop enough through the course of that length to keep me tuned in (whereas City, Country, City keeps that jamming turn-taking you need). Would happily come back for more War though.
The Cisco Kid 3.9 Where Was You At 3.7 City, Country, City 3.5 Four Cornered Room 3.6 The World Is a Ghetto 3.8 Beetles in the Bog 4 Score: 3.75
thoroughly enjoyed!! i think it could’ve done for one more uptempo song just to keep pacing smooth, and also ending on anything but a board fade would be nice. otherwise incredible!!
Oh hell yeah! This album rules.
It turns out that I consistently really like funk/soul/jazzy stuff, and this album is no exception.
yes i love this!! so funky and fun
After the first song this album was absolutely amazing
this is a vibey, cool, swanky little mix. i love that i can picture this scoring some 70's movie with a sexy main character leading the charge. would kill on a record player for sure!
8/10
Funk, groove and just a damn good time.
Amazing album by an amazing band! The title track has been one of my favorite songs for years! I’d always hear my dad playing it growing up, knew I’d love this album once I got it!
Love this band. So many amazing grooves.
Funky and smooth.
hab das eigentlich echt enjoyed, vor allem City, Country, City
Lots of great grooves on this record, and although it's largely full of long jams, I thought it maintained a strong sense of identity. 3.5 -> 4/5
I enjoyed this album, but I felt the quality declined as the album proceeded!
Funking awesome album. I’ve never listened to war, now I think I should
Damn good album from beginning to end. I didn't know most of the tracks on here, but it was a really enjoyable journey. This is why I started this list in the first place. I hope there are more hidden gems to come.
Really fun and groovy. Breaks a decent run of mid. RYM: N Saved a song: N
some very good songs. It’s been decades since I heard their music, good to listen to again.
expecting something more aggressively with a point of view, got a solid background to the revolution album
I am having a lot of fun listening to this one.
A very good album that features great musicianship and a killer title track. In fact, the whole second side is just a groove that is underappreciated by the majority of listeners, I'm sure. This listen through really got me reflecting on it.
Fav song: The world is a ghetto
I did not expect to like a THIRTEEN MINUTE INSTRUMENTAL nearly as much as I did! Really enjoyed this one (it's closer to a 5 than a 3); still settling my thoughts on a couple of the tracks, but really solid stuff! Never would have checked this out without this website, so thanks!
Good album. Mostly relaxing and low-key. Good background stuff.
This slaps actually
This was an easy listen and interesting and layered enough to warrant more plays in the future. Cool jams!
Okay, that’s the music I like. Not my favorite piece in the genre and it’d definitely feel better during some hot summer nights but I liked it, all of the tracks actually. City, Country, City and Four Cornered Room made me like the album, probably my favorite tracks here. This was good, will definitely listen to it again later.
Spill the Wine, Cisco Kid, 4 Cornered Room
This album is funky. Every single instrument is absolutely jamming, especially the bass. The lyrics on some songs can be pretty repetitive, but the vibe and feel that the tracks gave covers for it. The first two songs are solid, fun soul/funk meshes. Then the third track is a 13 minute jam. Probably my favorite on the album, the sax work on this alone makes the song so incredible.I love the fourth track too, definitely the most psychedelic song. This whole album is underratedly psychedelic, and it's brilliantly done if you fully engage with the sound. City, Country, City is so fucking good. It feels like such a journey too; hypnotizes you in and you're spit out in a trance into Four Cornered Room. The last two tracks are pretty good, just a little repetitive. Net very positive listening experience.
He’ll ya
This one captured my interest. I will definitely come back to it, as it sounds like the kind of album that will reveal itself over many listens.
Wow wow I had never heard of the group but godDAM that’s funky
Great album, has such a strong, distinct vibe. The World Is A Ghetto was my fav song and first listen. Four Cornered Room and The Cisco Kid were my other highlights
All I knew from War was Low Rider and this doesn’t have that same magic but still good. 3.5/5
Better than expected for me.
mi primer 4 star. de war siempre me ha gustado como suenan los coros. de este disco solo conocía the cisco kid (gracias gta v), pero la verdad esperaba que otros discos de war también estuvieran dentro de la lista de 1001. funky, groovy, all those good 70s things.
One of the most creative, diverse and unique groups to come out of the 70s funk era. Had only ever heard why can't we be friends but since hearing since this record I'm definitely excited to explore more of their discography. This album is only 6 songs long but you wouldn't necessarily know it if you didn't look at the tracklist as it spans over 40 minutes. Very enjoyable experience overall.
This was a very enjoyable funk album.
RATING: 9/10 HIGHLIGHT: The World is a Ghetto LOWLIGHT: Four Cornered Room
Okay!! Get your funk on
1. The Cisco Kid 2. Beetles In The Bog 3. City, Country, City
really good soul!! jazzy as well and high energy. really enjoyed this
I had the 45 of “Cisco Kid” in the 70’s…. I still love that song 🎸
Me encantoooo, me guarde el disco. La verdad muy bueno, lo voy a volver a escuchar varias veces mas.
Like the sounds sounds like New Orlens
The cisco kid - 4/5 Where was you at - 3/5 City country city - 4/5 Four cornered room - 4/5 The world is a ghetto - 5/5 Beetles in the bog - 3/5
The Cisco Kid City, Country, City Four Cornered Room The World is a Ghetto Beetles in the Bog
A bit of a surprise as I the only War song I know is the brilliantly funky banger, Low Rider. I guess I was expecting more of that but this very much slows things down and takes it's time. Thats no bad thing and perhaps makes me even more intrigued to explore how these two different sides of the group coalesce.
Acc p funky
Listening to this album feels like sitting in a smoke filled, underground club, and having your world transformed. This album is soulful, confident, humble, and... groovy. Amazing.
Nice, silky smooth, funky soul music for my ears today. City, Country, City is a nice instrumental. Just overall great. Though lack of hits makes me think this might not be their best. Isn't that the case with this list at times? 4
really really surprisingly good
Bueno. Diferente
Nice groove, enjoyed the songs getting longer
4/5
I really like War, and this album is fantastic. Admittedly there’s not as much replay value from this album as there is from some of their others, but it’s still great. “The Cisco Kid” and “The World Is A Ghetto” are my favorite tracks, but it’s a great album top to bottom. Wish I could rate this a 4.5, but I’m rounding down since it’s not quite up to par with my other 5 star albums of late. Still a really high 4 stars and definitely recommend!
Nice “Jam Funk”
This album is outside my wheelhouse, but I like two things about it: First, it evokes a specific time and place about as well as any album does. Secondly, it's groovy.
Something new for me. I liked the political messages and it resonated with me
Absolute PEAK
What a fine groove.
Fun and groovy and funky. Thoroughly enjoyed this classic banger of a record
This is a 70s funk album, which means it's probably a good time. It is a good time, but it's also pretty adept at conveying moods beyond optimistic happiness. The album is somewhat political, but not overly so. It has strong grooves that make the songs feel less lengthy then they are(Four Cornered Room didn't feel like an 8 minute song). This is necessary to this album, as the songs are very lengthy. "City, Country, City" especially felt like aimless noodling in spite of a held groove. It's not the only offender with regard to the noodling thing, but it's the biggest offender. It's still a fairly enjoyable album in spite of these extended songs filled with overlong solos that hurt, rather than help, the song. This is a strong early-70s funk album that needs some judicious editing to be a true masterpiece.
I didn’t know this at all. But it’s so smooth. And perfectly of its time.
I remember this album but it was never one of my go to records.
Good. Sad. But, good!
Very funky stuff, only thing I've heard from war previously is Low Rider which is ofc a banger, very catchy stuff on here
So funky. Not entirely my thing, but I enjoyed it.
A full album of Low Rider style vibes.
I liked it
7/10 War are an interesting band. Their big hits are pretty tight, hooky songs underpinned by solid, funky grooves, but outside of that, they had a tendency to be a bit more freeform and adventurous. This album showcases far more of that second type of track, with sprawling songs that shift and evolve over lengthy runtimes. The most remarkable thing about it for me was how natural and organic it all felt. The band members were completely in sync with one another at all times as different subtle changes took place throughout the music, but it always managed to sound both natural and somehow improvised, like there was a freedom for them to express themselves within the groove, but that never at any point effected the underlying vibe or flow of the track. They played really nicely with rhythm and timing, subtly switching to double-timed playing here and there in a way that was in no way obvious as it was happening. And the musicians all played a part too, with the groove very much being created by a combination of rhythms across both percussion and tonal instrumentation. They also took a bit of influence from jazz, with players taking their moments to solo and take centre stage, particularly in City, Country, City, but it rarely felt ostentatious. The whole thing kind of felt like an incredibly chilled out party where the band were playing the roles of both partygoers and entertainment. The production was fantastic too, and really enabled you to feel that vibe and listen closely to all of the different nuances that each player leant to each track. As with a lot of good production, it mostly kept out of the way, but when they wanted to get a bit weird, they were also able to use a bit of sonic experimentation to add a psychedelic edge to proceedings. I do think that music like this is the kind of thing that very much has the right listening environment, but it could work equally well as background party music as it could with a more focused listening experience if you wanted to really soak in the luscious vibe of it all. There were moments when things dragged a tiny bit, and I wasn’t vastly keen on the closing track, but overall it was a really enjoyable ride. The Cisco Kid - There’s immediately a great groove here with all of the parts lending their own little piece to the rhythm. The bass has some tasty little runs in particular, but all of the instrumental parts have a sense of freedom to the. Even though they spend a lot of the time holding the main groove, they do occasionally throw in little moments of individuality too. It very much has the feel of something that was written off the cuffs they went and refined by constantly playing the groove until they were ready to just get the engineer to press record and that’s a really cool vibe to capture. Where Was You At - They push the tempo now, but also play with half timing it in places which adds an interesting twist to the groove as the track progresses. Again, it all feels so compositionally fluid but rhythmically in sync which is a great combo. The harmonica parts are delicious and those shifts in tempo are surprising but well executed. Such a groove. City, Country, City - They do a great job of bringing in bits of different styles into the work. There’s a bit of latin flavour in here, a twist of jazz and a touch of country, but enough of a soulful base to give it it’s own sound that makes it still sound like War. It’s perhaps a touch on the self-indulgent side at over 13 minutes in length, but because they lean on the soloing and again, you can hear little moments of individual prominence from the other instruments, it manages to maintain interest well. And the key groove that goes under the solos is just hypnotically layered and groovy. It’s one to appreciate by lying back, settling in and enjoying the ride. Four Cornered Room - Oooh, it’s a nice slow burn of a groove here. It’s super laid back, but there’s something really compelling about the feel of the rhythm across the different instruments. The harmonica and gang vocals are a great vibe too. There’s some really great bits of production in here to give it a psychedelic layer over that sultry groove. It’s so slow paced that it progresses incredibly slowly, but the vibe is so excellent that it just takes you by the hand and guides you along at that pace. There are ebbs and flows to the intensity, largely from the vocals, but it all just adds dynamism without ever detracting from the über-chill tone. Excellent stuff. The World Is A Ghetto - It’s another chilled groove, although this has a little more zip to it than the last track. The passing round of the vocals is cool and every now and again they drop into these stripped back, funky moments that groove so hard, but as with much of the rest of the album, it all feels so fluid and smooth in transition. There are some lovely jazzy solos again. It’s effortlessly cool and smooth and the way it flips pace with the tiniest of tweaks to the groove is incredibly impressive. It happens so subtly that you often don’t realise it until you’re bobbing away to something that has just strolled in and taken over with little to no bravado. This is a great example of a band knowing each other acutely well and being able to shift and adapt completely in sync. Beetles In The Bog - Back to a bit more of that latin flavour. Again, the composite groove, created by layering all of those different instruments into a funky, soulful melting pot is great. This one, surprisingly for one of the shortest tracks on the album, does feel a tiny bit more aimless, as there are fewer solos and a bit less variety in the vocal parts. It almost feels like they realised they were running out of room on the record and didn’t expand and indulge in the parts that helped the other tracks to settle into a groove before dropping those parts with more nuance and inventiveness as the track progresses. It still wasn’t bad, just felt a little underdeveloped.
Cool!
They've got a sound - almost a chorus of singing, and some deep funk. Great songs - doesn't even have the big ones. The world is a ghetto - true for me and you; truer every day.
un album lento pero con muy buena mezcla de soul, jazz y reggae, todo mas que bien 8/10
Great jams.
Pretty nice, i liked it.
fortíssimo esse pqp estarei ouvindo mais vezes, mas eh pedrada máxima. soulzim psicodélico com uma pegada de jazz dum jeito bonito demais ce ta doido
Un clásico en toda regla
I'm not the world's largest fan of soul but I can tell ts is really good man
Not quite sure how to take this. It is better than a 3 and very close to a 4. I noted all the songs except the opening tracks on each side. I really enjoyed it though and would absolutely listen to it again. The world is a ghetto and Beetles in a bog were the standout tracks. 4 stars
I saw this described as "funk", but it felt very jazz to me. Really enjoyed this
Definitely some nice grooves here, the classic War sound with the Latin rhythms firmly in place. Some extended jams that get a little long, but still show off their musical prowess. Overall a pretty good listen.
increible 4/5 album de chill, muchos sonidos tranquilos y qlguno que otro movido pero muy solido y hasta emocional
8/10 Favorite: The World Is A Ghetto
And I always thought a “superfly” was a wasp. Some flies don’t even have wings.
Good fun.
I was surprised by how much I ended up liking this album. Especially four cornered room and beetles in a bog I was really grooving to. I think it just really hit the spot for me.
yeahhhhh!!!
This is fine, good even, but I wouldn't listen to it often.
Energetic, electric and funky! I knew wars singles but have never listened to much else. I have been presently surprised.
Favorite Song: The Cisco Kid
Had not really dug into war other than their hits. That was a mistake and I ask for forgiveness. This group is rad.
This was a pleasant surprise! A funky, laid back, and really enjoyable listen. 7/10 Quite Likeable
I found this fun, and would enjoy listening to it again. There was one song towards the end that was long and boring and almost ruined it for me, but it held out.
Not too much to say about this album, but I loved the combination of jazz and soul in the music here. I'll definitely return to this! Overall, a great listen. Favorites: The Cisco Kid, The World Is A Ghetto
Fantastic. Loved it.
Strong 4
Love late 60s into early 70s soul funky. And this ain’t changing that view. Just so alive, so in the groove. That slow slightly sombre groove, the Latin feel jazziness. Even though it's supposedly melancholy, musically Makes you glad to be alive. Wish I had heard this earlier, best thing I haven't heard in some time, probably a future 5 when I work my way through the sessions, but just cause it's new a 4 Star
3.9 Enjoyed that a lot on first listen that I wanted to give it a few more whilst. Listens 2&3 didn't quite achieve that initial sensation, but it is a pretty good album, helped by a really solid back half. Four Cornered Room and The World Is A Ghetto are great tracks. The rest are good, but not much more than that.
A stone cold jam fest. Good stuff!
c t super jusqu'à ce que je me rendre compte que les morceau dure 6 ans
あまり聞きなじみがないサウンドで面白かった。
Pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Sounds like talented musicians making really good, at times experimental, music without caring whether or not it's mainstream. Short of being perfect due to the back half being a bit disjointed from the front half, however that shouldn't take away from the fact that this is a great album
So skillfully dynamic. Effortlessly stable while creating a completely new environment. There’s a fullness of sound that gives the listener a garden of beautifully dense stimuli. Faves: City, Country, City, The Cisco Kid
Highlights: Cisco Kid, The World Is A Ghetto and City,Country,City. 4.1
Good, definitely a few heaters in this one bud
I am a BIG Sly & The Family Stone guy and prior to this, the only War song I had heard was “Low Rider” so this was a pleasant listen! If you like the “Thank You for Talkin’ to Me, Africa” version of “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” (or that general Sly Stone era messaging) this may be the album for you. “The Cisco Kid” may be one of my favorite songs from this project yet. Some of the other songs just weren’t wordy enough for me but this is a great hot, summer, concrete jungle type album. Season: Late Summer Favorite Song: The Cisco Kid
Well I kind figured id like it by the start of the first song, but id felt that way before and been disappointed. I think the first two songs are my favorites. I like them for a lot of the same reasons I liked otis blue, but they feel a bit faster paced, a bit more exciting. Otherwise, I think the rest of the album is pretty good. Four cornered room felt a bit out of place for me, especially since the songs are so long, it felt like an extended intermission, and probably my least liked song of the album. But the second half of the album takes a bit of a more mellow approach anyway, so holistically, I think it's a nice touch. I wish The rest of the album was as good as the first though, overall I think my favorite was where was you at or cisco kid
This is a well-crafted record. It has elements of a whole lot of things, from funk to jazz to rock. The songs are catchy and the performances electric. It is a really enjoyable record.
There's a satisfying funk sound to much of this album, but it's also so much more than that. There are heavy notes of jazz, soul, and psychedelic rock. The two long jams are the highlights, with long instrumental passages that introduce different instruments, from harmonicas to saxophones. The drums are great throughout, providing a steady back beat that keeps the songs tight and not too jammy. "The Cisco Kid" is also great - it may be the dirtiest of the funk songs and has the most Latin flair. The other short songs are decent, but the one real drag is "Four Cornered Room," which is almost a blues song. It commits the sin of slowing things down to a crawl between the two of the most fun songs. Still, it's mostly a pacing problem, and it doesn't stop the album from being musically infectious while also containing a lot of important social commentary.
As someone who's always liked the Animals, I was worried that I'd miss Eric Burdon's presence on this one too much to give it a fair chance. As it turns out, I might like this better than the albums he was on? It's not really the best funk jam album I've ever heard, but you know, I just haven't heard enough funk jam albums lately so it was just what I needed this week.
04/03/2026. Cisco starts of STRONG, the perfect amount of forehead creasing, lip pursing, head bopping. This is right up your alley. where was you at - where was i at my whole life, this song is THE main character arc intro sequence walk through the park, through every picturesque neighbourhood, seeing the beauty of life on your bike before the story starts. city country city tells a story, it enchants you through small dimly lit streets, bustling corners, neon signs at night as a city comes alive and people come to be free to be another version of themselves. the sax gets a little zingy in the middle could be deeper, but the zing wakes you up. FOUR COURNERED ROOM 8.1/10 - sultry, this is what sinners wanted to be if it was set in the 20s/30s and feel the soul/blues vibe. the world is a ghetto 10/10 - no notes
Lovely grooves
Fun, funky soul. Great listen.
Very good album, funky psychedelic and kept me on my toes. Could definitely see this go up. 4/5
Instrumentals were nice
Un gran album de soul con tintes de jazz que se me hizo muy cómodo de escuchar.
This album is capital C cool. The spoken word, the jazz, the instrumentals, I really loved it.
Funky and soul soothing
It was musically interesting though not to my taste. I didn't mind it, but probably won't seek out more.
City, country, city is when I decided I like this album. First one on the list that I listened to twice in a day.
i loved this! a solid 4.5 for me, brought down only by a few tracks in the middle that feel slower than they need to be
Groovy and smooth. A sound often imitated but never replicated. I like this a lot more than their hits.
Ugh. You know when one of my pieces of whatever this is I’m doing starts with “Ugh,” I’m not fired up about listening to this music. War isn’t my favorite band. In fact, they’re way down the list. I liked Low Rider about the first 1,200 times I heard it, but it makes me cringe now. Same thing with Spill the Bottle and Why Can’t We Be Friends. The good news is that it seems Eric Burdon of the Animals is not with them on this album. I like the essence of Eric Burdon, but I don’t think much of him as a singer. Welp, let’s do this. Track 1 is The Cisco Kid, and it’s funky. Ooooh-wee. Just a slow funky jam. It was the highest charting single for War off this album as it peaked at number 2 in 1973. The lyrics were inspired by the old TV Western, The Cisco Kid. me Track 2, Where Was You At, is another funky jam. It really reminds of Sly & the Family Stone. War combined a lot of genres into becoming kind of their own genre. They had funk, soul, R&B, Latin beats, jazz, blues, and African beats. They were a melting pot of some of the best music at the time. These first two songs were too short. Now, Track 3, City, Country, City, is over 13 minutes long, and it starts out with a gospel-like organ and flamenco guitar. Whoa, now here’s a harmonica. This sounds like a Hoyt Axton or Tom T. Hall groove. It’s country, but still pop. Now we’re getting funkier. The song has now added a sax solo, and it just gets better. When the sax comes in, the song turns into the outro jam from the Rolling Stones’ Can’t You Hear Me Knockin.’ I love it. I imagine they recorded this all in the same room with the full band. You can hear people kind of yelling, “Yeah!” and “Whoo!” What a jam. Wow, after an extended percussion and organ jam, the song has now slipped into a bluesy Pink Floydian type slow jam closer. That was a great song. Side two begins with track 4, Four-Cornered Room, and it picks up on where City, Country, City left off with a slow blues creep. The group comes in with some spooky type Ooooooooh, Whoooooo, Oooooooo, OoooWhoooos. This is badass. This song is very psychedelic. It’s foreboding. You’re waiting for something bad to happen. The group vocals give me a bit of the Blind Boys of Alabama vibe. Track 5 is The World Is a Ghetto and we’re already getting funky. Very soulful sax solo in the middle of this song. Again, very slow-moving. If these songs were kicked up to double time, the album would be about 20 minutes long. I read that one of the top music critics at the time didn’t like the album as much as he thought he would because all the songs were slow. He labeled it “blackstrap-rock,” after blackstrap molasses, I assume. I love the slowness. I’m a huge doom and stoner metal fan, and a lot of those songs are just slow-moving bulldozers of riffs. While War is far from doom metal, on this album, the band moves slow and funky. If this album were a woman, it’d be THICC. Last track, Beetles In the Bog, it was the B-side for The Cisco Kid. It’s one of the shorter songs on the album at 4 minutes. It reminds me of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk. The horns kind of sound very similar, and the groove is spot on. Tusk came out in 1979. According to Wikipedia, this album was number one on the Billboard album charts and was Billboard’s Album of the Year, as it was the best-selling album in 1973. That’s amazing. I’ve not heard any songs off this album until today, or never heard anyone speak about this album. Which is dumb, because this album totally changes my view on War. This album was great. Much like a lot of pop music, only the least of a group’s singles become the big hit everyone knows, hence Low Rider being War's most well-known song. Though it's not the worst song ever, by any means. I’m adding this album to my new finds rotation. I don’t know how must-listen the album is, but if anything I wrote in here tickles your gizzard, then you should check this out. Plus, they have deluxe editions of the album out with more music from the recording sessions.
The album opens with 'Cisco Kid' - a swaggering yet repetitive number that will have you singing along to the chorus on the first listen. Things get a touch proggy with 'City, Country, City' begins. It is a funky 13 minute instrumental piece that feels like it could soundtrack a police chase scene in a blaxplitation flick. The progressive elements continue into the the next track, with 'Four Cornered Room' featuring trippy vocals phasing in and out and repeative instrumentation that almost feels tribal. I admire how this record can balance being experimental and being commercial so well. You've got 3 minute singles sitting alongside extended jams seamlessly. The album is a melting pot of funk, soul and Latin music. The vibes are immaculate here, with the mood always focusing on good times.
Liked: The Cisco Kid, Where Was You At, The World Is A Ghetto Added: The World Is A Ghetto
I really liked this. A bit funky, a bit prog, good fun. Almost gave it 5.
Jazzy, soulful R&B. No one does it better than War.
ok funk
Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - I love this album. Cisco Kid and the title track are especially funky but the whole thing grooves like hell. Really, really good.
Interesting but not one for me even though I generally like funk and soul
Yuh
Standout Songs: The Cisco Kid Where Was You At The World Is A Ghetto Beetles In The Bog
Love it
'Cisco Kid" so fantastic Sublime does a cover
This was a pretty cool album! I knew the first song already but hadn't heard the others. My favourite was Four Cornered Room.
Very enjoyable instrumentation and song progression despite having some heavy lyrical content and focus.