Reviews (page 3 of 12)
I really enjoyed all the funky percussions. There’s range. The band is tight. The music is well made. It gets a little clunky with the harmonica bits. But otherwise this is pretty good. Beetles and Cisco are excellent.
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.
I found this quite boring. I didn’t really focus on the lyrics which was probably more of the point.
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.
meh. Not a big fan. "Cisco Kid" is pretty cool...
It's a groove! 4/5
not bad not good not adding anything to the playlist
Wuite like the cover and the songs are bit funk with the e but i didnt add an with the e
its okay but nto palaylist worthy
Really enjoyed this one some good tracks
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.
Increible letra, deja de chorear taylor swift. Mezcla de blues y folk que me vuela la cabeza. Muy lindo.
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
Hell yeah. Þetta var funky gott stöff, en snertir mikið á soul og psychadelic líka. Right on. Geggjaður hljóðfæraleikur.
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!!
Good vibes—just not my vibes. ★★★
It is fine. Relaxing 70s soul album. 6/10 Top song City, country, city
A good but not great funk album. Some enjoyable bass licks and guitar riffs. An enjoyable background listen.
Oh hell yeah! This album rules.
I like the band and their sound but a lot of this album was pretty boring and just drawn out instrumentals.
A pretty unique sound! Nice!
It turns out that I consistently really like funk/soul/jazzy stuff, and this album is no exception.
Nice but I have trouble staying inside the thing when it's so long and so instrumental. But it's obviously nice music
Silky feeling, but not completely to my taste.
Love this album, it’s on repeat now
Fun
From the same band the wrote low rider? Very surprised but very enjoyable
The streak of 70's albums continues, but this time I'm thoroughly impressed. That sax! I'll admit I don't have much experience with prog genres or albums with long instrumentals (I vastly prefer songs with lyrics) and looking at two of the track lengths was daunting. But that's why I signed myself up for this challenge: to force myself outside of my comfort zone and discover stuff like this, which I'd be too intimidated and youthfully clueless to try on my own. "The World is a Ghetto" is a rich worthwhile experience bathed in thick auditory textures and groovy socially conscious melancholy. I kicked back, closed my eyes, and happily got lost in it.
yes i love this!! so funky and fun
Smoothly epic, epically smooth. Authentic social critique that dances. Exactly the sort of thing that makes me happy I took this journey. Reminds me of the first time I heard "What's Going On," but I knew that by reputation ahead of time. For War, all I knew was "Low Rider" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?" This went way deeper and funkier while still being the same dudes. Great experience on Friday morning and playing it again Friday night.
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.
Definitely not my thing, I am not a jazz person and I tend to like stuff with more lyrics. I can see why others would like it though.
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
'why can't we be friends' ist besser als dieses album hier... Und bekannter... Warum haben die das nicht eher reingenommen? Trotzdem ein ganz gutes und spaßiges album. Eher so eine 3.5/5
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!
It will never not shock me that the same Eric Burdon that played a crucial role in the 60s British Invasion was also a key member of this soul-funk giant. I'm sure most will at least recognize "Lowrider," and maybe the opener of this album "Cisco Kid." That song, and really this whole album, pushes R&B slightly left of the dial, presenting a slow, deliberate form of the genre that must have sounded utterly indescribable in the era where music just seemed to move faster and faster. Of course, this band's instrumental prowess is nothing to scoff at, as the 13-minute "City, Country, City" presents a 3-act jam that predates the popular concept of progressive soul altogether. The 10-minute title track also retains this deliberate sound, but the multitude of singers (Burdon included) that appear on the song make the track itself feel like a living, breathing metaphor of its concept: the world is indeed a ghetto; we all seek, find and live in the places set out for us, whether culturally, economically, or geographically. It's a somewhat unusual metaphor that took me a while to wrap my head around. The other, shorter songs almost match that same immense energy, though you can always tell that War put all of their energy into those 2 songs, those 23 minutes. "Cisco Kid" is of course a highlight as well, but so is the closer "Beetles in a Bog," which combines almost every element of this album - R&B, soul, funk, jazz, even Latin music - into a final celebratory jam. Despite how heavy some of the subject matter is, the album never strays from its eternally optimistic, forward-thinking ethos, and that's something admirable in every age. Key Tracks: The Cisco Kid, City Country City, The World Is a Ghetto, Beetles in the Bog
This album is... really impressive. There is so much going on, but also it is so so cohesive and with so many different sounds that it feels very vivid and enjoyable. It is pretty funny, and also very interesting at the same time, with some variations and changes within the songs. I've found this listen a very pleasant and lovely one. It has been great – it is great.
Funking awesome album. I’ve never listened to war, now I think I should
no lo escuche toodo, pero guarde una cancion, no mi tipo aun.
- not much to say about this one - some enjoyable songs
Chill and very mildly funky, fine ambience but not for me. Highlight: "Four Cornered Room"
The World is a Ghetto by War is an astonishing achievement—an eclectic cacophony of melded genres, including soul, jazz, funk, Latin, blues, and rock, all wrapped into an incredibly laid-back sound. It doesn’t try to grab your attention; instead, it lets you sink into the sofa with a heavy pair of headphones as the turntable spins, allowing you to absorb the rich atmosphere as you get lost in the album artwork. While I was really only familiar with their songs “Low Rider” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”—which aren’t even on this album—this was a refreshing change of pace. Its 44-minute runtime seemed to fly by—I was having so much fun jamming to the tunes while still staying focused on my work that morning. The standout track on this record, at least for me, was the instrumental “City, Country, City,” where the band takes you on an incredible 13-minute musical journey, with their talents clearly on display. This is just another reason I’m glad I’m participating in this 1001 List project: to discover absolute gems like this one, right here.
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.
70
Pretty ok
expecting something more aggressively with a point of view, got a solid background to the revolution album
honestly pretty cool album. Found myself liking the instrumental songs like City, Country, City.
Prevrhunski album, jedan od najdražih mi!! I baš se veselim da se našao tu. Pitak, pozitivan, ozbiljan, ali ne i težak. Čista petica! ♥️ 5/5, 9/10
I am having a lot of fun listening to this one.
Cisco kid came on and I was thinking this was going to hit a 2 stars, but by the time I hit Four Cornered Room I was sold. My 4 and 5 star albums are reserved for those I'd add to my own collection, which means I might rate a bit hard, but I wouldn't add this in so, alas, 3 stars, but well done all the same.
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!
It’s good
Good album. Mostly relaxing and low-key. Good background stuff.
niektore piosenki brzmialy jak brzeczace muchy wgl nw czy jakas przesluchalam fo konca, tak pozatym troche gowno, ostatnia teraz slcuham i nie jest taka tragiczna cjyba? chyba jednyna ktora moglabym sluchac jako tako edit ccualam jeszcze napisac ze okladka spoko
This slaps actually
just like rontgen 3.6 not good not bad
groovy
Really good vibe on this album.
Not bad.
This was an easy listen and interesting and layered enough to warrant more plays in the future. Cool jams!
i've never heard an organ solo before this album and now im angry that i haven't heard an organ doing this stuff before now. also shoutout to the saxophone my god. very fun stuff. that being said, i don't think this is the kind of music i'd sit down and dedicate my attention to listening to. worked good as background car music while i drove, though. faves: City Country City, The World Is A Ghetto, Beetles in a Bog
good tracks, I like the sound, the vocal effects on ‘four cornered room’ are great. Like the message. Longer tracks get a tad repetitive. 3.5 oversll
While this album was far from blowing me away, it had enough aspects and layers to it to keep me interested most of the time. The Cisco Kid had some cool funk to it, so the record got off to a good start for me. That continued with Where Was You At, which felt like an early (almost lo-fi) song from Funkadelic. City, Country, City is really drawn out, much longer than it needs to be. That said, the battle between the slower, more drawn-out harmonica and the faster saxophone really captured the country/city contrast they were going for. It just didn't need to be 13 minutes, even if there was a decent musicality throughout. Four Cornered Room might have been my favorite song on here. Yeah, it's a slow crawl at times, but it sets a mood that I really enjoyed. The title track had some excellent solos in it and bounced around enough in different styles to be worth the listen. Felt a bit let down by the later parts of the song though. Had a strong message earlier, but they struggled late to convey it lyrically (that sax though!). Beetles in the Bog was a solid closer, just didn't do a lot for me either way. Solid album. Had more potential than it really paid off, at least for me. Worth the spin. 3-stars.
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.
It ok I thought, another one that had the odd moment but. didn't really grab me. Might require a few more listens perhaps...
Spill the Wine, Cisco Kid, 4 Cornered Room
so much more to this band than "Low Rider". Amazing mix of genres with the LA influence. Your patience to listening to the full length jams on City Country City and The World is a Ghetto will be rewarded.
Some solid bass lines, and you can definitely feel the Motown influences. Overall, decent. Not really my jam as an album overall.
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
I've been getting a bit burnt out by the list recently. I'll have to give this one another listen in the future and come back and adjust the rating but for now I feel like this is fine. 3/5
Quite a fan of a lot of this. The 13 minute instrumental didn’t do much for me, however, and considering it’s 1/3 of the album, we’ll round down.
I don't think War meant for this to be a pleasant listen but I enjoyed the extended 10 minute toe tappers.
Funky from start to end, a melancholy album with a quick beats
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.
Starts of strong but becomes quiet forgettable quickly. Not bad, just disappointed from WAR with this one.
Um bom álbum de fundo pro trabalho, como vários outros dessa seleção. Difícil avaliar sem ter o contexto da época, e acredito que será assim em muitos outros. Deve ter tipo 200 álbum que tu realmente vê que é diferenciado, e os outros depende da época ou é filler uhhauhua. Mas vamos seguindo. Gostei da capa.
ok
It’s okay, chill enough good vibes. Easy decision for 3/5.
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.
Nada mal aunque tampoco es muy bueno cono hot buttered soul
This was a very enjoyable funk album.
RATING: 9/10 HIGHLIGHT: The World is a Ghetto LOWLIGHT: Four Cornered Room
Приятно и богато Да нет хитов, но есть свой стиль и свой вкус Это блин вкусно И не растянуто, спасибо Впечатление хорошее, может даже и переслушаю 3.2
1001 albums to hear before you get to the wrong ghetto 79# I love the Low rider song of them, but that's what I know from them Listening to it, The world is a guetto track I already liked very much. A 10 minute track that repeats itself but never gets tiresome or samey, and it pretty much sums up what this album can do for 44 minutes with just 6 songs. A chill jam that has it's moments of catharsis and comes back smoothly to a laid back session with the boys. Vocalists voice is amazing, real smooth and the piling up of voices to make up a chorus help it so well.
Okay!! Get your funk on
This one is groovy, some songs are very groovy, get the blood going probably good in a gym playlist. Feels like it’s a bit of a snapshot of a bygone generation, nice harmonies on most tracks, groovy ensemble of musicians with a mix of 70’s Funk flavor, Motown and psych-rock
Started strong but then just fell off.
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 🎸
Thoroughly enjoyed!
Long songs. It was interesting & funky
I really enjoyed all the funky percussions. There’s range. The band is tight. The music is well made. It gets a little clunky with the harmonica bits. But otherwise this is pretty good. Beetles and Cisco are excellent.
I needed a banger full of soul and funk after the bland unseasoned nonsense of the past 6 days. Such a classic album. 4.5 / 5
Wasn't bad, just not really my thing. It started off pretty good, then got repetitive real quick.
Ok
Me encantoooo, me guarde el disco. La verdad muy bueno, lo voy a volver a escuchar varias veces mas.
Much closer to the mark in the second half of the album, I was looking for something longer and more all consuming and I got it. First couple of songs felt like get a sloppy kiss from grandma when your horny, unwelcome but at least it’s wet
Em no se
Like the sounds sounds like New Orlens
Did not like it at all. Really thought I would.
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
A genuinely eclectic mix of Latin, soul, funk and rock, which never feels forced or anything less than a natural outpouring of groovy music to dance to. Only six tracks here, but more than its fair share of bangers. The opener “The Cisco Kid” is an exuberant celebration of the Hispanic TV western character (I’m not sure we got it over here), “City, Country, City” is a band workout with solos for everyone - it sounds so animated and dynamic – while the title track is a huge statement piece, a soulful blues for the new generation coming though. One of the cornerstones albums of ‘70s urban music. 9/10
what a vibe, the blend of so many things gives it something else
It's OK, but a bit boring. It's mostly instrumental, so it's fine as background music but there's not much to say.
Didn't really do it for me.
At first I thought, ok, cool, a fun 70s album. Then I listened to City, Country, City and thought.. huh? Ended up pretty average. Harmonies were nice.
I dont know what to make of this. It’s objectively a cool album, but I subjectively did not enjoy it too much. I know that doesnt make sense, but it do be like that sometimes.
Long songs good back ground music if you liked it.
Pleasant enough, mostly passed me by
The Cisco Kid Where Was You At The World is a Ghetto
The Cisco Kid City, Country, City Four Cornered Room The World is a Ghetto Beetles in the Bog
The music gives me the impression of exploring an urban environment on foot. I thought it was pretty cool.
It’s very groovy. Not a great deal of substance in the lyrics despite giving the vibe that it should have. Still, psych-y, jazzy, and largely decent songs. I wasn’t particularly taken with the longest track an instrumental at the end of side one, but I do usually end up with a couple of the others stuck in my head every time I give it a spin.
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.
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.
Acc p funky
buen album cortijo pero el tema de 13 minutos es un monton
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
I wanted to love this but it’s kinda same-y and slow throughout.
Kinda boring, cause 2 songs are 10+ mins long. I dont like long songs. fav song Where was you at.
This looked and sounded far more appealing than it actually was. I didn’t hate it though. It got better as it went on, the longer songs were more to my preference. It sounds like the music would have benefitted from being deeper and more explorative, but they were too conscious of keeping to “safer” realms. Wasn’t shit though.
A little nauseating but not bad, maybe I'll change my mind.
Really liked City, Country, City but found the rest of the album slightly uninspired. Good base to it but just not quite right somehow.
Pretty decent. Not my favorite War album. I did enjoy The Cisco Kid a lot though.
really really surprisingly good
Interesting version of soul and funk music with epic song structures.
Good music but not something I’d choose to listen to!
Ehkä tämäkin kippaisi jonain toisena päivänä kolmosen puolelle mutta tän päivän kuuntelulla ei kyllä maistu
Välillä ihan jees meininkiä, välillä vähän turhan perus. Potentiaalia oli, kokonaisuus taipu silti kolkkiin
Vähän turhan ghetto meno oli tässä.
Letkeetä meininkiä ja ihan viihteellistä jamittelua.
Kansikuva ja ensitahdit lupasivat kyllä enemmän mitä levy lopulta antoi. Aika perusmeininkiä, enkä minä tästä kyllä oikein punaista lankaa löytänyt.
Bueno. Diferente
A largely forgotten band. Not bad
Nice groove, enjoyed the songs getting longer
4/5
The music here is groovy, jazzy, and focuses more on instrumentation than lyrics. It's not bad for background music, but this style isn't for me.
Not memorable to me.
Super chill
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.
Rating: 3.6/5 The album artwork is great. The album started off strong. The Cisco Kid has now been added to my saved music and the title track I will come back to also. Overall, the album was very listenable, and I think I would have loved it back when it came out. I'll have to go and listen to some of their other work.
Pretty good, I liked it enough to potentially listen to it again if it comes up in a playlist
I thought, "Oh cool, just six tracks", then i looked at the run time "44 minutes!?". Ok, War. This better be good. I like your hits so these run times should not be a hinderance. ********** War has always felt like an "urban" band, and not in that word's most recent, political meaning. I mean it is a deeply sophisticated, jazz-infused, melting pot of music. It is also very busy, and I can't help but picture a bustling city street when I hear most of it -- like the cover suggests. They are incredibly talented musicians and there is a heavy dose of funk added into this mix, which I adore. So, are they a jazz ensemble with a few radio hits, or a more conventional band with a few jazzy tracks to scratch that itch for the band? This album basically points to the first answer. A jazz ensemble with a few radio-friendly hits but the line is as blurred as it can get. "City, Country, City" is clearly a jazz piece with a winding, dynamic 13 minute run time that I'm happy to report did *not* feel that long. "Four Cornered Room" belongs (in a good way) on a Funkadelic album. So good and because of it masks the 8 minute run time, but more conventionally radio-friendly, as much as an 8 minute track could be. "The World is a Ghetto" can compete with some of the best late-60's/early-70's Motown and Stax soul tracks. It's sprawling and evocative with silky smooth sax and backing tracks. Moving through the album I didn't blink at this one's 10 minute run time. If I had, it would have been over. It's more jazz, but the vocals would feel out of place on more conventional jazz pieces, but right at home on a Stax record. The line remains deliciously blurry. Long run times are only bad when the music sucks. That was **never** the case here. This is just a Funkadelic album with more jazz and for that, it's my first 'blind' (5/5), as in I went in only knowing a little (some hits, and only "Cisco Kid" on this album) but was really taken back by how good it was. I'm a huge Funkadelic fan and love some jazz, so this fusion is right up my alley. It's getting at least one more re-listen, today, at least.
This list is teaching me a lot about myself, as this is another installment that I didn't like nearly as much as I thought/hoped I would (sorry, Tatum). I certainly didn't DISlike it, but I guess I just prefer any number of their contemporaries: Earth, Wind and Fire, the Isley Brothers, Parliament (obviously), THE OHIO PLAYERS, Chicago... The list goes on. This just wasn't as groovy or interesting as I wanted it to be. Rather than hip and funky, or slow and relaxing, it struck a chord in the middle that I just found kinda boring in stretches, even during a second listen later in the day. It's a 3.5/5 that rounds down for leaving me wanting.
Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 5 = 4.4 rounded down to a 4 "A man of odd circumstance A victim of ghetto demands Feed me money for style And I'll let you trip for a while" Wow. It has been a hot minute since I thought of War. 'Lowrider", "Why Can't We Be Friends", and even "Spill the Wine ( to a lesser extent" still gets semi-regular radio play, and I think these are what anyone would think of first when they think of the band. Awesome singles, but isn't that the band's reputation? So when I saw the name pop up I was surprised. Then I remembered, oh yeah, they had more songs and a lot of albums. As soon as this one started up it all came back. THE TRACKS Side 1 "The Cisco Kid" - Pure, unadulterated funk-rock. Progressive/ psychedelic soul, whatever you label you plop on these guys, I think it would be difficult for anyone who likes any of those things to deny this song as a burner. This is the one I remember most from the album, and for good reason. "Where Was You At" - The groove on this feels loose, but by design. There's an odd bit around 1:30 and again at 2:56 that feels at odds with the rest of the song that throws me off, but it's brief. Not exactly atonal, but felt strange enough to throw me out of my funky stupor and go back and relisten again and again. Deliberate choice, but doesn't quite work for me. "City, Country, City" - At once melancholy and jazzy, this never once slips into schmaltz despite having all the ingredients to do so. Countless other bands form the era would take this sound, remove the hot as hell percussion, and fall prey to the smooth jazz phenomenon. Not War. At least not here. This could go with some of the best from this time. Getting some Curtis Mayfield or Isaac Hayes soundtrack work vibes. At 13:24, it could have been longer. Just sayin. Side 2 "Four Cornered Room" - A little country-fried flavor opens this one, followed by some deliberately paced mournful, spacey vocals. Atmosphere. This is it. Is he tripping ( I choose yes)? With or without friends? Is this guy talking to himself or some friends? Doesn't really matter cause it works either way. Not exactly a menacing mood here, but building towards some unknown climax that seems to be mind opening and revelatory, but... will this trip take a bad turn? The Ennio Morricone harmonica seemt o indicate this is a possibility, but we fade out with no resolution and end on a note of satisfying ambiguity. "The World Is a Ghetto" - This is the track that I think anyone might know from this album, if they know any of it. What a beautiful bummer of a song. The verses on this are reminiscent of "Fallen Angel" by King Crimson, both songs of despair in their own way. Though this seems a little more depressingly resigned in attitude. Crazy good. "Beetles In The Bog" - We end on a little bit more of a hopeful note. I think. There's still some sadness here though. The end is in sight, but at least we have each other? Almost a latin/ funk/ soul hymn of sorts. Solid closer. HIGHLIGHTS - "The Cisco Kid" - "Where Was You At" - "City, Country, City" MIDLIGHTS - "Where Was You At" LOWLIGHTS - No way, not here FINAL THOUGHTS This was a delight. Been a good decade or more since I listened to this ( recommended from another similar list) and had forgotten how surprised I had been at the quality. I've never done a deep dive into their decent sized discography, and I'm still a bit hesitant to do so because I never see much else written about them aside from praise of this one. With so many lineup changes throughout the years I wonder if the secret sauce is contained to this and the stuff to either side of it. But, maybe I'll research some more and see what other stuff floats to the top. While I can't knock it on pure quality, it's also just not something I would come back over and over again. When I'm reminded of it again in 5-10 years I'll welcome it back like an old friend though. * I kept going with this one and listened to the Complete Sessions version - there's a lot of good stuff there too. I'm glad the album was left at the length it was, as it seemed like a perfect statement. But if you get the time, check this out at least the four jam tracks. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - No notes FURTHER LISTENING - Santana III - by Santana - Super Fly - Curtis Mayfield - Shaft by Isaac Hayes - There's a Riot Goin' On by Sly & the Family Stone - Racional (Vol. 1) by Tim Maia - Baby Huey - The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend by Baby Huey
“Slow your roll and know your role.” The Rock, probably. My first impression was this album is only six tracks, but then I saw the runtime, 43 minutes. So I knew right away I was in for some jam sessions. 14 minute tracks are not a chore when they groove like “City, Country, City”. What a journey that track was. Album may deserve a 5 off of that one, alone. Given some of the albums I was getting, I was afraid I had no soul. This one though, confirms there’s still some of it there. It hasn’t all been blasted away by loud distorted rock. The World is a Ghetto delivered. Slow, funky jams. It’s telling you to slow down. Life’s hustle can get the better of you. Slow down. The cover has a Rolls-Royce with a flat tire. How many more signs do you need? Slow down and reset. Listen to some refreshing funk with a bit of jazz and soul blended in for good measure. The World is a Ghetto and we’re all here. It’s a good reminder. Track Highlights The Cisco Kid City, Country, City Four Cornered Room The World is a Ghetto.
Only listened to half but I liked it!
Once again, i'll say - this album is goated
Something new for me. I liked the political messages and it resonated with me
Absolute PEAK
interesting
Not bad, but pretty unmemorable.
Pretty good album, lots of soul.
What a fine groove.
Not my thing at all
mas mi estilo pero mucha instrumetal y poco canto
Meh
Fun and groovy and funky. Thoroughly enjoyed this classic banger of a record
Aburrido, no me llamo la atención para nada
4/10
Some of the best stuff I have ever heard in this challenge. Truly inspired stuff. I don't really like this type of music but this really was great. City, country, city is gonna become a staple in my music listening, drinking fridays with my sister. It is great!
My dumbass had this on shuffle but either way I dont think I was getting much out of this album. I can think of others that could replace it. I liked the instrumental track.
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.
With an album title like this from a group called "War," I was expecting something more overtly political. This is funky and mellow and quite good.
Instrumental
sss
I think there's a lot of great instrumentation here, reminds me of Weather Report, but a number of these songs long over stay their welcome. Could be 15 minutes shorter. 3 / 5
I remember this album but it was never one of my go to records.
Good. Sad. But, good!
took me a few days to listen to this full album. not really my style or interest but it generally sounded good.
fairly snoozy, but a couple of perky moments
An album that made me a question what is an album, in a good way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Highlights: “City, Country, City,” “Four Cornered Room,” “The World is a Ghetto”
me ha parecido muuuy bueno.... me encanta como los sonidos, las voces y las melodías aqui se unen para crear algo desenfadadamente profesional. me parece que empieza muy bien y termina con las dos mejores canciones.
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
un 7/10? la canción título estaba buena.
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!
Such a cool record
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
Not sure how to describe this one. Much more mature than I thought going in, has a 70s / Latin vibe.
Meh
I like funk, but I feel like 10+ minute tracks don’t work that well with the genre
meeh
A mix of funk, rock, blues and jazz. I was expecting more, but it often feels like the album cover, a bit washed out. It's good, but it feels like something is missing; but I suppose that's the point isn't it? Best Tracks: The Cisco Kid; Where Was You At; The World Is A Ghetto
Great jams.
Its cool, one solid single and 40 more minutes of decent if unfocused meandering does not make essential listening. No one needs to hear this before they die. All credit where credit is due though... this is worlds above the vast majority of crap that has been presented thus far on this list 2.95 stars.
Pretty nice, i liked it.
Really wanted to like this but not a lot really stood out. Good background listen.
I guess war is good for absolutely sumthin'. Favorite Track: "Four Cornered Room".
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 achei do caralho pqp
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
Musically I know it’s good but I just wasn’t grabbed by this album.
Meh. It’s an album.
yeah well
Un clásico en toda regla
I'm not the world's largest fan of soul but I can tell ts is really good man
The Cisco Kid - the instrumental is gorgeous and really serves to place me inside of the fiction but I find the vocals too harsh? Idk how to describe it properly but a lot of the delivery is quite blunt in a way I find challenging to follow. Overall though I found the narrative quite fun and the morality of Cisco is quite interesting to puzzle out. City Country, City - A genuinely really gorgeous soundscape. I had a lot of fun listening to the soulful funk of it! The World Is A Ghetto - Titular bitchular so I had high hopes and I liked it a lot more than the lyrics of The Cisco Kid! The chorus of deeper voices stand as excellent contrast with the main singer and the mournful/optimistic tone is so very well done! The songs from this collection are quite long and I really enjoyed The World Is A Ghetto so will end my review here!
Not for me
Funky
Music for people who love sitcom theme songs
Excellent
Decent but I’m not into funk
Musically amazing, just don't think I'll listen to this a lot. Cisco kid was one of my least favorites on here
de bonnes idées sans jms être fou 3-/5
Classic
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
It's a 10, I mean, 5 star album. There are a couple of songs that were hits, and we are familiar with, but there are some other great songs that I don't think I ever heard, and that's a shame. This is one solid - good listen!
The journey of musical discovery continues with the 70s funk of War, which has been a good, chilled out Saturday morning listen. High points for me were Four Cornered Room and The World Is A Ghetto, with it's epic sax solo. I'm not so keen on the meandering City, Country, City but overall I spent an enjoyable couple of hours finding out about War. A high 3 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.
4/10
Interesting album not necessarily for me. 4.9/10
increible 4/5 album de chill, muchos sonidos tranquilos y qlguno que otro movido pero muy solido y hasta emocional
Pretty good background music for doing something, it's definitely definitive sound for the era.
Groovy
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.
This record is a pretty enjoyable mix of jazz and funk. Some of the songs overstayed their welcome by quite a bit, but the overall length was pretty quick and easily digestible. The singing on the whole did not add very much, and was to some of the songs' detriment. The last two tracks were standout four or five-star songs, but overall this record is just pretty good.
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.
3/5 Nice album. I've heard better soul and funk though, but it wasn't too bad. Maybe I need to get a better ear to appreciate the genre better.
Unfortunately I think this caught me on the wrong day
The world is a ghetto- listened out of order but the instrumentals in the beginning are absolutely beautiful, vocals are ok, but fit the vibe perfectly
i liked the first few songs
yeahhhhh!!!
On paper this seems like an album that I would like, but the experience of listening to it left a lot to be desired. The songs felt repetitious and uninteresting with the exception of the title track which I did enjoy.
Very good
This is fine, good even, but I wouldn't listen to it often.
7/10 - a nice mix of genre straddling discoish music; few songs but good length
The tracks are too long for my liking - they don't really stay engaging throughout.
Nice grooves. Cisco kid nice. The 50th anniversary edition has some cool "making of" tracks where they feel out the song in the studio.
Energetic, electric and funky! I knew wars singles but have never listened to much else. I have been presently surprised.
3.5
Reallly liked the first song and the rest were better than expected. Not sure it’s enough for me to put this album on again so I’ll go with a 3.
Pretty good, but not very memorable in my opinion.
Favorite Song: The Cisco Kid
I dug the City, Country, City for the last little bit. but overall won't be listening again.
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.
Recognized the first and last song. Cisco kid was longer than I remembered. A Little Rock/funk. Can see where j Geils got some influences
I've heard "The Cisco Kid" many times, but never on my newer system and it absolutely slams! What a bass line. "City, Country, City" is immersive! Incredibly talented musicians. Side 1 (first three songs) is outstanding. I could listen to it on repeat. 5 stars! Side 2 meh - It just doesn't grab me the same way. I'm sure it would grow on me with more listens, but for now - 2 stars. Overall: 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3. Still a treat listening to this album!! Nerd Corner: I listened to the original album through qobuz. I thought some of the vocals were off key. I then listened to the 50th anniversary edition to see if they auto-tuned it. And shit-howdy they did! It sounded sterile and more compressed. As usual, re-mastered albums IMHO do not sound as good as the originals unless you have the right engineers doing it.
Ericka said: "this sounds like background music from a 70's action movie" and then I couldn't unhear it.
Funky and groovy for a lot of it, but disappointingly languid for too much of the album.
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
Starts off strong with the first two tracks, but then City, Country, City is way too long and repetitive, a jam that doesn't really go anywhere. And then it follows up with Four Cornered Room which is just kind of a drudge. Then it ends strong with the final two tracks. I mean, these cats can obviously play, but what is the word for this record.... uneven.
War by U2 yesterday and The World Is a Ghetto by War today? What's next, War in Iran? Too soon... The World Is a Ghetto was a solid listen – not necessarily exceptional the whole way through, but I had a good enough time with it. "The Cisco Kid" is also a certified and undisputed hood classic, so it's probably worth listening to the full album at least once to hear it in its original context. Highlights: The Cisco Kid, City Country City, 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.
So good. That groove never gets old.
Not bad but I didn't connect with it
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。
After the first classic song, the album leveled off. Nothing awful, just cool music that I could take or leave.
This album doesn't really go anywhere.
The Cisco Kid - 2.5/5 Where Was You At - 3.5/5 City, Country, City - 2/5 Four Cornered Room - 3.5/5 The World Is A Ghetto - 3/5 Beetles In The Bog - 2.5/5
Would relisten
2.5 stars Background music for a 70s action movie that would not stand out much. It’s not bad but it’s not something I’d go out of my way to ever listen to again.
solid stuff
yea no
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
Put it on the prog rock pile
City, Country, City
This was my first taste of War beyond their big single and it was GREAT! some songs were a bit long but that's a problem with my attention oh look a squirrel
gut
Decent listen.
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