Reviews (page 6 of 12)
The Cisco Kid - 4 Where Was You At - 4 City, Country, City - 3 Four Cornered Room - 3.5 The World is a Ghetto - 3.5 Beetles in the Bog - 3.5
The World Is A Ghetto by War Tuesday 6/11/2024 9:51 S Tier————————— The World Is A Ghetto A Tier————————— Cisco Kid Where Was You At Four Cornered Room B Tier————————— City, Country, City Beatles in the Bog
funky fun
Certainly a dour album, steeped heavily in blues with a dash of soul and funk. The long jams can get a bit slow and dry, but it's a cool enough album to pass the eye test. Favorite tracks: "The World Is a Ghetto", "The Cisco Kid"
Funk rock. I knew Cisco Kid. Fun listen.
Vrhunski album
Pretty good
Unmatched vibes. When these guys are hitting the note, it sounds incredible. War deal in a slow, dark, shuffling funk - but don't let that mislead you into thinking it's lumbering. Each song has so many little moving parts, it's like perceiving the inner working of a pocket watch. And when they don't funk it up, War remain interesting. There are instances of prog-soul, doom and even something approaching a rock version of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks. The third song had a harmonica riff that reminded me of the very pleasurable music I once heard in Tokyo's Metro Rail Museum. Intoxicating.
This is an album I would love to spend more time with, I don't think I really got to know it. Every once in a while this happens with this list. One side effect of the list is that it gets me to reflect how much of the music I listen to, as eclectic as it is, is really grounded in a tradition and a culture that is in direct relation to my upbringing. Past a certain amount of degrees of relationship, I guess the potential of 'discovery' fades. Past that point, I need to rely on other sources to find out. When I was younger, the music press played that role: I used to religiously read record reviews and music magazines in my teenage years. Or liner notes: the first thing you did when you bought a CD was to read the notes to discover what musicians had to say about who influenced them, or who they sampled. And then you would go to the local library to find these other artists, and that was how I built my culture. The age of streaming does not really allow you to do that anymore, so you have to find other ways and be intentional about it. Or you stay within your niche. Nowadays, I find that reading artists' memoirs gives me a window into their evolution as musicians, and plays that role in mapping out lineages and pointing me towards new music. I also come to appreciate this list as a means to show me towards music that is different from what I usually listen to (even though I struggle with its bias towards white, masculine, western artists). War is one of these bands that the list gives me a chance to get exposed to. And I am so grateful for it. This is a great record, with lots to chew on. The songs feel spacious, obviously funky, and in conversation with the world surrounding them. There is a great sense of place, of community. A song is shared, co-created with a multitude of voices and characters, sometimes singing together and sometimes apart. Four Cornered Room is a mini-masterpiece, with its haunting harmonica. I will be coming back here.
From this album I only knew "Cisco Kid", heard it lots on the radio as a kid. Listened to the album three times, funky and eclectic. Great listen.
Had never heard this but really enjoyed it.
Classic funk soul
Fusion of Funk, Reggae, and Latin. Done extremely well.
Soul, funk, jazz, blues, pop and some hints of latino as well. Surprising, honestly. A great listen overall.
Musically great but not to my taste
Soul, funk, good stuff!
Album was enjoyable soul funk. Like most people I was only familiar with Low Rider and Why Can’t We Be Friends. I really like the intro song Cisco Kid and also how Four Cornered Room really slows down and gets heavier. The album doesn’t feel superfluous at all despite the length of The World is. Ghetto. I think the sound and the lyrics capture the time and place they were writing and performing at very well and I’m glad I got to know a bit more of War through this album.
Solid funk with just the right amount of dirt on it. I love a good extended jam, but agree that certain parts of “City, Country, City” and the title track slightly overstay their welcome. Still, I dig this one well enough and it could potentially keep growing on me over time. 3.5/5
This album is cool
Adding beetles in the bog as my ringtone
lelöoisa..mukava. kun menusi loikoilemaan, vii vsi. nautti a ja äkkiäkö loppuu koko ho.m melkein kesken, voisi vuelä pitempäänkin voinut pitää yllä kun wau... olipa lwppoisa albumi kuin lomailisi maaten, maallapäin horisotäntaLisesti ja nauttisi leppoisast...ja lomapäivä on.. tyttöjä katselen baan... where was you at
I like WAR, always have. They are a good listen. Settle in.
When I saw this was a War album I thought for sure they would have Low Rider on it. I was mistaken. But I'm not too mad at this because this was a pretty good album overall. I also learned there is a lot about War.thr band that I had no idea about. As I've mentioned before with some of these older rock bands, I kind of want that extra component to take it up a level and War has that with the keyboard and sax, etc that gives it the kind of funky or progressive type of sound. Some songs almost kind of reminded me of a Pink Floyd sound, and others kind of dragged on a bit on the run time, but I'm looking forward to discovering more albums from what I wrongly assumed was a one-hit-wonder. Favorite track "The Cisco Kid" 3.5/5
loved it. funky as all get out.
I like this... it's smooth
A solid three-star album of tight grooves elevated to a four by the fantastic title track.
Good stuff, nothing stale.
Such slick production and performances on this. To me, the music paints a picture of urban landscapes as places where people live. They're beautiful, imperfect, a little unsettling, but more than anything, the cities depicted here are alive with people's energy. What a great listening experience this was.
interesting
Very good
A solid slow burn kind of album! Standout Tracks: The Cisco Kid, The World is a Ghetto
When it fully gets into the groove I'm all here for it, but some moments don't fulfill the ambition. 3.5/5
War - The World Is A Ghetto (1972) 4 / 5 Cisco Kid is a killer all time classic song. Where Was You At - Funk, soul and rock this is not too far from a song that might pop up on “Band On The Run”. City, Country, City - Funky jazzy soul. Mellow grooves. Four Cornered Room - Mello vibes for 8 minutes. Beastie Boys would mine this Funky Latin groove feeling 20 years later. The World Is A Ghetto - Mello funk. Beetles In A Bog - This is four minutes of instrumental jamming. They’re really good musicians and the whole album has a Funky Latin jamming vibe, but this song feels a bit more like filler.
Album goes incredibly hard. Sees WAR stretching their limbs out a little more heading into some real expansive jazz/funk/soul jam territory. Personally I love the extended jams on like “City, Country, City.” Think I honestly prefer "All Day Music" ever so slightly, but anytime I listen to WAR I’m left thinking they’re one of the best bands the American experiment has produced.
Hypnotising
This album is a good time, maybe a bit too indulgent on some of the track runtimes. But it's funky music that I can totally groove with. This album cover is everything though! God, I love it so much. It's such an impactful image that perfectly encapsulates the overarching themes and message of this music.
own
Pretty rad. The production on this is fantastic and there are a lot of really cool grooves.
Cisco Kid is still a favorite. There are some very long songs here and the album overall makes for some great background listening. The title track is a definite banger! Overall, really enjoyed the album. 4
Great slice of funk.
A mix of genres. Lyrics are still relevant today.
Was nice
Good stuff. Love tracks 1, 2, & 6. The rest was mainly soulful vamping, which was fine.
Slow and instrumental heavy, in a good way. The combination of instruments with the passionate vocals creates a soundscape that's easy to get lost in. Loved the additions of the organ, sax, harmonica, bongos, even steel drums at the end.
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Solid 4 here. Other than Low Rider I was not all that familiar with War. Really enjoyed this. I can see this getting some playtime moving forward (you know, after I get through the next 980 albums or so).
Timeless progressive soul + funk. Complex and catchy with atmosphere and spirit. A
Loved the soul side of the album how it started off. "Cisco Kid" & "World is a ghetto" are amazing - some of the tunes in between are a bit too jazz focused for me.
Really great funk album that deftly mixes in other styles. I particularly like when it incorporates country and western, like the guitar and harmonica playing at the beginning of Four Cornered Room and the subject matter of the otherwise funky Cisco Kid. I don't think the longer songs quite justify their length, and the last track is disappointing compared to the others, but I'm glad I listened to this and it made me want to check out more War.
Ok
Vibes = song length
First time hearing a War album, I’ve previously only had radio exposure to them. Pretty good soul/ rock
Groovy
Listened to this while playing Imperium Classics. I won! This totally brought me back Curtis Mayfield's Superfly, but almost a little more polished or something. I love this era and style of music, and these were some great soul/funk songs that I was previously unfamiliar with!
I can appreciate it, but not my style.
Niceee
rich smooth funk with enough grit and spice to really get things grooving
Wow! To me was an introduction to the genre, and i can happily say that I was surprised. Even tough there are moments that I did not enjoy much, the highs on this record are really satisfying to listen to! 8/10
Class Album with some great grooves. 4 stars all day.
great album, war is good the songwriters war, not the actual thing
What is it good for? If you have to ask it ain’t for you
Love the funky 70’s!
I actually found this powerful and moving. There is depth to the composition and repetition.
This is a good album....I was beginning to thinks I would never listen to a good album again on this journey. I remember this album as a youngster, but did not realize how good the harmonica player is.
Short, enjoyable bit of latin funk. As soon as it finished, I listened to Low Rider though.
The instrumentals slightly outstayed their welcome and dragged on a bit too much for me personally, but the rest of this album was great.
First two tracks are forgettable but the longer pieces are much more interesting. City, Country, City is soulful and jazzy with enough melody to keep me engaged, over some tribal sounding drumming. Four Cornered Room brings the tempo down and goes in a bluesy direction, although, for me, the vocals detract from it. Title track is much better, more soul and saxophone over a steady beat.
Pleasant 70s street funk record - makes you want to drive a low rider with a pimp outfit and talk jive in a blaxploitation movie.
Good album. No t familiar at all but would like to listen more
1972? I thought this came out in the late 80s, god damn this sounds good. Funk and R&B are certifiably not my thing™ but this is a really fun, jammy album with a lot of great moments. Doesn't drag on too long and I didn't find it repetitive, like I do with a lot of other albums in this genre. Cool find, 4/5.
Seems funky from the album cover, I feel like every song is gonna sound the same, but I like the vibe of funk and soul. I want there to be something more than just basic funkyness, but not sure there'll be. First song, I don't like his voice. The sound is fun, I feel like the headphones would be more enjoyable since I hear sound coming from both sides differently. One line is being repeated twice, soo not much lyrics. Ohh the rock part came in, this is the most listened song, so objectively this is the best song. I can hear the jazz, there was rock, reggae is low-key in the game too, I love the genre bending, but it's too permanent wave. Second song, this is a much better sound sonically. The voice is much better and the delivery too. More dancey. Ooooh church vibes with that repeating in group, gospel I mean. The instruments are too good. There better be better songs than this, cause this was amazing, plus the beat is a walk-beat and I love those. Third song, 13 fucking minutes, and there's no lyrics? Just the day before yesterday I was searching for a long jazzy vibed song like Shakey Jake, and this is it. OOOOH THE PROGRESSION, it's more fastbeat, but also mellow, looove that. It's getting more upbeat by each second. It's mostly jazzy, though I can feel the funk with the backup instruments. Half the song passed and another instrument came, jazz is gone and it's fully funk, I think it's keyboard. It was an interlude vibe after that, no dominant instruments. There was little drum noise and a random whistle. At the very end it's very slow, almost intimate. It's an electric guitar I think. It's getting progressive, but stayed sad. This was funn, but I need tha lyrics. Fourth song, country vibes already. Weird fucking instrument played a little and scratched my brain. It's down tempo for now. Gospel came in with the ooo or is it zoom, nope only now they said zoom. Kinda funny delivery. Everyone is singing not sure tho. This is not as good as the others, because it's slow and, wait he's talking I like that voice, well what was I saying was that after the last song I'm in no mood of slowness, plus sonically it's basic. Vocals of that one guy are giving. It's a solo singing now, like his voice, those vocals I mentioned might be his. Basically not amazed, and honestly didn't like it as much. Fifth song, also sad vibed. Nevermind jazz came in and it's upbeat now, though the beat isn't suggesting that. He was singing and the adlibs came way too well, their delivery is great. Ohhh nah I gotta repeat the delivery of the lyrics is tooo good. While sonically it's not what I want, otherwise it's worth being added to my playlist. I can't express the lyrical goodness of this, this is the second best song here, because the second song was too good music wise. Sixth song, gospel start. Instrumentally it's only funk for now. Don't really like it, however, it's danceable. Keyboard is satisfyingly playing. It got progressively at the end, but overall not a big deal, as the song before for example. All and all I think 4 stars is the right choice, I would give 5 if all the songs had the catchyness and both lyrical and sonical goodness. I expected way less than this, though I'm not surprised that I like a funky album.
Funky but a bit repetitive
v good
Really liked the album
This would be the soundtrack to my life if I lived in the dessert
A Mix of Jazz and progressive Soul. Good enough to relisten.
Thought I wasn't going to like this - and then I did! Fun surprise!
4/5 Best Track: The Cisco Kid
Not entirely sure what genre this album falls into but it has a funk feel laced with latin(?) rhythms, great sax, and Hammond organ. Throw in Lee Osker on harmonica and you have a cool combination that I spent many hours listening to in my youth.
Funk jam. Keys/organ go off. City, country, city highlight jam.
Sweet album art. Love how its blue-tones with the broken down Rolls Royce (or similar) taking focus. We're immediately in the funk of it. Meaty bass with some tapped percussion and keys / guitar playing counterpoint. Album centers around City, Country, City that, true to its name, bounces back and forth between more lazy, bucolic sections and driven saxophone heavy jazz sections. I actually like Four Cornered Room the most so far. Just a tense, atmospheric song with soulful vocals, some gospel choir elements, and punchy drums to groove against. Kinda just let The World Is a Ghetto and Beetles in the Bog wash over me in the background. I enjoyed both just fine. All said, this is a solid enough album. Certainly not what I was expecting based on "Low Rider," but I was not disappointed. This is a 3.5 in my mind that leans right into a 4.
This shit is good! Funky fun jazzy feel. Super easy listening and I turned this up a lot. Never listened to the album but I have heard Cisco Kid before. Vaguely have heard of War (low rider) but never listened to full albums. I will need to check out of of there other stuff. World is a ghetto is a jam of a song also. Overall soft 4.5 stars for me.
I was expecting this to be a really heavy, blunt rap album similar to Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury. City, Country, City was a bop. Good album 👍
That was a super laid back nice album that had some great instrumentals. Would definitely like to smoke a cigar and play dominoes with this on
Only know Low Rider by War, and I like that song so needless to say I'm pumped for some psychedelic soul, jazz, and progressive soul (thanks wiki). This is a fun listen! I'm in City, Country, City and it's a whirlwind. Reminds me of some old skool Santana. Four Cornered Room would be sick on psychedelics - honestly this entire album would be a vibe. High 4
Very refreshing. Solid, honest music. Mucho enjoyo.
I came in suspicious of some of these song lengths. However, I don’t feel like this album was self indulgent like so many albums of this time. This album was simply locked into a groove. The music was a tight mix of funk and Latin music wrapped in a progressive soul package. The musicianship was phenomenal and the album was a lot of fun to listen to.
I had no idea this group sang both Low Rider and Why Can't We Be Friends! Such diffefent songs. And they sound very different from this album too. My favorite here was probably The World Is A Ghetto, but it was all actually pretty good.
A rhythmically rich and textured melange of influences, including blues, jazz, afro-Caribbean, and Latin. Powerful grooves, long jams interspersed by Delphic declarations. Incredible bass work and tasteful harmonica solos from Lee Oskar. can’t believe I had never listened to this. Wondering if this is a “missing link” album tying together blues and disco.
bastante cool war fandom is dying, repost if you are a true war supporter
Interesante, arriba los álbumes cortos y el funk inspired music
Fun to listen to!
Great, just great!
4 stars.... cool flow
This is just a neat, relaxing album. It plays in the background well, which is not the highest possible complement for an album that has a social consciousness baked into the lyrics, but it is a good album overall. Lots of cool funky and afrobeat stuff 4/5
I was absolutely jamming to this. Right place right time
4.25
Stunning, beautifully crafted deep soul grooves and cuts, War were a cut above the rest and this album showcases an ambitious and luscious production style.
Really good album. I think the track City Country city is my favorite.
4.5 This album fuckin slaaaaps, the world really do be a ghetto
liked this alot 4.5/5
Nice album. It could have been a little bit more funky.
Something for almost everybody on this, really solid blend of genres and style
War might be the band whose body of work is most unfairly eclipsed by their famous singles. "Low Rider" and "Why Can't We Be Friends" are great pop songs, but their first few albums are so rich and varied, and this is probably the best of them (and certainly the best album they made after Eric Burdon left). Like The Temps' All Directions, can be paired with Curtis Mayfield's Curtis for an excellent evening of listening.
Heard War songs here and there of course but never listened to a full album. For some reason I thought they were way dubbier than this? Really enjoyed it though. Enjoyed the meandering, jazzier parts especially on tracks like "The World Is a Ghetto" more than I thought I would.
Listened to a mono, which had nice separation of instruments across the L-R channels. been listening to a lot of War since I was a kid, but not some of the deep cuts on here. The harmonica differentiates from their other soul-funk contemporaries. Heavy emphasis on rhythm and groove. Delves a bit into jazz funk.
"The World Is a Ghetto" by War, released in 1972, is a landmark album that seamlessly blends various genres like funk, soul, jazz, and Latin rhythms. The title track, a standout, combines intricate instrumentation with socially conscious lyrics. This album showcases War's ability to create a musical tapestry that resonates with both intellect and emotion. Tracks like "The Cisco Kid" and "City, Country, City" further illustrate the band's versatility and storytelling prowess. Earning a solid 4/5, "The World Is a Ghetto" is celebrated for its musical innovation and cultural impact. It remains a testament to War's ability to create socially relevant music that stands the test of time.
Ihan hyvää hämyilyä, suht vaihtelevia biisejä, odotin funkimpaa menoa
Great album, could definitely listen to more like this
Classic stuff
It was pretty good.
Fantastic grooves, loved my walk to this album. Lyrically sparse but that made it feel more powerful. This record made me crave making music with a group and being really locked in.
War is another classic group. I've heard a couple songs but not the whole album. Well worth a listen.
Cisco Kid is a great track. 4/5 Funky, Jazzy and deep. A great listening experience
Funky, fun, unique.
The Cisco Kid - 8/10 Where Was You At - 7/10 City, Country, City - 7/10 Four Cornered Room - 8.5/10 The World is a Ghetto - 9/10 Beetles In The Bog - 8.5/10
Pretty good stuff
This album is a reminder that psychedelic funk is one of my favorite genres of music. I think I’ve listened to this one time before, but this was a very enjoyable album to revisit. Low Rider is a song I’ve loved for a long time, but I didn’t know much about War otherwise.
An extra star for the horns on the title track❤️
Funky and enjoyable. A bit like, not me.
Short, funky. I suspect substances were taken.
My only issue is that it’s so short—listened through twice. You can hear its influence on everything that came after it, and for me blues/funk elements are always a hit, so I feel like I personally owe this album a lot.
Loved this!
It's funky. I dig it.
Really enjoyed and would like to get on vinyl. So funky. Feels a bit like being at a live Jazz in June type event.
Pretty good. Some very long songs though
Fantastic listen.
(4) Classic soul/funk album. Really enjoyed this one. Will definitely be listening to more by War.
Sweeeet
Great bass lines and rhythms. Lyrics not so much.
Favorite track: The Cisco Kid
Really fun album to listen to. Interesting that it came out in 1972 because it felt like Pink Floyd took some elements from this album whether it was consciously or unconsciously. Glad this one was recommended.
Un descubrimiento maravilloso.
Way cooler than their big hit. I'm probably gonna keep this in rotation for a a little while. I like the upbeat funk and the solos during their instrumentals were interesting, especially to someone who doesn't know music theory very well. 4/5
The opening tracks varied quite a bit from each other, I feel like the music took a hard left turn. Neither in a bad way, just flipped the script on me unexpectedly. The overall album has an uplifting chorus vibe with some nice instrumentation. Would listen again.
Started hot then slowed down quite a bit. Good cold day stay indoors vibes.
Amazeballs.
Blues, Funk, Reggae, ProgRock? Keine Ahnung. Aber ein sehr gutes Album.
First track opens the album perfectly, from there you can’t stop tapping your foot or dancing. The entire album is part soul and part funk, full jam band with 6 songs topping out at 44 minutes.
So funky
I really liked this one
Its free and funky and i dig it.
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine! A lot to like here. City Country City is one of those 13 plus minute songs that you, at first, think of skipping, but are glad you didn't after you heard it. What a journey through sound. Standouts: The Cisco Kid, Where Was You At, City Country City, The World is a Ghetto 4/5
Do you love awesome grooves and jams? Because if not then you should skip this one.
Virkelig funky
"4 Cornered Room" was one of those tracks we used to put on mixtapes and listen to while we were high. Zoom, zooom, zoooom...
Oh yeah this is funky as all hell. I’m a fan.
Really great album, sounds much more modern than an album that’s half a century old
It's really good. I think their albums influenced amount of musicians but I feel that they got influenced by many artist too. The World Is A Ghetto, it recalls me Quincy Jones or J.B. and when it comes to Beetles In The Bog, I think they even didn't hide that this is tribute for Fela Kuti. However, I am fond of this album because of the eclecticisim and the jacket too. (Perdona, lately ive been salcking off writing reviews.)
Did not listen to it fully today, but i think it doesn't sound bad. Will return
Funky
You know the guys who did Why Can't We Be Friends and Low Rider? Turns out they also make great funk jams.
Great album, you can hear so many different genres on It. The instrumentals are great, the vocals are great and I can hear so many samples that were used later on. Enjoyed listening to this One. 4/5
12/18/23. I have more respect for War as a band after listening to this. A lot of great grooves and diverse songs! Will definitely revisit.
I'm not familiar with War, but liked the chilled funky sounds
Ik ben niet zo wild van de eerste 2 nummers, maar City, Country, City is echt prachtig. Duurt 13 minuten, wat natuurlijk bizar is, maar het is een reis. Een instrumentale trip die mij tenminste niet heeft verveeld! Sowieso is dit een heel prettig album om te luisteren. De mix van funk, jazz en pop zorgt dat ik me echt geen seconde verveel! FAVO: City, Country, City , Four cornered room, The world is a ghetto
Very good album. Surprised this has never crossed my paths before.
Released in 1972, this album is an exploration of life's complexities, with a backdrop of jazz, funk, rock, and Latin rhythms. The band's ability to weave together diverse musical elements is striking, creating a sound that is both familiar and refreshingly innovative. Tracks like "City, Country, City" showcase the band's tight arrangements and the skillful interplay between instruments. The horn sections add a dynamic layer, enhancing the overall richness of the sound.
Not familiar with this band, but it is one to remember. Great soulful, jazzy sound. Interesting one
Was expecting hip-hop for some reason but was pleasantly suprised
Nice.
great funk grooves instrumental
Had to listen to this multiple times to figure my opinions out. Initially it started with me wanting to give it a 3 with the review "interesting. if I only rated things off of how interesting they were this would be a 4 for sure but I dont so its at most a 3" after having listened to it kind of half-assed on a pair of shitty headphones. 2nd listen was using my phones speaker as I was out walking my dogs, still had the same opinion as the first initial one but I only managed to finish the first half on this "attempt" so I had Four Cornered Room and The World Is A Ghetto left to listen to, so I figured "why not finish the album with my good headphones at my pc and then Ill rate it. Thank god for that decision. Four Cornered Room and TWIAGhetto are so incredibly sexy when given the proper equipment to be heard out of. Listened to the album another 2 times after that I think
Love this album. I was getting a few dud picks for me recently so I’m glad to have a couple of good ones recently. Glad to see War getting recognition outside of Low Rider.
New to me, and really loved it.
nice and funky—good gettin ready for school music
I’ve heard a lot of the tracks on this album. It’s good, though not necessarily something I’d think to put on again.
My only acquaintance with War previously was 'Low Rider', extensively utilized in Gone In 60 Seconds - the Godfather of action movies. Never before have my expectations been so precisely met. The World is a Ghetto is a thoroughly enjoyable, funky trip down 6 tracks filled jazz and soul and I'm all for it.
Despite the band name, War delivers an incredibly enjoyable album with The World Is A Ghetto. A tight 6-song album containing a great combination of soul and jazz. I was fearful that this would just be “Low Rider” for an entire album (great song though). It was not.
Now that is some funky music!
Sumptuous soul painting a vivid scene where stylistic flourishes and genre influences stroll on by like passing strangers in the park.
Spicy and soulful, jazzy and progressive, with a dark and moody undercurrent that is really appealing. Vibrant, masterfully crafted songs that are incredibly smart, but lacking in any kind of pretension. This is just incredibly fun to listen to. Fave Songs: The World Is a Ghetto; Beetles in the Bog; The Cisco Kid; City, Country, City; Four Cornered Room
This slaps! I loved this!
It starts a bit slow but it kept growing on me. The longer tracks are the best tracks, especially Four Cornered Room which has an impeccable groove. I preferred this over the hits from War. Always a pleasure to get a 70s funk album.
- Finde ich richtig, richtig geil - sehr abwechslungsreich - bis auf city country cot, der mir einfach zu lang war, durchweg nur gute songs - wirkt irgendwie anarchisch und ungezwungen. - 4,5/5 (Ohne so viel Saxophon und dem langen instrumentalstück wären es 5/5 gewesen
Only really knew this band from Low Rider and Why Can't We Be Friends, so it was interesting to realize there was a lot more going on there. I liked this a lot, particularly the title track.
Very Interesting
i prefered the big jam tunes than the shorter songs. i think that this would be much better if it was a instrumental album, but its very good anyway.
Immensely listenable genre bending album that sounds as great as it did in 1973. Bringing the Latin vibe into the funk-rock gives the band a unique flavor that I've always really liked. A lot of great musicianship on this album. Hidden gem: Beetles in the Bog. It's got this New Orleans drumline feel with some conga and chopping funk guitar that was surprising, fun, and fascinating. I love the rhythms on this album.
8/10 dont remember specifics but i loved the instrumentals
Pretty nice to listen to
This slaps, groovy, great instrumentals.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: The cisco kid, The world is a ghetto, Beetles in the bog
Pretty enjoyable listen. I'm a fan of long songs and two songs on this album are around 10 minutes long so those were fun
ca ma saoulée mais 4 pour l effort il y a eu des jolis moments
Standouts: Cisco Kid, The World is a Ghetto 3.5
Love this - some jazzy funk jams.
excellent. Would be great to have on in a room while doing other stuff - reading, coding, chatting, doing a puzzle, etc
Quite interesting songs, good background noise for studying. Stand-out: Beetles in the Bog
Really beautiful fusion of rock, soul, jazz and some reggae
This is one I will definitely be coming back to. Short in tracks but big on atmosphere.
Great jams, great album, great world, great ghetto.
I loved the description about the album cover art in the Wiki. The background music in “Where Was You At” sounded like it could fit in multiple sitcom intros. Why are we being punish with a 13min song? There should never be a song this long even if it’s 13mins of pure bluesy, jazzy, funking funk. “Four Cornered Room” was a soulful masterpiece- they even put a motherf*cking GONG in there. 7/10
There is a nice blend jazz, funk and SOUL!!! that is quite delicious. The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine. One song felt a bit too long. Four Cornered Room was another favorite. At the end of the album I couldn’t wait to start it over again. I could listen to this type of music anywhere. The vocals, the instruments, the rhythm… it all worked for me. 8/10
These mothafuckas are funky, God damn. City Country City was an absolute jam, 13 minutes flew by. Also the title of the song was exactly the vibes the two very distinct parts of the song gave off. One second your wandering through the frontier of wild America and the next your in the hustle bustle of a big city. I was not ready for how instrumental this album was going to be. It was kind of like the vocals were interrupting the background music which really took the spotlight. Freight Train Jam was a fucking jam. Really solid bluesy soulful funkin album. 8/10
The song-writing is strong, the two hits are timeless, and despite what some critics have said, I think they do a good job of stretching out some of the tracks - the solos may not be jazz-worthy but they're still pretty good.
Good
JAzzy, funky avec un touche de rock. C'était vraiment bon j'ai adoré et je ne connaissais pas vraiment... 4.75
A nice album from the 70s. - What are the odds? </s> The music here is quite funky; I had mostly a good time listening. I could have done without the two 10 minutes+ tracks. 3.5/5
Jazzity jazz woo woo doo wop. Not much to say tbh. Never heard of War (the artist).
Great 70s soul sound, with some hints of psych rock. Really nice listen.
I'd heard a few of these tracks before and I like their approach that blends what I think we'd call soul, R&B, and rock. Cool stuff.
Fantastic fusion blend of soul, funk and jazz with a sound reminiscent of Wars bigger hits. On Four Cornered Room, the influence of some psychedelic features can be heard most prominently, with wah and delay used heavily. The large ensemble is able to layer vocal harmonies very impressively with the larger band across the project and deliver on conveying the feeling of living life in a ghetto, epitomised in the title track. Overall, an easy, funky listen which lends itself best to background music in my opinion due to the length of the songs, which would also be my main criticism as the repetition of phrases can become stale in some tracks.
I like this album a lot and I like WAR a lot, though this isn’t my favorite of their records. It’s a funky jam, great to put on intensely or in the background.
Great album all the way
Well-paced instrumental album. Beware of the bass, it's gonna get you.
Funky, jazzy, soulful bliss. Great stuff and War is clearly more than just low rider...
Good
Good album, not something i’ve listened to much before. Maybe not a daily listen but added to my library
Soul, funk, kæmpe vibe, seriøs omgang fløde
Wasn’t sure on first listen but second time around I was listening properly and really enjoyed it so a surprising 4*
8/10. Cool album, I liked its focus on having these long elaborate tracks
Nice and funky. 8/10
Hm, have no idea what to expect coming into this. Never heard of War. Hm first track is groovy. Def has that early 70's sound. There's some Cuban voices in the mix. That was unexpected. Between the album art and the vibe I wold have said these guys were out of New York but I would have been wrong. They're from the LBC. Ooh this second track is good too. Some good jazzy blues solos in there. Great guitar intro on track 3! Kinda diggin this ngl. 4 stars.
+ the cisco kid the world is a ghetto
Very close to 5 stars
City, Country, City does such a cool change in sound
Some pretty groovy jams in addition to the one big hit
While some of the grooves wore a little thin over their extended runtime, I dug this journey into funk, jazz and reggae. The mix of genres was eclectic, and the performances and production was spot on. This is the stuff I need to hear that I wouldn't have otherwise.
A bit repetitive but interesting
A good funky time
7/10 mmmm funky fav song: the world is a ghetto
Really enjoyable. Good noodling, great vocals. Will revisit. Low 4 4/5
This album is basically two songs long. There isn't anything inherently wrong with tracks one, two, four, and six on this. They just pale in comparison to the real stars of the show. This album has two songs over ten minutes long, and those two songs are by far the best thing this album has going for it. "City, Country, City" is funk music executed perfectly. The saxophone is absolutely disgusting, and I mean that in the best way possible. And I'm a sucker for a good keyboard solo, and this song does not disappoint in that department. And "The World Is a Ghetto" feels perfect for a late winter night around the fireplace with a glass of tea. So 23 minutes of this album are amazing. The other 20 minutes or so, not as much. I think the opening track is solid. I can definitely envision a group of people all getting up and chanting the chorus in a live environment. It also has this nice Miami Vice buddy cop vibe to it. But this album could probably do without the other two songs. They just don't do anything super interesting that makes me want to come back to them ever. I see the word eclectic thrown around a lot when talking about this band. And while TWIaG might not have hits like "Low Rider" or "Why Can't We Be Friends", but those two highlights are worth so much more and show how capable this band really was at making some absolutely killer funk music.
Great grooves, cut my lawn to it and it kept me going.
4.25
4.25/5 this album was new to me but I quite liked it. Liked the groovy funky soul vibes and the longer songs.
Was I not supposed to like the funky instrumental songs? Because I sort of love them. War belongs on the list in a huge way, and a case can be made that they should be represented with a compilation (the hits most have heard are all bangers). Of course, an argument could be made for this album, too. Not only because it's great, but it was the best selling album of 1973. I'm sort of surprised by that. Who knew society had good taste back then?
The album started out quite strong. It was funky and fun, and then it started to drag a bit with the long instrumentals. I really thought that I would love it all, but it fell just a bit short.
Funky and cool.
A War album with none of the hits I know? A great thing about this project is exposing me to new sides of familiar bands. I very much enjoyed this album. A lot of it is pretty downbeat in a cool, mellow way! I’m kinda getting into these longs songs that take their time to unroll before me. A very pleasant groove that was just the ticket today. And I love looking at that album art!
7/10
Very groovy. Loved it on a rainy day. Would love to drive around at night to this music
Africa inspired percussion paired with the organ/guitar makes for a great sound.
Enjoyable listen. Need to play it a few more times to appreciate it more.
pretty good background music. listened to it all day.
New album for me, and this was a happy surprise! Every song felt very funky and had a really nice groove to it. Listened to it while working and I can't remember thinking anytime that it got bad or especially boring. Songs were also different enough from each other. Just overall solid, very happy with this!
I only know War from their "hits", none of which are on this album. I enjoyed this one quite a lot. If find funk can sometimes be quite repetitive with endless jamming, however this continued to stay fresh with all tracks having their own style. "Cisco kid" with it's reggae influence was fun. I think my favourite was the final track "Beetles in the bog" which made me think of the band "Goat". This feels slightly too good for a 3 so it gets 4 starts from me.
Some legit jams on here. War deserves more recognition. Best track: The Cisco Kid
good
Groovy, énergique, lancinant, militant: j'en ai apprécié tous les paysages sonores
WAR is under appreciated and they have very solid tunes.
so smooth!
East LA leadup to Los Lobos, this album marries Mexican-American vibes with a bit of Motown and funk.
Don’t know I’d ever listened to this. Will definitely add it to favourites.
Quick hits on this give it be a 4* album. I've never listened to this before and am quite impressed so far.
Groovy and chill.
the songs are too repetitive! if not i would’ve been 5/5 s it’s quite the shame
For some reason I expected classic rock but was blessed with a full helping of funk
Dang that's a fun album. Drags a bit there in the mid, but some tracks slap hard.
I really enjoyed this, very funky. The album cover is fun. The Cisco Kid and The World Is A Ghetto are great tracks. I also enjoyed City, Country, City,
Great album, enjoyed the instrumentals a lot.
Groovy and chilly
This album is a VIBE. The saxophone in The World is a Ghetto was unreal. Great heavy beat throughout. I was hesitant towards this album because it’s labeled as “Psychedelic” which is often too out there for me but this was awesome.
Delicious
Decent, kinda instrument soul funk
Excellent album. Very funky. Standouts: The Cisco Kid; The World Is a Ghetto.
niiiiiiiiiice
This album definitely deserves to be on this list.
I just love this. It's so loose and relaxed, just a pleasure to listen to. 4 stars.
The opening groove immediately won me over. Slow, smooth, funky. Even the extended jammy tracks are fun. Great album for relaxing on a lazy summer afternoon. Loved it.
I can't help but always think of Low Rider and its association with George Lopez when I hear War. I don't especially care for Low Rider because outside of George Lopez it feels like listening to the Full House theme song outside of Full House. Nevertheless The World is a Ghetto is a really really solid Soul/Funk album. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it in fact. It has all of the commonalities that I love with this type of music. It gets a little sleepy near the end of City, Country, City and into the song that follows, but I think it picks it back up nicely from there. Even the 10 minute dealies don't overstay their welcomes (until like the last minute of both, maybe). All in all I really liked this and I will be listening again for sure! 4
Expectations were blown by a band I only knew by a few hits. Super funky incorporating Latin, jazz, gospel, and rock. Incredibly lush with non-traditional song structures. You can tell why it's labelled "prog soul" with how they manage to maintain the melody but yet the song still branches out so unexpectedly so often. We start off with two proggy yet accessible pop pieces. "City Country City" was a fun instrumental jam fest of each of the players showing off, with a satisfying entrancing conclusion. "Four Cornered Room" was an intense western. Really cool harmonica and gong. "The World is a Ghetto" was another cool jazzy piece. The closer sounded like it had afrobeat influence but I think this came out before afrobeat was popular. Really enjoyed the whole record, and sat well in the background with its chill and lush groove.
Great album. One of the songs got overly repetitive but other than that the only flaw is that the album doesn't have more tracks!
Wow, I love this, it’s like if Marvin Gaye got P-Funk to back up What’s Going On. Will return to. B+, can easily rise
Dehä va nice!
Really good, falls just short of 5 🌟 for me, largely because I don't know enough about the music to fully appreciate it. What I do know is that I really liked it, and enjoyed learning about a band I had never (knowingly) heard before.
Soul/jazz album with a funky vibe that is a good listen. Brings the listener into a 70's black neighborhood. Leadoff "The Cisco Kid" is the standout.
first listen not your average funk album
Un disco disfrutable, pero demasiado caótico en los géneros que abarca. Necesito un poco más de línea de guia para poder disfritarlo al máximo. Parece que se juntaron y grabaron lo que les parecía 7/10.
Could listen to it all day on repeat - puts me in a good place.
Pretty fun album
Filmmuziek. Luistert lekker weg. Alle nummers op het album zijn goed! ****
Ok
Where Was You At is fantastic! What an interesting record.
This record is kind of one-note and not really any better than any of the other horn bands of the 70s. A little more soulful and groovy, but it felt like background to other's foreground.
Pas écouté en entier
Regular usual soul experience - however, at least I've listened to other War songs apart from Low Rider ha-ha
Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:❓️
Enjoyable enough listen, not really my style but would be happy to listen again.
The opening line of "Cisco Kid" took me waaay back...but I didn't know any other lyrics! Good vibe.
3.5. Was too slow and melancholy for me to want to listen again, but some stars for social commentary, some nice vocal harmonies, expressive sax solo, and an overall cool rhythmic vibe. This did prompt me to do some listening to the Why Can't We Be Friends album by War, and I liked that one more!
Nice sound, but I can't really find any interesting songs in those overlong jams
Enjoyable listen, but didn't expect so much to be instrumental. It's smooth and funky, with standout tracks like Cisco Kid and the title track. Not sure I'll return to it much but solid album.
An enjoyable listen.
Instrumental, piola de fondo, nada wow. 6.5/10
Didn't know War had albums like this (a lot of improvisational stuff), but I liked it.
good
Funk/ soul jams that get into the groove a little too much and then don't know what to do with it.
Obviously some quite long songs, but the drawn out length seems to work for some of them, particularly the title track.
Prima
Good, kinda downtempo
Цікава назва. Стабільний Соул. Не погано, але не моє.
Groovy but a little long for my tastes.
Thanks for making me listen. I'd like to give this more spins. I've never liked "Cisco Kid" but I appreciated the rest of the album
3.5
slow funky nice . c
7.5 / 10
What a tight groove
6 songs Not bad music, but just didn't manage to captivate me unfortunately.
Funky