Reviews (page 8 of 11)
Not bad. It's got a bit of life to it. The closing track, Beetles in the Bog, is pretty good.
3/5
Funk feel
Started pretty weak, to be honest. Got better - some elements of City, Country, City and The World is a Ghetto are actively good! But my god does each song drag on way past it's welcome. I'm sure it would be a lot better if I was stoned, or if the numerous groups they've influenced didn't already exist & surpass them.
Not a band I really knew, happy to be introduced to them. I liked the slow funky feel
Jam forward. Good for a moody drive or a morose dinner party. Long songs, aside from everyone's favorite with Cisco Kid. Probably going to take a few more listens to really hear the lyrics.
Certainly a bit unique in its sound for its genre and therefore interesting in its own right, but not amazing
I liked this but then not enough, not as much as I thought or hoped to. Side two built up my interest more than side one. Sadly only 3 stars.
it was pl
City, Country, City
Pretty nice funk.
Fun, but probably wouldn't listen to again.
3.5 Stars
Always loved War!
'Meh - doesn't suck. Too instrumental for me.
hm, etwas angenehmerer Jazz als zuletzt, aber immer noch nicht der Funke übergesprungen...... 3 Sterne, konnte man nebenbei beim Bürostuhl zusammenbauen anhören.
Einzigarte Musik, nett zu hören, zum Ende hin etwas stressig. Man fühlt aber den Vibe der Zeit und dem Milieu in dem die Künstler aufgewachsen sind.
Kyllä ihan nappaa tämä syvä synkkä funk. Biisit nappaa heti, jumitusta on lähes psykemäisesti, tai ainakin siitä tykkäävään osaan minussa tämä vetoaa.
It sounds great. Totally my vibe. You can hear so many early sketches of funk, soul, r&b, and hip hop in this music, like seedlings of genres that are yet to sprout. I just had trouble getting all the way into it because I didn’t carve out enough space to sit and focus. My fault, not the music’s.
Very tough, of the times and all. The last track particularly was groovy as balls
Aight
Short and sweet album. This didn’t have the WAR songs I didn’t like
Not my cup of tea but appreciate the exposure to something new to me and different.
Good jazzy, funky, r&b album. 6/10
Not my flavour, worth it
Alright album, some nice beats, good, easy listening, but nothing massively appealing to me, felt a bit flat.
I was in a bad mood when I listened to this so may warrant another future listen. Not a big funk fan but there were some parts with great jamming that caught my attention. Other parts I just glazed over because I didn’t feel it, even though it was interesting and sounded good.
2.7/i feel like there was an idea here that A) i am not getting or B) is not being realized. whatever i guess
Not really for me.
Hard to tell... awesome and aweful Songs all at once
This one is quite a mix that left me with mixed feelings. Musicianship is undoubtedly great on here and there were parts I really enjoyed, whereas other parts felt very unpleasant. Some of the jazz parts had a very uncomfortable, unsettling offbeat that made me nervous. But then I enjoyed the intense, dark, haunting soul parts and early electric blues parts as well. Four Cornered Room showcased the very worst tendencies of prog rock - a genre I usually enjoy, but not here. Interesting for one spin, but definitely don't want to revisit.
Funk! I love funk! Such a vibey album. I don't like instrumental funk as much as lyric based funk, but this is still such a work of art. Really long, vibey songs that don't ever get monotonous.
Felt weird listening to this while at an active shooter seminar, but would’ve really liked it at as coffee shop ambience
Definitely some pretty instrumentals but a 43 minute album for 6 songs is so crazy.
Enjoyable listen! I have heard Cisco Kid, but the rest of the album was a pleasant surprise! I will be listening to this one again!
This album is a little too slow for me at times. The percussion pounds, too, creating a tension that reflects the spirit of the album. It’s the first album I would give any “X.5” if the ratings allowed it. It would be 3.5.
Rythm and Blues with soul. Enjoyable. Good album.
Cisco Kid, of course. Worth 3 stars on its own. I was also pleasantly surprised by ‘City, Country, City’ and ‘Four Cornered Room’. Solid grooves all the way ‘round.
Funky Jazzy old school jam band sound that reminds me of Santana with less guitar. Super cool album.
Good for relaxing to. Some tracks sound like studio jams which works with this type of music.
Never heard of or listened to War before, so I am excited to discover some new music! I like the album cover and the title and am immediately struck by the fact that this album only has 6 songs but somehow adds up to 44 minutes. Makes me sorta nervous. The Cisco Kid: Very good. The man has a pepper grinder voice. Lots of friction. It's good!. Where Was You At: sorta bouncy and flouncy and mostly jaunty i like it. Music for walking down a sunny street in the city and smiling. City, Country, City: It begins with a beautiful duet between .. an organ? and a banjo? and a few bells... It's 13 minutes. OK I've stopped caring much. these songs are too long and not very exciting although I understand they're probably very culturally significant and whatnot.
Good listen and always liked Cisco. Album of the times.
More musical than lyrical. Still good
Wanted more
Vibey. To my great and eternal shame, I’m pretty sure I thought “Cisco Kid” was a Steely Dan song. Favorites: “Cisco Kid”; “Beetles in the Bog”
Not my thing tbh but did have some good vibes. Best song was def the first one and the rest were to long and jam bandy for me
I liked the instrumental parts of the album
it's sweet! very good music idk I'm tired. 7/10
Some of the songs were a bit repetitive for me, but I was a fan
Revelation! Nice vibe about this album! Never heard of this group, but liked it!
Was fine, not bad, but not good enough to revisit for fun.
Funky soul/jazz. Very laid back and definitely sets a mood. Love the gong on Four Cornered Room. This is music you would expect to hear when they go to a bar in a film or TV show set in the 70's. Good album, but overall it is background music. I'd give it 4, but the middle felt very long.
Funky
Quality soul in the vein of what’s going on, the influences are shot thru but doesn’t quite match the imperiousness of Marvin.
3.5
3.33
made no impact on me but it's alright
Decent. I like the slightly psychedelic tones of "War". Pretty groovy as well. 3/5
5/10
Not my thing - but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate what's going on here - and appreciate it, I do.
Hm… trudno mi się zdecydować. Lubię taki bujający jazz, ale ta płyta nie była wyjątkowa. Miała swoje momenty, gdy wchodziły etno inspiracje, ale ogólnie chyba będzie to po prostu mocne 6/10, bo minął jeden dzień a już nic z niej nie pamiętam.
6/10. Great instrumentals but gets a bit repetitive after a while. This might work at a specific mood. Cisco kid is a great opener though!
I like the vibe, but not really anything I'd relisten to in particular much.
This is a really good album but it didn't hit at as a 4 for me yet. I think if I am listening to it next week still I will bump it up. It has a lot of great highlights but it wasn't as cohesive as a 4 should be. But I do appreciate it.
A pretty good album with no great songs to make it a classic. 3.5 stars
Lovely, funky, jazzy, bluesy, psychedelic stuff.
I liked this less than expected. It started off a bit too slow for me, and while I liked the latter songs more, it still fell a bit short.
Favoriten Four cornered room The world is a ghetto Beetles in the Bog City, Country, City
Helt ait, behagelig lytt, men ikke no crazy
funky
Was alright but more like background noise tbh. Nothing special 3 ⭐️
It sounds like a revolution. I like it.
Soulful and fun
I can see why this album was extremely influential in his arms list. It’s sort of for me, didn’t add any to playlist personally, but I think I might come back to it sometime or another.
Not my thing, but an interesting work. Faves: The world is a ghetto, beetles in the bog. Would I revisit this: no.
Favorite track: the cisco kid. Overall score: 5.2/10.
- funk album - their big song is ‘low rider’ - some solid rhythm (?? could say this about anything I suppose) - HUGE fan of the harmonica in city, country, city - going to be honest the jazziness did start to stress me out after a bit it was something about the background repetition (the song is also 13 minutes long)
Full instrumentation with a funky '70s sound. The songs are structurally simple and repetitive vamps. Best consumed in small doses, not as an entire album.
I am weak to the funk, but though this was a good album I ended up not being as huge on it as a whole than I initially hoped. That first song it really good, the rest is more mellow.
Rather enjoyed. The really long and funky song especially.
I'd listen again
Interesting and funky. Last couple songs get repetitive. Relative (to decade) Impact: Low Absolute Impact: Low Listenability: Medium Repeat Listenability: Low
I enjoyed this. Nice grooves had me bopping along.
Nüd speziells aber abwechsligsrich und guet zum ineschnuppere. 3 hoseträger
Very much enjoyed.
Parts of this are really really cool but I thought songs dragged on long and shared too many similarities
Okay
Good album, starts strong, finished strong. I prefer my soul funk jazz in smaller doses. Probably would not listen to again.
Good funk, soul, jazz blend. I like some War once in a while. Of course, Low Rider and Spill the Wine are all-time greats (not on this album). I prefer War with Burdon, but this is a good one. 3⭐️
A soul/funk jam band. Not the party-hippie jam band, more like a jazz jam band. The recording is tight, sounds amazing. Glad I got to hear this one.
Just ok for me but not what I particularly like
Complete
Groovy
Not really my thing, but it's decent for what it is. Mixes jazz solos/melodies, funk and reggae beats, and soul vocals to make something half decent. This album predates Seinfeld, but there are a few parts where the bassist sounds a lot like the theme.
Very pleasant to listen to, but not something I’m gonna come back to. 3/5
Actually good
War! Huh! Yeah! What is it good for…? Lengthy blues-funk jams that gradually infiltrate the brain, apparently (and also a couple of classic singles that, alas, don’t appear on this album).
Enjoyable listen, raspy jazzy blues tones. 6.5/10.
I thought of the song "War" which is not by the band War at all.
Jumbo jumbo
Not nearly funky enough.
Varied sound, very interesting and textured. Weirder than I thought it'd be. Kinda noodly, but some deep jams.
Starts out strong but the momentum slows down after the first couple tracks. I like the concept of this album and I adore the album cover but I've heard better of this sort. Favorite track: The Cisco Kid
This was fine, I enjoyed it but wouldn't say it really captivated me
3.5
fun, longer songs. saved a few songs to the playlists
Jazz but not cringe
Really fun sound.
I am not well versed in soul music, but this was one of the better soul albums I have listened to. It was a good blend of relaxed energy and instrumentation. I bet it sounds wicked good on vinyl. City, Country, City is outstanding. 6/10
Really not into instrumentals but this is pretty solid background music.
Good but not really for me. Some of the songs dragged on
MMM, liker bedre når det er vokal. Ikke helt min favorittsjanger. Men ikke dårlig heller. Får derfor average rating.
Need to listen again
This was quite nice—I can't point to anything wrong with it but it ultimately didn't grab my attention.
made of stone and sugar spun sister on top!!! last two songs were unnecessarily long with random guitar sounds. 3.07
Gotta decent groove to it
Super groovy. A little boring but love the sound of it
Cisco kid…banger. Rest bored me a bit
It was ok 3 stars for Cisco Kid
Not bad. Never really listened to any War before other than the radio hits. Funky & soulful. Felt like these songs could have been in a Shaft flick or even background music from one of the first two Rockys.
Not bad, was hoping for more groove. City, Country, City knocks it out!
Good funk, but a little slow for my pacing
amei
👍
Liked this one a lot, but like many other early 70s albums it does meander a bit in the middle.
Not listened before Favourite tracks: title track, City Country City
Cisco Kid was good but wasn't a fan of the 13 min long songs
Funk is my jam, but this one was a bit underwhelming.
I like the long jams, but overall a bit uneven. 3.5 stars
I think this is a cool, funky album. My favorites are "The Cisco Kid", "Where Was You At", and "Beetles in the Bog". The longer jams in the middle wear out their welcome a little bit, but still a good album. 3.5 stars.
3.5
War’s most famous song is probably Low Rider aka the music for the Marmite ad. Instead of loving or hating this I simply found this pretty fine and ok for the most part. It turns out War are good for absolutely everything because this is a nice jittering mix of funk, pop, rock, jazz, reggae and afrobeat plus with a slight political edge. Cisco Kid is a good sassy opener and Four Cornered Room provides something a bit darker and moodier. There are a couple of jams that spiral on for too long though. Overall, nothing here to match their Marmite opus but still pretty good. 3.5 stars.
custom_rating: 6
Muito legal de ouvir. Jazz/soul/funky. Anos 70.
This felt like one long song. I enjoyed that song, though.
I'm not a big fan of soul music but it was an enjoyable experience
Smooth album. Great jams and good vibes. 3.5/5
Nice 70s reggae pop
Good, especially as background music. Funky.
Was hoping for more.
A reasonable listen - no major complaints except for the mega long tracks, but they didn't drag too badly so overall a decent spin
Like it. It’s really short though. Title track lost me.
Nice sound by songs are a little too long and jammy for my taste.
Solid album. Not my style but I can see whats going on here. Short but sweet, some funky goodness.
Funky, never really got into them but I can dig it.
Interesting album some nice tones
This is a good album! I like the first track better than the rest. Solid 3/5.
Nothing spectacular, but solid.
Good listen, nothing mindblowing though
First track is a barnstormer. The rest is good but I wanted more of the first
Funky and fun. Surprisingly good
2/21/25
it do be funky.
Enjoyable. Not enough to actively seek out again but definitely decent
I never heard it before, I really enjoyed it.
The songs that are a standard length really slap. The long ones just don't do it for me. I guess I'm anti long-song. This is a jam, but I prefer when it's a focused jam.
Kinda fun. Not really my jam, but an interesting listen. 3.1
The original War on Drugs
Decent. Some lovely era defining protest music, a well-rounded sound, sits nicely in the background.
So pleased to discover this.. the soul side of the moon indeed!
I’ve known of War’s famous songs like Low Rider and Why Can’t we be Friends, and in this collection of songs they held a similar style which was very groovy. I was surprised that it actually was mostly jazz instrumental, although I wasn’t unhappy about it.
Dzika okladka.
I liked the end half of the album
Cool album. Funky, but oddly enough, not nearly as funky as I thought it would be. Solid. Fav tracks: The Cisco Kid, City Country City, Four Cornered Room, Beetles in the Bog
At its core I do like their style - something about the ten minute tracks of what feels like loops continuously layered on doesn't really appeal to me. There isn't enough variety when they go on these benders of songs and by the end, like any bender, I didn't really remember most of it other than the general notion that things felt a little silly.
I don't remember, I think it was fine?
Well made smooth funky jazz with an edge. Still just background music for me but I didn't hate it.
City, Country, City is chefs kiss. Wish I was listening on vinyl. Dang this is just a cool album.
I can see the historical importance of this release, but it was not a very enjoyable listening session.
“City, Country, City” was definitely my favorite track. Jazz & funk doing their thing, idk if I’m always in a jam band mood though.
Man, that title track is something else.
Fantastic opening and closing with some high points in between. Not a “must have” as an album because it’s a bit overindulgent in places. It actually feels like the soundtrack to an interesting stage-play. Great, but not as funky as WAR can get.
Loved the funky vibe. Absolutely fire bass throughout. Thought it told a beautiful story too. Thoroughly enjoyed.
It’s good, but not War’s best. The title track is a banger.
3*
Cool, funky sound. First half was upbeat, second half was more instrumental
I was familiar with Eric Bourdon from The Animals and "Spill the Wine", but haven't listened to much War. I enjoyed the album. I wish I could give it a 3.5. Favorite songs: "Beetles In the Bog" (partly because I love the name), "The Cisco Kid"
Had no idea what to expect here. Generally all OK, but without really hooking me like Mothership Connection, for example, did.
Mostly laid back sometimes meandering funky jams. It's good but it lacks tension, gets hippy-esque.
Interesting, but kind of disappointed
i still hates soul. no war, please. i'd rather give peace a chance. 3/5
Love the vibe of this album. Cisco Kid is a great song.
Always been intrigued by WAR and truly love some of their hit songs. Cisco Kid has always been the rotation but had never done the full listen through. Really enjoyed it but nothing jumped out at me. Would not have guessed this was a #1 album just based on the genre but they must have blended funk and soul with pop pretty effectively. Borderline but i think i need more stand outs for a 4. Good album, no complaints. Boring review.
Strong first two songs but then the rest of these jams feel somewhat shapeless. Love the unconventional rhythm section and the varied percussion, but wish these components were employed in the service of more memorable songs.
Some cool rhythms and fun chanty lyrics, but nothing really stuck with me here. The album itself was fine. Cisco kid is clearly the hit of the album. City, country, city and Found Cornered Room were good as well
Liked this more than I expected to. Some nice funky grooves in here. Not likely to come back to it, but enjoyed it
Enjoyed the title track, but felt like the jams in the other songs didn’t really go anywhere - super groove-based like Fela at times. Happy to hear the album, but not something that stands out amongst what we’ve heard so far.
444 Rolling Stone top 500
3.5
MID!
I wasn't really sure what to expect from the group that brought us "Low Rider". Ultimately, I don't think I was suspecting this. It was funky, but in a low-key way (which I guess is what Wikipedia is calling 'psychedelic soul'). I was not particularly wowed by this, but it did keep my attention and I certainly found it to be unique among a lot of other soul and funk type things on this project.
3*
Queria poder dar um 3,5. Mas não como não é possível... músicas excelentes para um ambiente de personalidade.
Pretty fire. 3 1/2 stars.
Pretty good for what it is, just not my thing…
Not my kinda music, but like this!
Favourite songs: the world is a ghetto, the Cisco kid Felt a little drawn out at certain points, e.g. city country city, which I know is intentional but wasn't to my liking Otherwise, Beautiful music paired with beautiful lyrics and you can't go wrong
Not my jam
This was alright. don't think i'd relisten
I thought the main album was just okay. I apparently listened to the deluxe version which had some blues versions of a couple of songs that I liked better. It was fine.
Interesting music, but nothing saved.
A classic 'glad this on the list' album and three stars for all its prog soul noodling, but feel my life is complete enough without listening again.
the sax is dope liked it but wouldn't buy it for myself
Gott analogt sväng. Lyssna mer! 3+
Got “too jammy” as my friend Lou would say by tracks 2 & 3, but the 2nd half really won me over with its soulful sincerity and camaraderie of sounds.
I was really only familiar with their work like "Low Rider." But this was much more enjoyable. I like it.
December 4, 2024 HL: title track, “Four Cornered Room”, “The Cisco Kid” 3.5 Didn’t love as much as I thought I would. Maybe the political title and album cover belied the lackadaisical grooves within. Or maybe I’m just burnt out of long, jammy songs. I will not say, however, that I don’t like long jammies in general. Isaac Hayes, Pink Floyd, even Kendrick have imposingly long songs that are often their album’s highlights.
Un festival de instrumentos que forman canciones super interesantes y te mantienen pegado esperando el siguiente instrumento o melodia que estos formen
I didn’t hate it but probably wouldn’t listen to again. It’s groovy with soul and rock undertones. City, country, city was fun. Album art very good
What a strange ride. A very interesting album, a bit too out to left field for me .
The World Is a Ghetto—that’s why.
Lots of moving parts with the instrumentation, but it all felt very cohesive and focused. Different grooves for every track, with clear progressions
Funky but not for me
First two songs were strong but unfortunately don’t think the rest of the album held up
Would I listen again: no Best track: Title Track. Worst track: where was you at Surprise awesome track: Four cornered room. Weirdest track: city, Country, City Lyrics: lyrics about something it seems but very repetitive. No skips?: no Cover art cool?: yeah. Notes: I literally know about this band except for low rider. I mean it’s fine so far. Nothing objectionable but nothing really memorable for me. So city country city definitely got my attention. Awesome Jam evolving over the course of the track. Production on this is great. Recoding sounds great. Feel immersed during this song. Four cornered room super trippy and groovy. Production on this is amazing. Overall though. If it came in again I’d listen but I would not be like seeking this album out. It’s fine. It’s a solid album but nothing that will require to listen again or go out of my way to hear. There are a few tracks I’d like to hear again, but def don’t need to listen to this all the way through as a whole again.
Can't pin down this genre. Something of a mix between soul/blues/funk. It was okay
This album was made at a specific point in time, for a very particular group of people. Whether it translates in modernity is a whole other question, but perhaps this album is best judged looking back, rather then what's infront of you currently.
É um reggae bem legal, e acho que ouviria mais vezes. Dessa vez eu queria dar um 3.5 mesmo. Mas acho que 3 é melhor. Gostei de The Cisco Kid, 'City, Contry, City' e The World is a Ghetto.
adorei o conceito de prog soul (não conhecia)!!! achei as músicas uma delicia de se escutar enquanto trabalha Destaque: The world is a ghetto, The cisco kid
It started off strong but I did find myself losing interest
Okay, not really my thing
Very good music. And idk something just keeps me from giving it 4. The music is really good but sounds a lot like many other funky music? And lacks uniqueness and novelty?
почему-то запоминается так же хорошо как музыка для лифта. и почему-то ямайские мотивы…
bland
Country und Blues Combo mit guten Elementen und sauberen instrumental Passagen. Leider aber wenig mitnehmend; trotzdem grundsolide.
I feel a little conflicted about this album. The longer more instrumental tracks were fun and engaging, but I didn't connect with the shorter tracks as much as I would have liked to. A solid world music listen, but not something I'd probably come back to. Top tracks: City, Country, City; Four Cornered Room; The World Is A Ghetto
Pretty good. Never listened much to this band.
I was surprised at how much jazz influence this album had. I enjoyed this album but it was definitely a period piece reflecting the ghettos of the 1970s. Key tracks were the title track and The Cisco Kid, though Beetles in the Bag had some great swagger.
I've always enjoyed War's greatest hits. Had the CD since the 90s. I enjoyed this one but Cisco Kid was the only track I was familiar with prior. Was surprised there were three 10-minute long jams (Four Corner, City Country, and the World is a Ghetto). I totally dug it though and could see myself popping this one on for a relaxed afternoon or evening. I will be exploring more of War's discography.
Good instrumentals, not sure how often I'd listen to it
The title song is outstanding, otherwise these long-spun-out jams are not entertaining enough to keep me engaged.
Good
Cool funky music. Liked the instrumental in city, country, city
Pretty good, nothing I would listen to repeatedly though.
I thought the instruments were very good. It was solid background music. Some of the songs could have been shortened just a little.
It was alright there was nothing to crazy or anything that screamed this is sooooo good
Awesome! Love that 70s soul sound, with elements of jazz. Some songs noodle on for a touch too long for me. But a really good album.
The song Low Rider by War stuck with me from years of playing on Grand Theft Auto. Never really paid much more attention to them until now. Prefer not to listen to 13 minute jam sessions but track 3 suits the genre well. Track 1 and Track 4 are the highlights of this album. It's ok!
This is fine! (: I think this is one of those albums that is probably better than I give it credit for. As soon as I started I was like "this is the same as Low Rider", but it got better from there. Still a distinct sound but not boring. idk
"The Cisco Kid" is incredible. Everything else just seemed a little too long and meandering. Not bad though. I would listen if it was on, but wouldn't seek it out.
This was an alright listen from War. It was less bumping then I'd have hoped for and not super memorable. Not exactly sure why this is on here but not horrible. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
3.5
Not really for me
Some nice long grooves but nothing extraordinary.
The first few bars of the album filled me with hope, but didn’t quite deliver. Percussion in City/country/city a highlight.
Like a weird hybrid of Steely Dan, Captain Beefheart and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Fairly enjoyable but not captivating, I'm not minded to give it multiple spins.
it was goofy ah, but the last two songs were fire
'War' is van die typische jam muziek. Lange nummers, die een cocktail zijn waarin verschillende genres worden gemixt; als ze maar funky zijn. Door hun origins in Cali heeft de band een hele andere vibe dan tijdsgenoten in de scene, die gevormd zijn in andere stedelijke gebieden in de US. Het is duidelijk dat er een hoop latino bloed door 'War' loopt, en dat de muziek iets minder gebaseerd is op zwarte stijlen als blues en jazz. Ik vind het een aangename cocktail, waar ik er ooit nog wel eentje van neem. Maar tegelijkertijd is 'ie ook een beetje flets en saai, en voelt voor een groot deel als de fillers op albums van Funkadelic of The Meters. De psychedelic soul in 'Four Cornered Room' en het ludieke 'The Cisco Kid' zijn me het best bijgebleven. 6,5/10 Highlights: Four Cornered Room The Cisco Kid
Wat een lekker album is dit eigenlijk. Het is wellicht wat 'saaiere' funk dan andere funk-collega's uit de jaren 70's, maar ik heb hierdoor eigenlijk wel goed gevibed. En shoutout naar de albumhoes, als ik deze ergens tegenkom, pluk ik 'm zeker mee! 7,5/10 Highlights The Cisco Kid The World is a Ghetto
funky as hell, really long songs
Great 70 funk. Loved it.
Cool stuff.
Good, but kind of bland and anti-climactic for what I was expecting.
Cool album overall, enjoyed the listen, especially “The Cisco Kid”. I soon realised, however, that it had kind of faded in the background. “The World is a Ghetto” is an enjoyable album, albeit just a little forgettable for me. Maybe a few more listening sessions will change my mind, but for now I think it’s mid-tier. 2.8/5, not bad but by no means remarkable.
frekar gott fönkskotið rokk. aðra umferð. 3,5.
3.5
True and funky.
WAR - real nice mix of Soul and R&B. A treat. Poor Frisco Kid, he was a friend of mine
I can see that this album is revolutionary. I see how it set up funk for the rest of the 1970s. While there is amazing instrumentation, it just hasn't clicked with me the way some other funk albums have. I bet it will grow on me, but for now, I have to give it a 3. Best Songs: The World Is A Ghetto Worst Songs: Where Was You At
Nice production on this one and good fun stuff although not my genre really. Will I listen to again: 30%
6.5/10 Nice, good vibes and excellent musicianship Really reminded me of the music of Curtis Mayfield Lyrics dragged it down slightly- not super-high effort tbh But the tunes were mostly excellent, maybe a bit meandering at points Best: Where was you at
I like City, Country, City but probably wouldn't revisit the album
Definitely sounded like the 70's bluesy&jazzy - 3-4 minute synth solos :-)
This was a nice album. Nothing about it "wowed" me or really spoke to me personally, but I did find it fun and easy to listen to. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars, because it was better than "middle of the road" for me, but I have to give it 3 on this scale, because it doesn't rise to what I think a 4 is, for me, which is something I would want to go back to or put in my rotation.
Not bad, but not great. Nice as background music.
Soul, Reggae, Jazz, 1972 -> 3
Un excelente álbum de soul/funk con tintes de rock y en ocasiones steady. La extensión de ciertas pistas podría considerarse un tanto exagerada, sin embargo, el LP fluye de manera armónica. No sé si el trabajo habrá influido en alguna otra banda, ya que no me manejo demasiado dentro de ese espectro de la música pop, pero lo disfrute bastante y espero que cualquiera que lea mi review le de una oportunidad. Pd: "Why can we be friends?", probablemente sea la peor canción de la discografía de War.
The World is a Ghetto is quite a crazy album if i do say so myself. It generally has some very odd instrument usage and some of the lyrics also feel pretty crazy to actually hear. But this is chaos that i kinda enjoy. This actually helps it to be a pretty original sounding funk album especially with all the keyboard usage (i think that's what that instrument is). Even with all the chaos, it never became too overbearing and was reasonably fun to listen to. This isn't an album that i would want to come back to all the time but with it's craziness, its still a good listen. Best Song: Where Was You At Worst Song: City, Country, City
Didn’t do a lot for me.
More cow bell!! Kidding…but not really. Was not prepared for a 13 minute instrumental. Very funky with an interesting exploration of sound. Personally I felt each song was a little too long; started to get repeatitive and boring. Could have done with 5-6 minute instrumentals versus 9-11. Great harmony on the few songs with words. Overall not bad. Honestly didn’t know what to expect.
Lots of funkadelic instrumentals I wasn’t expecting that - knew them but never got into them - that’s the point though isn’t it :)
Okay album.
Some good songs
Soul psicodélico progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.
jazz, progressive soul. Se escucha bien. Pero no me llama la atención.
Starts strong and then sort of meanders.
Like a 3.5. I liked the titular song but the others never caught my attention.
Issa cool
Groovy but a bit boring
Better than I thought
Good, overall average. I would not mind re listening to this.
3.2
It was alright
This kind of renews the debate about if Prog can be commercial because this is one song after another of a band just riffing and plain showing off - AND YET. It’s great!!! And apparently LOTS of people thought so because it sold a ton of records and won Album of the Year. Was much of it tuneful or whistleable? Not for me, but as groovy background music, it did the trick, and quite nicely indeed. Also, this song auto played when the album was over. Does this count as commercial prog? :slight_smile:
Bueno
What an experience this was. Thematically there's a lot to think about with this album as well as War's other music. But it's also just so dang fun to listen to. There's a little bit of everything. Jazz? Yep. How about some Latin and reggae? Yep. What about soulful blues? Plenty of that too. And it all blends together perfectly to make each track so distinct and so unpredictably interesting. The title track was my favorite on the album and some of the most cutting social commentaries I've heard in music (even as it ends with a somewhat hopeful outlook), but I'll definitely revisit "City, Country, City" and "Four Cornered Room" as well. Guitar solos over organs are gonna get me every time. Dueling sax solos over organs will, too. And they incorporated harmonica in a *good* way (not sorry, Dylan) along with wind chimes and even a gong to give so much more character to each musical interlude, so that by the time you return to the verse, you feel like you're in a whole new place entirely.
What can I say - funky, ambient, soothing - enjoyable
I enjoyed a lot of this album. Some of the funkier bits weren't my thing, but there was a lot of cool organ riffs. Probably won't listen to this one much again because it's not a style that resonates super strongly for me.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the name of the band, and I knew the song Lowrider - this was fine, but felt like it took forever to get through.
Some good tracks, but also pretty self-indulgent with the prog-funk elements
This is a nice little funky War album with none of the radio songs, but entirely listenable. I found this a pleasure. Totally in keeping with their style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3SdUX_D-m4
Turns out I don't like prog-soul any more than I like prog-rock. First couple songs are good and then we fall into jazz pretensions that go on FOREVER (or at least that's what it feels like). I can appreciate the musicianship, but it's not my cup of tea.
For psychedelic/progressive anything, this is pretty good. The longer songs drone on a bit much, but the core sounds is appealing.
Very funky and very cool. Somehow War was totally off my radar.
Jam band/jazz vibe that I did not associate with War. Nice background music.
I fell a bit behind on writing my reviews, so I'm doing this like a week later (as I relisten to the album). I listened to it at work like a week ago, remember liking it enough, and remember basically none of it now that I'm writing this (though it's coming back to me a bit). Overall, perfectly enjoyable music, but clearly not particularly memorable to me. This is the fifth album by War, a soul-jazz band. The best song on here by far is the opening track "The Cisco Kid". This is their sound at its peak, it's groovy and a bit funky and really easy to listen to. It doesn't totally fall apart after this, but nothing quite reaches that level again the rest of the album. Overall a perfectly enjoyable listen, but nothing that is going to stick with me too much. I will say that I really do like the album cover on here, it's a pretty cool piece of art that honestly kind of captures the sound somehow, I'm into it. Favorite song: The Cisco Kid Other: The World Is A Ghetto 8/6/24
Happy to add this one to my relaxing/slow day music rotation.
Quite the interesting listen. A lot going on here and I liked the different genres that came and went as the album progressed. I generally liked what was going on while listening, but some of it was a miss. Don't think I'd seek out again, but it was a good listen.
Quite liked this, a mish mash of jazz, soul, and a few other genres, definitely had enough ideas to keep my attention for one listen. 6 songs over 43 minutes definitely meant some songs were longer than they needed to be but it never got too frustrating. First song was the best. Dont think I'd make the effort to listen to it again but I wouldn't mind it.