The World is a Ghetto

i was really into this! making a note to listen again sometime

ordinarily might have given it a 3 but i'm bumping it up because it is rather fun and i would listen again!

i love how this album feels like one long jam session - there’s only six songs so they all kind of flow together as different acts in a whole piece, to the extent that i found myself occasionally forgetting which track i was on and getting lost in the music. there’s an extremely solid groove throughout, the group vocals play into the social consciousness of the lyrics and it gets to have fun and laidback moments without taking away from the overall experience. the saxophone playing is also spectacular, particularly on “city, country, city.” i ought to include my favourite tracks on each album from here on out, for this one it was the title track. 8.5/10.

this album makes me feel like i'm part of an underground rat gang hanging out in the cutscene of a video game where we're executing a dodgy hamster but the hamster tries to escape and we start hunting him slowly through the city and everything is in slow motion. will never be this cool in real life. 3.25/5

The one 13 minute long track leaned a little elevator music- but still funky elevator music. Overall I enjoyed this

pas mal du tout. J'adore la vibe

Just another soul album, it was okay. Nothing special

Listening to an album titled The World is a Ghetto on election night was 🤌🏾

Starts off strong with “Cisco Kid”, but then doesn’t really grab me after that.

It started out as one thing and kinda ended as another thing and I didn’t particularly like either thing

Continues a run of mid albums for me

Solid 3 star album. Four Cornered Room was the best track for me. But all good really. Loved the long tracks but but that the album itself didn't outstay it's welcome. Will give it a listen again soon.

I don't think that Funk is for me. Aside from one of Isaac Hayes' albums, I've never loved much in the genre, and this is no exception. I didn't dislike this album at all, there were moments on 'The Cisco Kid', 'Where Was You At' and 'The World Is A Ghetto' that I ended up really enjoying, but the repetitive nature made me lose interest after a couple minutes of each song. 'The World Is A Ghetto' really engaged me, and was definitely the highlight of the album - it was funky and catchy, and remained enjoyable throughout. I don't have too much to say about this album, but it seemed pretty mediocre to me!

War! What is it good for? The tersest soul, funk, R&B in the land, that's what.

This was great! Loved it!

Not my style or something I was expecting from the maker of Low Rider…

As a junior high kid, I listened to War all the time, especially the “Why Can’t We Be Friends” the LP. Got to see them early in the morning at Farm Aid 2 in 1986. Amazing band. This is an album I came to later though. I had heard the title song, but not the whole album. “Cisco Kid” was another favorite of mine. The mix of funk and Latin rhythms and instrument choices are so cool, along with the goofy story of the lyrics. “City, Country, City” is a great jam, and “My Four Corner Room” is a kind of funk paranoia. The title song also has a solid groove.Lyrically important in that early 70s social conscious funk and soul of Gaye, Mayfield, Wonder et al.

This is cool. I think I like the instrumentals more than the lyrics but it all just feels like a near perfect blend of rock and soul.

Repetitive and kinda uninteresting. Also I can't take seriously 10-13 minute songs, you're just taking the piss at that point

Eh, it’s fine. My problem with this record is the same I had with Green Onions by booker T, and also the problem I have with Deangelo’s music. Some of these songs have no vocals on them, and when it comes to R&B, vocals are always better than no vocals. No vocals brings down the songs on a lot of these. And then the songs WITH vocals usually do the same thing Deangelo did on albums like Brown Sugar, where the singer just starts saying the same sentence over and over and over again without anything in the composition changing, making it get fairly boring after a while. The first couple tracks are pretty good, but after that the album loses its spark and goes down to being just ok

First listen

No complaints from the Long Beach funk collective that poses as a great representative of LA funk, Chicano funk and Black funk. It's a very down in the mud and mundane album about the realities of war, capitalism's faults, poverty and isolation. It's funky and colorful while being real and down to earth. The direct lyrics contrast the funky color palette, so I gotta give it it's props. Somewhere around an 8 for me, so I'll hand it 4 stars. Nice.

type of music that makes me want to be a 70s cop. Getting a call over the radio and doing a U-turn in an unmarked vehicle where you stick the magnetic light to the roof. And the chief calls you two in and says, “damnit, you’re a loose cannon, but you’re the best we’ve got.” And everyone has a sick mustache anyway it was all right

Guys idk i was busy playing crossword

Now this is a dope vibe, can you dig? Man, this album sounds incredible for 1972, whoa it’s mixed perfectly.

No offence intended but to me this music isn't meant to be "experienced" and that hurts it a lot. It's the sort of background you need when choosing pants at the department store, not something to lift you up and take you somewhere you enjoy being.

Has a decent groove. Bit tedious though.

Need to give it another listen. The first half was good but I was transfixed by the end. The sax solo in the title track *chef’s kiss*

Some great funky tunes but it's not incredibly remarkable Favorite Songs: The Cisco Kid

I like Cisco Kid. Not much else

Solid not bad, though don’t know if I’ll come back to it

Horrible.

Great Songs: Where Was You At, City, Country, City, The World Is a Ghetto Good Songs: The Cisco Kid, Four Cornered Room, Beetles In the Bag Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

Like a mid 2000s adventure game area theme, these tracks were funky background noise! I liked em :)

Do you like funk, jazz and feeling down then this is for you. Anyone else is going to low ball it

Classic 70s funk. Not familiar with this one previously but there is a lot to like here. Only critique is the songs are longer than they need to be.

niche

mid - 2

Better when I give it more attention

I was not familiar with this band, and listening to this I described to my friend it sounds like "Low Rider" and started talking about how much I hated that song when it would play on late night TV when George Lopez would be jumping across the screen. Turns out it is the same band. This is clearly not my type of music. "City, Country, City" 13 minutes of percussion and bass lines is 13 minutes I will never get back. " Beetles in the Bog" sounds like Oompa Loompa music. Great album art though. 1/5.

Стильна робота. Класні ритми, є грув. Можна трохи покритикувати за легку одноманітність.

Дуже стильний і кайфовий альбом від легенд. Мало слухав їх, а дарма!

The insanely long and repetitive instrumentals and semi instrumentals were so incredibly boring that I had to skip forward in search of something different in them. Safe to say not for me

Funk is great when it's about feeling good. It's even better when it's about feeling bad.

This is a solid album that has some really excellent musicianship. It didn't really connect with me today, but I could see my rating improving a fair bit on repeat listens. Also, I would like to voice my appreciation of the great, moody album art that really fits the vibes of the music well. Favorite track: "The World Is a Ghetto"

Good

The long tracks were too long but very good album otherwise. Some very good grooves and musicianship.

Yea this jams hard and it feels rude to not give it a 5.

Чувствую себя обманутым и разачарованным , такое хорошее начало и очень посредственное продолжения альбома

thought the psychedelic tapestry of this funk record was pretty cool

I was expecting good things from this album but sadly it didn't hit the mark.

I had high expectations for this one, but it didn't end up working for me

I feel bad for not really liking a funk band with on point messages about society but the jam elements just never really worked for me. Every song meanders along for too long with not quite enough hooks before fizzling out except for maybe Beetles in the Bog, which was a pretty high point to end the album on.

Rate: 7.5/10.

What a surprise. This goes

Alright this.

This music is empty, gives me nothing but it has a mood, was not so boring to listen to it.

Bom

Loved the first cut “The Cisco Kid” but the rest of the songs just didn’t didn’t live up to that o r.

This one kinda blew me away. The instrumentals reminded me of "Lowrider", lo and behold, "Lowrider" is their song! The density of instruments and how they interplay is fascinating. Love the soulful vocals. Sprawling, varied interesting songs. I need to listen to more of these guys!

Really liked this one! The instrumentation is so creative!

Such a great vibe

Great funk, and not annoying in the way Eric Burton can be

(Strong 7/10) Pretty fun record! The lead single "Cisco Kid" is fun but I heard it a lot on the radio as a kid and it kinda wore off for me. The track that really blew my socks off was "City, Country, City". That jam was stellar and the way they play off of each other was super cool. The psyched out dirge of "Four Cornered Room" brought it down a bit for me, but really this album is just a good time. Will definitely grow on me more the more I hear it.

Good.

Thought I’d like this more. Two big hits (Cisco Kid and Why Can’t We Be Friends) but their other big hits were better (Spill the Wine, Low Rider, Slipping Into Darkness, Summer, All Day Music). Non-hits here were just okay.

An ok album I like the instrumental songs it's not ground breaking but solid music quite enjoyable Just nothing spectacular, with more listens I might change to a higher rating but for now it's a 3

What a groovy album. Cisco Kid was the only one I knew going in, and that was already a classic to me. City Country City's fun, jazzy journey between a light, calm countryside and an up-tempo, bustling city makes it such a neat track. Despite the fact that it's 13 minutes it never feels like it. World Is A Ghetto and Beetles In The Bog are also a lot of fun.

The Cisco Kid The World Is a Ghetto

quite enjoyable vibe but says nothing 3.5 stars.

Ok

smooth psychedelic funk at its best

Favourite War album

Great mix of genres. Way exceeded expectations.

The Cisco Kid is an overplayed turd but thankfully it picks up after that

Glad I listened to this again cause I'd forgotten how much of it was instrumentals. Anyway: iconic

I hear “Cisco Kid” now and again on the radio but didn’t know anything else about War. I think I really like 70’s funk like this and Sly. That bass and that groove I can really get into. Even the 10 minute plus instrumental “City, Country, City” slaps hard. “World is a Ghetto” is a standout with its socially conscious lyrics.

Too much like the Grateful Dead for me. Too funky, too jammy. I appreciate how great the music is but don’t enjoy it

Where Was You At is fantastic! What an interesting record.

Never heard the non-hits. Great stuff.

Thought I would have liked this more than I did

Some groovy shit happening her

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.

Loved the voice. Interesting

Great diversity of instrumentation, an amazing fusion of soul and jazz, with touches of psychedelia, funk, and blues. All in all a great listen, and easily one of the best album covers of all time. Favorite Song: City, Country, City Score: 87/100

Pas écouté en entier

it’s like walking in the street, is kinda cold, is fall, you are going home kinda album

Regular usual soul experience - however, at least I've listened to other War songs apart from Low Rider ha-ha

City, Country, City is the shit.

Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:❓️

oh. yes. love the intro to city, country, city. actually this whole track is fire yesterday i got jimmy smith / back at the chicken shack, which was a good, but standard, 4 piece jazz set up. then i listened to soft machine / third, which was a very experimental, esoteric prog jazz situation. this is like the best of both worlds. it's got the varied instrumentation. the tracks are not interminably long, but it's got some great vocals. this was released the same year as curtis mayfield / superfly, and you can hear the relation. but this is in the jazz form. it's a 5/5

Cool, easy listening

Enjoyable enough listen, not really my style but would be happy to listen again.

Loved it. Soulful, funky, groovy, fivestarsy

noisy

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!

Love the slow funk grooves. Lots of room for the instruments to breathe.

More soul and jazz than the typical Funk from War. Urban in the dictionary definition meaning “Reflecting the fast-paced habits, styles, or attitudes typical of city dwellers.” In this case resulting in a sophisticated, soul -infused, mix of funk, rock and jazz. I was leaning towards a 4 but “City,country, city” is such a banger - a 13 minute jazz funk masterpiece that raise the bar for the album that never drops again.

Nice sound, but I can't really find any interesting songs in those overlong jams