War Live (1974)
One of the biggest challenges with collecting War is that their albums are almost always wrecked. Partied out as we used to say. This one wasn't too bad, and at 69 cents, I'm grabbing it. Nice to see that RYM has this as their highest rated album. And most of the tracks have long durations, almost assuring us of a jam session. The only representative of their commercial side is 'The Cisco Kid', so this should prove to be quite the experience. And? Well not really. War is really a soul group playing funk and Latin rock. This isn't Mandrill or Malo by any stretch. When they do jam, it's not really of the intense variety, which is what I was hoping for. Everyone gets their turn, and it sort meanders about. Nothing wrong with that of course, as I'm sure it was a fun concert. Good album on the whole, but not something I need to keep.
Source: 1974 United Artists (2xLP)
6/16/15; 9/6/25 (review)
War (1971)
I had high hopes for this early effort, but it fell flat to my ears. Mostly this is soul... funk music, with an obvious emphasis on the former. Which can be OK, if the melodies stick. But I'm afraid they didn't with me. The exception here is the album closer 'Fidel's Fantasy', which can only be categorized as weird. And there's a segment in the middle where Charles Miller's flute sounds almost Krautrock like. Lyrically they're going after Castro, which is refreshing during an era where there was too much sympathy for thugs like him. Sort of like today. Hmmm. Comes in a very fine gatefold, and my copy has the "war bond". This was inserted into early copies, and was good for "$1 off for 2 tickets" through Dec. 1973. That sounds trivial today, but concerts didn't used to cost so much, so $1 was a reasonable coupon.
Source: 1971 United Artists (LP)
8/18/21 (review)
Deliver the Word (1973)
After hearing the instrumental opener 'H2 Overture' I thought I was in for a monster of a session. 'In Your Eyes' is a strong follow-up, and this is exactly what I look for in a Latin-tinged funk soul album. Things begin to slip on 'Gypsy Man' which is a fine composition, but there's not enough here to justify its 11+ minute length. 'Me and Baby Brother' is what I would consider the signature sound of War, which isn't necessarily what I like about them most. 'Southern Part of Texas' recalls 'Gypsy Man' to an extent. The title track is the highlight of Side 2 and is a sweet song. 'Blister' is an atmospheric closer. Deliver the Word doesn't live up to the promise of its beginning, but it's definitely a keeper.
Ownership: 1973 United Artists (LP). Die-cut textured cover.
3/29/21 (acquired / review)
9/6/25 (new entry)
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