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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The BIG one..., May 2, 2006
The title of my review says it all. For those of you that are into statistics and sales and chart positions and all that good stuff, you're probably aware that this is the only War album to top the pop charts. Of course, for my purposes, none of that matters.
Growing up, this was my SECOND favorite War album. As I became an adult, though, this one crept to the top of the list. Why? Perhaps it was the mood of the album. The album is very dark and downtrodden, and perhaps that's the beauty of it. Although the album was released a couple of years before I was born, it was an album that reflected the uncertain times: a few years after the murders of MLK & RFK, in the midst of American dissatisfaction with the Viet Nam war, and the soon-to-be-headline-making Watergate scandal.
Anyway, even though there's only six songs on the album, they are a WHOPPING six songs. Kicking things off is "The Cisco Kid." Honestly, if I had to name a single song that made me a War fan, it was this one. It's all in the bass line. For all you bass aspiring bass players out there, this song is SERIOUS PROOF that you don't have to slap to be STANKY.
Next, there's the Big Easy flavored "Where Was You At?"...a great little song, sad but upbeat. Then there's the epic "City Country City." The darkness rises in a big way. You get lots of what made WAR one of THE best: great group work, great individual solos, and the music never gets stagnant.
The things only get darker with "Four Cornered Room." I'll be honest: I like the song, but it's probably the spookiest song War ever recorded. Couple this song along with the totality of Sly Stone's "Riot" LP for ultimate in depressing, junkie-nodding music.
Than the culmination, the title song. Great song, great groove, great lyrics, great solos....
"Beetles in the Bog"? I like the song. It's sort of like one of those campfire sing-along type songs. Well, in this particular case, it's more like a song best sung around a fire lit in a garbage barrell.
This is War's masterpiece, an album no serious War fan should be without.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can I give it a rating of 10????, September 6, 2005
If there was a rating of 10, this recording would definitely get it!!! War is my all time favorite group and this recording is my all time favorite HANDS DOWN! I originally purchased it on vinyl while in jr. high school. This music is so timeless, everytime I listen to it, it's like the first time! "City, Country, City" takes you on a musical Sunday afternoon drive. "Four Cornered Room"...what can I say about that? Close your eyes and explore the corners of your mind! This is a "must have" of those new to War. I think it is their absolute best!!!!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Progressive soul music..., July 9, 2006
This album, which is one of my top 30 favorites, is progressive soul music. It's like Isaac Hayes in his heyday, when his albums like Hot Buttered Soul, Movement, and Joy had epic tracks on them, some running as long as 18 minutes. This is War's best album, with the title track and City, Country, City standing out. Even though there's only 6 songs, and most of them are fairly long, War was one of the tightest bands on the planet. The main theme of the album really resonates today, that the world is indeed a ghetto, because no matter where you go, trouble will find you. You can never cut yourself off completely from society (even though some try to). As the liner notes say, even a Rolls Royce can get a flat tire. If we realised that, we would get along much better, because we all live in this ghetto of a world. We should try and make it better.
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