WAR albums poll

No votes for Youngblood?!?

RIP to B. B. Dickerson:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/obituary/9550962/bb-dickerson-dead-war-founding-member

Their album The World Is a Ghetto was the best-selling album of 1973

Was surprised by this too, and Wikipedia has a link to Billboard's top five as a reference. Basically late 1972 releases, which make sense - they'd eventually peak in the new year and most of their sales would be made in 1973. Diana Ross's Lady Sings the Blues was #5, Carly Simon's No Secrets was #4, Talking Book was #3, Summer Breeze by Seals/Crofts was #2.

war live is sick

Revived just in time for war season

It is crazy that this amazing band seems invisible to contemporary listeners aside from the obvious hit

all their 70s albums are end-to-end. they were on United Artists, who didn't really know how to be a record label imo, but I think garden variety radio racism limited their reach.

I think what I most love about this band, even more than the general good times vibe of "just hanging out with your friends and enjoying life", is the almost sentimental utopianism they project in a lot of their tunes and the underlying wistfulness that it's something that will likely not come to pass.

Listening to Why Can't We Be Friends? this morning and it hits the spot.

they were all of that, omar, and absolutely fucking stellar musicians to boot. that run of albums from all day music through why can't we be friends? is one of the best ever. i can't wait until more people start venturing past "lowrider" and start rediscovering one of the best bands of the era.

(but also "lowrider" still jams p fucken hard, even with the overplay)

also because they're quite difficult to search for, here are some other war threads on ilm-
WAR - PLATINUM JAZZ
Lee Oskar & WAR ::: C/D?

do love me some humbly cinematic east la funk.

https://www.harpsurgery.com/tag/lee-oskar/

It was a great honour for the Harp Surgery to receive an email from Junior Wells’ daughter yesterday, confirming the legend that the great Junior Wells was indeed buried alongside a tray of Lee Oskar harmonicas. In a recent interview with Lee Oskar, the maestro couldn’t recall the full facts from that sad day, however it is now clear the friendship he had with Junior was a very special one. Then most unexpectedly the Harp Surgery received the following astonishing e-mail..

This is to verify that Jr Wells was buried with Lee Oskar harmonicas. I know this to be a fact because I was there at the funeral. Mr Oskar also played the most beautiful song (solo). I have never heard a harp played that way before. I would like to thank him for being his friend and honoring us with his presence. The reason I know all of this is because Jr was my dad. I miss him everyday but his fans and friends help keep him alive for our family. May God bless and keep all of you. Thanks Jr’s Family

They have a little vocal signature in many of their tunes that is really effective even when repeated:

- seven or eight guys sing in unison in rough baritones (so you think "these guys aren't really vocalists")
- then, on the third line or so, the better singers in the group add a couple of layers of harmony on top

It's maybe their vocal trademark equivalent to the Family Stone singers trading lines in the verses.

Is the first Lee Oskar solo album any good? I saw a copy in the dollar bin yesterday and would have taken a chance on it, but it was beat to shit.

enh, yeah they're okay. if you liked the extended jams they would get into on the war albums, then you'll probably dig it. liking harmonica is a prerequisite, of course.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/war-the-world-is-a-ghetto-50th-anniversary-collectors-edition/

big ol' The World Is a Ghetto 50th anniversary box, limited to 4000 copies. i'm not gonna get it, but it might be worth tracking down for some.