Sunday, December 10, 2006

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day


Artist:War

Song:The World Is A Ghetto

Album:Anthology (1970-1994)





War was one of the most popular funk/R & B groups of the 70s with a latin vibe. The World Is A Ghetto was a politically aware song that was a huge hit. War started out in Compton, CA in 1962 as The Creators. Guitarist Howard Scott & drummer Harold Brown eventually brought in keyboard player Lonnie Jordan, bassist B.B. Dickerson & sax player Charles Miller. They changed the band name to Nightshift and brought in percussionist Papa Dee Allen. They were backing up LA Rams star Deacon Jones in 1969 when Jerry Goldstein of the garage band The Strangeloves suggests Nightshift hook up with former Animals lead singer Eric Burdon. Burdon brought harmonica player Lee Oskar with him and Nightshift was renamed War. War recorded two albums with Burdon and then signed a seperate contract with United Artists. Goldstein produced all their records. They had several big hits in the 70s and petered out in the 80s when they went a little too disco. The 2CD comp Anthology is definitive though the full ten minute version of The World Is A Ghetto is only available on the original album. War continued to survive in the 90s and last recorded in 1994. Lonnie Jordan still tours with a version of War. Their music is sampled by many hip hop groups. Here's a video of War performing their hit Why Can't We Be Friends. It gives a good idea of what they were like.

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