The Very Best of War

by

War

Edit

After all these years, revisiting the best of War (pretty much disc one of 'The Very Best of War') was an expected pleasure. Hearing what War had done in the years after their mid-seventies commercial peak (pretty much disc two) was an unexpected one.

Heavyweights in the days before hyper-demographic radio, War co-existed with the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Doobie Brothers and Elton John on FM playlists across the country. Their brand of latin-tinged r&b, coupled with a talent for jamming, struck a chord with listeners of the day, as War was something of a cross between the Allman Brothers Band and Graham Central Station. They were a rhythm and blues band whose frequently-joyful music crossed all racial boundaries.

And this collection gets it all down. Not only are the hits here ("Slipping Into Darkness", "Low Rider", "The World Is A Ghetto", "Why Can't We Be Friends" and "Gypsy Man"), but so are significant album tracks ("Four Cornered Room", "Don't Let No One Get You Down") and overlooked nuggets as well ("I'm The One Who Understands", "River Niger" and "East L.A."--which sports an amazing guest vocal from Jose Feliciano).

And the remastered sound, courtesy of Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch, just sparkles. The sonic detail is amazing, and with a multi-instrumental, polyrhythmic band like War, hearing it revealed is a truly awesome experience.

But 'The Very Best of War' isn't without its flaws: I'm not sure "Ballero" is the best representative of 'War Live!', "Galaxy" and "You Got The Power" are two very mediocre attempts at disco, and several other album tracks are depressingly pedestrian.

But in the end, this is a well done collection that provides a comprehensive look at War for less than an earlier War anthology costs. In short, this is one time I will urge people to go to War.