#444 - WAR - The World Is A Ghetto (1972)

MUSIC HISTORY WRITTEN BY HEAD WRITER DJ MORTY COYLE:

Released in November of 1972 and produced by Jerry Goldstein with Lonnie Jordan and Howard E. Scott this is the fifth album from the soul, jazz, funk, rock, latin, fusion, band War.

War featured members Howard E. Scott on guitar, Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan on keyboards, Morris “B.B.” Dickerson on bass, Harold Ray Brown on drums, Charles “Low Rider” Miller on saxophone and flute, Thomas “Papa Dee” Allen on percussion, and the sole white member and yet the one who had the best afro, Denmark’s harmonica player Lee Oskar. All of War also contributed vocals and additional percussion to the album.

Originally forming from the seeds of the Long Beach, California group The Creators that was started in 1962, they added most of their members who lived in surrounding areas and put out a few singles before morphing into Nightshift in 1968.

As Nightshift they backed up Los Angeles Ram defensive end Deacon Jones who also had a live singing career.

It was in 1969 while playing with Jones at The Rag Doll night club in North Hollywood that producer Jerry Goldstein and future manager Steve Gold saw the band and thought the sound of the fusion of their influences and multi-ethnic look would be perfect to back up British singer Eric Burdon who had just left the popular British Invasion group The Animals.

And Nightshift’s message of using music to promote unity, brotherhood, and harmony to combat racism, crime, hunger, and gang-life was timely.

Burdon and harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar who had already teamed up jammed with the band at the Rag Doll and they all decided to collaborate further.

Lee Oskar’s harmonica formed a unique variation on a horn section with Charles Miller’s saxophone and part of War’s signature sound was born.

Goldstein, Gold, and Burdon changed the name of the group to War and in April of 1970 they put out their first album, “Eric Burdon Declares ‘War.’”

It was a success and contained the hit “Spill the Wine” which was written by the band.

After their second album was released the band toured to rave reviews however Burdon quit in the middle of their European tour so War finished without him.

The band returned to Los Angeles to make their third album but first without Burdon.

The 1971 album “War” flopped but later that same year they put out “All Day Music” with the million selling single, “Slippin’ Into Darkness” which exploded.

The stage was set for this follow up album which was to continue their musical explorations and reflections on most members’ past lives in the ghetto.

And War did not disappoint.

“The World is a Ghetto” was the number one selling album of 1973.

It went triple platinum and topped polls and charts.

The band had several more successful albums after this and continued to play in various line ups and configurations until the ‘80s.

Tragically saxophonist and flautist Charles Miller was stabbed to death in a botched street robbery in 1980.

Later the band lost percussionist Thomas “Papa Dee” Allen after he died onstage of a heart attack or brain hemorrhage in 1988.

In 1996 the band had a contract dispute with their managers over who owned the name and Lonnie Jordan put together an all new version of War while the rest of the members started The Lowrider Band.

Both bands still tour playing these amazing songs.