Thanks to The Beast of Farlington, we are now taking a station break from being indecisive to hear {well at least "read" some info about the Funk group "War":


War - The Low Riders
by Jose Munoz
War evolved from a Los Angeles band called The Creators. They were a r&b cover band created in 1962 by Howard Scott ( guitar & vocals) and Harold Brown (percussion & vocals), and included Lonnie Jordan (keyboards & vocals), B.B. Dickerson (bass & vocals) and Charles Miller (flute & saxophone). They broke up when Howard Scott was drafted and briefly reunited when Scott was discharged two years later. A new band called Night Shift was formed in 1968 by Scott, Brown, Jordan and Miller, and added new bassist Peter Rosen. B.B. Dickerson returned when Peter Rosen died of a drug overdose, and Papa Dee Allen (keyboards & vocals) also joined the band. They ended up becoming backup band for football player Deacon Jones in his brief musical career. The band was heard rehearsing by Jerry Goldstein, a producer and songwriter. He introduced them to Eric Burdon (formerly of The Animals), and would go on to produce with War. Burdon brought Lee Oskar (harmonica, percussion & vocals) to the band and toured with War in 1969. In 1970, "Eric Burdon Declares War" was released and went gold. The single "Spill The Wine" became a hit and went to #3 on the pop charts. War recorded two more albums with Burdon, "Black Man's Burdon" and "Love Is All Around" which wasn't released until 1976. In 1971 during the middle of a European tour, Eric Burdon quit touring claiming that he was burned out. War completed the tour without him to sell-out crowds, much to their delight. War permanently split with Burdon and signed a record deal with UA. In 1971, they released "All Day Music" and followed with albums "The World Is A Ghetto", "Deliver The Word", "War Live", and "Why Cant We Be Friends?" which made them a mainstay in the '70"s.

War had a unique sound, a combination of funk, r&b, gospel and latin jazz (not to mention the harmonica of Lee Oskar and saxophone of Charles Miller) that had wide appeal that crossed racial lines. Their music addressed the issues in many urban communities and also had positive messages which were inspirational to many. "All Day Music" was the first album that I heard by War. "Slippin' Into Darkness" was my favorite with it's hypnotic rhythm and vocals. It became their first hit on their own. " All Day Music " and "Nappy Head" were also popular among fans. War's next album "The World Is A Ghetto" became a huge success. The title song painted a picture of despair and hope found in the inner city, and that "...peace and love are the cure...". It meant to me that problems that faced minorities in urban areas were global, and basically the same as those in many communities around the world (hunger, poverty, political oppression,etc.). "Four Cornered Room", "Beetles In The Bog" and "City, Country, City" were favorites with their blues, gospel and jazz feel to them. "The Cisco Kid" was a funky song aimed at its latino audience that made its way to black radio (as were "Low Rider" and "Cinco de Mayo"). The album "Deliver The Word" brought us "Me & Baby Brother .wav file 30 K", one of their funkiest songs, which was influenced by Sly & The Family Stone. "Deliver The Word" was a soulful ballad that is among my favorites. Their next album, "Why Can't We Be Friends?" brought two hits. It produced their classic "Low Rider" , and the title song which questioned racial separatism and called for unity among the races. War went on to make more albums and hits including "Galaxy" and "Peace Sign" from their last album."

Soul Patrol-War

-snip-

I'm pretty sure that the song "Undecided Now' {or some such title} was on War's album, "All Day Music". But then again, it could have been on their album "The World Is A Ghetto", since I had both of them...

I'm not really sure which one...