A legendary multi-ethnic Los Angeles ensemble that first rose to fame backing ex-Animals singer Eric Burdon for two albums in 1970 before successfully branching out on their own, War are one of the most successful and highly sampled funk and soul groups of all time. Last month, the veteran aggregation, who are still going strong in their seventh decade together, won rave reviews for their performance as part of Chaka Khan’s Meltdown bash at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Later this month, on 19th July, Rhino Records reissue two of the band’s most iconic albums: an expanded 4-CD version of their 5-LP 2023 50th Anniversary Collectors’ Edition of their classic album The World Is A Ghetto and a revival of their popular Greatest Hits package.
Proclaimed by Billboard magazine as the best-selling US album of 1973, The World Is A Ghetto included the mournful title track – revamped by smooth soul man Will Downing as a UK jazz-dance hit in 1991 – and the group’s biggest hit single in the US Hot 100, ‘The Cisco Kid,’ inspired by a 1950s US TV western of the same name.
Both tracks also feature on War’s Greatest Hits, a ten-track package reissued on vinyl and CD that contains the hit singles ‘Low Rider’ – arguably the group’s most well-known track – ‘Slippin’ Into Darkness,’ ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ and ‘Summer.’
The World Is A Ghetto and Greatest Hits Are Released On 19 July 20204 by Rhino.
Pre-order here: https://war.lnk.to/TWIAGTCS
