Published on Jul 1, 1998
1971 was a defining year for the funk-rock band War. After
parting ways with Eric Burdon (who sang the lead on their first big
hit “Spill The Wine”), the band had proved they could survive
without Burdon on their self-titled second release. However, the
album was hardly a breakthrough. War needed a hit – bad.
With their third release
All Day Music, War got exactly what they needed – and though
there are some moments where this album shows how good this group
of musicians could be, it also shows it hasn’t held up well to the
stress of time.
The title track turned out to be more prophetic than people
might know – the song was actually a portion of an extended jam
that Howard Scott and crew had found themselves locked in. The
light, airy feeling of the track almost makes the listener feel
like they’re sitting on the steps of their house feeling a cool
breeze. The vocal harmonies of the band, combined with the slightly
Latin flavor of the track, seal the deal for War.
But not all is lemonade and cookies for War, as the track “Get
Down” proves; with controlled diatribes against the political scene
of the time and against the police, “Get Down” was an angry track
in 1971. But in 1998, the anger just isn’t as strong, never mind
the fact that many of the issues War rallied against in the song
still exist.
Of the remaining tracks, “Slippin’ Into Darkness” is probably
the best-known song – for it was the one that broke War as a band
to watch. Basically working around one riff with an occasional
bridge, the song is deceptively complicated, and remains an
interesting track to check out even today. The Latin flavor and
bounciness of “Nappy Head (Theme From Ghetto Man)” is a fun track
with a catchy beat, even if there’s not much musical or lyrical
development.
A brief dip into soul (“That’s What Love Will Do”) and r&b
(“Baby Brother”) help round out
All Day Music, but they don’t particularly stand out on the
album. Again, the passage of time could be to blame here, for the
tunes do sound a bit antiquated. Not that they’re bad, they’re just
a bit dusty.
All Day Music is the kind of album that is an enjoyable
occasional listen – I dig it out of the Pierce Archives when I feel
I need to clean out the pipes a bit. A short album which clocks in
at under 40 minutes, it’s not a bad effort – and when listening to
it, one can understand why this release was big for War in 1971.
But it’s not completely relevant today, and has failed to keep up
with the natural progression of this particular musical genre.