Eric Burdon and War - 1970 [1992] "Eric Burdon Declares War"

Eric Burdon Declares "War" is the first of two original albums by funk band Eric Burdon and War, released on MGM Records in April 1970. It peaked at number 18 on record charts in the USA, number 50 in the UK, and number 7 in Australia.[citation needed] The back cover includes this declaration: "We the People, have declared War against the People, for the right to love each other". The album received a gold record award.

Capturing the improvisational energy the band would soon become famous for, WAR's debut with Animals frontman Eric Burdon burst on the scene and on the charts with the erotic, Latin-tinged hit "Spill The Wine." For rock icon Burdon it was a dream come true, blending his powerful vocal style with a raw and creative blues band. Standout tracks include "Vision Of Rassan," "Blues For Memphis Slim," and the simmering soul revamp of John D. Loudermilk's blues classic "Tobacco Road."

You are probably familiar with 'Spill the Wine', the great single and best song from this album; but there are other interesting nuggets here. This is a tough album to review. I really like it; but it's probably not for everyone. Recorded / released in 1970, this album reflects some of the musical trends that were prevalent at the time: Blues, Rock, Jazz, Latin, Psychedelic... There are others, Santana to name one, that married these influences to greater success; but this album deserves a listen if only for the quality of the musicianship. Eric Burdon is an excellent vocalist; but it's really WAR that carries the weight here. Eric Burdon was still in a Trippy Psychedelic phase during this time - probably a little out of sync with the direction of WAR - so you get an interesting hybrid. This album might have the greatest appeal to fans of the early 70's music, where there we so many musical styles being explored / merged. In the context of the period, this is an interesting and mostly enjoyable album.

The debut effort by Eric Burdon and War was an erratic effort that hinted at more potential than it actually delivered. Three of the five tunes are meandering blues-jazz-psychedelic jams, two of which, "Tobacco Road" and "Blues for Memphis Slim," chug along for nearly 15 minutes. These showcase the then-unknown War's funky fusion, and Burdon's still-impressive vocals, but suffer from a lack of focus and substance. "Spill the Wine," on the other hand, is inarguably the greatest moment of the Burdon-fronted lineup. Not only was this goofy funk, shaggy-dog story one of the most truly inspired off-the-wall hit singles of all time, it was War's first smash -- and Eric Burdon's last. The odd closing track, a short piece of avant-garde sentimentality called "You're No Stranger," was deleted from re-releases of this album for years. 

The cover, credited to The Visual Thing (with Burdon credited for the concept), depicts two disembodied but joined arms, one white and one black, both giving a three finger salute, similar to the peace sign which uses two fingers. The three fingers may represent the letter "w" in the word "war". This salute was also used on the cover of a future album, War. The use of a background sun also appears as a recurring theme on both front and back covers of The Black-Man's Burdon and the innersleeve of Deliver the Word.

Track listing:

All tracks written by War (Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown, Eric Burdon, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott) except where noted. Note: Memphis Slim composed music under the name of Peter Chatman which was actually his father's name; on the original album the composer credit is misprinted as "P. Chapman".

1.    "The Vision of Rassan" - 7:40
        "Dedication"" – 2:33
        "Roll on Kirk" – 5:07
2.    "Tobacco Road" - 13:44
        "Tobacco Road" (John D. Loudermilk) – 3:47
        "I Have a Dream" – 6:39
        "Tobacco Road" (Loudermilk) – 3:58
3.    "Spill the Wine" – 4:38
4.    "Blues for Memphis Slim" - 13:30 (individual times not accurate)
        "Birth" – 1:31
        "Mother Earth" (Peter Chatman) – 2:46
        "Mr. Charlie" – 3:05
        "Danish Pastry" – 3:18
        "Mother Earth" (Chatman) – 2:28
5.    "You're No Stranger" (Thomas C Carter) – 1:55

Personnel

    Eric Burdon – lead vocals
    Lee Oskar – harmonica
    Charles Miller – tenor sax, flute
    Howard Scott – guitar, backing vocals
    Lonnie Jordan – organ, piano
    Bee Bee Dickerson – bass, backing vocals
    Harold Brown – drums
    Dee Allen – conga, percussion