Category: Eric Burdon & War

Eric Burdon And War – The Black-Man´s Burdon (1970)

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The Black-Man’s Burdon is a double album by American band Eric Burdon and War, released in December 1970 on MGM Records. It was the last album by the group before Burdon left and the remaining band continued as War.

The title is a pun on The Black Man’s Burden, an expression which refers to black slavery, used as the title of a book by E. D. Morel (1920) in response to the poem, “The White Man’s Burden” (1899) by Rudyard Kipling, which refers to (and champions) western imperialism (including its history of slavery).

The album includes two suites based on songs by other artists: “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones, and “Nights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues, augmented by additional sections composed by the group.
(Two similar suites appeared on the group’s first album.) The extra material is mostly instrumental, except for “P.C. 3” (P.C. referring to Police Constable, a common abbreviation used in the United Kingdom), a risqué poem recited (and probably written) by Burdon over the music.
Two other songs include a children’s chorus credited as Sharon Scott and the Beautiful New Born Children of Southern California.
Richie Unterberger of Allmusic says the album is “Composed mostly of sprawling psychedelic funk jams” and “it does find War mapping out much of the jazz/Latin/soul grooves…”.
One single from the album was released: “They Can’t Take Away Our Music” backed with “Home Cookin'”.

The front cover shows a black man in silhouette, while the back cover shows Burdon and a woman posed together: the woman sitting on a wall with her legs spread far apart, and Burdon (shirtless) resting the back of his head against her pelvis and gripping her ankles.
The gatefold photo is somewhat risqué, consisting of the group (mostly shirtless) in a field with two nude women lying in the grass.

 

Side one

  1. “Paint It Black [Medley]” – 13:34
    1. “Black on Black in Black” – 2:05
    2. “Paint It Black I” (Jagger/Richards) – 2:05
    3. “Laurel and Hardy” – 1:30
    4. “Pintelo Negro II” (Jagger, Richards) – 1:05
    5. “P.C. 3” – 1:30
    6. “Black Bird” – 2:17
    7. “Paint It Black III” (Jagger, Richards) – 3:02
  2. “Spirit” – 8:38

Side two

  1. “Beautiful New Born Child” (War, Jerry Goldstein) – 5:07
  2. “Nights in White Satin” (Justin Hayward) – 4:28
  3. “The Bird and the Squirrel” – 2:43
  4. “Nuts, Seeds and Life” – 4:01
  5. “Out of Nowhere” – 3:22
  6. “Nights in White Satin” (Hayward) – 2:51

Side three

  1. “Sun / Moon” – 10:04
  2. “Pretty Colors” – 6:52
  3. “Gun” – 5:44
  4. “Jimbo” – 4:50

Side four

  1. “Bare Back Ride” – 7:07
  2. “Home Cookin'” – 4:10
  3. “They Can’t Take Away Our Music” (War, Goldstein) – 6:45

 

Personnel

  • Eric Burdon – lead vocals
  • Howard Scott – guitar, vocals
  • Lonnie Jordan – organ, piano, vocals
  • B.B. Dickerson – bass, vocal (bass misprinted as “brass” on cover)
  • Lee Oskar – harmonica, vocals
  • Charles Miller – tenor, baritone, alto saxophone, flute
  • Sharon Scott and the Beautiful New Born Children of Southern California – vocals on “Beautiful New Born Child” and “They Can’t Take Away Our Music”
  • Harold Brown – drums
  • Dee Allen – conga, percussion, vocals

Technical

  • Jerry Goldstein – producer
  • Chris Huston – engineer

Notes
Released: December 1970
Recorded: 1970 Studio Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco
Genre: Funk rock, psychedelic funk, psychedelic rock
Length: 90:08
Producer: Jerry Goldstein

Label – MGM Records

Eric Burdon & War – Love Is All Around (1976)

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Love Is All Around is a studio album by Eric Burdon and War (credited as “War featuring Eric Burdon” on the original edition). Released in 1976 on ABC Records, it contains tracks recorded during the band’s brief existence from 1969 to 1971, but not found on their two albums from 1970. Many years later it was reissued on CD by Avenue Records; this edition restores the original group name, Eric Burdon and War.

Only two tracks had been released previously: “Magic Mountain” was the B-side to “Spill the Wine”; and “Home Dream”, though performed by Eric Burdon and War, appeared in 1971 on the album Guilty by Eric Burdon and Jimmy Witherspoon.

Of the remaining tracks, the title track had not been previously released in any form; “Tobacco Road” is an alternate and shorter version of the John D. Loudermilk song which appeared on Eric Burdon and War’s first album, Eric Burdon Declares “War”; “A Day in the Life” is a previously unreleased cover version of the song by The Beatles; and “Paint It Black” is a live version (Whiskey, Los Angeles, September 8, 1969) of the group’s suite arrangement of the song by The Rolling Stones which appeared in a studio version on Eric Burdon and War’s second album, The Black-Man’s Burdon.

Released five years after Eric Burdon and War had gone their separate ways, 1976’s “Love Is All Around” was a six track compilation that pulled together a haphazard collection of early demos, alternate takes of previously released tracks, a couple of previously unreleased performances, and one track that was actually pulled from an Eric Burdon and Jimmy Witherspoon album (‘Home Dream’).. From a marketing standpoint the set seemed suspect, apparently released by ABC (which briefly had Burdon and company under contract in the 1969-70 timeframe), in an attempt to capitalize on War’s mid-’70s commercial successes (note the “War Featuring Eric Burdon” billing). Nothing here was life altering and most Burdon and War fans had probably already heard most of these songs; if in alternate versions. Of the six tracks only the title track and their Beatles cover ‘A Day In the Life’ were previously unreleased efforts. The album’s strongest tune was also the funkiest number – ‘Magic Mountain’. So what to make of the compilation ? Well, far better than you would have expected, but outside of Burdon and War fans, it probably had a small audience.


(side 1)
1.) Love Is All Around (Papa Dee Allen – Harold Brown – B.B. Dickerson – Lonnie Jordan – Charles Miller – Lee Oskar – Howard E. Scott) – 4:12 
Geez, lyrically this was pretty embarrassing … certainly not the kind of insight that was going to win Burdon and company any kind of awards for originality. Add to that Burdon’s increasingly raw voice and the title track just didn’t have a lot going for it which might explain why it had never been released before. YouTube has a 1971 live performance of the tune. Recorded in Copenhagen, the live version is considerably more funky than the studio track: Always laugh when I see Lee Oskar’s massive ‘fro.

2.) Tobacco Road   (John D. Loudermilk)
There are simply so many covers of ‘Tobacco Road’ that it’s hard to listen to the tune without yawning. That said, this cover was surprisingly energetic and entertaining. Shorter and punchier than the version recorded on 1970’s “Eric Burdon Declares War”, the liner notes indicated this was the first tune recorded by Burdon and War. Recorded for a 1970 appearance on German TV’s Beat-Club, YouTube has a nice extended clip of the song: Eric, more cowbell please ….

3.) A Day In the Life (John Lennon – Paul McCartney) – 11:05 
Another previously unreleased track, who would have expected anything other than an aural disaster out of this one ? Amazingly their radical re-working of this Fab Four classic was actually mildly impressive. Yes clocking in at over eleven minutes it was far too long and Burdon’s histrionics were unnecessary, but who would have thought about recasting the tune as a blues and jazz number?

(side 2)
1.) Magic Mountain (Papa Dee Allen – Harold Brown – B.B. Dickerson – Lonnie Jordan – Charles Miller – Lee Oskar – Howard E. Scott) – 4:18
One of the funkier numbers recorded by Burdon and War. Made even better by the inclusion of a touch of psychedelia. The track originally appeared as the ‘B’ side on the ‘Spill the Wine’ single. As one of the stronger tunes on the compilation, ABC tapped it as a single.
– 1977’s ‘Magic Mountain’ b/w ‘Home Dream’ (ABC catalog number ABC-12244)

2.) Home Dream (Eric Burdon) – 7:12
The liner notes indicated this was an early Burdon/War collaboration, but Burdon also covered the tune with Jimmy Witherspoon on 1971’s “Guilty” LP. Musically this was a pedestrian slice of straight forward blues; Lonnie Jordan’s keyboards providing the major highlight. 

3.) Paint It Black (Mick Jagger – Keith Richards) – 10:09
Burdon had already cut this Stones cover a couple of times. It appears on The Animals’ 1967 “Winds of Change” LP, as well as 1972’s “The Black-Man’s Burdon” : The live version is okay, but again, clocking in at over ten minutes … yes, it could have used some judicious editing. “One of the live War/Burdon classics. War’s [patented Latin feeling features a flute solo by incomparable Charles Miller, a “fastest hands in the West” conga/percussion solo by Papa Dee Allen, and a boiling drum solo by Harold Brown.

 

Side one

  1. “Love Is All Around” (War) – 4:12
  2. “Tobacco Road” (John D. Loudermilk) – 6:30
  3. “Home Dream” (Burdon) – 7:15
  4. “Magic Mountain” (War, Jerry Goldstein) – 4:18

Side two

  1. “A Day in the Life” (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 11:05
  2. “Paint It Black Medley” (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 10:09

Tracks credited to “War” refer to Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown, Eric Burdon, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott.

Personnel

Technical

  • Jerry Goldstein, Lonnie Jordan, Howard Scott – producer

Companies, etc.

Credits

A1 recorded at Wally Heider, San Francisco, June 24, 1970
A2 recorded August 8, 1969
A3 recorded at Wally Heider, San Francisco, January 3, 1970
A4 recorded at Wally Heider, San Francisco, January 2, 1970
B1 recorded August 8, 1969
B2 recorded live at the Whiskey, Los Angeles, September 8, 1969

Notes
Released: November 1976
Recorded: 1969–70
Genre: Psychedelic soul, funk rock
Length: 47:19

Label – ABC Records