The World Is a Ghetto
| The World Is a Ghetto | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by War | ||||
| Released | November 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 at Crystal Industries Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Soul, funk | |||
| Length | 43:49 | |||
| Label | United Artists Records | |||
| Producer | Jerry Goldstein with Lonnie Jordan and Howard E. Scott | |||
| War chronology | ||||
| ||||
The World Is a Ghetto is the fifth album by the band War, released in late 1972 on United Artists Records. The album attained the number one spot on Billboard, and was Billboard magazine's Album of the Year as the best-selling album of 1973.[1]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] |
In addition to being Billboard's #1 album of 1973, the album is ranked number 444 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The title track became a gold record.
Track listing
All tracks composed by War (Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown, B. B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott).
Side one
- "The Cisco Kid" – 4:35
- "Where Was You At" – 3:25
- "City, Country, City" – 13:18
Side two
- "Four Cornered Room" – 8:30
- "The World Is a Ghetto" – 10:10
- "Beetles in the Bog" – 3:51
40th anniversary expanded edition bonus tracks: Ghetto Jams
In 2012 the album was re-released on CD in a 40th anniversary expanded edition with 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks.[4]
- "Freight Train Jam" - 5:41
- "58 Blues" - 5:26
- "War Is Coming - Blues version" - 6:15
- "The World Is a Ghetto - Rehearsal take" - 8:06
Personnel
- Howard Scott – guitar, percussion, vocals
- B.B. Dickerson – bass, percussion, vocals
- Lonnie Jordan – organ, piano, timbolies, percussion, vocals
- Harold Brown – drums, percussion, vocals
- Papa Dee Allen – conga, bongos, percussion, vocals
- Charles Miller – clarinet, alto, tenor and baritone saxes, percussion, vocals
- Lee Oskar – harmonica, percussion, vocals
Cover
The cover illustration, a lighthearted drawing showing a Rolls Royce with a flat tire in a ghetto, was drawn by Howard Miller, with Lee Oskar credited with album concept.[5]
Alternate formats
The album was also made available in a 4-channel surround sound (quadraphonic) mix in the 8-track tape format (United Artists UA-DA178-H).[6]
Charts
| Year | Album | Chart positions[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||
| 1972 | The World Is a Ghetto | 1 | 1 |
Singles
Singles from the album include "The World Is a Ghetto" backed with "Four Cornered Room", and "The Cisco Kid" backed with "Beetles in the Bog".
| Year | Single | Chart positions[8] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Dance | ||
| 1973 | "The Cisco Kid" | 2 | 5 | — |
| "The World Is a Ghetto" | 7 | 3 | — | |
| Preceded by No Secrets by Carly Simon |
Billboard 200 number-one album February 17 - March 2, 1973 |
Succeeded by Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player by Elton John |
See also
- List of number-one albums of 1973 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1973 (U.S.)
- Billboard Year-End
External links
References
- ↑ "Year End Charts - Year-end Albums - The Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Rolling Stone Magazine Review
- ↑ "War – The World Is A Ghetto - 40th Anniversary Edition". discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
- ↑ "War – The World Is A Ghetto - Original release". discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
- ↑ Anderson, Mark. "Quadraphonic Popular Recordings (W)".
- ↑ "War US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- ↑ "War US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-07-13.