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From the Vault...
05/21/2000
#682 |
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info
Eric Burdon & War
"The Black-man's
Burdon"
© Avenue/Rhino Records
Rating:
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track listing
Paint It Black Medley
Spirit
Beautiful
New Born Child
Nights In White Satin I
The Bird And
The Squirrel
Nuts Seeds And Life
Out Of Nowhere
Nights In White Satin II
Sun/Moon
Pretty Colors
Gun
Jimbo
Bare Back Ride
Home Cookin'
You Can't Take Away
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Eric Burdon & War
"The Black-man's Burdon"
Eric Burdon was most famous with his group The Animals. Burdon left the
Animals at the end of the 1960s, and helped form a band named War, who would
later find fame after he left. ("Cisco Kid," "The World Is A Ghetto," "Low
Rider," "Why Can't We Be Friends.") Burdon & War's second album together,
The Black-Man's Burdon, defines rock with a mix of jazz, a sound unheard
of in the music of The Animals.
Take the case of the opening track, the near-15 minute jam, "Paint It
Black Medley". The Rolling Stones favorite is here, however, it is set
to a latin-jazz beat, where even Carlos Santana may have recorded this song
back in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Part of the medley continues the latin-jazz
sound with other songs in this medley: "Laurel & Hardy / Pintello Negro /
P.C. 3 / Blackbird." All in all, this song is a true great jam, much
different that the Rolling Stones version.
"Spirit" combines soul with jazz. A near-10 minute jam, it also
is impressive. "Beautiful New Born Child" is rock, however it doesn't
catch the excitement as the first two songs; it kind of drags, being just over
5 minutes in length.
Another quite impressive remake is the Moody Blues' "Nights In White
Satin I." It's much slower, and mysterious. It merges into the next two
songs, "The Bird And The Squirrel" and "Nuts, Seeds And Life."
As these songs mixes latin-jazz and some very impressive bass playing, by B.B.
Dickerson.
Like Burdon & War's previous hit from their first album, "Spill The
Wine," a story is being told in "Out Of Nowhere." As Burdon recites
how his world is seen. This song then merges into "Nights In White Satin
II." So we have another very interesting medley, like the "Paint It
Black Medley."
Another long-length number, the ten-minute "Sun/Moon" truly defines
slow-jazz with blues. "Pretty Colors" is a groovy, snappy jazzy number.
"Gun" has a tropical jazz sound, mixed with the blues, as it merges
into "Jingo," another upbeat jazz/blues song.
Having a somewhat boogie-woogie John Lee Hooker/ZZ Top sound, "Bare
Back Ride" gets the head a-boppin'. "Home Cookin'" is definitely
rock blues with some cool harmonica, as this song could easily have been
recorded by The J. Geils Band. "You Can't Take Away Our Music" is
soul-inspired, as in many of the early 1970s soul artists/groups.
The Black-Man's Burdon defines a different sound than what we had
normally heard from Eric Burdon and The Animals. Jazz, Soul and Blues is
easily mixed on this 2-CD set. Burdon & War would team up for one last
album together, Love Is All Around, then afterwards, War would strike
out on their own, and develop their own soul sound, and become just as popular
as the many groups of the 1970s. This was the beginning roots of War, and
with a veteran blues singer such as Eric Burdon, it was a great start.
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