The Best of Eric Burdon & War

iTunes Review

The partnership between Eric Burdon and War exemplifies some of the very best of the hippie generation. For a brief period, it appeared that all musicians — jazz, rock, country, soul — were all fighting for the same cause, and collaboration across stylistic lines came completely naturally. A deep-throated white kid from Newcastle, England, could find himself on the same wavelength as an ensemble of black funk musicians from South Los Angeles, and both parties brought the other something special. Burdon brought War a powerful lead voice and a sense of wild personality, while War brought Burdon the authentic down-home American soul music in front of which he’d always longed to play. Best of all, the group refused to take itself too seriously, and the off-the-cuff feel of “Spill the Wine,” “Bare Back Ride,” and “Home Cookin’” represent a band to whom fun came easy. The supergroup lasted for just under two years, but the records they made together signify a time when life-affirming jams developed between musicians with the greatest of ease.