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1000 Day Album Challenge (#18) War: Why Can’t We Be Friends? (1975) [18.01.24 – posted 19.01.24]

everybody clap your hands and sing out loud / get right down to what's happenin' today…

I don’t believe I really dug into War’s music until the mid- to late-nineties. they had seven Top Ten hits during the 1970s so I was reasonably familiar with their music. other than Love Is All Around (1976) I owned all of their albums from Eric Burdon Declares “War” (1970), which featured Spill the Wine, through Youngblood (1978).

I don’t recall what my entry point at the time was, but my guess is that Why Can’t We Be Friends? was one of my last purchases. it was commonly available and I think I assumed Low Rider and the title song was all there was to it. apparently, I was wrong.

the song Heartbeat was the revelation for me. it’s all bass, drums and chanting. it’s a brilliant party record and among War’s funkiest tunes. War has an affinity for uplifting music and Heartbeat fits that bill perfectly. had I known I would have bought this album for Heartbeat alone.