The collective known as Eric Burdon & War were very much of, and outside, their times. They were undoubtedly informed by a turbulent era; the Civil Rights protests, the Vietnam war and the dark side of the counterculture. On the flip side, their racial blend and incendiary mixture of soul, R&B, rock and jazz was so far ahead of the curve that time is yet to catch up. The tensions that fired this band would lead to their demise two years later. In between they released two of rock’s greatest albums (period), they now get collected with 1976’s posthumous Love Is All Around to make this, The Complete CD Collection, definitive story of Eric Burdon & War.

In hindsight it was obvious that Eric Burdon would soon outgrow the musical confines of The Animals and when he did he found himself kicking his heels in Los Angeles with Danish harmonica maestro Lee Oskar. After encountering six Afro-Americans known as Nightshift, Burdon requisitioned them and Oskar, renamed them War, and the rest is history. Under the tutelage of producer Jerry Goldstein the first fruit of their labour was the 1970 album, Eric Burdon Declares “War”. Recorded in January of that year it was a startling selection of original and cover tunes; of the former the most famous is ‘Spill The Wine’, a smoky Latin number which evidenced the former Nightshift men as true world musicians who were unafraid to tackle any form or genre. Of the latter, Eric dug deep into his well of musical knowledge for a soulful take on ‘Tobacco Road’ and it’s interesting to note that ‘Spill The Wine’ was a hit in the States whilst ‘Tobacco Road’ found favour on the other side of the Atlantic. Eric Burdon and War met somewhere in the middle and no album captured the spirit of the times like this aptly-titled disc.

Also recorded in 1970 and released in December end of that year, The Black-Man’s Burdon took a turn deep into improvisational territory. A sprawling album that was punctuated by covers of ‘Paint It Black’, this ambition is what Eric brought to War and he taught them how to manipulate music and on stage he would lead the band into lengthy jams (like, 45-minute lengthy), stretching songs to their absolute limits. This release once again contained a mixture of covers and originals; the aforementioned ‘Paint It Black’ and The Moody Blues’ ‘Nights In White Satin’ are deconstructed and rebuilt in the band’s own image and become seething monologues over discombobulating beats and if ever a music capture the sheer horror of what was happening in Vietnam, then there it is. The self-penned songs find War at their most diverse and delivering funk (‘Beautiful New Born Child’), jazz (‘Gun’) and tongue-in-cheek pop rockers (‘Bare Back Ride’, ‘Home Cookin’’). While this wasn’t to be the end of the War story, it was the end of a union and these songs were delivered like the band knew their time was coming to an end, and these songs smoke as such.

At the end of 1971 the Eric Burdon and War alliance dissolved and the two parties went there separate ways, yet such was the power of their music that their legacy never waned and continued interest in the band saw the release of Love Is All Around in 1976. Only two tracks on this collection had previously been released: ‘Magic Mountain’ (as the b-side to ‘Spill The Wine’) and ‘Home Dream’ (which, although recorded by Eric and War, actually appeared on a record by Burdon and Jimmy Witherspoon). ‘Tobacco Road’ is a snappier rendition than that which appeared on the band’s debut, but aside from that the rest of the album is “fresh” kill and only goes to show what a tragedy their parting was. It was the second side of the original album that was the revelation and documents some of that elongated exploration for which the band became renown. ‘A Day In The Life’ is one of those rare instances of a band taking on The Beatles and winning, whilst a ‘Paint It Black’ medley draws a line under this incarnation in most spectacular style.

War is still in circulation today (with Lonnie Jordan being the sole original member) and continues to electrify audiences, yet it is the incarnation with Eric Burdon that is remembered with most fondness, and this set illustrates why.

• The Complete CD Collection is released via Avenue/Rhino on 7th March 2025.

Track List:

CD One: Eric Burdon Declares “War” (1970)

1. Dedication
2. Roll On Kirk
3. Tobacco Road
4. I Have A Dream
5. Tobacco Road
6. Spill The Wine
7. Birth
8. Mother Earth
9. Mr. Charlie
10. Danish Pastry
11. Mother Earth
12. You’re No Stranger

CD Two: The Black-Man’s Burdon (1970)

1. Black On Black In Black
2. Paint It Black I
3. Laurel And Hardy
4. Pintelo Negro II
5. P.C 3
6. Black Bird
7. Paint It Black III
8. Spirit
9. Beautiful New Born Child
10. Nights In White Satin
11. The Bird And The Squirrel
12. Nuts, Seeds And Life
13. Out Of Nowhere
14. Nights In White Satin II

CD Three: The Black-Man’s Burdon (1970)

1. Sun/Moon
2. Pretty Colors
3. Gun
4. Jimbo
5. Bare Back Ride
6. Home Cookin’
7. They Can’t Take Away Our Music

CD Four: Love Is All Around (1976)

1. Love Is All Around
2. Tobacco Road
3. Home Dream
4. Magic Mountain
5. A Day In The Life
6. Paint It Black Medley