Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: R&B Bands, #5 War

Ya know...I'm starting to feel like the old man who always has a story about everything.  However, if you don't have a connection to the people, music and things worth mentioning, then maybe the connection really isn't that deep after all.  So in high school, my homie used to push either his father's Ford Thunderbird or his mother's Lexus ES300, scoop a bunch of us to ride around the city and listen to a bunch of good music.  In between listening to 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Maxwell, Aaliyah, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and the like, we'd bump the classics from Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Sade, Santana and, of course, War.  Between some of their most popular hits like "Spill the Wine", "Low Rider" and "Why Can't We Be Friends", I had always known about them but never really got into them.  However, as a teenager who was becoming more musically open and inquisitive, taking these cruises put me on notice even more.  After a while, War not only became a staple in my long rides around the city and up and down the East Coast, but the Long Beach-based band also helped to shape my love for the California funk, R&B and soul sound fused with undeniable Latin influence as well as became one of my favorite groups.  So without further ado, allow me to share my favorite five songs from my No. 5 favorite band of all time...

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: War, "Galaxy"

So remember the "Been Around the World" video where Puff Daddy and J. Lo quite possibly ignited their much-documented romantic history with a dance for the Shiny Suit Rap ages?  Yeah...this was the song playing--a gem delivered by the legendary Long Beach, California funk band from their 1977 album, Galaxy.  The opening bass line alone may be one of the nastiest introductions to ever grace a song--and I wouldn't be surprised if Rick James was inspired by that same movement when composing "Give It To Me Baby."  Not to mention that the marriage of the bass, the piano chords and the percussion is signature War, but on a different tip because it rhythmically makes minced meat out of most disco records of its time.  So if you find yourself listening to this and decide to tap into your inner Diddy or Jenny From the Block, I promise that I will not judge you...to your face.