War – War

War – WAR is the self-titled third album from one of the most distinctive funk and soul groups to come out of the early 1970s, and it marks a genuine turning point in the band’s story.

A Band Finding Its Own Voice

WAR had already built a reputation backing British rock singer Eric Burdon, but this record is where the group stepped fully into its own identity. Released in March 1971 on United Artists Records, it was their first album under the name WAR alone, following Burdon’s departure. That context matters. This is not a transitional record in the dismissive sense. It is a statement of arrival. The Long Beach collective, with their fluid blend of funk, soul, Latin rhythms and street-level energy, no longer needed a frontman to anchor them. The music speaks for itself, and the band’s confidence in that fact comes through clearly.

About This Pressing of War – WAR

This copy comes on the Avenue label, catalog number R1 645905, and is presented as a standard LP. Avenue handled a number of reissues and licensed pressings of key catalogue titles, bringing records like this back into circulation for collectors who missed earlier pressings or simply want a playable copy without hunting down an original 1971 United Artists issue. The catalog number is consistent and traceable, which matters when you are adding to a collection and want records you can actually verify and document.

Why This Record Belongs in Your Collection

For collectors with an interest in early 1970s funk and soul, the self-titled WAR album fills a specific and important gap. It sits at the beginning of a run of records that made the group one of the most celebrated acts of the decade. Getting in at this point, with the first post-Burdon record, gives you the foundation. The Avenue pressing makes it accessible without the premium attached to an original pressing, and the sound holds up on wax in a way that a digital stream simply does not replicate. If you are building out a serious soul and funk section, this one earns its place on the shelf on its own terms.