Deliver the Word is the sixth album by War

War (band)

War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...

, released in 1973 on United Artists Records

United Artists Records

United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...

.

Reception

The album featured two singles, "Gypsy Man" (severely truncated from the 11 minute album version) backed with "Deliver the Word" (US #8), and "Me and Baby Brother" backed with "In Your Eyes" (US #15). A live version of "Me and Baby Brother" had been released previously on All Day Music

All Day Music

All Day Music is the fourth album by funk group War, released November 1971 on United Artists Records."Slipping Into Darkness", backed with "Nappy Head", was War's first big hit since their name change from Eric Burdon and War...

(1971). The title "H₂Overture" is a pun on H₂O, the chemical formula for water.

A 4-channel surround sound

Surround sound

Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...

 (quadraphonic

Quadraphonic

Quadraphonic sound – the most widely used early term for what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of one another...

) mix was also released for the album in the 8-track tape format (United Artists UA-DA128-H), featuring a different track order, a reprise of "H₂Overture" with early fade-out, and an early fade-out of "Gypsy Man".

Cover art

The cover was printed using metallic silver ink on black, and the cover is textured, resembling black leather as used for the covers of Bibles (the album title being a phrase associated with the Bible). A die-cut window in the lower left corner reveals part of the innersleeve which shows a human figure walking along a deserted beach with his head bowed. The other side of the innersleeve shows the same picture, but mirror reversed, and tinted blue instead of orange. When the cover is inserted the other way around, the window reveals an empty beach with sunlight (which, in blue, looks like moonlight) reflecting off the water. The album design and photo is credited to Gary Sato, with Lee Oskar credited for cover concept.

Track listing

All tracks composed by War

War (band)

War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...

 (Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown, B.B. Dickerson

B.B. Dickerson

Morris "B.B." Dickerson was the bass player for the 1970s Latin–funk group War, and before that The Creators....

, Lonnie Jordan

Lonnie Jordan

Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan was a founding member of War, an American funk band in the 1970s and 1980s. Jordan had a number of roles over the years, acting as vocalist and playing guitar, piano, synthesizer, and percussion...

, Charles Miller

Charles Miller (musician)

Charles Miller was an American musician best known as the saxophonist and flutist for multicultural Californian funk band War.-Biography:...

, Lee Oskar

Lee Oskar

Lee Oskar is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which he formed with Eric Burdon, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer...

, Howard E. Scott

Howard E. Scott

Howard E. Scott is an American funk/rock guitarist and founding member of the successful 1970s funk band War.-Biography:...

), except where indicated.

1. "H₂Overture" – 4:38
2. "In Your Eyes" – 4:22
3. "Gypsy Man" – 11:35
4. "Me and Baby Brother" – 3:30
5. "Deliver the Word" – 7:48
6. "Southern Part of Texas" (War, Jerry Goldstein
   Jerry Goldstein (record producer, musician)
   Jerry Goldstein is an American producer, singer songwriter and musician. He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" , the producer and dubiously credited songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly and the Family Stone...
   
   ) – 6:22
7. "Blisters" – 2:21

Quadraphonic tape edition

1. "Gypsy Man"
2. "H₂Overture"
3. "Southern Part of Texas"
4. "Me and Baby Brother"
5. "Deliver the Word"
6. "Blisters"
7. "H₂Overture (Reprise)"
8. "In Your Eyes"

Personnel

• Howard Scott
  Howard E. Scott
  Howard E. Scott is an American funk/rock guitarist and founding member of the successful 1970s funk band War.-Biography:...
  
   – guitar, percussion, vocals
• B.B. Dickerson
  B.B. Dickerson
  Morris "B.B." Dickerson was the bass player for the 1970s Latin–funk group War, and before that The Creators....
  
   – bass, percussion, vocals
• Lonnie Jordan
  Lonnie Jordan
  Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan was a founding member of War, an American funk band in the 1970s and 1980s. Jordan had a number of roles over the years, acting as vocalist and playing guitar, piano, synthesizer, and percussion...
  
   – organ, piano, ARP violins, synthesizer, timbales, percussion, vocals
• Harold Brown – drums, percussion, vocals
• Papa Dee Allen – conga, bongos, percussion, vocals
• Charles Miller
  Charles Miller (musician)
  Charles Miller was an American musician best known as the saxophonist and flutist for multicultural Californian funk band War.-Biography:...
  
   – clarinet, alto, tenor and baritone saxes, percussion, vocals
• Lee Oskar
  Lee Oskar
  Lee Oskar is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which he formed with Eric Burdon, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer...
  
   – harmonica, percussion, vocals

Charts

Year	Album	Chart positions
		US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
1973	Deliver the Word Deliver the Word Deliver the Word is the sixth album by War, released in 1973 on United Artists Records.-Reception:The album featured two singles, "Gypsy Man" backed with "Deliver the Word" , and "Me and Baby Brother" backed with "In Your Eyes"...	6	1

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
		US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...	US Dance
1973	"Gypsy Man"	8	6	—
	"Me And Baby Brother"	15 (1974)	18	—

External links

• War-Deliver The Word at Discogs