268. War - The World Is a Ghetto (1972)
















Track Listing

1. Cisco Kid
2. Where Was You At
3. City, Country, City
4. Four Cornered Room
5. World Is a Ghetto
6. Beetles in the Bog

Review

Well, if you know me personally, you also know that most people call me Cisco as a short for Francisco, and just for that this album deserves my love. The first track, Cisco Kid, is obviously not about me, but the fictional Mexican gunfighter that had films and shit done about him donkey's years. Actually the first person that called me Cisco called me Cisco Kid usually, the mother of a friend of mine when I was just wee tall.

After that little glimpse into the private life of your dear reviewer, which always adds something to the enjoyment of his ouevre, let's go on with the review. The first track is great but slightly unnerving, because some one is always calling my name, particularly when it goes into "Hey, Cisco". Other than that, this is a pretty funky album, but in some tracks it really spreads out too thinly. This is particularly true in the 3rd and 4th track, which just seem to last forever without any big hooks there. Other than that Tracks, 1,2 and 5 are really what you should take home with you.

War successfully mixes funk with latin music, but they are not the first and won't be the last. The 10 minute long title track is really good in the way that it makes social interventionism but with a sense of hope, the lyrics are of particular high quality. Still, it is not one of my favourite albums on the list, there is that x-factor lacking here really, if all songs were like Cisco Kid or The World Is A Ghetto it would be a diffeent story. Get it from Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. The World Is a Ghetto
2. Cisco Kid
3. Where Was You At
4. Beetles In The Bog

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The Cisco Kid was a popular film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his short story "The Caballero's Way," published in 1907 in the collection Heart of the West. Films and television depicted the Cisco Kid as a heroic Mexican caballero, although in O. Henry's original story, he was a non-Hispanic character and a cruel outlaw, probably modelled on Billy the Kid.

Numerous movies featured the character, beginning in the silent film era with William R. Dunn portraying the Cisco Kid in The Caballero's Way (1914), followed by The Border Terror (1919). Warner Baxter won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Cisco Kid in the early sound film In Old Arizona (1928), directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh, who was originally slated to play the lead until a jackrabbit jumping through a windshield cost him an eye while on location.

The movie series with Cesar Romero in the title role began with The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939), and Duncan Renaldo took over the reins in 1945 with The Cisco Kid Returns. Beginning with The Gay Cavalier (1946), Gilbert Roland played the character in a half-dozen 1946-1947 movies.

Cisco Kid: