WAR Celebrates 50th Anniversary of THE WORLD IS A GHETTO with Dolby Atmos Mix

[5.1 4 Life]

From Rhino.com-
WAR released one of the biggest records of its revolutionary career 50 years ago this month with The World Is A Ghetto, which went on to become Billboard’s best-selling album of 1973. To honor the incredible achievement of this funky masterpiece, Avenue/Rhino has released a new Dolby Atmos mix of The World Is A Ghetto today. LISTEN NOW. The celebration will continue in 2023 with WAR tour dates and other surprises.

The World Is A Ghetto came out in November 1972 and was the third studio album released by the multi-ethnic SoCal group following the departure of founding singer Eric Bourdon in 1971. A crossover sensation, the album topped the pop and R&B charts and went on to sell millions of copies worldwide. The album also launched an extended period of creative and commercial success for WAR that includes 17 gold, platinum, or multi-platinum albums.

The World Is A Ghetto generated two gold-certified singles. The first, “The World Is A Ghetto,” reached #3 on the R&B chart and #7 on the pop chart. The follow-up, “Cisco Kid,” was an even bigger success. It reached #5 on the R&B chart and #2 on the pop chart to become WAR’s highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100.

Read full article here-
https://www.rhino.com/article/war-c...of-the-world-is-a-ghetto-with-dolby-atmos-mix

 

[winopener]

Wow.
Recycle of old quad or brand new mix?

 

[watsontr]

Wow.
Recycle of old quad or brand new mix?

Wondered the same? Probably win/win either way?

 

[DuncanS]

Sadly not on Blu-Ray just streaming but you can get multi-coloured vinyl!

 

[Albert Dagger]

I’m listening now to the title track. I haven’t heard the quad but this is definitely a new mix.

 

[5.1 4 Life]

Wow.
Recycle of old quad or brand new mix?

According to the article it's a new Dolby Atmos mix of The World Is A Ghetto (with no mention of the quad mix).

 

[quicksrt]

I wonder who did the mix?

 

[humprof]

Wow.
Recycle of old quad or brand new mix?

Some discussion starting here:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...s-streaming-via-tidal-apple.31491/post-658999
After hearing it all the way through, I'm still not convinced it's not glorified double stereo with reverb up top. (Warners' recent history with Atmos has left me reflexively skeptical.) But I'd happily be convinced otherwise by a more analytical listener. Anyway, the sonics are great, and it's definitely surround-y (cf. Stephen Colbert's "truthy").

 

[Cyber 1]

maybe the flashy colored vinyl is Atmos encoded

 

[bayards]

Fed up with no physical release - boycotting this one.

 

[fredblue]

Some discussion starting here:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...s-streaming-via-tidal-apple.31491/post-658999
After hearing it all the way through, I'm still not convinced it's not glorified double stereo with reverb up top. (Warners' recent history with Atmos has left me reflexively skeptical.) But I'd happily be convinced otherwise by a more analytical listener. Anyway, the sonics are great, and it's definitely surround-y (cf. Stephen Colbert's "truthy").

it doesn't feel like a fake to me, just an unadventurous and unexciting mix perhaps. if it really is a fake however, that'd be truly appalling. if that's the case you'd think they'd just let it slip out quietly onto the streaming platforms like all their other fakes, not make a big song and dance about it.

you know, i used to quite enjoy their music but tbh i'm kinda worn out on War's vibe these days and listening to this album now having not played it for years, i mean musically does any of it really ever "go" anywhere!? maybe i'm missing the point or i've just become an horrific middle-aged stick in the mud! probably both!

also, i know he's not featured on this recording and we all make mistakes of course but its kind of an embarrassing typo of Eric Burdon there in the press release, i mean the guy's a living legend and one of the all-time greats after all.

ultimately, i am glad they're giving the album an Atmos reappraisal, its a Classic after all and i acknowledge a biggy for many, so i'm not all doom and gloom about it but in my personal musical journey of discovery its come a bit late because frankly i think my tastes have since moved on somewhat.. maybe if the Atmos presentation had been more actively engaging it might have reignited my enthusiasm for the music as it is, its a case of "oh what a lovely War!" -- and.. Who's Next!?!??

 

[humprof]

it doesn't feel like a fake to me, just an unadventurous and unexciting mix perhaps. if it really is a fake however, that'd be truly appalling. if that's the case you'd think they'd just let it slip out quietly onto the streaming platforms like all their other fakes, not make a big song and dance about it.

you know, i used to quite enjoy their music but tbh i'm kinda worn out on War's vibe these days and listening to this album now having not played it for years, i mean musically does any of it really ever "go" anywhere!? maybe i'm missing the point or i've just become an horrific middle-aged stick in the mud! probably both!

also, i know he's not featured on this recording and we all make mistakes of course but its kind of an embarrassing typo of Eric Burdon there in the press release, i mean the guy's a living legend and one of the all-time greats after all.

ultimately, i am glad they're giving the album an Atmos reappraisal, its a Classic after all and i acknowledge a biggy for many, so i'm not all doom and gloom about it but in my personal musical journey of discovery its come a bit late because frankly i think my tastes have since moved on somewhat.. maybe if the Atmos presentation had been more actively engaging it might have reignited my enthusiasm for the music as it is, its a case of "oh what a lovely War!" -- and.. Who's Next!?!??

Great to have your take on the mix, @fredblue. Fake or unadventurous, it's sort of a shame they didn't do better, especially if they had access to multis, or even good "demixed" stems. But c'est la guerre, so to speak. As for being Tired of War: I won't play Dr. Johnson and infer from your declaration that you're also Tired of Life, but I for one am really glad to have an excuse to revisit that album again, all spiffed up. Sure, some of the tunes are more about groove than song structure, but I could ride those groovy, funky, polyrhythmic merry-go-rounds all day long. And I think both "City, Country, City" and (especially) the title track go on some really scenic journeys--here, there, and everywhere. (Where was you at?)

 

[marcb]

Fed up with no physical release - boycotting this one.

You're gonna be boycotting a lot going forward.

 

[Albert Dagger]

I haven't listened to the entire album, but it doesn't sound like a great surround mix. It felt like stereo with reverb...
What would be the best CD/stereo release to buy? HDtracks?

 

[5.1 4 Life]

I haven't listened to the entire album, but it doesn't sound like a great surround mix. It felt like stereo with reverb...
What would be the best CD/stereo release to buy? HDtracks?

I like the 40th Anniversary Edition of The World Is A Ghetto which came out in 2012. It has four bonus tracks ("Fright Train Jam", "58 Blues", "War Is Coming [Blues Version]" & "The World Is A Ghetto [rehearsal take]") and detailed notes from Harry Weinger. Unfortunately, it's long out of print.

 

[winopener]

I haven't listened to the entire album, but it doesn't sound like a great surround mix. It felt like stereo with reverb...
What would be the best CD/stereo release to buy? HDtracks?

https://www.discogs.com/release/611595-War-The-World-Is-A-Ghetto
OOP by nearly 30 years...

 

[ted_b]

I haven't listened to the entire album, but it doesn't sound like a great surround mix. It felt like stereo with reverb...
What would be the best CD/stereo release to buy? HDtracks?

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/the-best-version-of/the-best-version-of-war-r1163/
For those uninterested in reading all the way through (Josh does a great job, btw) he concludes the 1995 Gastwirt Avenue Gold version.

 

[4-earredwonder]

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/the-best-version-of/the-best-version-of-war-r1163/
For those uninterested in reading all the way through (Josh does a great job, btw) he concludes the 1995 Gastwirt Avenue Gold version.

And that's exactly the one I own and it is indeed FANTASTIC!

 

[Albert Dagger]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've had a chance to hear the Avenue Gold CD, and I then purchased a digital download from Qobuz Australia:
The World is a Ghetto, War - Qobuz (it's not the 40th Anniversary). I think the download sounds a bit better.

 

[humprof]

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/the-best-version-of/the-best-version-of-war-r1163/
For those uninterested in reading all the way through (Josh does a great job, btw) he concludes the 1995 Gastwirt Avenue Gold version.

No such thing as TL;DR! This is totally worth reading all the way through, for the band history and (above all) for Huston's amazing, detailed comments about his recording and mixing techniques--never mind Josh's usual meticulous, sensitive, track-by-track descriptions of the mixes and evaluations of the available masterings. ("City, Country, City": "like Yes covered by Curtis Mayfield"--love it!) I could read this kind of stuff all day. . . .

My only disappointment is that there's no mention of the Anthology: 1970-1994 box set that came out on Rhino in 1994, which gives a "remastering" credit to Dave Collins/A&M. @JoshM, what do you know about the tracks from ADM and TWIAG that appear on that set--did Collins truly remaster everything? (Have you heard that set, and if so, how do you think it stacks up?) And as long as I'm pelting you with questions: like @ted_b, I'm wondering if you have a hot take--just for us QQers--on the 1973 quad mix (either the Q8 or, better, the CD4 test pressing) and/or the new "50th Anniversary" streaming Atmos mix?