Deliver the Word

Deliver the Word
Studio album by War
Released	August 1973
Recorded	1973
Studio	Crystal Industries & Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles, California Caribou Studios, Nederland, Colorado
Genre	Jazz rock[1]
Length	40:36
Label	United Artists
Producer	Jerry Goldstein, Lonnie Jordan, Howard Scott
War chronology
The World Is a Ghetto (1972) Deliver the Word (1973) War Live (1973)

Deliver the Word is the sixth album by War, released in 1973 on United Artists Records.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+[2]

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

A 4-channel surround sound (quadraphonic) mix was also released for the album in the 8-track tape format (United Artists UA-DA128-H),^[3] 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 inner sleeve which shows a human figure walking along a deserted beach with his head bowed. The other side of the inner sleeve 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 (Papa Dee Allen, Harold Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard E. Scott), except where indicated.

Side one

1. "H₂Overture" – 4:38
2. "In Your Eyes" – 4:22
3. "Gypsy Man" – 11:35

Side two

1. "Me and Baby Brother" – 3:30
2. "Deliver the Word" – 7:48
3. "Southern Part of Texas" (War, Jerry Goldstein) – 6:22
4. "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

War

• Howard Scott – guitar, percussion, vocals
• B.B. Dickerson – bass, percussion, vocals
• Lonnie Jordan – organ, piano, ARP violins, synthesizer, timbales, percussion, vocals
• Harold Brown – drums, percussion, vocals
• Papa Dee Allen – conga, bongos, percussion, vocals
• Charles Miller – clarinet, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute, percussion, vocals
• Lee Oskar – harmonica, percussion, vocals

Charts

Year	Album	Chart positions[4]
		US	US R&B
1973	Deliver the Word	6	1

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions[5]
		US	US R&B
1973	"Gypsy Man"	8	6
	"Me and Baby Brother"	15 (1974)	18

See also

• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 1973

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 22, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. Anderson, Mark. "Quadraphonic Popular Recordings: W". Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
4. "War US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
5. "War US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-07-13.

External links

• War-Deliver The Word at Discogs