The Jam - WAR - ( Cover Of Edwin Starr's 1970 Motown Classic )- Check Info

"War" is a soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label in 1969. Whitfield produced the song, a blatant anti-Vietnam War protest, with The Temptations as the original vocalists. After Motown began receiving repeated requests to release "War" as a single, Whitfield re-recorded the song with Edwin Starr as the vocalist, deciding to withhold the Temptations' version so as not to alienate their more conservative fans. Starr's version of "War" was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and is not only the most successful and well-known record of his career, but is also one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded. Its power was reasserted when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took their rendition into the Top 10 in 1986.

EDWIN STARR'S VERSION....
He heard about the conflict surrounding the debate of whether or not to release "War," and volunteered to re-record it. Whitfield re-created the song to match Starr's James Brown-influenced soul shout: the single version of "War" was dramatic and intense, depicting the general anger and distaste the antiwar movement felt towards the war in Vietnam. Unlike the Temptations' original, Starr's "War" was a full-scale Whitfield production, with prominent electric guitar lines, clavinets, a heavily syncopated rhythm accented by a horn section, and with Whitfield's new act The Undisputed Truth on backing vocals.

Upon its release in June 1970, Starr's "War" became a runaway hit, and held the number-one position on the Billboard Pop Singles chart for three weeks, in August and September 1970. It replaced "Make It With You" by Bread, and was replaced by another Motown single, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross.

Notable as the most successful protest song to become a pop hit, earning compliments from contemporary protester John Lennon, "War" became Edwin Starr's signature song. Rather than hinder his career (as it might have done for the Temptations), "War" buoyed Starr's career, and he adopted the image of an outspoken liberal orator for many of his other early-1970s releases, including the similarly-themed "Stop the War Now" from 1971. It and another 1971 single, "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On," continued Starr's string of Whitfield-produced psychedelic soul hits. After 1971, Starr's career began to falter, and, citing Motown's reliance on formulas, he departed the label in the mid-1970s.

Later in his career, after moving to the United Kingdom, Starr re-recorded several of his hits with British band Utah Saints. Starr's new version of "War" in 2003 was his final piece; he died on April 2 of the same year of a heart attack. Interestingly, his death came 13 days after the start of the still-controversial Iraq War, which has drawn endless comparisons to the Vietnam War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_(Edwin_Starr_song)

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[PEOM10]

Forgotten what a great version this is, came out during The Falklands as an import.

[red777photo]

you are right, the import was German. they did two versions of war both released as limited editions, the other is on 45rps that was given to the 1st few thousand who got the beat surrender(also on 12").

this one was on 45rps + 12". the 12" is what i have posted

Cheers

[barrieev]

This one's never out of date. War still means the death of civilians: women, children, old folks and anyone who didn't sign up to kill their enemy. It doesn't happen on US soil, so we have very little understanding of the costs.

Thanks for the history of the song, too.

[RoanCarratu]

'general anger and distaste' ? Do 'pro-war' people really under stand that they are also then pro-torture of children, pro-maiming, pro-terrorism, pro-blowing the intestines out of 5 year old children, pro-burning people to screaming writhing crisps? Serial killers are meaningless in comparison to what soldiers do in war. Pro-war people's opinions support mass murder. They are traitors to humanity dressing their love of mass murder in a flag. And yes, I am a Viet Nam Vet.

[MouthOfTheUnknown]

I heard this at the end of gulliver's travels only it was performed by norman j whitfield

[imajeepster]

great version...i never heard it, maybe it was never released in this part of the world.

[madiggy77]

there is a brilliant version by D.O.A. from Kanada check it on youtube

[Blightbane]

is there a more rock-ish version of this song????

[katproductionsinc]

Checkout the new song on Youtube "Spilling Our Blood For War"

[mariobdla]

Actually. The Temptaions & not Edwin starr. was the original.

[srebrenika]

this is not a good version of the original song. Its kinda...hollow sounding.

[bucknorm]

excellent and we can thank our wonderful Navy

for over-shooting the beach at Omaha.

Thanks for posting this

[TheAbsoluteBeginner]

I've got it on vinyl, but I don't own a record player...lol. I always preferred this version to the "backing singer" version included on Beat Surrender.