Eric Burdon

The debut effort by Eric Burdon and War was an erratic effort that hinted at more potential. Three of the five tunes are meandering blues-jazz-psychedelic jams, two of which, "Tobacco Road" and "Blues for Memphis Slim," chug along for nearly 15 minutes. These showcase the then-unknown War's funky fusion and Burdon's still-impressive vocals. "Spill the Wine" is inarguably the greatest moment of the Burdon-fronted lineup. Not only was this goofy funk shaggy-dog story one of the most truly inspired off-the-wall hit singles of all time, it was War's first smash -- and Eric Burdon's last. The odd closing track, a short piece of avant-garde sentimentality called "You're No Stranger" was deleted from re-releases of this album for years due to legal complications, but was restored for its CD reissue. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide