WAR vs MANDRILL

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  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean but if you think Mandrill is some underground-only shit... they were long ago coopted by the Pop Poetry/Starbucks/Kufi-lite crowd. Ozomatli couldn't go a day without mentioning how influential Mandrill was on them. They were a Berkeley quasiethnic hippy favorite from the late 90s on.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Now don't get me wrong, I like Mandrill a lot and I know they were big in their time. This is not about hits, per se - I just really see Mandrill as being fairly one-dimensional despite incorporating so many different genres into their music. War really has timeless songs, stuff that has a place at weddings, funk jams, laid back Sunday afternoons, karaoke nights, they've got deep spiritual vibes, I can bump it in my ride, I can bump it in my mom's ride, I can play it on the beach, I can play it in the rain... Mandrill is in a certain sense a one-trick pony, the latin-funk-world-rock thing. There are no deep Mandrill ballads (although I like "I Refuse To Smile"), I mean their shit jams but they were nowhere near as prolific as War when it comes to nailing a bunch of different vibes. IMO, of course

    No ballads?
    One Trick Pony?

    Have u listened to Mandrilland or The Beast Of The East?

    Morroccan Nights - Deep spiritual vibe
    House Of Wood - Slow joint

  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    Mandrill has a cool late 70's 'modern soul' toon called 'Too Late' - it's off the 'New Worlds' album on Arista, which is like a dollarbinner - check it out, it has a nice feel to it.

    ---

  • PATXPATX 2,820 Posts
    Mandrill has a hot late 70's 'Discofunkbanger' called 'Can You Get It' - it's off the 'We Are One' album on Arista, which is like a dollarbinner - check it out, it has a nice groove to it.

    ---


  • PATXPATX 2,820 Posts
    BUT MANDRILL IS FOR THE BBOYS!!!!! That said, this thread made me search out War Live and the atmosphere on side 1 - Son Oh Son intro and Cisco Kid intro is unfuckwitable. "Yall stick around, we're going to do everything tonight"

    However, it's the only War LP I've felt the need to hang on to.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Mandrill has a hot late 70's 'Discofunkbanger' called 'Livin It UP - it's off the 'Beat Of The East' album on ????, which is like a dollarbinner - check it out, it has a nice groove to it.

  • PATXPATX 2,820 Posts
    Mandrill has a hot late 70's 'Discofunkbanger' called 'Livin It UP - it's off the 'Beat Of The East' album on ????, which is like a dollarbinner - check it out, it has a nice groove to it.

    Dude, Baest, mid, UA. Get thee to thy crates.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts


    BUT MANDRILL IS FOR THE BBOYS!!!!!

    Echoes In My Mind

  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    I'mma tip my cap to Mandrill because War does too much harmonica work on their tracks.

    This is a mitigating factor - WAR gets cornball at times

    Actually, I think Lee Oskar's harmonica is part of why War is so unique. I think his playing is pretty soulful and he and Charles Miller compliment each other well. I also think he deserves credit (along with Stevie and others) for showing the mainstream other uses for the harmonica besides the blues and country music most people associate it with. War wouldn't be War without that harmonica.

    So, back against the wall I choose War. I really like Mandrill (the second part of "Don't Mess With People" still kills me), but War got tunes and diversity. Their songwriting is just better. All their albums '70-'78 are solid IMO, my favorites being the ones in the middle: "The World Is A Ghetto", "Deliver The Word" and "Why Can't We Be Friends".

  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts


    vs.



  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts

    Why Cant We Be Friends

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    LORD OF THE GOLDEN BABOON!!!!!!!

    MANDRILL!

    - spidey

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Now don't get me wrong, I like Mandrill a lot and I know they were big in their time. This is not about hits, per se - I just really see Mandrill as being fairly one-dimensional despite incorporating so many different genres into their music. War really has timeless songs, stuff that has a place at weddings, funk jams, laid back Sunday afternoons, karaoke nights, they've got deep spiritual vibes, I can bump it in my ride, I can bump it in my mom's ride, I can play it on the beach, I can play it in the rain... Mandrill is in a certain sense a one-trick pony, the latin-funk-world-rock thing. There are no deep Mandrill ballads (although I like "I Refuse To Smile"), I mean their shit jams but they were nowhere near as prolific as War when it comes to nailing a bunch of different vibes. IMO, of course

    No ballads?
    One Trick Pony?

    Have u listened to Mandrilland or The Beast Of The East?

    Morroccan Nights - Deep spiritual vibe
    House Of Wood - Slow joint

    I've owned all those albums, several times over. Of course I know those tunes. I LOVE "House Of Wood".

    But these tunes are not even on the same level as something like "Slipping Into Darkness". It's not even a contest.

    How many Mandrill covers are out there? How many people cover War songs?

    I love Mandrill. They're great. I'm not even hatting. But they're not on War's level.

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    I love Mandrill. They're great. I'm not even hatting. But they're not on War's level.

    Wars got like 3 playable tracks?

    - spidey

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I love Mandrill. They're great. I'm not even hatting. But they're not on War's level.

    Wars got like 3 playable tracks?

    - spidey


    I don't know hus, I rock a lot of War. You got like 5-10 CLASSICS not to mention album cuts and such.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yo, let it just be said that yall who are playing War like they're some sellout, radio group are really playing yourselves. No offense but damn man. That's some lil dude action.

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    FACTS:

    Lowrider, corny.

    Cisco kid, corny.

    Why can't we be friends, lame.

    Spill the wine, boring.

    - spidey

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    yeah man, you got it. They're corny.

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    Glad we're finally seeing eye to eye.



    - spidey

  • dayday 9,611 Posts

    Dont Let No ONe Get You Down

    Wooooooo I haven't thought about that song in a long ass time. Such a great song.

    I gotta ride with War overall. There a few Mandrill cuts that are classic to me ("I Refuse to Smile", "Symphonic Revolution", etc.), but I don't think they can compete with the volume and diversity of music War put out.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    But Day - they're corny.


    lol... I jam "Lowrider" all day... windows down, roof open. Real heavy. I am not jamming no Mandrill in the ride. Maybe "Fencewalk" or "Mango Meat". haha.

  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    But Day - they're corny.


    lol... I jam "Lowrider" all day... windows down, roof open. Real heavy. I am not jamming no Mandrill in the ride. Maybe "Fencewalk" or "Mango Meat". haha.

    Maybe it really is a west coast thing?

    I see this argument becoming more about who's "realer" or some bullshit. This isn't about "known vs. less known" or "commercial vs. underground" or whatever. Like someone said before it's not like Mandrill were unknown. They had charted hits - why do you think Composite Truth is so easy to find?
    Anyway, bottom line is, War just made timeless music that reached a wide variety of people and I'm still finding new songs from them I slept on.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Yeah I never thought of Mandrill as like "underground"... or War as "commercial"... two great groups... War takes it though.

  • jaymackjaymack 5,199 Posts
    FACTS:

    Lowrider, corny.

    Cisco kid, corny.

    Why can't we be friends, lame.

    Spill the wine, boring.

    - spidey



  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    I'm not going to front, I'm just having fun and pushing Mr. Paychecks buttons. I'll ride for some War tracks, even going so far as to seeing them perform this year. I just like a few mandrill tracks better for my own reasons. I could probably extend this convo to my hate for all things cymande related.

    - spidey

  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts



    sorry dude, unlistenables.

    - spidey

  • W
    A
    R

  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    spaceghost does a pretty awesome version of "why cant we be friends" at karaoke.

  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    I could probably extend this convo to my hate for all things cymande related.

    - spidey

    This Means War
    b/w
    BAN[/b]

    I stand by my earlier comments. I don't hate harmonica, I just think it's not the most aurally pleasing instrument going. War is good, Mandrill is better, Cymande kicks both of them in the ass.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    War > Cymande too

    I mean, now we're talking about rare groove shit versus timeless classics. No contest
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