Why Can't We Be Friends?
1975 album by War
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Why Can't We Be Friends? is the seventh studio album by American band War, released on June 16, 1975, by United Artists Records. Two singles from the album were released: the title track backed with "In Mazatlan", and "Low Rider" backed with "So". Both A-sides were nominated for the Grammy Awards of 1976.
| Why Can't We Be Friends? | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 16, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Studio | Sound City (Van Nuys, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:04 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Producer | ||||
| War chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Why Can't We Be Friends? | ||||
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Of the songs on this album, an interpolation of the first part of the song "Smile Happy" was used in the song "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy featuring RikRok. Versions of the album's titular song has been used in several film and TV productions, notably Bridge to Terabithia, The Final Destination, Wild Things and King of the Hill.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B−[3] |
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. Note: The CD edition does not break "Leroy's Latin Lament" into sections.
- "Don't Let No One Get You Down" (War, Jerry Goldstein) – 3:59
- "Lotus Blossom" (War, Francie Nelson) – 3:59
- "Heartbeat" – 7:25
- "Leroy's Latin Lament (Medley)" - 6:36
- "Lonnie Dreams" – 0:49
- "The Way We Feel" (War, lyrics: Keri Oskar) – 1:10
- "La Fiesta" – 2:10
- "Lament" – 2:27
- "Smile Happy" – 7:22
- "So" – 4:58
- "Low Rider" (War, Jerry Goldstein) – 3:11
- "In Mazatlan" – 2:45
- "Why Can't We Be Friends?" (War, Jerry Goldstein) – 3:49
Personnel
Personnel taken from Why Can't We Be Friends? liner notes.[4]
War
- Howard Scott – guitar, percussion, vocals
- B. B. Dickerson – bass, percussion, vocals
- Lonnie Jordan – organ, piano, RMI piano,[5] timbales, percussion, vocals
- Harold Brown – drums, percussion, vocals (credit missing from LP cover)
- Papa Dee Allen – conga, bongos, percussion, vocals
- Charles Miller – clarinet, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, percussion, vocals
- Lee Oskar – harmonica, percussion, vocals
Additional musicians
- Sharone Scott – backing vocals
- Milton James – backing vocals
- Moses Wheelock – backing vocals
Technical personnel
- Jerry Goldstein – producer
- Lonnie Jordan – associate producer
- Howard Scott – associate producer
- Ed Barton – recording engineer
- Andrew Berliner – recording engineer, mastering engineer
- Chris Huston – recording engineer
- Howard Miller – album cover art
- Lee Oskar – album cover concept
- Gary Sato – photography