Billy Paul War of the Gods LP: Killer Soul Vinyl

Billy Paul is a beast of a soul singer, and one of the most underrated of all time in my mind.

Known primarily for his Grammy  winning "Me and Mrs. Jones" #1 hit from 1972, and this all time classic album War of the Gods.

Billy Paul can deliver a vocal in a higher pitched sweet style as well as a lower gruff bluesy voice.

War of the Gods is known most for the combination of elements it comprises, Funk, Jazz, Soul, and electronic psychedelic styles.

All tracks on the album were composed by the duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The title track, a soul funk and electronic synthesizer jazz influenced epic complete with religious end times over tones is worth the price of the album alone.

The intro to the title track is so 70's, you just have to love it with the wash of over the top synths delivering a fanfare to allow all who hears know, "listen up"

Then a soothing acoustic piano brings it back down and female background singers enter to pave the way for Billy.

Oh yes, Billy I feel ya, smooth as silk vocal delivery, I really like the build up of the mood, then the funky bridge, hard to beat. Vibraphone and various percussion instruments give "Gods" a Latin jazz vibe I find irresistible.

"Peace Holy Peace" is also a powerful gospel influenced soul number, that rounds out the album superbly.

You can still find vinyl copies of this quite easily and at reasonable prices, I found this copy at a local used book seller for $3.99. Talk about a steal.

 The album cover you might recognize, has a lot in common with Santana's Abraxas and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew.

 Surrealist artist Mati Klarwein designed those covers as well as
the War of the Gods album cover.

70's funk and soul records are still priced reasonably right now, you could put together a nice collection in no time.

John Coltrane's Giant Steps Was Not Released in 1959: Try 1960 Instead

I suppose the effort to shoe horn in John Coltrane's Giant Steps among the historically great jazz albums from 1959 seemed like a good idea?

 After all, How could such a legendary year for jazz not have a Coltrane album right?

Giant steps was released in the year 1960, in the month of January.

I know, I know, it looks good seeing the album on the same list as Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, and Dave Brubeck's Time Out.

Not to mention Charles Mingus and his masterpiece Mingus Ah Um, and maybe the biggest ground breaker of them all in 1959, Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come.

 I know the Atlantic Records release is every bit as groundbreaking as all these mentioned records, and Coltrane pretty much moved the saxophone ahead 100 years by himself with the album. Coltrane actually eclipsed the Great Charlie Parker as the guy everybody had to sound like, has anyone eclipsed Coltrane since?

There really is a fantastic DVD out right now that highlights the jazz year 1959, and Yes you guessed it, Giant Steps was not released in 1959 on that DVD.


I have seen at least a half dozen articles about 1959, and people constantly include Giant Steps, which always amused me.

 I feel their vibe though, they want it to be 1959 so bad, they want to act as if Jan 1960 started a month earlier, but alas, it was not to be.

This pictured vinyl copy of Giant Steps is a mid 70's pressing, and sonically sounds pretty good. I would love to obtain a first press black label to judge the sound difference.

This green and red Atlantic label only set me back around 20 bucks, very reasonable price for a classic album more than 30 years old.