‘The Very Best of Eric Burdon and WAR’ – CD & LP boxset announced for RSD Black Friday

This Record Store Day Black Friday (November 28^th), Avenue/Rhino celebrates one of the most electrifying collaborations in music history with The Very Best of Eric Burdon and WAR. Issued as a two-disc CD set alongside the 2LP Record Store Day exclusive, the release marks the latest chapter in Avenue/Rhino’s anniversary series honouring 50+ years of WAR’s trailblazing music.

After fronting The Animals and becoming one of the defining voices of the British Invasion, Eric Burdon sought a new musical direction in the late 1960s. In 1969, he teamed up with the Long Beach funk band WAR, a collaboration that produced hits like ‘Spill the Wine’, included in this release alongside its unedited remix, and earned accolades from fans, fellow musicians, and journalists—including NME’s Richard Green, who called them “the best live band I ever saw”. WAR’s legendary producer Jerry Goldstein adds, “This collection documents one of the great bands of the early ’70s at their best, both live and in the studio.”

Capturing the raw spark of Burdon and WAR’s earliest recording sessions, this collection revisits their first two groundbreaking albums—Eric Burdon Declares “War” (1970) and The Black-Man’s Burdon (1970)—produced by Jerry Goldstein and remastered in stunning detail by the legendary Bernie Grundman. The set also unveils three never-before-heard gems from the Avenue Records vaults, offering fans a deeper glimpse into the formative years that helped shape the band’s signature sound.

Complete with striking new artwork and deluxe packaging, this definitive collection brings together the power, experimentation, and cultural force that made WAR a sound—and a movement—that still resonates half a century later.

As 2025 marks 55 years since WAR’s initial formation, these releases help plot the roadmap from WAR’s first inception in 1970s Long Beach, California to this year’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony, celebrating a band that broke genre boundaries with their unique fusion of funk, rock, Latin, jazz, and soul and soundtracked American history in the process. From their breakout hits like ‘Spill the Wine’ and ‘Low Rider’ to their socially conscious anthems like ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ which also celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year, WAR’s music has remained a vibrant reflection of American life, culture, and collaboration, cementing their legacy as one of the most innovative and enduring bands of their generation.