Youngblood (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
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Album Summary
War, riding high on their reputation as one of the most electrifying and socially conscious funk outfits to ever grace a stage, stepped into the world of cinema scoring with this 1978 soundtrack release tied to the blaxploitation-era street film 'Youngblood.' Released on MCA Records, the album found the band — under the production guidance of their longtime creative architect Jerry Goldstein along with the band's own collective genius — crafting a score that felt less like background music and more like a living, breathing organism of street poetry and groove. War brought their signature multiethnic, multilayered sound to the project, weaving together funk, soul, Latin rhythms, and cinematic atmosphere in a way that only they could pull off, turning a film soundtrack into a full-blown War experience that stood on its own two feet.
Reception
- The album was received warmly within the funk and soul community, appreciated for how organically War translated their street-level sound into a cinematic context without losing any of their raw authenticity.
- As a soundtrack tied to a modestly distributed film, 'Youngblood' did not generate the massive commercial crossover of some of War's other work from the period, but it held its own among dedicated fans of the band.
- Critical reception acknowledged the album's cohesion and War's ability to move fluidly between high-energy funk grooves and more atmospheric, score-driven instrumental passages.
Significance
- This album stands as a testament to War's versatility — proving that a band born in the clubs and on the streets could command the discipline and vision required to craft a full motion picture soundtrack without diluting their essence one single drop.
- 'Youngblood (Livin' In The Streets)' and 'This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good' represent War at their most visceral and celebratory, capturing the spirit of late-70s urban Black America with a joy and defiance that few bands of any era could match.
- The soundtrack occupies a meaningful place in the blaxploitation and post-blaxploitation film music tradition, sitting alongside a body of work from that era where Black artists were finally given the canvas to score their own community's stories with their own sounds.
Samples
- "Sing A Happy Song" — sampled by various hip-hop and R&B producers drawn to its buoyant horn lines and infectious groove, making it one of the more revisited cuts from this soundtrack in later decades.
Tracklist
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A1 Youngblood (Livin' In The Streets) —
10:42
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A2 Sing A Happy Song —
4:04
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A3 Keep On Doin' —
3:50
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A4 The Kingsmen Sign —
2:35
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A5 Walking To War —
2:43
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B1 This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good —
6:26
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B2 Junk Yard —
2:32
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B3 Superdude —
2:35
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B4 Youngblood & Sybil —
1:44
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B5 Flying Machine (The Chase) —
7:39
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B6 Searching For Youngblood & Rommel —
1:45
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B7 Youngblood (Livin' In The Streets) Reprise —
1:27
Artist Details
War was a beautiful, multi-racial band that came together out of Long Beach, California in 1969, blending rock, funk, soul, jazz, Latin rhythms, and R&B into something so organic and righteous that the world had no choice but to stop and listen. They rolled out anthems like "Low Rider," "The World Is a Ghetto," and "Cisco Kid" that weren't just songs — they were street-level dispatches from the American experience, speaking truth to both the dance floor and the struggle. In a time when the country was torn up over Vietnam, racial tension, and poverty, War stood as living proof that music could be a unifying force, making them one of the most socially significant bands of the entire decade.
