I SEE A RED DOOR
AND I WANT IT
PAINTED BLACK
NO COLORS ANYMORE
I WANT THEM TO
TURN BLACK
The Black-Man's Burdon
is the second
studio album
and first
double album
by American band
released in
December 1970
on MGM Records.
It was the last album
by the group
before Burdon left
and the
remaining band
continued as
War
The title is a pun on
The Black Man's Burden,
an expression which
refers to black slavery,
used as the title
of a book by
E. D. Morel
(1920)
in response to the poem,
"The White Man's Burden"
(1899)
by Rudyard Kipling,
which refers to
(and champions)
western imperialism
(including its history of slavery).
The album includes
two suites based on
songs by other artists:
"Paint It Black"
by the Rolling Stones,
and
"Nights in White Satin"
by the Moody Blues,
augmented by additional sections
composed by the group.
Two similar suites
appeared on the
group's first album.
The extra material is
mostly instrumental,
except for "P.C. 3"
P.C. referring to
Police Constable,
a common abbreviation
used in the
United Kingdom
a risqué poem
recited
(and probably written)
by Burdon over the music.
Two other songs
include a
gospel-style chorus
credited as
Sharon Scott
and the Beautiful
New Born Children
of Southern California.
Richie Unterberger
of Allmusic says
the album is
"Composed mostly of
sprawling psychedelic
funk jams"
and
"it does find War
mapping out much of
the jazz/Latin/soul grooves...".
The front cover
shows a black man
in silhouette,
while the back cover
shows Burdon
and a woman
posed together:
the woman sitting
on a wall with
her legs
spread far apart,
and Burdon
(shirtless)
resting the back of his head
against her pelvis
and gripping her ankles.
Cover Art
The gatefold photo
is somewhat risqué,
consisting of the group
(mostly shirtless)
in a field with
two nude women
lying in the grass.
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