Peace Sign - 1994 US Avenue label 13-track 2LP Set

Scarce 1994 US Pressed Avenue label 13-track LP - Long Beach, California, funk ensembles first album since Life (Is So Strange) from 1983 - their seventeenth slow, relaxed and gritty soul-funk-latin rock album. The comeback has founding members drummer Harold Brown, former pianist Lonnie Jordan... now on bass, and guitarist Howard Scott as center... and to a more marginal degree drummer Ronnie Hammon... now joined by saxophonists Kerry Campbell and Charles Green, percussionist Sal Rodriguez, harmonica player Tetsuya "Tex" Nakamura, and Brown's son, programmer Rae Valentine... ex-War members Lee Oskar and Pat Rizzo - who used to play with Sly & The Family Stone in the 70'ies - are credited as guest musicians... along with José Feliciano.

Vinyl has black label with orangy 'fire' printing - large, top band logo - rightside Avenue label logo.
Vinyl is housed in gatefold cover with band photo and lyrics in inner spread. Cover has a gold promo stamp across barcode.

Condition: 2xVG++ (Vinyls and Labels)/VG+ (Cover):

Vinyls are supernice - a single or two faint sleeve inflicted only linesand otherwise mint.
Side 1 label has a single circular spindletrace - labels are otherwise mint.
Vinyls are overall graded near mint.

Cover has light to pronounced ringwear - most just affecting the shine of the cover but here and there transcending beneath the surface.
Inner spread is mint.
Cover has light wear to edges and corners - not in any way tough... just a little and a very few places points of shelling.
Lower corners have light denting and rubbing - top corners just faint rubbing - all in all a very nice VG+ cover. The promo stamping has had no influence on the grading.

Tracklisting:

Side 1:
1. Peace Sign (Howard E. Scott, Harold Brown, Milton Myrick) 4:29
2. East L.A. (Jerry Goldstein, Scott, Lonnie Jordan) 5:40
3. Wild Rodriguez" (Scott, Myrick, Brown, Goldstein) 4:48
4. I'm the One (Who Understands) (Papa Dee Allen, Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Scott, Goldstein) 5:14

Side 2:
1. Da Roof (Scott, Goldstein, Myrick) 7:36
2. The Smuggler (The Light in the Window) (Goldstein, Brown) 5:57
3. U B O.K. (Scott, Brown, Myrick) 5:31

Side 3:
1. Smile for Me (S. Ball, E. Baker, Goldstein) 6:29
2. Let Me Tell You (Scott, Myrick, Brown, Goldstein, Jordan) 5:47
3. Angel (Goldstein) 6:34

Side 4:
1. What If (Brown, Myrick, Goldstein, Jordan, Scott) 5:00
2. Africa (unknown) 4:29
3. Homeless Hero (H. Scott, J. Scott, Goldstein, Jordan) 10:47

Credits:

War:

Howard Scott - lead vocal (Peace Sign, Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One (Who Understands), Da Roof, U B O.K., Let Me Tell You), oratory (Homeless Hero), guitar (Peace Sign, Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One, The Smuggler, U B O.K., Let Me Tell You, Angel), electric guitar (East L.A.), synth guitar (Peace Sign), bass guitar (Wild Rodriguez, The Smuggler, U B O.K., Let Me Tell You), keyboard samples (Wild Rodriguez), background vocal (Peace Sign, East L.A., Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One (Who Understands), Da Roof, U B O.K., Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You)

Lonnie Jordan - lead vocal (East L.A., The Smuggler, Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You, Angel, Homeless Hero), keyboards (Peace Sign, East L.A., Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One, Da Roof, The Smuggler, U B O.K., Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You, Angel, What If, Homeless Hero), acoustic piano (East L.A., Angel), synth bass (Peace Sign, East L.A., I'm the One (Who Understands), Da Roof, Angel, What If, Homeless Hero), synth guitar (Peace Sign, East L.A., Da Roof, Smile for Me, Homeless Hero), synth strings (or strings synth) (East L.A., The Smuggler, Angel), synth horns (East L.A., Let Me Tell You, What If), organ (I'm the One, Homeless Hero), samples (The Smuggler, drum programming (East L.A., Da Roof, Angel), percussion (Peace Sign, East L.A., Wild Rodriguez, Da Roof, U B O.K., Angel, What If, Homeless Hero), singing bass (The Smuggler), background vocal (Peace Sign, East L.A., Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One, Da Roof, The Smuggler, U B O.K., Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You, What If, Homeless Hero), arrangement (East L.A.), horn arrangement (What If)

Ronnie Hammon - drum fills (East L.A., Smile for Me)

Harold Brown - lead vocal (What If), live drums (Peace Sign, Wild Rodriguez, The Smuggler (The Light in the Window), U B O.K., Let Me Tell You, What If), percussion (Peace Sign), samples (What If), background vocal (Peace Sign, Da Roof, What If)

Rae Valentine - music programmer (Peace Sign, East L.A., Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One, Da Roof, The Smuggler, U B O.K., Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You, What If, Homeless Hero), drum programmer (Wild Rodriguez, Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You, What If), drum fills (East L.A.), percussion (Smile for Me), organ (Let Me Tell You) Da Roof, U B O.K., Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You, What If)

Kerry Campbell - saxophone (Peace Sign, Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One (solo), Da Roof, Smile for Me (solo), Let Me Tell You, What If, Homeless Hero (solo))

Charles Green - saxophone (Peace Sign (solo), Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One, Da Roof, Smile for Me, Let Me Tell You, What If, Homeless Hero), flute (U B O.K.), horn arrangement (Peace Sign, Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One)

Tetsuya Tex Nakamura - harmonica (Wild Rodriguez, Da Roof, The Smuggler, What If, Homeless Hero)

Sal Rodriguez - live drums (I'm the One), percussion (I'm the One, The Smuggler, U B O.K.), background vocal (Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One)

Additional musicians:

Elsa Barrera - Spanish speaking voice (U B O.K.)

José Feliciano - lead vocal, acoustic guitar (East L.A.)

Larry Goetz - guitar (Homeless Hero)

Jerry Goldstein - percussion (East L.A.), background vocal (Da Roof), arrangement (East L.A.), horn arrangement (Peace Sign, I'm the One (Who Understands), What If)

Matt Hyde - music programmer (East L.A., Da Roof, Smile for Me, Angel, Homeless Hero), drum programmer (Homeless Hero)

Gerry Kenebrew - music programmer (Smile for Me)

Ricky Green (Smile for Me), Milton Myrick (Peace Sign, Wild Rodriguez, I'm the One (Who Understands), Da Roof, U B O.K., Let Me Tell You, What If), The Waters (East L.A., Angel) - background vocals

Lee Oskar - harmonica (Smile for Me, Angel)

Gene Page - synth strings (Smile for Me), strings arrangement (East L.A., Smile for Me)

Pat Rizzo - saxophone (Smile for Me, Angel (solo))

Moses Wheelock - congas (Peace Sign, U B O.K., What If), background vocal (Da Roof, What If)

Romeo Williams - bass (Smile for Me


Technical Credits:
Jerry Goldstein and Lonnie Jordon, Howard Scott (Peace Sign track only) - production
Larry Goetz - engineer, mix engineer
Richard Kaplan, Andrew Berliner, Matt Hyde - additional engineers (Smile for Me)
David Gleason, Craig Silvey, Dan Alonso, John Jackson, Jim Schwarz, Andy Uduff, Andrew Berliner, Matt Hyde - assistant engineers
Eric Greedy - assistant engineer, assistant mix engineer
Dave Collins - mastering

Artwork:
Glenn Stone - cover design concept
Aaron Brashear - cover design concept, cover and label design
Art Hotel - additional design
Jeffrey Mayer - photography

Various Credits:
Frank Rand, Abbey Anna - project coordination
Mic Holwin - text editor