War Releasing Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition of the ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ Album; Listen to Extended Mix of “Low Rider”

The genre-bending Los Angeles-area band War is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its hit 1975 album Why Can’t We Be Friends? with a special Collector’s Edition reissue.

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The expanded collection, which recently debuted as a limited-edition three-LP vinyl set made available for the 2025 Record Store Day event, will be released as a three-CD set and via digital formats on June 6. It features the original 11-song album, plus two bonus discs boasting tracks that present a look into the record’s creation.

The extra material includes bonus tracks, a jam session, and unedited mixes, as well as a recording that delves into the making of Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Why Can’t We Be Friends?, War’s seventh studio album, was released in July 1975. It featured two major hits, the title track and the funky classic “Low Rider,” which peaked at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. “Low Rider” also topped Billboard’s R&B singles chart. The album itself reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200.

[RELATED: Review: War’s Best Music Gets Reissued—Again—To Commemorate the 50th Anniversary]

Among the expanded reissue’s bonus tracks is an original unedited mix of “Low Rider” that’s more than nine minutes long. The track is available now via digital formats. You can pre-order Why Can’t We Be Friends? (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition) now.

More About the Why Can’t We Be Friends? Album

Why Can’t We Be Friends? featured a collection of songs that displayed War’s trademark blend of funk, soul, and rock. The title track offers up a positive message of global unity.

Thanks to its theme, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” was transmitted into space by NASA during the U.S. and the Soviet Union’s historic joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975.

“Low Rider” has been covered and sampled for various hip-hop songs many times over the years. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.

War’s 2025 Tour Plans

War continues to be led by the group’s founding singer/keyboardist Lonnie Jordan. The band has more than a dozen shows lined up in 2025, spanning from a May 2 performance at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, California, through an October 31 concert in Shipshewana, Indiana.

[Buy War Concert Tickets]

Why Can’t We Be Friends? (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition) Track List:

CD 1: Why Can’t We Be Friends?

1. “Don’t Let No One Get You Down”
2. “Lotus Blossom”
3. “Heartbeat”
4. “Leroy’s Latin Lament (Medley)”
   –“Lonnie Dreams”
   –“The Way We Feel”
   –“La Fiesta”
   –“Lament”
5. “Smile Happy”
6. “So”
7. “Low Rider”
8. “In Mazatlan”
9. “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

CD 2: Making of Why Can’t We Be Friends?

1. “Zorro” (Bonus Track)
2. “Don’t Let No One Get You Down” (Original Unedited Mix)
3. “Roam & Ramble” (Bonus Track)
4. “Low Rider” (Original Unedited Mix)
5. “So” (Unedited Remix)

CD 3: Making of Why Can’t We Be Friends?

1. “Oatmeal Box” (Bonus Track)
2. “Heartbeat” (Original Jam)
3. The Making of Why Can’t We Be Friends?

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