The Animals

The Animals - Animal Tracks [ 2012 Reissue] (1965)

Formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during 1962 and 1963 when Eric Burdon joined the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, the original line-up comprised Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (organ and keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums), and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass). They were dubbed "animals" because of their wild stage act and the name stuck. The Animals' moderate success in their hometown and a connection with Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky motivated them to move to London in 1964, in time to be grouped with the British Invasion. They performed fiery versions of the staple rhythm and blues repertoire (Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone, etc). Signed to the UK Columbia subsidiary of EMI, a rocking version of the standard "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" (retitled "Baby Let Me Take You Home") was their first single. It was followed in June 1964 by the transatlantic number one hit "House of the Rising Sun". Burdon's howling vocals and the dramatic arrangement created arguably the first folk rock hit. Whether the arrangement was inspired by Bob Dylan's version of the song (which in turn was inspired by folk singer Dave Van Ronk) or by blues singer Josh White's (who recorded it twice in 1944 and 1949) or by singer/pianist Nina Simone (who recorded it in 1962 on Nina at the Village Gate, predating Dylan's interpretation) remains a dispute, as does whether all five Animals deserved credit for the arrangement and not just Price. The Animals' two-year chart career, masterminded by producer Mickie Most, featured intense gritty pop-music covers such as Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" and the Nina Simone number "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". In contrast, their album tracks stayed with rhythm and blues, with Hooker's "Boom Boom" and Ray Charles' "I Believe to My Soul" as notable examples. Burdon's powerful, deep voice and use of keyboards as much as or more than guitars were two elements that made The Animals' sound stand out from the rest. In November 1964, the group was poised to make their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show and began a short residency performing everyday in theatres across New York City. The group arrived at New York City's Kennedy Airport in a motorcade which featured each member of the band riding in the back seat of a Cadillac with a model. The group drove to their hotel with the occasional shriek of girls who realised who they were. The Animals sang "I'm Crying" and "The House of The Rising Sun" to a packed audience of hysterical girls screaming throughout both performances. By May 1965 the group was starting to feel internal pressures. Price left due to personal and musical differences as well as a fear of flying on tour; he went on to a successful career as a solo artist and with the Alan Price Set. Mick Gallagher filled in for him on keyboards for a short time until Dave Rowberry replaced him and was on hand for the hit working-class anthems "We Gotta Get out of This Place" and "It's My Life". Around that time, an Animals Big Band made a one-time appearance. Many of The Animals' hits had come from Brill Building songwriters recruited by Most; the group, and Burdon in particular, felt this too restrictive. As 1965 ended, the group switched to Decca Records and producer Tom Wilson, who gave them more artistic freedom. In early 1966 MGM Records, their American label, collected their hits on The Best of The Animals; it became their best-selling album in the US. In February 1966 Steel left and was replaced by Barry Jenkins; a leftover cover of Goffin-King's "Don't Bring Me Down" was the last hit as The Animals. For the single "See See Rider" they changed the name into Eric Burdon & The Animals. In September they disbanded and Burdon recorded a solo album, called Eric Is Here. By this time their business affairs "were in a total shambles" according to Chandler (who went on to manage Jimi Hendrix) and the group disbanded. Even by the standards of the day when artists tended to be financially naïve the Animals made very little money, eventually claiming mismanagement and theft on the part of their manager Michael Jeffery.

Tracklist: 1. Mess Around 2:23 2. How You've Changed 3:15 3. Hallelujah I Love Her So 2:49 4. I Believe To My Soul 3:28 5. Worried Life Blues 4:16 6. Roberta 2:07 7. I Ain't Got You 2:32 8. Bright Lights Big City 2:57 9. Let The Good Times Roll 1:57 10. For Miss Caulker 4:02 11. Roadrunner 2:49

The Animals - Animalisms (1966)  With Burdon at the height of his soul-shouting game, Valentine playing his hottest fuzz guitar and the band mixing up a perfect batch of covers and originals, this 1966 LP was the Animals at their all-time best. Here are its 12 tracks plus four stereo versions from the U.S. release and nine other bonus cuts: Outcast; Maudie; Gin House Blues; I Put a Spell on You; Clapping ; the U.S. hits See See Rider; Boom Boom; Help Me Girl; Inside Looking Out , and more!

Tracklist: 1. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show 2. Maudie 3. Outcast 4. Sweet Little Sixteen 5. You're On My Mind 6. Clapping 7. Gin House Blues 8. Squeeze Her - Hease Her 9. What Am I Living For 10. I Put a Spell On You 11. That's All I Am to You 12. She'll Return It 13. Inside Looking Out [*] 14. Don't Bring Me Down [*] 15. Cheating [*] 16. Help Me Girl [*] Listen 17. See See Rider [*] 18. I Just Wanna Make Love to You [*] 19. Boom Boom [*] 20. Big Boss Man [*] 21. Pretty Thing [*] 22. Don't Being Me Down [Stereo Version] [*][Version] 23. See See Rider [Stereo Version] [*][Version] 24. Help Me Girl [Stereo Version] [*][Version] 25. Cheating [Stereo Version] [*][Version]

The Animals - Live At Club A Go-Go (1963)

Tracklist:

1. Let It Rock 3:19
2. Gotta Find My Baby 4:25
3. Bo Diddley 7:39
4. Almost Grown 4:04
5. Dimples 3:53
6. Boom Boom 4:52
7. C Jam Blues 4:21

The Animals - The Animals (1966)

One of the most important bands originating from England's R&B scene during the early '60s, the Animals were second only to the Rolling Stones in influence among R&B-based bands in the first wave of the British Invasion. The Animals had their origins in a Newcastle-based group called the Kansas City Five, whose membership included pianist Alan Price, drummer John Steel, and vocalist Eric Burdon. Price exited to join the Kontours in 1962, while Burdon went off to London. The Kontours, whose membership included Bryan "Chas" Chandler, eventually were transmuted into the Alan Price R&B Combo, with John Steel joining on drums. Burdon's return to Newcastle in early 1963 heralded his return to the lineup. The final member of the combo, guitarist Hilton Valentine, joined just in time for the recording of a self-produced EP under the band's new name, the Animals. That record alerted Graham Bond to the Animals; he was likely responsible for pointing impresario Giorgio Gomelsky to the group.

Gomelsky booked the band into his Crawdaddy Club in London, and they were subsequently signed by Mickie Most, an independent producer who secured a contract with EMI's Columbia imprint. A studio session in February 1964 yielded their Columbia debut single, "Baby Let Me Take You Home" (adapted from "Baby Let Me Follow You Down"), which rose to number 21 on the British charts. For years, it was rumored incorrectly that the Animals got their next single, "House of the Rising Sun," from Bob Dylan's first album, but it has been revealed that, like "Baby Let Me Take You Home," the song came to them courtesy of Josh White. In any event, the song — given a new guitar riff by Valentine and a soulful organ accompaniment devised by Price — shot to the top of the U.K. and U.S. charts early that summer. This success led to a follow-up session that summer, yielding their first long-playing record, The Animals. Their third single, "I'm Crying," rose to number eight on the British charts. The group compiled an enviable record of Top Ten successes, including "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place," along with a second album, Animal Tracks.

In May of 1965, immediately after recording "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place," Alan Price left the band, citing fear of flying as the reason; subsequent biographies of the band have indicated that the reasons were less psychological. When "House of the Rising Sun" was recorded, using what was essentially a group arrangement, the management persuaded the band to put one person's name down as arranger. Price came up the lucky one, supposedly with the intention that the money from the arranger credit would be divided later on. The money was never divided, however, and as soon as it began rolling in, Price suddenly developed his fear of flying and exited the band. Others cite the increasing contentiousness between Burdon and Price over leadership of the group as the latter's reason for leaving. In any case, a replacement was recruited in the person of Dave Rowberry.

In the meantime, the group was growing increasingly unhappy with the material they were being given to record by manager Mickie Most. Not only were the majority of these songs much too commercial for their taste, but they represented a false image of the band, even if many were successful. "It's My Life," a number seven British hit and a similar smash in America, caused the Animals to terminate their association with Most and with EMI Records. They moved over to Decca/London Records and came up with a more forceful, powerful sound on their first album for the new label, Animalisms. The lineup shifts continued, however: Steel exited in 1966, after recording Animalisms, and was replaced by Barry Jenkins, formerly of the Nashville Teens. Chandler left in mid-1966 after recording "Don't Bring Me Down" and Valentine remained until the end of 1966, but essentially "Don't Bring Me Down" marked the end of the original Animals.

Tracklist:

01. House Of The Rising Sun
02. Bring It On Home To Me
03. Boom Boom
04. Memphis
05. I'm Crying
06. Baby Let Me Take You Home
07. Right Time
08. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
09. We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place
10. Blue Feeling
11. Around And Around
12. Gonna Send You Back To Walker
13. Hallelujah, I Love Her So
14. It's My Life
15. We´ve Gotta Get Out of This Place (French EP Version)


The Animals - Love Is (1967)

Limited digipak reissue of this 1968 album, including Ike & Tina Turner's 'River Deep, Mountains High' & 'the old Johnny Cash hit 'Ring Of Fire'. Repertoire. 2004.

The Repertoire label has just released a remastered version of this album and the sound quality is truly amazing, obviously taken from the first-generation master tape - makes the out-of-print versions by One Way and Polydor of Japan sound thin and weak in comparison.
A cursory glance through other reviews for these earlier releases show the potential buyer that this was an album you either loved or hated. No question that there are some filler tracks here - my advice is to program out "I'm Dying, Or Am I?", "Gemini" & "The Madman". What you're left with is one of the great unsung and underappreciated albums of the psychedelic era. Andy Summers' solo on Traffic's "Coloured Rain" alone is worth the price of admission. Add in a unique interpretation of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and a soulful take on the Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody", among others, and you've got an indespensible relic of the late '60's.

By the way, Repertoire also issued Eric & the Animals' penultimate album, "Every One of Us", at the same time - another strong recommedation. (George A. Zaninovich)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sixties zeigeist, at least on the face of it, was one of peace, love, and freedom. Love Is, originally released as a double vinyl album was Eric Burdon & the Animals' most ambitious effort and very much epitomizes that period. It's a recording that truly reflects its times with equal amounts of great musicianship and inspiration but a good deal of pretentiousness and overkill as well. River Deep, Mountain High is one of the most energetic cuts on the album as Eric pays tribute to the lovely Tina Turner with a great rendition of the song that she made famous. I'm an Animal is fun in a sort of dumb bar song type way while I'm Dying or Am I is basically a throwaway. I love Eric's version of Ring of Fire. It doesn't sound at all like Johnny Cash's original but Eric more than does justice to the tune even though there's some sloppiness (the harmony vocals don't always sound in tune and Barry Jenkins comes in a tad too early on drums on one of the choruses). Some reviewers have dumped on Coloured Rain but I have to disagree. This is a great version with an outstanding guitar solo (apparently by a pre-Police Andy Summers) and cool horns. The only negative note on it is again the harmony vocals. Although I've never particularly liked Eric's version of To Love Somebody, it's a sweet production job complete with soulful singers in the background and mellow guitar lines. As the Years Go Passing By is Eric's heartfelt tribute to the blues, "the ball and chain around every musician's leg." This minor key blues has it all: powerful vocal, smoking guitar solos, and real feeling. Whether you like Gemini and Madman or not depends on your personal taste. I have loved them since I first heard them on the vinyl release with all the psychedelic effects and trippy choruses. So this album is a mixed bag but I think that most of these "double-album" efforts during the Sixties tended to be part inspiration and part filler. George Martin once said that he felt that, looking back at the Beatles' White Album, the really good material would have made one great album. There is definitely one great album within the grooves of Love Is. You just have to be patient and stick with it. (R. A. Burke)

Tracklist:

1. River Deep, Mountain High
2. I'm An Animal
3. I'm Dying Or Am I?
4. Ring Of Fire
5. Coloured Rain
6. To Love Somebody
7. As The Years Go Passing By
8. Gemini
9. Madman (Running Through The Fields)