The Animals
Band members Related acts
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line
up 1 (1960-61) line up 2 (1961-62) NEW
- Eric Burdon
-- vocals
line up 3 (1962-65) - Eric Burdon
-- vocals NEW
- Dave Rowberry -- keyboards (replaced Alan Price)
line up 4 (1965-66) - Eric Burdon
-- vocals NEW
- Barry Jenkins -- drums (replaced John Steel)
line up 5 (1966-67) NEW - Vic Briggs (aka Antion Vikram Singh) -- guitar, keyboards (replaced Chas Chandler) - Eric Burdon -- vocals
- Barry Jenkins -- drums (replaced John Steel) NEW
- John Weider -- guitar, violin, bass
(replaced Hilton Valentine) line up 6 (1967-68) - Vic Briggs (aka Antion Vikram Singh -- guitar, keyboards - Eric Burdon -- vocals
- Barry Jenkins -- drums NEW - John Weider -- guitar, violin, bass
line up 7 (1968) - Vic Briggs
(aka Antion Vikram Singh --
guitar, keyboards - Eric Burdon
-- vocals line up 8 (1968) - Vic Briggs
(aka Antion Vikram Singh --
guitar, bass - Eric Burdon
-- vocals (replaced Danny McCulloch)
line up 9 (1977) - Eric Burdon
-- vocals
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- Eric Burdon
(solo efforts) - Family (John Weider) - Grimms (Zoot Money) - Danny
McCulloch (solo efforts) - Stud
(John Wilson) - John Weider (solo efforts)
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: The Best of the Animals Company: MGM Catalog: E-4324 Year: 1967 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: mono pressing; light scratches (doesn't hurt sound), gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 67 Price: $7.00 Cost: $1.00
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Released in early
1966, "The Best of the Animals"
served as a good compilation, pulling together the band's previous singles
and a couple of lesser know album tracks. Backed by publicity surrounding
their fifth America tour, the album proved their biggest commercial success,
peaking at #6. (The set was originally released with a gatefold sleeve.) 1.) Its My Life
(Atkins - D'Errico) - 3:09
1.) Boom Boom
(John Lee Hooker) - 2:57
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: The Best of Eric Burden and the Animals Volume 2 Company: MGM Catalog: SE 4454 Year: 1967 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: stereo pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 66 Price: $10.00
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Premature by
anyone's estimates, MGM management saw fit to bolster corporate profits with
the release a second "best of" compilation. Certainly
ecclectic,1967's "Best of Eric Burden and
the Animals, Volume 2" bounced all over the musical
spectrum. While the majority of material focused on the band's R&B repertoire
("Don't Bring Me Down" and "When I was Young"), the set
also included Burdon's love song to the States ("You're On My
Mind"), the Franz Zappa arranged "The Other Side of Life" and
Burdon's non-too subtle tribute to LSD ("A Girl Named Sandoz").
Basically the set was of little use to anyone other than Animals fanatics,
though it hit #71. (Always loved the Bob Peek's cheesy cover art.) 1.) When I was
Young (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry
Jenkins) - 2:53
1.) The Other Side
of This Life (Fred Neil) - 3:43
7.) Cheating (Eric Burdon - Chas Chandler) - 2:23 |
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Winds of Change Company: MGM Catalog: SE 4458 Year: 1967 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1176 Price: $10.00
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Yes, this was an Animals album, but reflecting a major shift in personnel that left singer Eric Burdon and drummer Barry Jenkins the only holdovers, anyone expecting to hear a continuation of the band's longstanding infatuation with American rhythm and blues was in for a major surprise. Coupled with the new line-up featuring guitarist Vic Briggs, bassist Danny McCulloch, and violinist John Weider, Burdon's discovery of California and his growing fascination with various illicit recreational substances resulted in one of the biggest changes in musical direction ever undertaken by a commercially successful rock act.
In a nutshell - goodbye R&B; hello psychedelia. Produced by Tom Wilson, 1967's "Winds of Change" is probably one of the most lysergic soaked albums every recorded. That's not to say it was particularly original. It wasn't. With most of the rock community smitten with the idea of recording a "big statement" concept album, The Animals managed to avoid that trap. With the band collaborating on eleven of the twelve tunes, the collection featured a rambling, haphazard, and highly pretentious set of lysergic tinged compositions. Burdon and company were clearly interested in turning the world on to their visions, but in the process they unintentionally underscored the fact drugs may not have been particularly good for creativity. Anyone doubting that statement only needed to try slogging their way through tracks like 'Poem By the Sea', the hysterical 'The Black Plague' and 'Man-Woman'. Once you got past the pretentiousness, for older fans there were a couple of more conventional R&B-influenced tunes ('Good Times' and 'It's All Mea'), and the album spun off a major radio hit in the form of the goofy summer-of-love 'San Franciscan Nights'. Still, it was packed with acid-tinged influences and all the mind opening insights that accompany that particular path. In case you missed the point, Burdon's rambling liner notes underscored the new vision:
"The New Animals - The new world different from the old with new jewels to be consumed, new frontiers to be won, and much more love to be given. The recognition of pain and ecstasy to know that they are both there in the pit of my stomach, and can be turned on or off as easily as a stereo colour TV set. I love you all, and want you to gain something from these new sounds as I gain from listening to my saints in past years. If you feel alone and confused and unhappy discontented, just know that I (and there are many like me) love you, and maybe you will know why I am happy contented and unconfused. The games I play are mostly games of children (not all) happy games, games of love, games of mystery, games of wonder, please excuse my games of fear and jealousy, I'm only human after all and still a student of life. Maybe the next production will be all games of love, but by then I could be in another world ..."
1.) Winds of Change (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 4:00 Goodbye R&B, hello LSD-tinged raga rock moves ... Seriously, anyone expecting to hear the old Animals was in for a major shock with an acid soaked Burdon droning his way through a 50,000 foot level overview of modern music. No matter how much name dropping went on (Zappa, The mamas and the Papas, etc.), this was one of those timepieces that has aged very well. On the other hand, sonically you simply had to hear it with a quality set of headphones on. rating: *** stars 2.) Poem By the Sea (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 2:15 Does acid make you pretentious ? Well judging by 'Poem By the Sea' I'd suggest it does (or simply makes you stupid). I'm sure Burdon thought this was an amazing insight into humankind, but the studio effects sounded like they'd been stolen from Magical Mystery Tour (please return the backward tapes). Okay, John Welder's violin solo was something new; though it wasn't particularly enjoyable. rating: *** stars 3.) Paint It Black (Mick Jagger - Keith Richards) - 6:00 I have to admit that Burdon and company actually turned in an entertaining cover of this Stones classic. Admittedly the first 90 second were little more than in-studio jamming, but when Burdon started growling the song captured some surprisingly impressive energy. At six minutes it was way too long, but so what. I think it's from their 1967 Monterey appearance and Weider's opening violin solo is a chore to get through, but YouTube has an entertain live performance of the song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11eNP7kitbY rating: **** stars 4.) The Black Plague (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 6:03 Hum, Burdon doing a stoned and slightly ominous spoken word narrative complete with Gregorian chants, bells, and what was apparently meant to be a bit of ancient history ... I'm sure in '67 legions of stoned Animals fans spent countless hours trying to decipher the meaning behind "The Black Plague". Beats me what they were getting at, but today it sounds a bit like a Monty Python skit. By the way, in the end those arrogant rich bastards get their just desserts. YouTube has a hysterical black and white clip of the band lip-synching the tune for the Canadian Let's Go CBC TV pop music series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f9NuUhz2CY rating: *** stars 5.) Yes I Am Experienced (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 3:45 Hum, wonder where the inspiration for the rocker 'Yes I Am Experienced' came from ? Interestingly, Jimi Hendrix had not released 'Are You Experienced' at the time this album came out. Nice lead guitar from Vic Briggs with drummer Barry Jenkins nailing that unique Jimi Hendrix Experience vibe. rating: *** stars
1.) San Franciscan Nights (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 3:23 So 'San Franciscan Nights' was the album's big radio hit; the song that briefly revitalized The Animals imprint. I guess it's one of those summer-of-love classics ... it certainly makes me smile. Anyhow, YouTube has a clip of the band lip synching the tune on some television program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4G3KPP1Nts rating: *** stars 2.) Man-Woman (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 5:26 Not so much a song as a pompous freak-out segment, 'Man-Woman' showcased Burdon blubbering on over a percussion heavy jam. Given the lyrical depth was on a par with a typical second grader's book report, it wasn't particularly entertaining to start and stretched out over five minutes it quickly became irritating. rating: ** stars 3.) Hotel Hell (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 4:53 Label this one as a member of the you-hard-to-be-there club. 'Hotel Hell' was a pretty enough ballad, but the hokey sound effects, coupled with Burdon's pretentious and painfully flat vocals left you trying hard not to giggle. I will admit the Spanish-flavored horn solo was nice. rating: *** stars 4.) Good Times (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 3:03 Probably the album's most conventional pop tune, 'Good Times' was also the track that most closely resembled the band's earlier R&B sound. Burdon didn't sound half bad on this one, though the brief and abrupt shift into Western bar band character wasn't necessary. rating: **** stars 5.) Anything (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 3:25 Pretty ballad - one of the nicest things Burdon and company ever wrote. Always loved McCulloch's bass work on this one. rating: **** stars 6.) It's All Meat (Eric Burdon - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins - Vic Briggs - John Weider) - 2:05 Okay, lyrically this wasn't much more than Burdon paying homage to his musical inspirations. That said, the tune rocked with an energy that was missing throughout most of the other tunes. A killer Briggs guitar solo certainly didn't hurt the proceedings. rating: **** stars
In the UK the single was:
- 1967's 'Good Times' b/w 'Ain't That So' (MGM catalog number1344)
In the States the 45 was:
- 1967's San Franciscan Nights' b/w 'Good Times' (MGM catalog number K-13769)
Propelled by the hit single, the album hit # 42 on the US album charts.
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Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: The Twain Shall Meet Company: MGM Catalog: SE 4537 Country/State: UK Year: 1968 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: stereo; gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: not yet listed Price: $15.00
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As on the previous
set, anyone expecting to hear the same band that did "House of the
Rising Sun" was in for a major shock. A reflection of their LSD soaked
Southern California lifestyles, 1968's "The
Twain Shall Meet" was charitably described as an aural
mess. With Burdon's voice reduced to a croak, the band's efforts to craft
socially relevant material ("Closer To the Truth", "Every One
of Us" and "No Self Pity"), were painfully weak (critics
labeled them outright crap). While it may have been intended as a sincere
embrace of the love generation, Burdon's "Orange and Red Beams"
came off as little more than an inept Moody Blues-on-bad-acid parody. All
told the band sounded thoroughly stoned and largely uninterested in the
material (check out the seemingly endless raga flavored "All Is
One" - where was Ravi Shankar when you needed him?). Interestingly the
album spun off a pair of singles that momentarily returned them to the pop
charts. Complete with a nod to Shankar, Burdon's plodding paean to the
Monterey Music Festival "Monterey" b/w "Ain't That So"
(MGM catalog number K-13868) went top-20, while the bombastic "Sky
Pilot (Parts 1 and 2)" (MGM catalog number K-13939) proved equally
successful. Unfortunately those late inning successes did little to slow
down the band's commercial decline. The parent album peaked at # 79. 1.) Monterey (Eric
Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 4:18 (Side 2) 1.) Orange and Red
Beams (Danny McCulloch) - 3:46
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Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Every One of Us Company: MGM Catalog: SE 4553 Year: 1968 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 260 Price: SOLD $15.00
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Credited to 'Eric
Burdon and the Animals', 1968's "Every One
of Us" was a mixed blessing. On the positive side the
self-produced collection found Burdon and company pulling back from their
earlier psychedelic excesses. Weider's fuzz guitar and McCulloch's pounding
bass turned "Year of the Guru" into a decent rocker, while the
instrumental "Serenade To a Sweet Lady" served as a pretty slice
of AOR jazz. Unfortunately, never the most versatile singer, on tracks such
as "St. James Infirmary" Burdon seemed particularly flat and
uninspired. Adding to the problem, the band seemed to have lost their focus,
bouncing all over the musical spectrum without much enthusiasm. The 19
minute "New York 1963 - America 1968" found them taking a stab at
awkward social commentary (this one has to be heard to be believed), while
"The Immigrant Lad" started out with a folk-rockish feel before
degenerating into a strange racist narrative between a pair of English coal
miners. Elsewhere, released as a single "White Houses" b/w
"River Deep, Mountain High" (MGM catalog number K-14013) charted
at # 67, providing the band with their final American hit. In spite of an
American tour the collection proved a poor seller, faltering at # 152. 1.) White Houses
(Eric Burdon) - 4:43
1.) St. James
Infirmary (arranged by Eric Burdon) - 4:15
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