The Animals: "House Of The Rising Sun" went straight to # 1
Written: Jul 28 '03 (Updated Nov 29 '06)
Product Rating:
Pros: Hits:"House Of The Rising Sun,""We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,""It's My LIfe,"more...
Cons: Doesn't include the band's post-1966 hits. The CD booklet is also pretty lame.
The Bottom Line: Top 40 classics:"House Of The Rising Sun,""I'm Crying,""Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood,""Bring It On Home To Me,""We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" and "It's My LIfe."
Don_Krider's Full Review: Best Of The Animals by The Animals
The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 1994 and into the Hollywood Rockwalk Hall Of Fame in 2001, but even without those high honors they would always have a major place in rock 'n' roll history.
In 1964, at the height of Beatlemania, The Animals spent three weeks at # 1 on the charts in the United States with the traditional folk-blues piece, "House Of The Rising Sun," featuring a classic arrangement by Animals' keyboardist Alan Price.
With "House Of The Rising Sun," The Animals became the first British act to hit # 1 in the United States since The Beatles began dominating the U. S. charts several months earlier with "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (The Dave Clark Five, despite several Top 10 hits in the U. S. in 1964, wouldn't hit # 1 in the U. S. until 1965).
Not only did "House Of The Rising Sun" spend three weeks as the most popular single in the ultra-conservative United States of 1964, but the tune was a highly unusual chart entry: its subject matter was a house of prostitution in New Orleans and its running time was nearly four-and-half minutes (at a time when two-to-three minute songs were the norm on Top 40 radio).
Even before hitting "the big time," The Animals were well-known as one of the best blues-rock-jazz bands in the United Kingdom, performing backup duties for such performers as John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson.
The Animals, led by the menacing swagger and cocky attitude of lead singer Eric Burdon, were a major force in the so-called "British Invasion" of 1964 (when British acts such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Herman's Hermits and many others "conquered" Britain's former colonies stateside).
Through numerous personnel changes, The Animals scored 18 Hot 100 hits before formally splitting in 1969, including 14 singles which hit the U. S. Top 40 (their final Top 40 hit, "Sky Pilot" (not in this collection) in 1968 was the first 45 rpm single released in stereo, according to the Rock Hall; singles prior this time were released in mono sound).
On the album charts, they placed 16 different albums (17 if you count "The Best Of The Animals" album charting two different times years apart) on the Billboard Top 200 Albums charts between 1964 and 1984, with their debut album, "The Animals," hitting # 7 in 1964. They last hit the album charts in 1984 with "Rip It To Shreds - The Animals Greatest Hits Live!," which peaked at # 193.
Burdon, a true lover of rhythm and blues, later was lead singer of War, scoring a # 1, million-selling hit in 1970 with "Spill The Wine" (a great piece of psychedelic funk with spoken word rap that was a preview of the '70s funk-rock sound; War continued to have Top 40 hits after Burdon left the group, including million-sellers such as "Why Can't We Be Friends" and "The Cisco Kid").
Burdon, who continues to tour worldwide to this day, later recorded some fine albums (including "Sun Secrets" from 1974, which hit # 51 on the charts, which features a glorious remake of "It's My Life") in The Eric Burdon Band.
Among the Animal's members was the unusually tall for a British bass player, 6-foot-4 Chas Chandler (who passed away in 1996), who later was manager of both guitarist Jimi Hendrix and the rock group Slade.
A later member of the group was a young guitarist named Andrew Somers (in The Animals from 1968 to 1969), who later changed his name to Andy Summers to join a singer named Sting in The Police.
Among the musicians who have cited The Animals as musical influences: Bruce Springsteen, David Johansen (New York Dolls), John Mellencamp and Blue Oyster Cult.
The Animals' popularity continues as new fans discover the band's music via motion picture soundtracks such as "Joe vs. The Volcano," "Hamburger Hill," "Casino" and "Boogie Nights."
This collection:
"The Best Of The Animals" is one of numerous anthologies of the group's music on the market, but this 1966 release has been digitally remastered from the original master recordings by Abcko for this CD release and contains the essential hits of the original lineup of the five-piece blues-rock outfit --- the resulting release features clear-sounding recordings of songs now approaching 40-years of age, sounding as fresh and vibrant as they did when originally released..
When originally released in 1966, "The Best Of The Animals" sold more than 500,000 units and earned a Gold Record Award (singles received the same award for selling more than one million units). The album peaked at # 6 in the Billboard magazine Top 200 Albums chart, spending an amazing 113 straight weeks (more than two years) on the chart. Re-released in 1973, the album re-entered the charts for two more weeks (peaking at # 188).
This CD:
"The Best Of The Animals" features the group's material from 1964 to 1965, when the original lineup's members parted ways (the group would continue on as "Eric Burdon & The Animals" and score hits, like "See See Rider" and "When I Was Young," that are not included in this collection).
What "The Best Of The Animals" does include are such Top 40 classics as "House Of The Rising Sun," "I'm Crying," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Bring It On Home To Me," "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" and "It's My Life." Those hits are among the 15 songs presented on a single CD.
The band members on this recording are the original lineup: Eric Burdon, lead vocals; Alan Price, keyboards (the group was The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo when Burdon joined in late 1962, changing their name to The Animals by 1963; Price exited The Animals in 1965 and can be seen with Bob Dylan in the "Don't Look Back" documentary); Chas Chandler, bass; John Steel, drums, and Hilton Valentine, guitar. Price was replaced by keyboardist Dave Rowberry, who passed away in June 2003.
The CD booklet is weak --- it's an eight-page, fold open booklet with a 1964 "fan club" bio of the band, a few photos and little else, essentially the limited amount of info you got on the original 1966 LP release. Still, a minor complaint considering the quality of the music on the CD.
The tracks:
The 15 tracks on a single CD are: "House Of The Rising Sun" (# 1 in 1964), "I'm Crying" (# 19 in 1964), "Baby, Let Me Take You Home," "Around And Around" (written by Chuck Berry), "Talkin' 'Bout You" (written by Ray Charles), "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (# 15 in 1965), "Boom, Boom" (a cover of a classic by blues great John Lee Hooker, The Animals' version hit # 43) and "Dimples" (another John Lee Hooker tune),
Also, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" (written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, it peaked at # 13 in 1965), "I'm In Love Again" (a nice remake of Fats Domnio's 1956 hit), "Bury My Body" (by Al Kooper), "Gonna Send You Back To Walker," "Story Of Bo Diddley," "It's My Life" (which peaked at # 23 in 1965-66) and "Bring It On Home To Me" (a faithful cover of Sam Cooke's # 13 chart hit from 1962, The Animals took their version to # 32 in 1965).
The best tracks:
"House Of The Rising Sun":
With Hilton Valentine's understated guitar-strumming intro, "House Of The Rising Sun" quickly introduces a slow bass pattern and high hats into the mix, before Alan Price's wonderfully wild organ playing dominates the piece. It is Eric Burdon's moody reading of the lyrics that sells the tune, which may be blues-jazz dominated but the arrangement is still glorious rock 'n' roll to this listener.
"House Of the Rising Sun" only spent 11 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, but three weeks of that chart run were spent at # 1 in 1964.
Listen to Burdon's aching vocal as he tells this tale of a boy's lost innocence:
"There is a house in New Orleans / they call the 'Rising Sun' / and it's been the ruin of many a poor boy / and, God, I know I'm one / my mother was a tailor / sewed my new blue jeans / my father was a gamblin' man / down in New Orleans / now the only thing he ever needs / is a suitcase and a trunk / and the only time he's satisfied / is when he's on a drunk / oh, mother tell your children / not to do what I have done / spend your lives in sin and misery / in the house of the 'Rising Sun'..."
In England, the song's popularity remains enormous --- the Official UK Charts Company lists The Animals' "House Of The Rising Sun" at # 7 among the 941 songs to reach the # 1 spot in England (through November 2002). It polled 190,000 music fans in England to reach that result.
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood":
The jazzy feel of Alan Price's organ dominates the classic working-man's tale of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." Burdon is every angry young man as he pleads for acceptance in this tune that peaked at # 15 in 1965 during a 10-week chart run:
"Baby, do you understand me now / sometimes I feel a little mad / well don't you know that no one alive can always be an angel / when things go wrong I seem to be bad / I'm just a soul whose intentions are good / oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood..."
"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place":
With a chorus that was to become the battle-cry of many an American military man during the Vietnam War, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" is the cautionary tale of a guy who wants a "better life" than his parents had.
The throbbing bass pattern and percussion bring you into the musical world of "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place," then the organ, guitar and drums jump in to propel you to the chorus, with Burdon's screaming lead vocal sounding like a truly-inspired preacher (with the band's answering harmony coming as if from an equally inspired church congregation):
"...watch my daddy in bed a-dyin' / watched his hair been turnin' grey / he's been workin' and slavin' his life away / oh yes I know it / (yeah!) he's been working so hard / (yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby / (yeah!) every night and day / (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!) / we gotta get out of this place / if it's the last thing we ever do / we gotta get out of this place / 'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you..."
During an 11-week chart run that began at the end of the Summer of 1965, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" took The Animals to # 13 on the charts.
"It's My Life":
My favorite Animals' song, I first "discovered" this tune watching "The Midnight Special" in 1974 when The Eric Burdon Band did their remake of the tune. It was that performance that forced this then 17-year-old to journey back and discover that The Animals were more than "House Of The Rising Sun" as music-makers.
The Animals took "It's My Life" to # 23 during a 12-week chart run that began in November, 1965, and continued into early 1966. It's the brooding lament (once again) of a would-be working class hero. The song pretty much captured my liberal, rebellious nature in my late teens, and Burdon embodied the "don't mess with me" attitude perfectly.
With it's in-you're-face throbbing bass (Chas Chandler was an amazing bass player) as an undercurrent, the song's nasty main guitar riff dares you to get in its way as it carries you along with the song's melody (an effect similar to The Raiders' "Kicks" and The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," other teen-frustration favorites of mine) as it underscores the almost menacing nature of the tune's lyrics.
As an interpreter of a song's lyrics, no one is better than Eric Burdon here (with the band sounding Rolling Stone-ish on the backing chorus):
"It's a hard world to get a break in / all the good things have been taken / but girl there are ways to make certain things pay / though I'm dressed in these rags, I'll wear sable one day / hear what I say / I'm gonna ride the serpent / no more time spent sweatin' rent / hear my command / I'm breakin' loose, it ain't no use / holdin' me down, stick around / but baby (baby) / remember (remember) / it's my life and I'll do what I want / it's my mind and I'll think what I want / show me I'm wrong, hurt me sometime / but some day I'll treat you real fine..."
The Animals today:
The Animals reunited for acclaimed albums in 1977 ("Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted," which hit # 70), 1983 ("Ark," which reached # 66) and 1984 "Rip It To Shreds - The Animals Greatest Hits Live!" (which peaked at # 193), but none of the albums were major hits for the band.
The deaths of original bass player Chas Chandler in 1996 and later keyboardist Dave Rowberry in 2003 haven't ended the group, however. The surviving members continue to perform solo and have reunited for performances in recent years.
Eric Burdon tours and performs worldwide solo (he has numerous appearances scheduled this year across the United States, Europe and Russia, among other venues). He no longer tours with The Animals.
Eric is also an accomplished artist, with some of his artwork appearing on album covers (he also sells some of his work through his website).
Keyboardist Alan Price did the soundtrack for the 1973 film "O Lucky Man!" (starring Malcolm McDowell and Rachel Roberts) for which he won a Golden Globe Award nomination. The film's soundtrack won the Anthony Asquith Award For Film Music in 1974. Price also appears in the movie, and in such later films as "Alfie Darling" (winning the "Most Promising New British Actor" award in 1975).
Price, according to his label biography, is a self-taught musician who trained himself on piano, guitar and bass from the age of 8-years-old. After leaving The Animals (the official reason was a fear of flying), Price scored a post-Animals hit with The Alan Price Set in 1965 with "I Put A Spell On You" (that cover of a Screamin' Jay Hawkins tune hit # 80 on Billboard's Hot 100 and features Price on lead vocals).
Though his U. S. solo success never matched The Animals', Price did score British hits with "Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear" (written by Randy Newman), "The House That Jack Built" (also by Newman), "Jarrow Song" and (recording with Georgie Fame as "Fame and Price") "Rosetta." He continues to record today with his Electric Blues Company.
Price has also written a number of musicals/stage shows over the years, including "Home," "The Brass Band Man," "Andy Capp" and "Who's A Lucky Boy?"
Guitarist Hilton Valentine and drummer John Steel toured for a time in the 1990s as The Animals II (as in second edition).
In 1994, the original lineup was reunited for induction into Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and Museum.
In 2001, the surviving four members of the original Animals reformed for a two-night reunion gig coinciding with the band's induction into the Hollywood Rockwalk Hall Of Fame.
Recommendation:
"The Best Of The Animals" succeeds in capturing the band's peak period and original lineup with a crisp, clear, digitally remastered sound reproduced from the original master recordings produced by Mickie Most (who passed away in May 2003).
Though one wishes that later hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals such as "See See Rider" (# 10 in 1966), "When I Was Young" (# 15 in 1967), "San Franciscan Nights" (# 9 in 1967) and "Monterey" (# 15 in 1967-68, the tune is about the legendary Monterey Pop Festival that year where Eric Burdon and The Animals performed) were included, this set, a reissue of a 1966 LP, was never meant to be complete.
What "The Best Of The Animals" collection does is capture the original hit-making lineup's recordings quite well, which is the intention of this release, and is a good introduction to the band with plenty of hits included.
Fans of The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, rhythm and blues, and of Brit-pop should enjoy this.
The official Animals website: http://www.animals.mcmail.com
The official Eric Burdon website: http://www.ericburdon.com
The official Hilton Valentine website: http://www.hiltonvalentine.com
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Animals' biography: http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=58
Rockwalk Hall of Fame Animals biography: http://www.rockwalk.com/cgi-bin/rockwalk.cgi/ANIMALS
I. R. S. Records Animals biography: http://www.irscorner.com/a/animals.html
The biggest # 1 hits of British radio as chosen by 190,000 British fans: http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0300entertainment/0500music/page.cfm?objectid=12349995&method=full&siteid=50081
Noddy Holder, whose band Slade scored six # 1 hits in England in the 1970s, wrote his autobiography recently, "Who's Crazee Now?" (with its deliberately misspelled title). In the book he details his friendship with Slade's manager, Chas Chandler, who was The Animals' bass player. You may like my review of the book at: http://www.epinions.com/content_93046476420
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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