The Animals-The Complete Animals (2CD) + Inside Looking Out

THE ANIMALS



Formed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne during 1962 and 1963 when Burdon joined the existing 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.[1] 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 Columbia Graphophone 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 huge transatlantic 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 subject of 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 singles that were intense, gritty pop 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" being notable examples. Burdon's powerful, deep voice and the use of keyboards as much or more than guitars were two elements that made the Animals' sound stand out.



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;[2] he went on to a successful career as a solo artist and with the Alan Price Set. Mickey Gallagher filled in for him on keyboards for a spell, until Dave Rowberry replaced him and was on hand for the hit working-class anthems "We Gotta Get Out of This Place"[3] and "It's My Life". Around that time, an Animals Big Band even made a one-time appearance.[4]



Many of The Animals' hits had come from Brill Building songwriters recruited by Most; the group, and Burdon in particular, felt this was 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 onto The Best of The Animals; it became their best-selling album in the U.S. 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.



By this time their business affairs "were in a total shambles," according to Chandler (who would go on to manage Jimi Hendrix), and the group disbanded. Even by the standards of the day, when artists tended to be financially na?, the Animals made very little money from their successes, eventually claiming mismanagement and theft on the part of their manager Michael Jeffery.









1. The Complete Animals



The title is a bit of a misnomer; this double CD does include the complete sessions that the Animals recorded with producer Mickie Most in 1964 and 1965. The 40 songs capture the band at their peak, including most of their best and biggest hits: "House of the Rising Sun," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Bring It on Home to Me," "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," "I'm Crying," "It's My Life," and "Boom Boom." Most of the rest of the tunes don't match the excellence of these smashes, though they're solid. The great majority of them are covers of vintage R&B/rock tunes by Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and the like, which aren't quite as durable as reinterpretations from the same era by the Stones and Yardbirds. When they hit the mark, though, the Animals produced some great album tracks that have been mostly forgotten by time, such as "I'm Mad Again" (originally by John Lee Hooker), "Worried Life Blues," and "Bury My Body." After leaving Most, the group would maintain their peak for another year or so (this period is represented on the fine import collection Inside Looking Out) despite the departure of one of rock's all-time finest organists, Alan Price. This compilation has everything that Price recorded with the group, including four previously unreleased cuts and the non-LP Eric Burdon original on the B-side of "It's My Life," "I'm Gonna Change the World."





CD 1



01. Boom Boom

02. Talkin' Bout You

03. Blue Feeling

04. Dimples

05. Baby Let Me Take You Home

06. Gonna Send You Back To Walker

07. Baby What's Wrong

08. The House Of The Rising Sun

09. F-E-E-L

10. I'm Mad Again

11. The Right Time

12. Around And Around

13. I'm In Love Again

14. Bury My Body

15. She Said Yeah

16. I'm Crying

17. Take It Easy

18. The Story Of Bo Diddley

19. The Girl Can't Help It

20. I've Been Around





CD 2



01. Memphis Tennessee

02. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

03. Club-A-Gogo

04. Roadrunner

05. Hallelujah I Love Her So

06. Don't Want Much

07. I Believe To My Soul

08. Let The Good Times Roll

09. Mess Around

10. How You've Changed

11. I Ain't Got You

12. Roberta

13. Bright Lights Big City

14. Worried Life Blues

15. Bring It On Home To Me

16. For Miss Caulker

17. I Can't Believe It

18. We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place

19. It's My Life

20. I'm Gonna Change The World



Label: EMI

Date: 1990







2. Inside Looking Out (The 1965-1966 Sessions)



Together with the double-CD The Complete Animals, Inside Looking Out forms a complete retrospective of the great British Invasion band. This 22-song compilation features all of the essential recordings cut by the group in 1965 and 1966 after they broke with their original producer Mickie Most, and before Eric Burdon dissolved the core of the original lineup to pursue solo stardom with an Animals group featuring entirely different musicians. These tracks were perhaps more soul-oriented than their previous recordings, but the group still burns on the hits "Inside Looking Out" and "Don't Bring Me Down." Despite the absence of original keyboardist Alan Price, the group continued to showcase Burdon's passionate vocals and burning, vibrant organ (by Price's replacement Dave Rowberry) on both renowned and obscure R&B tunes, with an occasional original thrown in. Besides the entirety of their final British LP Animalisms (from 1966) and the above-mentioned singles, the CD includes the hits "Help Me Girl" and "See See Rider" (credited to "Eric Burdon and the Animals," these were possibly Burdon solo records). The four tracks from their first release, an independently released 1963 EP featuring primitive R&B standards, are small but noteworthy bonus cuts that close this collection.





01. Inside-Looking Out

02. Outcast (European Version)

03. Don't Bring Me Down

04. Cheating

05. Help Me Girl

06. See See Rider

07. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show

08. Maudie

09. Sweet Little Sixteen

10. You're On My Mind

11. Clapping

12. Gin House Blues

13. Squeeze Her Tease Her

14. What Am I Living For

15. I Put A Spell On You

16. That's All I Am To You

17. She'll Return It

18. Mama Told Me Not To Come

19. I Just Want To Make Love To You

20. Boom Boom

21. Big Boss Man

22. Pretty Thing



Label: Sequel

Date: 1990









BITRATE: 320



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