The Animals - The Complete Animals Disc 1

The Animals - The Complete Animals Disc 1

Label: EMI – CDS 79 4613 2, EMI – CDP 79 4613 2, EMI – 7946132, EMI – CD EM 1367
Format: 2 x CD, Compilation, Repress
Country: Europe
Released: 2010
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Beat, Rhythm & Blues, Blues Rock, Rock & Roll

1-1 Boom Boom
Written-By – Hooker*
3: 21
1-2 Talkin' 'Bout You
Written-By – Charles*
7: 06
1-3 Blue Feeling
Written-By – Unknown*
Written-By [Uncredited] – Jimmy Henshaw
2: 34
1-4 Dimples
Written-By – Hooker*
2: 53
1-5 Baby Let Me Take You Home
Written By – Russell/Farrell
Written-By – Russell*, Farrell*
2: 23
1-6 Gonna Send You Back To Walker
Written By – Matthews/Hammond Jnr.
Written-By – Hammond Jnr.*, Matthews*
2: 30
1-7 Baby What's Wrong
Written-By – Reed*
2: 53
1-8 The House Of The Rising Sun
Arranged By – Price*
Written-By – Trad.*
4: 32
1-9 F-E-E-L
Written-By – Unknown*
2: 44
1-10 I'm Mad Again
Written-By – Hooker*
4: 18
1-11 The Right Time
Written-By – Herman*
3: 47
1-12 Around And Around
Written-By – Berry*
2: 47
1-13 I'm In Love Again
Written-By – Domino/Bartholomew*
3: 04
1-14 Bury My Body
Arranged By – Price*
2: 53
1-15 She Said Yeah
Written By – Jackson/Christy
Written-By – Christy*, Jackson*
2: 22
1-16 I'm Crying
Written-By – Price*, Burdon*
2: 49
1-17 Take It Easy
Written By – Price/Burdon
Written-By – Price*, Burdon*
2: 55
1-18 The Story Of Bo Diddley
Written By – Burdon/McDaniel
Written-By – McDaniel*, Burdon*
5: 46
1-19 The Girl Can't Help It
Written-By – Troup*
2: 23
1-20 I've Been Around
Written-By – Domino*
1: 37

The Animals (currently billed as Eric Burdon & The Animals (feat. original frontman Eric Burdon) and Animals & Friends (feat. original drummer John Steel) are an English rock band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1963.

The Animals' original lineup consisted of frontman Eric Burdon, guitarist Hilton Valentine, bass guitarist Chas Chandler, keyboardist Alan Price, and drummer John Steel. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound, they balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm-and-blues-orientated album material, and were part of the British Invasion of the US.

The Animals rose to prominence with their signature song and transatlantic number-one hit single "The House of the Rising Sun", and continued this success with hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", "It's My Life", "Don't Bring Me Down", "I'm Crying", "See See Rider" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". They underwent numerous personnel changes in the mid-1960s, and suffered from poor business management, leading the original incarnation to split up in 1966. Burdon then assembled a mostly new lineup of musicians under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals; the much-changed act moved to California and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic and progressive rock band with hits such as "San Franciscan Nights", "When I Was Young" and "Sky Pilot" before disbanding at the end of the decade.

The original lineup of Burdon, Price, Chandler, Valentine and Steel reunited for a one-off benefit concert in Newcastle in 1968. They later launched brief comebacks in 1975 and 1983. Several partial regroupings of the original-era members have occurred since then under various names. Altogether, the band has had 10 top-20 hits in both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100. The Animals' original lineup were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Animals formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during 1962 and 1963 when Burdon joined the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo. The original lineup was Burdon (vocals), Price (organ and keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums) and Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass).

Originally formed as the Alan Price Combo, they changed their name to the Animals. They were supposedly dubbed "animals" because of their wild stage act, and the name stuck. In a 2013 interview, Burdon denied this, stating that the name was a tribute to a friend known as "Animal" Hogg. In a 2021 interview, Steel affirmed that the name was given them by Graham Bond. The Animals' success in their hometown and a connection with Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky motivated them to move to London in 1964 in the immediate wake of Beatlemania and the beat boom takeover of the popular music scene, just in time to play an important role in the British Invasion of the American music charts.

The Animals performed fiery versions of the staple rhythm-and-blues repertoire, covering songs by artists such as Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, and Nina Simone. Signed to EMI's Columbia label, their first single was a rocking version of the standard "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" (retitled "Baby Let Me Take You Home").

In June 1964, the transatlantic number-one hit "The House of the Rising Sun" was released. Burdon's vocals and the particular arrangement, featuring Price's haunting organ riffs, created perhaps the first folk-rock hit. Debates continue[by whom?] regarding the Animals' inspiration for the arrangement, which has been variously ascribed to prior versions by Bob Dylan, folk singer Dave Van Ronk, blues singer Josh White (who recorded it twice, in 1944 and 1949) and singer/pianist Nina Simone (who recorded it in 1962 for Nina at the Village Gate). The arrangement is said[by whom?] to owe much to the band's desire to become the most memorable of the many acts on tour in the UK.

The Animals' two-year chart career, with their songs produced by Mickie Most, featured intense, gritty pop-music covers such as Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me" and the Simone-popularised number "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". In contrast, their album tracks stayed with rhythm and blues, with John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" and Ray Charles' "I Believe to My Soul" as notable examples.

In October 1964, the Animals visited New York for concert dates and an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. They were transported from the airport into Manhattan in a motorcade, chased by shrieking young female fans, consisting of Sunbeam Alpine Series IV top-down convertibles with fashion models riding along. The Animals sang "I'm Crying" and "The House of the Rising Sun" to a packed audience of hysterical fans screaming throughout both performances on Sullivan's show. In December, the MGM film Get Yourself a College Girl was released, featuring the Animals and the Dave Clark Five. The Animals sang the Chuck Berry song "Around and Around" in the film.

By May 1965, the group was starting to feel internal pressures. Price left because of personal and musical differences.