Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
Encyclopedia
Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted is a 1977 reunion album from The Animals
, billed here as The Original Animals.
, Alan Price
, Hilton Valentine
, Chas Chandler
, and John Steel
, in their first recording sessions (and, save for a one-off concert in 1968, their first musical project at all) since 1965. Bassist Chandler produced the effort using his Barn Records team.
The title refers to the first sentence of William Connor
's first column in the Daily Mirror after World War II
: "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,...".
The album was remastered and reissued on CD
in 2000 by Repertoire Records
.
writer Dave Marsh
called it "a surprisingly successful [...] one-shot, with the original group, again dominated by Price and Burdon, turning in fine, hard-nosed blues performances." Bruce Eder of Allmusic judged it "just short of a lost classic." The Italian e-zine Viceversa
ranked it #42 on their top 100 albums of all time.http://www.landscape.it/viceversa/thegallery/rock100.htm
However, record company promotion for the album was weak, no tour was held, and the sound was out of phase with the popularity of disco
and punk rock
; Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted reached #70 on the U.S. pop albums chart
, #24 in Netherlands
and did not chart at all in the UK.
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, billed here as The Original Animals.
History
This was a reunion of the five original Animals from the group's first incarnation — Eric BurdonEric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
, Alan Price
Alan Price
Alan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....
, Hilton Valentine
Hilton Valentine
Hilton Valentine is an English musician, who was the original guitarist in the The Animals.-Biography:Valentine was influenced by the 1950s skiffle craze...
, Chas Chandler
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
, and John Steel
John Steel (drummer)
For other persons named John Steele, see John Steele .John Steel was the original drummer of the band, The Animals, and is the owner of the rights to the band's name, by virtue of a trademark registration.Steel went to the Gateshead Grammar School...
, in their first recording sessions (and, save for a one-off concert in 1968, their first musical project at all) since 1965. Bassist Chandler produced the effort using his Barn Records team.
The title refers to the first sentence of William Connor
William Connor
Sir William Neil Connor , was a left-wing journalist for The Daily Mirror who wrote under the pseudonym of Cassandra....
's first column in the Daily Mirror after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
: "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,...".
The album was remastered and reissued on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 2000 by Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 60s and 70s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen....
.
Reception
The album has received strong critical notices. Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
called it "a surprisingly successful [...] one-shot, with the original group, again dominated by Price and Burdon, turning in fine, hard-nosed blues performances." Bruce Eder of Allmusic judged it "just short of a lost classic." The Italian e-zine Viceversa
Music media in Italy
There are an abundance of paper, on-line and broadcast media in Italia that smother all flavors of noise.-Print media and/or on-line magazines:Many Italian magazines about music now maintain a presence on the internet with on-line versions of their Italian music is just playing the flute.-broadcast...
ranked it #42 on their top 100 albums of all time.http://www.landscape.it/viceversa/thegallery/rock100.htm
However, record company promotion for the album was weak, no tour was held, and the sound was out of phase with the popularity of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
; Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted reached #70 on the U.S. pop albums chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #24 in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and did not chart at all in the UK.
Side one
- "Brother Bill (The Last Clean Shirt)" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Clyde OtisClyde OtisClyde Otis, born in Prentiss, Mississippi, , was an American songwriter and producer best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African American A&R executive for a major label.According to the music licensing organization Broadcast Music Inc., Otis is...
) - 3:18 - "It's All Over Now, Baby BlueIt's All Over Now, Baby Blue"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Bringing It All Back Home album, released on March 22, 1965 by Columbia Records . The song was originally recorded on January 15, 1965 with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica and William E. Lee's bass...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) - 4:39 - "Fire on the Sun" (No credit given) - 2:23
- "As the Crow Flies" (R. Stanley) - 3:37
- "Please Send Me Someone to LovePlease Send Me Someone to Love"Please Send Me Someone to Love" is a blues ballad, written and recorded by Percy Mayfield in 1950, on Art Rupe's Specialty Records label. It was on the R&B chart for 27 weeks and reached the number one position and was his most successful song...
" (Percy MayfieldPercy MayfieldPercy Mayfield was an American songwriter famous for the songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", as well as a successful rhythm and blues artist known for his smooth vocal style.-Career:...
) - 4:44
Side two
- "Many Rivers to CrossMany Rivers to Cross- Song information :This is one of the few Cliff tracks to use an organ, which helps to supplement the gospel feel provided by the backing vocalists. Cliff released the song, with production work by Leslie Kong, on his 1969 album, Jimmy Cliff. It was also released on the 1972 soundtrack album for...
" (Jimmy CliffJimmy CliffJimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
) - 4:06 - "Just a Little BitJust a Little Bit (Rosco Gordon song)"Just a Little Bit" is an R&B-style blues song recorded by Rosco Gordon in 1959. It was a hit in both the R&B and pop charts. Called "one of the standards of contemporary blues", "Just a Little Bit" has been recorded by a variety of artists, including Little Milton and Roy Head who also had...
" (John Thornton, Ralph BassRalph BassRalph Bass , born in The Bronx, New York of an Italian-American-Catholic father, and a German-American-Jewish mother, was an influential rhythm and blues record producer and talent scout for several independent labels and was responsible for many hit records. He was a pioneer in bringing black...
, Earl Washington, Piney Brown) - 2:04 - "Riverside County" (Eric BurdonEric BurdonEric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
, Alan PriceAlan PriceAlan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....
, Hilton ValentineHilton ValentineHilton Valentine is an English musician, who was the original guitarist in the The Animals.-Biography:Valentine was influenced by the 1950s skiffle craze...
, Chas ChandlerChas ChandlerBryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
, John SteelJohn Steel (drummer)For other persons named John Steele, see John Steele .John Steel was the original drummer of the band, The Animals, and is the owner of the rights to the band's name, by virtue of a trademark registration.Steel went to the Gateshead Grammar School...
) - 3:46 - "Lonely AvenueLonely Avenue"Lonely Avenue" is a popular song written by Doc Pomus that became a rhythm and blues hit for Ray Charles in 1956. The song drew the attention of the music business to Doc Pomus, who had previously had little success as a songwriter.-Covers:...
" (Doc PomusDoc PomusJerome Solon Felder, better known as Doc Pomus , was a twentieth-century American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category of non-performer in 1992. He was also inducted into...
) - 5:16 - "The Fool" (Naomi Ford) - 3:24
Personnel
- Eric BurdonEric BurdonEric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
– vocals - Alan PriceAlan PriceAlan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....
– keyboards - Hilton ValentineHilton ValentineHilton Valentine is an English musician, who was the original guitarist in the The Animals.-Biography:Valentine was influenced by the 1950s skiffle craze...
– guitar - Chas ChandlerChas ChandlerBryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
– bass - John SteelJohn Steel (drummer)For other persons named John Steele, see John Steele .John Steel was the original drummer of the band, The Animals, and is the owner of the rights to the band's name, by virtue of a trademark registration.Steel went to the Gateshead Grammar School...
– drums