Monterey (song)
Encyclopedia
"Monterey" is a 1967 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, with music and lyrics by the group's members, Eric Burdon
, John Weider
, Vic Briggs
, Danny McCulloch
, and Barry Jenkins
. In 1968, two different video clips of the song were aired.
Other than lead singer Burdon and recent drummer holdover Jenkins, the band that recorded and released "Monterey" was an entirely separate mid-1960s band known as The Animals. Burdon transformed himself from a hard-driving bluesman to his own version of psychedelia
. The new Burdon and band appeared at the famed 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
at the Monterey County Fairgrounds
in Monterey, California
at the peak of the Summer of Love
; they followed Johnny Rivers
onstage and were introduced by Chet Helms
. In his book, Monterey Pop, Joel Selvin
wrote that, at the festival, "Burdon did nothing short of reinvent himself in front of the audience."
The song "Monterey" was subsequently written in tribute to the group's experiences at the festival, and proved to be one of the new band's biggest hits. The lyric told the story of the event, how "the people came and listened," and others gave away flowers, "down in Monterey." The lyrics describe the musicians who played at the festival, including The Byrds
, Jefferson Airplane
, Ravi Shankar
, The Who
, Hugh Masakela, The Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix
, as "young gods" with music "born of love" and "religion was being born." The band described a scene at which "children danced night and day," and "even the cops grooved with us." "His Majesty Prince Jones" referred to Brian Jones
of the Rolling Stones, who was the MC at the big event. Before the ending of the song, Burdon quoted a line from the Byrds song "Renaissance Fair" with the line "I think that Maybe I'm Dreamin'."
Released as a single in 1967, the song reached number 15 on the U.S. pop singles chart
and number 16 on the Canadian RPM
charts. It did not appear as a hit in the UK, where the image of the festival was not as strong. It was included in the new band's second album The Twain Shall Meet
as well as their 1969 U.S.-only compilation, The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals
.
The Mexican MGM release gives the song titles in Spanish as "Monterrey" and "No Es Muchos". Monterrey is in fact an entirely different city
, in Mexico.
In 1967 and 1968 it was included on their live shows. Burdon re-recorded the song many times at his live shows, adding more and more sequences every time.
In 1993, the Eric Burdon - Brian Auger
Band released it on their live album "Access All Areas
". In 1999, it was featured on Eric Burdon & The New Animals' concert film "Live at the Coachhouse". In 2000 the same band released another long live version, which runs for nearly 8 minutes. When Burdon had a completely new band in 2006 they also performed it sometimes.
Eric 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...
, John Weider
John Weider
John Weider is a rock musician who plays guitar, bass, and violin. He is best known as the bass player for the British band, Family from 1969 to 1971.-Biography:...
, Vic Briggs
Vic Briggs
Victor Harvey Briggs III is a former blues and rock musician, best known as the lead guitarist with Eric Burdon and The Animals during the 1966-1968 period...
, Danny McCulloch
Danny McCulloch
Daniel Joseph 'Danny' McCulloch is an English musician, best known for having been the bassist of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Eric Burdon & The Animals....
, and Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins
Colin Ernest "Barry" Jenkins is an English musician, who is best known for being a drummer for The Animals during both of that 1960s group's incarnations....
. In 1968, two different video clips of the song were aired.
Other than lead singer Burdon and recent drummer holdover Jenkins, the band that recorded and released "Monterey" was an entirely separate mid-1960s band known as The Animals. Burdon transformed himself from a hard-driving bluesman to his own version of psychedelia
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
. The new Burdon and band appeared at the famed 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
at the Monterey County Fairgrounds
Monterey County Fairgrounds
Monterey County Fairgrounds is the site of the Monterey Pop Festival and the Monterey Bay Race Place.- External links :*...
in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
at the peak of the Summer of Love
Summer of Love
The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, creating a cultural and political rebellion...
; they followed Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...
onstage and were introduced by Chet Helms
Chet Helms
Chester Leo "Chet" Helms , often called the father of San Francisco's "1967 Summer of Love," was a music promoter and a cultural figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the late Sixties....
. In his book, Monterey Pop, Joel Selvin
Joel Selvin
Joel Selvin is a San Francisco-based music critic and author known for his weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle which ran from 1972 to 2009. Selvin has written books covering various aspects of pop music and has interviewed a large number of musical artists...
wrote that, at the festival, "Burdon did nothing short of reinvent himself in front of the audience."
The song "Monterey" was subsequently written in tribute to the group's experiences at the festival, and proved to be one of the new band's biggest hits. The lyric told the story of the event, how "the people came and listened," and others gave away flowers, "down in Monterey." The lyrics describe the musicians who played at the festival, including The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Hugh Masakela, The Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, as "young gods" with music "born of love" and "religion was being born." The band described a scene at which "children danced night and day," and "even the cops grooved with us." "His Majesty Prince Jones" referred to Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
of the Rolling Stones, who was the MC at the big event. Before the ending of the song, Burdon quoted a line from the Byrds song "Renaissance Fair" with the line "I think that Maybe I'm Dreamin'."
Released as a single in 1967, the song reached number 15 on the U.S. pop singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number 16 on the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
charts. It did not appear as a hit in the UK, where the image of the festival was not as strong. It was included in the new band's second album The Twain Shall Meet
The Twain Shall Meet
The Twain Shall Meet is an album released in 1968 by Eric Burdon & The Animals.It includes "Sky Pilot", an anti-war song of the Vietnam War era, including the sound of a plane crashing and a guitar riff by Vic Briggs, and "Monterey", the band's tribute to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival...
as well as their 1969 U.S.-only compilation, The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals
The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals
The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals was the group's compilation representing The Animals' last three lineups, and showcased their venture into psychedelic rock. It was released in March 1969 in the US but never put out in the United Kingdom; it was the last album MGM Records would...
.
The Mexican MGM release gives the song titles in Spanish as "Monterrey" and "No Es Muchos". Monterrey is in fact an entirely different city
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, in Mexico.
In 1967 and 1968 it was included on their live shows. Burdon re-recorded the song many times at his live shows, adding more and more sequences every time.
In 1993, the Eric Burdon - Brian Auger
Brian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
Band released it on their live album "Access All Areas
Access All Areas (1993 album)
Access All Areas is a live album by Eric Burdon and Brian Auger Band recorded in on May 10, 1993.-History:When they first met in 1991, Auger asked Burdon if he wants to play with him. Burdon agreed and they formed the "Eric Burdon – Brian Auger Band"...
". In 1999, it was featured on Eric Burdon & The New Animals' concert film "Live at the Coachhouse". In 2000 the same band released another long live version, which runs for nearly 8 minutes. When Burdon had a completely new band in 2006 they also performed it sometimes.
See also
- Monterey Pop FestivalMonterey Pop FestivalThe Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...