The Animals
Encyclopedia
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. The Animals were known for their gritty, blues
y sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon
, as exemplified by their number one signature song
"The House of the Rising Sun
" as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place
", "It's My Life
", and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". The band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues
-oriented album material. They were known in the U.S. as part of the British Invasion
.
The Animals underwent numerous personnel changes in the mid-1960s and suffered from poor business management. Under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, they moved to California and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic rock
band, before disbanding at the end of the decade. Altogether, the group had ten Top Twenty hits in both the UK Singles Chart
and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
.
The original lineup had a brief comeback in 1977 and 1983. There have been several partial regroupings of the original era members since then under various names. The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1994.
during 1962 and 1963 when Burdon joined the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, the original line-up was 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.
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, covering songs by Jimmy Reed
, John Lee Hooker
, Nina Simone
, and others. Signed to EMI
's Columbia
label, 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 transatlantic number one hit "House of the Rising Sun
". Burdon's howling vocals and the dramatic arrangement created arguably the first folk rock
hit. There is ongoing debate regarding The Animals' inspiration for their arrangement of the song, which has variously been 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 on Nina at the Village Gate
).
The Animals' two-year chart career, produced by Mickie Most
, featured intense, gritty pop music covers such as Sam Cooke
's "Bring It On Home To Me
" and the Nina 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 November 1964, the group was poised to make their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show
and begin a short residency performing regularly in theatres across New York City. The group arrived at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport
in a motorcade which featured each member of the band riding with a model in the back seat of a Cadillac. The group drove to their hotel accompanied by the occasional shrieks of girls who had chased them down once they discovered who they were. The Animals sang "I'm Crying
" and "The House of the Rising Sun
" to a packed audience of hysterical girls screaming throughout both performances on Sullivan's show. In December, the MGM
movie Get Yourself a College Girl
was released with the Animals headlining with The Dave Clark Five
. The Animals sang a Chuck Berry
song, "Around and Around
", in the movie.
By May 1965 the group was starting to feel internal pressures. Price left due to personal and musical differences as well as fear of flying
on tour. He went on to a successful career as a solo artist and with the Alan Price Set. Mick Gallagher filled in for him on keyboards for a short time until Dave Rowberry
replaced him and was on hand for the hit songs "We Gotta Get out of This Place
" and "It's My Life
".
Around that time, the Animals put together a big band
to play at the 5th Annual British Jazz & Blues Festival
in Richmond
. The Animals Big Band made their one public appearance on 5 August 1965. As well as Burdon, Rowberry, Valentine, Chandler, and Steel, they featured a brass/horn section of Ian Carr
, Kenny Wheeler
and Greg Brown on trumpets, and Stan Robinson
, Al Gay, Dick Morrissey
and Paul Carroll on saxophones.
Many of The Animals' hits had come from Brill Building
songwriters recruited by Mickie Most; the group, and Burdon in particular, felt this too creatively restrictive. As 1965 ended, the group ended its association with Most, signed a new deal with their American label MGM Records
for the US and Canada, switched to Decca Records
for the rest of the world and MGM Records producer Tom Wilson, who gave them more artistic freedom. In early 1966 MGM collected their hits on The Best of The Animals
; it became their best-selling album in the US. In February 1966, Steel left and was replaced by Barry Jenkins
. A leftover rendition of Goffin
-King
's "Don't Bring Me Down
" was the last hit as The Animals. For the single "See See Rider
" the band changed its name to Eric Burdon & The Animals. In September 1966, the group disbanded.
Burdon recorded a solo album, called Eric Is Here
, which also featured Burdon's UK #14 solo hit single, "Help Me, Girl", which he heavily promoted on TV shows such as Ready, Steady, Go! and Top of the Pops
in late 1966. Eric Is Here was Burdon's final release for Decca Records.
By this time their business affairs "were in a total shambles" according to Chandler (who went on to manage Jimi Hendrix
) and the group disbanded. Even by the standards of the day when artists tended to be financially naïve the Animals made very little money, eventually claiming mismanagement and theft on the part of their manager Michael Jeffery.
A group with Burdon, Jenkins, and new sidemen John Weider
(guitar/violin/bass), Vic Briggs
(guitar/piano), and Danny McCulloch
(bass) were formed under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals (or sometimes Eric Burdon and the New Animals) in December 1966 and changed direction. The hard driving blues was transformed into Burdon's version of psychedelia as the former heavy drinking Geordie
(who later said he could never get used to Newcastle "where the rain comes at you sideways") relocated to California and became a spokesman for the Love Generation
.
Some of this group's hits included "San Franciscan Nights
", "Monterey
" (a tribute to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
), and "Sky Pilot
". Their sound was much heavier than the original group. Burdon screamed more and louder on live versions of "Paint It Black
" and "Hey Gyp". In 1968 they had a more experimental sound on songs like "We Love You Lil" and the 19-minute record "New York 1963 - America 1968". The songs had a style of being silent at the beginning and then becoming psychedelic and raw straight to the end with screaming, strange lyrics and 'scrubbing' instruments.
There were further changes to this lineup: Zoot Money
was added in April 1968, initially as organist/pianist only, but upon the departure of McCulloh he also took on bass and occasional lead vocals. In July 1968 Andy Summers
replaced Briggs. Both Money and Summers were formerly of British psychedelic outfit Dantalian's Chariot
, and much of this new lineup's set was composed of Dantalian's Chariot songs which caught Burdon's interest. Due to Money's multi-instrumental load, in live settings bass was played alternately by Weider and Summers.
By January 1969 these Animals had dissolved, and both their double album Love Is and the singles "Ring of Fire
" and "River Deep – Mountain High" were internationally released. Numerous reasons have been cited for the breakup, the most famous being an aborted Japanese tour. The tour had been scheduled for September 1968 but was delayed until November due to difficulty obtaining visas. Only a few dates into the tour, the promoters - who, unbeknownst to the band, were yakuza
- kidnapped the band's manager and threatened him at gunpoint to write an IOU for $25,000 to cover losses incurred by the tour's delay. The manager wrote out the IOU but, correctly surmising that none of his captors could read English, added a note that it was written under duress. The yakuza released him but warned that he and the band would have to leave Japan the next day or be killed. The Animals promptly fled the country, leaving all their tour equipment behind. Money and Summers both subsequently pursued solo careers(though this pursuit was swiftly aborted in Summers's case), Weider signed up with Family
, and Burdon joined forces with a Latin group from Long Beach
, California, called War
.
" and "Please send me someone to Love". They released the album in 1977 aptly called Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
. The album received critical praise and Burdon and Valentine also recorded some demos at that time, which were, however, never released.
They reunited again in 1983 for the album Ark
and a world concert tour, supplemented by Zoot Money
on keyboards, Nippy Noya
on percussion, Steve Gregory
on saxophone and Steve Grant
on guitar. The first single "The Night
" reached #48 at the US Pop Singles and #34 at the Mainstream Rock Charts. It was also a big hit in Greece. They released a second single called "Love Is For All Time".
Their tour consisted of about one-third material from the original 1960s and two-thirds material from Ark or other songs. The latter included songs like "Heart Attack", "No More Elmore" (both released a year earlier by Burdon), "Oh Lucky Man" (from the 1973 soundtrack album to O Lucky Man!
by Price), "It's Too Late", "Tango", and "Young Girls" (later released on Burdon's compilation, The Night).
On 9 September they had their first gig in New York with a sold-out audience at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center
. The included also a Wembley Stadium concert on 31 December which was released on the Rip it To Shreds
live album in 1984 after they had disbanded again. The last concert at the Royal Oak Theatre in April 1984 was released on 27 February 2008 as Last Live Show. A film about the reunion tour was shot, but never released. Chas Chandler died in 1996, putting an end to the full original line-up.
in 1994. In 2003, the band's version of "The House of the Rising Sun
" ranked #123 on Rolling Stone
magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Their 1965 hit single "We Gotta Get out of This Place
" was ranked #233 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list that was compiled in 2004. Both songs are included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London. The Animals were known for their gritty, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
y sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon
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...
, as exemplified by their number one signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
"The House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
" as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place
We Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
", "It's My Life
It's My Life (The Animals song)
"It's My Life" is a song written by Brill Building songwriters Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico. The song was originally performed by British rock band the Animals, who released it as a single in October 1965 and was one of three songs that the Animals recorded by Brill Building songwriters.The song...
", and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". The band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
-oriented album material. They were known in the U.S. as part of the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
.
The Animals underwent numerous personnel changes in the mid-1960s and suffered from poor business management. Under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, they moved to California and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts 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 United States and the United Kingdom...
band, before disbanding at the end of the decade. Altogether, the group had ten Top Twenty hits in both the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
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...
.
The original lineup had a brief comeback in 1977 and 1983. There have been several partial regroupings of the original era members since then under various names. The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1994.
First incarnation
Formed in Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
during 1962 and 1963 when Burdon joined the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo, the original line-up was Eric Burdon
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...
(vocals), 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....
(organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and keyboards), 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...
(guitar), 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...
(drums), and Bryan "Chas" Chandler
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
(bass).
They were dubbed "animals" because of their wild stage act and the name stuck.
The Animals' moderate success in their hometown and a connection with Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
manager Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky is a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter and record producer. He owned the Crawdaddy Club where The Rolling Stones were house band, and he was involved with their early management. He hired The Yardbirds as a replacement and managed them. He was also their...
motivated them to move to London in 1964, in time to be grouped with the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
. They performed fiery versions of the staple rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
repertoire, covering songs by Jimmy Reed
Jimmy Reed
Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed was an American blues musician and songwriter, notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries...
, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, and others. Signed to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
label, a rocking version of the standard "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" (retitled "Baby Let Me Take You Home
Baby Let Me Take You Home
"Baby Let Me Take You Home", a song credited to Bert Russell and Wes Farrell, was The Animals' debut single, released in 1964. In the UK, it reached #21 on the pop singles chart. In the U.S...
") was their first single.
It was followed in June 1964 by the transatlantic number one hit "House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
". Burdon's howling vocals and the dramatic arrangement created arguably the first folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
hit. There is ongoing debate regarding The Animals' inspiration for their arrangement of the song, which has variously been ascribed to prior versions by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob 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...
, folk singer Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk was an American folk singer, born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York, and was eventually nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street" ....
, blues singer Josh White
Josh White
Joshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
(who recorded it twice in 1944 and 1949), and singer/pianist Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
(who recorded it in 1962 on Nina at the Village Gate
Nina At The Village Gate
Nina Simone at the Village Gate is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone . It was her third live album for Colpix recorded at The Village Gate. It is particularly notable for the amount of folk songs and African related songs on the album early in Simone's career. Richard Pryor had one...
).
The Animals' two-year chart career, produced by Mickie Most
Mickie Most
Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records label....
, featured intense, gritty pop music covers such as Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
's "Bring It On Home To Me
Bring It On Home to Me
"Bring It On Home to Me" is a 1962 soul song written and recorded by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. The song, about infidelity, was a hit for Cooke and has become a pop standard covered by numerous artists of different genres. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped...
" and the Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
popularised number "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit...
". In contrast, their album tracks stayed with rhythm and blues, with John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
's "Boom Boom" and Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
' "I Believe to My Soul" as notable examples.
In November 1964, the group was poised to make their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
and begin a short residency performing regularly in theatres across New York City. The group arrived at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in a motorcade which featured each member of the band riding with a model in the back seat of a Cadillac. The group drove to their hotel accompanied by the occasional shrieks of girls who had chased them down once they discovered who they were. The Animals sang "I'm Crying
I'm Crying
"I'm Crying" is a song originally performed by British rock band The Animals, written by the group's lead vocalist Eric Burdon and organist Alan Price. The song was released as a single in September 1964 and became their second transatlantic hit after "The House of the Rising Sun", which was...
" and "The House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
" to a packed audience of hysterical girls screaming throughout both performances on Sullivan's show. In December, the MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
movie Get Yourself a College Girl
Get Yourself a College Girl
Get Yourself a College Girl is a 1964 Metrocolor film comedy in the style of a beach party movie. The plot involves a college co-ed who tries to balance her time writing songs and dealing with her publisher who tries to pursue her. It was directed by Sidney Miller and written by Robert E...
was released with the Animals headlining with The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK singles charts in January 1964: it eventually peaked at No.6 in the United States in April 1964.They were the second group of the British Invasion,...
. The Animals sang a Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
song, "Around and Around
Around and Around
"Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. It originally appeared under the name "Around & Around" as the B-side to the single "Johnny B. Goode".- The Rolling Stones :...
", in the movie.
By May 1965 the group was starting to feel internal pressures. Price left due to personal and musical differences as well as fear of flying
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
on tour. He went on to a successful career as a solo artist and with the Alan Price Set. Mick Gallagher filled in for him on keyboards for a short time until Dave Rowberry
Dave Rowberry
Dave Rowberry was an English piano and organ player, most known for being a member of the rock and R&B group The Animals in the 1960s....
replaced him and was on hand for the hit songs "We Gotta Get out of This Place
We Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" and "It's My Life
It's My Life (The Animals song)
"It's My Life" is a song written by Brill Building songwriters Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico. The song was originally performed by British rock band the Animals, who released it as a single in October 1965 and was one of three songs that the Animals recorded by Brill Building songwriters.The song...
".
Around that time, the Animals put together a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
to play at the 5th Annual British Jazz & Blues Festival
National Jazz and Blues Festival
The National Jazz and Blues Festival was the precursor to the Reading Rock Festival and was the brainchild of Harold Pendleton, the manager of the prestigious Marquee Club in Soho....
in Richmond
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a London borough in South West London, UK, which forms part of Outer London. It is unique because it is the only London borough situated both north and south of the River Thames.-Settlement:...
. The Animals Big Band made their one public appearance on 5 August 1965. As well as Burdon, Rowberry, Valentine, Chandler, and Steel, they featured a brass/horn section of Ian Carr
Ian Carr
Ian Carr was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator.-Early years:Carr was born in Dumfries, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr...
, Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
and Greg Brown on trumpets, and Stan Robinson
Stan Robinson (saxophonist)
Stan Robinson is an English jazz tenor saxophonist.Robinson started playing professionally at Manchester’s Club 43 before travelling to London and appearing at Ronnie Scott’s Club in the 60s...
, Al Gay, Dick Morrissey
Dick Morrissey
Richard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
and Paul Carroll on saxophones.
Many of The Animals' hits had come from Brill Building
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
songwriters recruited by Mickie Most; the group, and Burdon in particular, felt this too creatively restrictive. As 1965 ended, the group ended its association with Most, signed a new deal with their American label MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
for the US and Canada, switched to Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
for the rest of the world and MGM Records producer Tom Wilson, who gave them more artistic freedom. In early 1966 MGM collected their hits on The Best of The Animals
The Best of The Animals (1966 album)
The Best of The Animals was The Animals' first greatest hits collection. It was released in February 1966 in the United States, but never put out in the United Kingdom...
; it became their best-selling album in the US. In February 1966, Steel left and was replaced by 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....
. A leftover rendition of Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
-King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
's "Don't Bring Me Down
Don't Bring Me Down (The Animals song)
"Don't Bring Me Down" is a rock song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded as a 1966 hit single by The Animals.-History:"Don't Bring Me Down" was the third of The Animals' epic personalisations of Brill Building material, following the 1965 hits "We Gotta Get out of This Place" and...
" was the last hit as The Animals. For the single "See See Rider
See See Rider
The song is generally regarded as being traditional in origin. Ma Rainey's version became popular during 1925, as "See See Rider Blues." It became one of the most famous of all blues songs, with well over 100 versions. It was recorded by Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Lead Belly,...
" the band changed its name to Eric Burdon & The Animals. In September 1966, the group disbanded.
Burdon recorded a solo album, called Eric Is Here
Eric Is Here
Eric Is Here is a 1967 album billed to Eric Burdon & The Animals, although the actual band with Burdon is the Horace Ott Orchestra.-History:...
, which also featured Burdon's UK #14 solo hit single, "Help Me, Girl", which he heavily promoted on TV shows such as Ready, Steady, Go! and Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
in late 1966. Eric Is Here was Burdon's final release for Decca Records.
By this time their business affairs "were in a total shambles" according to Chandler (who went on to manage Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
) and the group disbanded. Even by the standards of the day when artists tended to be financially naïve the Animals made very little money, eventually claiming mismanagement and theft on the part of their manager Michael Jeffery.
Second incarnation
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:...
(guitar/violin/bass), 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...
(guitar/piano), and 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....
(bass) were formed under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals (or sometimes Eric Burdon and the New Animals) in December 1966 and changed direction. The hard driving blues was transformed into Burdon's version of psychedelia as the former heavy drinking Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
(who later said he could never get used to Newcastle "where the rain comes at you sideways") relocated to California and became a spokesman for the Love Generation
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...
.
Some of this group's hits included "San Franciscan Nights
San Franciscan Nights
"San Franciscan Nights" is a 1967 song performed by Eric Burdon and The Animals, with words and music by the group's members, Eric Burdon, Vic Briggs, John Weider, Barry Jenkins, and Danny McCulloch...
", "Monterey
Monterey (song)
"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...
" (a tribute to the 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...
), and "Sky Pilot
Sky Pilot (song)
"Sky Pilot" is a 1968 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, released on the album The Twain Shall Meet. When released as a single the song was split across both sides, due to its length. As "Sky Pilot " it reached number 14 on the U.S...
". Their sound was much heavier than the original group. Burdon screamed more and louder on live versions of "Paint It Black
Paint It, Black
"Paint It, Black" is a song released by The Rolling Stones on 13 May 1966 as the first single from their fourth album Aftermath. It was originally titled "Paint It Black" without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca.The song was written by Mick...
" and "Hey Gyp". In 1968 they had a more experimental sound on songs like "We Love You Lil" and the 19-minute record "New York 1963 - America 1968". The songs had a style of being silent at the beginning and then becoming psychedelic and raw straight to the end with screaming, strange lyrics and 'scrubbing' instruments.
There were further changes to this lineup: Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
was added in April 1968, initially as organist/pianist only, but upon the departure of McCulloh he also took on bass and occasional lead vocals. In July 1968 Andy Summers
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
replaced Briggs. Both Money and Summers were formerly of British psychedelic outfit Dantalian's Chariot
Dantalian's Chariot
Dantalian's Chariot were a British psychedelic rock band that formed in 1967. Led by keyboardist and bandleader Zoot Money, and also featuring Andy Summers , they are best remembered for their single "Madman Running Through the Fields", and for their live performances, which featured early...
, and much of this new lineup's set was composed of Dantalian's Chariot songs which caught Burdon's interest. Due to Money's multi-instrumental load, in live settings bass was played alternately by Weider and Summers.
By January 1969 these Animals had dissolved, and both their double album Love Is and the singles "Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (song)
"Ring of Fire" or "The Ring of Fire" is a country music song popularized by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 compilation album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash...
" and "River Deep – Mountain High" were internationally released. Numerous reasons have been cited for the breakup, the most famous being an aborted Japanese tour. The tour had been scheduled for September 1968 but was delayed until November due to difficulty obtaining visas. Only a few dates into the tour, the promoters - who, unbeknownst to the band, were yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
- kidnapped the band's manager and threatened him at gunpoint to write an IOU for $25,000 to cover losses incurred by the tour's delay. The manager wrote out the IOU but, correctly surmising that none of his captors could read English, added a note that it was written under duress. The yakuza released him but warned that he and the band would have to leave Japan the next day or be killed. The Animals promptly fled the country, leaving all their tour equipment behind. Money and Summers both subsequently pursued solo careers(though this pursuit was swiftly aborted in Summers's case), Weider signed up with Family
Family (band)
Family were an English rock band that formed in late 1966 and disbanded in October 1973. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, although their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles like as folk, psychedelia, acid, jazz fusion and rock and roll...
, and Burdon joined forces with a Latin group from Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California, called War
War (band)
War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
.
Reunions of first incarnation
The original Animals line-up of Burdon, Price, Valentine, Chandler, and Steel reunited for a benefit concert in Newcastle in 1968 and reformed in late 1975 to record again. Burdon later said, nobody understood why they did this short reunion. They did a mini-tour in 1976 and shot a few videos of their new songs like "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:...
" and "Please send me someone to Love". They released the album in 1977 aptly called Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted is a 1977 reunion album from The Animals, billed here as The Original Animals.-History:This was a reunion of the five original Animals from the group's first incarnation — Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Hilton Valentine, Chas Chandler, and John Steel, in their first...
. The album received critical praise and Burdon and Valentine also recorded some demos at that time, which were, however, never released.
1983 reunion
On 12 December 1982, Burdon performed together with Alan Price and a complete line-up.They reunited again in 1983 for the album Ark
Ark (The Animals album)
Ark is a reunion album released in 1983 by the original members of The Animals. It was the second, and last, reunion attempt of the original group.-Track listing:# "Loose Change" -...
and a world concert tour, supplemented by Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
on keyboards, Nippy Noya
Nippy Noya
Nippy Noya is a Europe-based Indonesian percussionist and songwriter, specialising in congas, Kalimba, bongos, Campana, Güiro, Cabasa, shek, Caxixi, triangle and the Berimbau....
on percussion, Steve Gregory
Steve Gregory
Steve Gregory is an English jazz saxophonist and composer. He plays tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophone as well as the flute.Steve Gregory was born in the UK. At St. Paul's School he learned guitar and piano and played clarinet in the school orchestra. He turned down a place at the...
on saxophone and Steve Grant
Steve Grant
Stephen Mitchell "Steve" Grant is a former American football linebacker for the West Virginia Mountaineers and Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League. Grant is currently the chaplin for the Texas Tech University football program in Lubbock , Texas.-Freshman season:Steve Grant enrolled...
on guitar. The first single "The Night
The Night (The Animals song)
"The Night" is a song performed by The Animals in 1983. It was the first single from their 1983 Ark reunion effort. It reached #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #34 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart....
" reached #48 at the US Pop Singles and #34 at the Mainstream Rock Charts. It was also a big hit in Greece. They released a second single called "Love Is For All Time".
Their tour consisted of about one-third material from the original 1960s and two-thirds material from Ark or other songs. The latter included songs like "Heart Attack", "No More Elmore" (both released a year earlier by Burdon), "Oh Lucky Man" (from the 1973 soundtrack album to O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man! is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film, intended as an allegory on life in a capitalist society. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Anderson's...
by Price), "It's Too Late", "Tango", and "Young Girls" (later released on Burdon's compilation, The Night).
On 9 September they had their first gig in New York with a sold-out audience at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
The Mid-Hudson Civic Center is a venue in Poughkeepsie, NY, USA consisting of Mair Hall and the McCann Ice Arena . It was built in the 1970s as part of the general attempt at rehabilitation of the central district of the City of Poughkeepsie...
. The included also a Wembley Stadium concert on 31 December which was released on the Rip it To Shreds
Greatest Hits Live (Rip It to Shreds)
Greatest Hits Live is a live album released in 1984 by the original members of The Animals. It documents the 1983 concert tour that accompanied the second, and last, reunion attempt of the original group....
live album in 1984 after they had disbanded again. The last concert at the Royal Oak Theatre in April 1984 was released on 27 February 2008 as Last Live Show. A film about the reunion tour was shot, but never released. Chas Chandler died in 1996, putting an end to the full original line-up.
Later incarnations
During the 1990s and 2000s there have been several groups calling themselves Animals in part:- In 1993 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...
formed the Animals II and was joined by John Steel in 1994 and Dave RowberryDave RowberryDave Rowberry was an English piano and organ player, most known for being a member of the rock and R&B group The Animals in the 1960s....
in 1999. Other members of this version of the band include Steve Hutchinson, Steve DawsonSteve DawsonSteven "Dobby" Dawson , is an English bass guitarist, founder of Saxon.Dawson was the inspiration for Harry Shearer's Spinal Tap character Derek Smalls.-Saxon:*Saxon *Wheels of Steel...
and Martin Bland. From 1999 until Valentine's departure in 2001 the band toured as The Animals.
- After Valentine left these Animals in 2001, Steel and Rowberry continued on as Animals and Friends with Peter Barton, Jim RodfordJim RodfordJim Rodford is a musician who played with The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans and was a founding member of Argent...
and John Williamson. When Rowberry died in 2003, he was replaced by Mickey Gallagher (who had briefly replaced Alan Price in 1965). Animals and Friends is still around and frequently plays gigs on a Color Line ship that travels between Scandinavia and Germany.
- In the 1990s Danny McCulloch, from the later-1960s Animals released several albums as The Animals, with a great deal of acceptance. The albums contained covers of some original Animals songs as well as new ones written by McCulloch.
- Eric Burdon reformed the Animals with a new backing band in 1998 as Eric Burdon and the New Animals. This was actually just a rename of an existing band he had been touring with in various forms since 1990. Members of this new group included Dean Restum, Dave MerosDave MerosDave Meros , is an American bass guitar player, best known as the bass player for progressive rock band Spock's Beard...
, Neal MorseNeal MorseNeal Morse is an American multi-instrumentalist and progressive rock composer based in Nashville, Tennessee.-Background:...
and Aynsley DunbarAynsley DunbarAynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
. Martin Gerschwitz replaced Morse in 1999 and Dunbar was replaced by Bernie Pershey in 2001. In 2003 the band started touring as Eric Burdon and the Animals. After the line-up changed in 2006 original guitarist Hilton Valentine reunited with the group for its 2008 tours. The group also included Red YoungRed YoungRed Young is a keyboard, piano, synthesizer and organ player.- Beginnings and early success :Grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. He began playing piano at age 3 and did first classical recital at age 10...
, Paula O'Rourke and Tony Braunagle. After Burdon lost the rights to the name, he formed a new band with completely different musicians.
Dispute as to ownership of band name
In 2008, an adjudicator determined that original Animals drummer John Steel owned "The Animals" name in England, by virtue of a trademark registration Steel had made in relation to the name. Eric Burdon had objected to the trademark registration, arguing that Burdon personally embodied any goodwill associated with "The Animals" name. Burdon's argument was rejected, in part based on the fact that he had billed himself as "Eric Burdon and The Animals" as early as 1967, thus separating the goodwill associated with his own name from that of the band.Legacy
The original Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1994. In 2003, the band's version of "The House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
" ranked #123 on Rolling Stone
Rolling 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...
magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Their 1965 hit single "We Gotta Get out of This Place
We Gotta Get out of This Place
"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" was ranked #233 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list that was compiled in 2004. Both songs are included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Discography
- The Animals (1964; The Animals; US)
- The Animals (1964; The Animals; UK)
- The Animals on TourThe Animals on TourThe Animals on Tour was the second American studio album by British rock band The Animals. It was released by MGM Records in February 1965 . The album included two previously released singles, "I'm Crying" and "Boom Boom"....
(1965; The Animals; US) - Animal TracksAnimal Tracks (UK album)Animal Tracks is the second British album by The Animals. This album was released in 1965. The album reached #6 on the UK charts. An identically titled album with a different track listing was released in America the same year.- Track listing :Side 1...
(1965; The Animals; UK) - Animal TracksAnimal Tracks (U.S. album)Animal Tracks was The Animals' third album in the United States. Musically, it was a hodge-podge of the group's recent hit singles mixed in with tracks of assorted vintage that had not been included on either of The Animals' first two U.S. albums...
(1965; The Animals; US) - AnimalismsAnimalismsAnimalisms is the third British album by British group The Animals. It has a track listing generally similar to the American version Animalization that would be released two months later....
(1966; The Animals; UK) - AnimalizationAnimalizationAnimalization is the fourth American album by British R&B group The Animals. It has a track listing somewhat similar to the British album Animalisms...
(1966; The Animals; US) - AnimalismAnimalism (album)Animalism is a blues rock album by The Animals, released in November 1966. The album includes a collaboration with Frank Zappa , with covers of B.B. King, Ray Charles and Sam Cooke....
(1966; The Animals; US) - Eric Is HereEric Is HereEric Is Here is a 1967 album billed to Eric Burdon & The Animals, although the actual band with Burdon is the Horace Ott Orchestra.-History:...
(1967; Eric Burdon & The Animals; US) - Winds of ChangeWinds of Change (Eric Burdon & The Animals album)Winds of Change is an album released in 1967 by Eric Burdon & The Animals.The original band, The Animals, broke up in 1966 and this band was entirely new except for lead singer Eric Burdon and drummer Barry Jenkins, who joined the original lineup when John Steel left in February 1966...
(1967; Eric Burdon & The Animals) - The Twain Shall MeetThe Twain Shall MeetThe 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...
(1968; Eric Burdon & The Animals) - Every One of UsEvery One of UsEvery One Of Us is an album released in 1968 by Eric Burdon & The Animals. It was the second of three albums released by the group in the United States in that year...
(1968; Eric Burdon & The Animals; US) - Love Is (1968; Eric Burdon & The Animals)
- Before We Were So Rudely InterruptedBefore We Were So Rudely InterruptedBefore We Were So Rudely Interrupted is a 1977 reunion album from The Animals, billed here as The Original Animals.-History:This was a reunion of the five original Animals from the group's first incarnation — Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Hilton Valentine, Chas Chandler, and John Steel, in their first...
(1977; The Animals) - ArkArk (The Animals album)Ark is a reunion album released in 1983 by the original members of The Animals. It was the second, and last, reunion attempt of the original group.-Track listing:# "Loose Change" -...
(1983; The Animals)
Member history
| The Animals (1962–1965) |
|
|---|---|
| The Animals (1965) |
|
| The Animals (1965–1966) |
Dave Rowberry Dave Rowberry was an English piano and organ player, most known for being a member of the rock and R&B group The Animals in the 1960s.... - keyboards |
| The Animals (1966) |
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.... - drums |
| Eric Burdon and the Animals (December 1966-1968) |
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... - guitar, piano 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.... - bass 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:... - bass, guitar, violin |
| Eric Burdon and the Animals (1968) |
Zoot Money George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band... - keyboards |
| Eric Burdon and the Animals (April 1968- February 1969) |
Andy Summers Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed... - guitar, bass (live) |
| Eric Burdon and the Animals (February 1969 - 1975) |
Split |
| The Animals (Reunion :1975 -1977) |
|
| The Animals (1977–1983) |
Split |
| The Animals (Reunion : September 1983-April 1984) |
|
| The Animals (1984–1992) |
Split |
| Valentine's Animals (1992) |
|
| Animals II (1992–1994) |
|
| Animals II (1994–1999) |
Steve Dawson Steven "Dobby" Dawson , is an English bass guitarist, founder of Saxon.Dawson was the inspiration for Harry Shearer's Spinal Tap character Derek Smalls.-Saxon:*Saxon *Wheels of Steel... - guitare Martin Bland John Martin Bland , known as Martin Bland, is a British statistician. He has been professor of health statistics at the University of York since 2003... - bass |
| The Animals (1999–2001) |
Jim Rodford Jim Rodford is a musician who played with The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans and was a founding member of Argent... - bass |
| The Animals (2001) |
|
| Animals and friends (2001–2003) |
|
| Animals and friends (2003–present) |
|
Songs in film
- 1964: Get Yourself a College GirlGet Yourself a College GirlGet Yourself a College Girl is a 1964 Metrocolor film comedy in the style of a beach party movie. The plot involves a college co-ed who tries to balance her time writing songs and dealing with her publisher who tries to pursue her. It was directed by Sidney Miller and written by Robert E...
, "Blue Feeling", "Around and AroundAround and Around"Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. It originally appeared under the name "Around & Around" as the B-side to the single "Johnny B. Goode".- The Rolling Stones :...
" aka "Round and Round" (lip-sync) - 1965: The Wednesday PlayThe Wednesday PlayThe Wednesday Play was an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. Every week's play was usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured...
(Episode: Stand Up, Nigel Barton), "We Gotta Get out of This Place" - 1965: Pop GearPop GearPop Gear is a British music review film, directed by Frederic Goode and released in 1965. It contains live concert footage of The Beatles, and lip-synched videos of some of the British Invasion bands, including The Animals, Herman's Hermits, The Nashville Teens, Peter and Gordon, Matt Monro, Billy J...
"House of the Rising Sun", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (lip-sync) - 1967: Stranger in the House, "Ain't that soGood Times (Eric Burdon and The Animals song)"Good Times" is a song recorded by Eric Burdon & The Animals and released on the 1967 album Winds of Change, with music and lyrics by Eric Burdon, John Weider, Vic Briggs, Danny McCulloch and Barry Jenkins....
" - 1983: Purple Haze, "When I Was Young"
- 1985: Men, "When I Was Young"
- 1986: The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
(Episode: Beneath The Surface), "We Gotta Get out of This Place" - 1987: Hamburger HillHamburger HillHamburger Hill is a 1987 American war film about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division 'Screaming Eagles', on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia...
, "We Gotta Get out of This PlaceWe Gotta Get out of This Place"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" - 1988: 19691969 (film)1969 is a 1988 drama film starring Robert Downey, Jr., Kiefer Sutherland, and Winona Ryder. It was written and directed by Ernest Thompson. The original music score is composed by Michael Small...
, "When I Was YoungWhen I Was Young"When I Was Young" is a song performed in 1967 by The Animals with Eric Burdon on vocals. It was released on 8 April. It charted in Australia peaking #2 and stayed 4 weeks there. Later it was a hit charting #10 on the Canadian RPM chart, # 15 in the US and #7 in the Netherlands. The song was...
" - 1992: American MeAmerican MeAmerican Me is a 1992 biographical crime drama film produced and directed by Edward James Olmos, his first film as a director, and written by Floyd Mutrux and Desmond Nakano. Olmos also stars as the film's protagonist, Montoya Santana...
, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" - 1995: CasinoCasino (film)Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese...
, "House of the Rising Sun" - 1998: The WaterboyThe WaterboyThe Waterboy is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler alongside Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Jerry Reed, and Fairuza Balk. Lynn Swann, Lawrence Taylor, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Paul Wight, and Rob Schneider have cameos...
, "The House of the Rising SunThe House of the Rising Sun"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
" - 1999: The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
(Episode: Down Neck), "Don't Bring Me DownDon't Bring Me Down (The Animals song)"Don't Bring Me Down" is a rock song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded as a 1966 hit single by The Animals.-History:"Don't Bring Me Down" was the third of The Animals' epic personalisations of Brill Building material, following the 1965 hits "We Gotta Get out of This Place" and...
" - 2000: Angels of the UniverseAngels of the UniverseAngels of the Universe is a 2000 Icelandic film and directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. The leading role is played by Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, who was nominated for the European Film Awards for best acting...
, "Don't Let Me Be MisunderstoodDon't Let Me Be Misunderstood"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit...
" - 2000: Piso Porta, "Squeeze Her, Tease Her", "That's All I Am To You"
- 2001: 15 Minutes15 Minutes15 Minutes is a 2001 film starring Robert De Niro , Edward Burns and Karel Roden. It is about a homicide detective and a fire marshal who must stop a couple of Eastern European murderers from videotaping their killing and becoming sensationalized by the media. Melina Kanakaredes and Kelsey Grammer,...
, "House of the Rising Sun" - 2001: Blow DryBlow DryBlow Dry is a 2001 comedy film directed by Paddy Breathnach, written by Simon Beaufoy and starring Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson and Josh Hartnett.-Plot:...
, "Don't Let Me Be MisunderstoodDon't Let Me Be Misunderstood"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit...
" - 2002: The West Wing (Episode: Process Stories), "House of the Rising Sun"
- 2004: Layer CakeLayer Cake (film)Layer Cake is a 2004 British crime thriller produced and directed by Matthew Vaughn, in his directorial debut. It is based on the novel Layer Cake by J. J...
, "Don't Let Me Be MisunderstoodDon't Let Me Be Misunderstood"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit...
" - 2004: The Life and Death of Peter SellersThe Life and Death of Peter SellersThe Life and Death of Peter Sellers is a 2004 film about the life of English comic actor Peter Sellers, based on Roger Lewis' book of the same name...
, "It's My LifeIt's My Life (The Animals song)"It's My Life" is a song written by Brill Building songwriters Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico. The song was originally performed by British rock band the Animals, who released it as a single in October 1965 and was one of three songs that the Animals recorded by Brill Building songwriters.The song...
" - 2004: Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
, "We Gotta Get out of This PlaceWe Gotta Get out of This Place"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" - 2007: Music WithinMusic WithinMusic Within is a 2007 drama film starring Ron Livingston, Melissa George and Michael Sheen.-Plot synopsis:The true story of Richard Pimentel, a brilliant public speaker with a troubled past. As a young man, Pimentel realized he had a remarkable gift for public speaking. Pimentel's idol is College...
, "We Gotta Get out of This PlaceWe Gotta Get out of This Place"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" - 2007: ZodiacZodiac (film)Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery-thriller film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros...
, "Sky PilotSky Pilot (song)"Sky Pilot" is a 1968 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, released on the album The Twain Shall Meet. When released as a single the song was split across both sides, due to its length. As "Sky Pilot " it reached number 14 on the U.S...
" - 2007: SupernaturalSupernatural (TV series)Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
(Episode: Roadkill), "The House of the Rising SunThe House of the Rising Sun"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
" - 2007: My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
(Episode: The Trial), "The House of the Rising SunThe House of the Rising Sun"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans...
" - 2007: My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
(Episode: Early Release), "We Gotta Get out of This PlaceWe Gotta Get out of This Place"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" - 2008: CalifornicationCalifornication (TV series)Californication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody , is a troubled novelist whose move to California, coupled with his writer's block, complicates his relationships with his longtime girlfriend...
(Episode: Final of second season), "It's My LifeIt's My Life (The Animals song)"It's My Life" is a song written by Brill Building songwriters Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico. The song was originally performed by British rock band the Animals, who released it as a single in October 1965 and was one of three songs that the Animals recorded by Brill Building songwriters.The song...
" - 2009: HeroesHeroes (TV series)Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
(Season 3, Episode 21), "We Gotta Get out of This PlaceWe Gotta Get out of This Place"We Gotta Get out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get out of This Place", is a rock song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by The Animals...
" - 2009: Eastbound & DownEastbound & DownEastbound & Down is an American comedy television series broadcast on HBO, starring Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher, who after an up and down career in the major leagues is forced to return to his hometown middle-school in Shelby, North Carolina, as a...
(Season 1, Episode 6), "Sky PilotSky Pilot (song)"Sky Pilot" is a 1968 song by Eric Burdon & The Animals, released on the album The Twain Shall Meet. When released as a single the song was split across both sides, due to its length. As "Sky Pilot " it reached number 14 on the U.S...
" - 2010: Rake (TV series)Rake (TV series)Rake is an Australian television series, produced by Essential Media and Entertainment, that first aired on ABC1 in 2010. It stars Richard Roxburgh as Cleaver Greene, a brilliant but self-destructive barrister, a rake...
(Season1, Episode 8), "Don't Let Me Be MisunderstoodDon't Let Me Be Misunderstood"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit...
" - 2010: Ceremony, "Good Times"
External links
- Soul of a Man: The Story of Eric Burdon - January 2009 interview with Eric Burdon
- The Animals in NY by Sally Kempton for the Village Voice 17 September 1964