The Animals were a British rock and roll band of the 1960s, formed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Comprising Eric Burdon (vocals), Alan Price (organ), Hilton Valentine (guitar), John Steel (drums), and Bryan 'Chas' Chandler (bass) their moderate success in their hometown motivated them to move to London in 1964, in time to be grouped with the British Invasion. They performed fiery versions of the staple rhythm and blues repertoire (Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, etc) and were early fans of Bob Dylan, on whose first album they found their first two singles. A rocking version of the standard "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" was followed by the huge transatlantic hit "The House of the Rising Sun". Burdon's howling vocals and Price's dramatic arrangement created arguably the first folk rock hit. Their two-year chart career, masterminded by Mickie Most, featured intense covers such as "Bring It On Home To Me" (a hit for Sam Cooke) and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (from Nina Simone)By 1965 however, the group was on the verge of splitting. Price left to reappear as a solo artist, recording a hit version of Randy Newman's "Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear." The group carried on under the name "Eric Burdon and the Animals" in 1966, and changed direction. The hard-driving blues was transformed into Burdon's version of psychedelia, as the former hard-drinking Geordie relocated to the USA and became a spokesman for the Love Generation. Some of their hits included "San Franciscan Nights" and "Monterey", a tribute to the 1967 rock festival that featured, among others, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix who was managed by Chas Chandler). In 1970 the Animals disbanded, and Eric Burdon joined forces with a Latin group from Long Beach, California called War.

Discography

• 1964 The Animals
• 1965 The Animals on Tour
• 1965 Animal Tracks
• 1965 British Go Go
• 1965 In the Beginning [live]
• 1966 Animalisms
• 1966 Animalization
• 1966 Wild Animals
• 1967 Eric Is Here
• 1968 Every One of Us
• 1968 Love Is
• 1976 Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
• 1983 Ark
• 1984 Rip It to Shreds - Their Greatest Hits Live
• 2003 Interesting Life
• 2003 Complete French EP 1964/1967

Further reading

• Burdon, Eric (1986). I Used to Be an Animal, but I'm All Right Now. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571134920.

de:The Animals pl:The Animals