The Animals

The Animals

The Animals are a British rock band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1962 and 1963. They become one of the best-known acts of the British Invasion in the 1960s, and their early line-up features Eric Burdon on vocals, Alan Price on organ and keyboards, Hilton Valentine on guitar, John Steel on drums and Bryan “Chas” Chandler on bass.

Early success and sound

The band develops a reputation for a harsh, blues-influenced style built around Burdon’s strong vocal delivery and a prominent use of keyboards as well as guitars. Their first UK hit is a reworking of “Baby Let Me Follow You Down”, retitled “Baby Let Me Take You Home”. This is followed by “House of the Rising Sun”, which becomes a major transatlantic hit and is often treated as an early folk rock record. Other well-known singles include “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, “Bring It On Home to Me”, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and “It’s My Life”.

Much of the band’s hit-making in this period comes through producer Mickie Most, while album tracks stay closer to rhythm and blues, with songs by artists such as Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke and Ray Charles in their repertoire. In 1965 the group moves from Columbia Graphophone, an EMI subsidiary, to Decca Records and works with producer Tom Wilson for greater creative freedom. Their U.S. compilation The Best of The Animals becomes their best-selling album in the United States.

Line-up changes and first split

Alan Price leaves in 1965 after personal and musical disagreements and a fear of flying. Mickey Gallagher fills in briefly on keyboards before Dave Rowberry replaces him. John Steel leaves in February 1966 and Barry Jenkins takes over on drums. Around this period the original group records further hits including “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “See See Rider”, before business problems and financial disputes contribute to the band’s split.

Eric Burdon and the New Animals

In October 1966 Eric Burdon forms a new version of the group, usually called Eric Burdon and the New Animals or Eric Burdon & the Animals. This line-up includes Jenkins, John Weider on guitar, violin and bass, Vic Briggs, also known as Antion, on guitar and piano, and Danny McCulloch on bass. The music shifts towards psychedelia. Hits from this period include “San Franciscan Nights”, “Monterey”, a tribute to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, and the anti-war song “Sky Pilot”.

Further changes follow in 1968, when George Bruno, also known as Zoot Money, joins on keyboards and Andy Summers replaces Briggs and McCulloch on guitar. By 1969 this version has ended. Burdon then joins the Long Beach, California group War, and their first hit together is “Spill the Wine”.

Later reunions and activity

The original five-piece line-up reunites briefly for a benefit concert in Newcastle in 1968, then again for an album in 1977 and for an album and tour in 1983. That 1983 activity includes Zoot Money on keyboards and Steve Grant on guitar. Burdon continues to tour in the 2000s under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals. Other related versions also operate during the 1990s and 2000s, including (Hilton Valentine’s) The Animals, Animals II, and Animals & Friends. By 2005 Animals & Friends features Steel and Mickey Gallagher and regularly performs on a Color Line ship route between Scandinavia and Germany.

Legacy

The original Animals are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Their influence is later heard in artists including The Doors, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Canned Heat, David Johansen, Joe Cocker, Fine Young Cannibals, Iggy Pop and Mando Diao.