The Animals - Best of the Animals
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.99 You Save: $3.99 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $5.68 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Best of the Animals
Free Music Review: Y'all like early Stones - then yer gonna dig this !
Hit: 5 Stars
The Animals and the Rolling Stones were the early bad boys of the British Invasion. Both were gritty and hard-edged, as they took their cues from Chicago Blues and similar roots-electric American styles. Note that the original LP with this title (and sleeve) contained only tracks 1-2, 6-7, 9-10, 12, 14 and 15 (and possibly #13). Missing from this line-up is the "I'm in Love Again" sound-alike "Roberta", and the long and very amazing Bo Diddley tune "I'm Mad", a song which is as intense in their rendition of it as "The House of the Rising Sun". Neither of these omissions was one of their singles, nor was "I'm In Love Again". Apparently they wanted to keep pace with the Stones' release of their first greatest hits package 'High Tide and Green Grass', which also contained a couple/three of their non-singles or b-sides. But I don't actually know who got their package out first. That said - anyone who likes the early Rolling Stones singles as much as I do will quite likely groove on this early Animals package as well. The two work very well in tandem, even though I truly lament the exclusion here of "I'm Mad", as it, probably even more than "House of the Rising Sun", was the centerpiece, the tour de force of the original collection.
Of the hits, I prefer best those that have the quintessential rock organ feel, including "House of the Rising Sun", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "It's My Life", and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place". But I would never skip over any of those more rootsy tracks I am already familiar with - they all have their special ways of grabbing you and not letting go.
It's too bad that these new compilers didn't add the [original] Animals' later hits ("Don't Bring Me Down", "Insight Looking Out" and "See See Rider"), as that would have made this a complete package of their main singles. I never heard five of the tunes on this CD [#'s 3-5, 8, & 11] getting any airplay back in the sixties - those could have been left out of the compilation without causing any noticeable ripples.
There 's a good reason, though, for not including songs from the later incarnation of [Eric Burdon & the Animals]. It was a totally different band. Eric moved to San Francisco, and there recruited all new musicians; their 'new' sound was (slightly) hard-edged psychedelic, with very little hints of the bluesy roots which had dominated the sound of the earlier [Animals].
Free Music Review: Eric Burdon, sixties superstar
Hit: 4 Stars
Back in the sixties, the basic Brit music superstar for me was Eric Burdon. Mick Jagger was good, the Fabs were great, but Eric Burdon was the white James Brown, if you ask me. He oozed authenticity and swaggered with the greatest of the greats. His whole demeanor spoke to the underdog in me (and millions of other US teenagers). He was an amazing animal of a man-singer and the original Animals were the tightest band going, as well as being the first credible British Blues Band. They were belting the blues before the Yardbirds, by far. Trust me when I say that I plumb wore out two vinyl copies of this album, it sounded so good. Check out the animalistic roar on "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and the snarl on "It's My Life". Ow-oooo! There isn't even a semi-weak cut here. Tell 'em Eric sent ya.Free Music Review: Excellent
Hit: 5 Stars
A fine comp of the early Animals hits, well worth the price. In their day, the Animals made excellent blues infected rock similar to the Stones, only much better. Personal squabbles ruined the party, of course, but this album gives you a glimpse of what was and what might have been.Free Music Review: Great Hits, Very Poor Master
Hit: 2 Stars
This is a great compilation of the Animals, no doubt. Sadly, the sound is barely audible and does a serious disservice to a potentially great CD. People responsible should remedy their engineering mess by remastering this critical music.Free Music Review: Boom Boom This
Hit: 4 Stars
I grew up on this album on vinyl - and always loved it. Eric Burdon is a classic soul shouter - deeper than Mitch Ryder or Joe Cocker on an all-out John Lee Hooker bender. The CD adds tracks originally on Animal Tracks that fill it out nicely. BUT, like others, I was very disappointed by the inferior version of We Gotta Get Out of this Place that just doesn't have the power or atmosphere of the version on the original LP. That's the subtracted star.