Search - Animals :: Best of

The Animals Are Grrrrrrrreat!

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 03/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like many early British Invasion bands (the Yardbirds, the Who, Rolling Stones and Them), the original Animals were a hard-driving R&B band featuring the gritty vocals of Eric Burdon and the trademark organ playing of Alan Price.This 15-track collection hits the group's highlights from its two-year stay on Britain's EMI. [Note: Although all the Animals' hits throughout the Sixties were distributed by MGM in America, the band switched labels in the UK to Decca in 1966. That's why the Decca singles "Inside Looking Out" and "Don't Bring Me Down" are not on this set. Also, this album was originally released in February 1966--four months before "Don't Bring Me Down" was even released.]The centerpiece of this collection is Alan Price's four-and-a-half-minute arrangement of "House of the Rising Son," and despite its length shot to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. It would be the band's only No. 1 single.Unlike most of the British Invasion bands with lengthy chart careers, the Animals seldom wrote their own material. The only exception is the Burdon-Price collaboration "I'm Crying." For the rest of their material they turned to the likes of John Lee Hooker ("Boom Boom" and "Dimples"), Fats Domino ("I'm in Love Again"), Sam Cooke ("Bring It on Home to Me) and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ("We Gotta Get out of This Place") among others.By 1967 the rest of the original Animals were gone. Burdon formed a new version of the Animals and entered his psychedelic phase ("Montery," "Sky Pilot"). But this Abkco release features the original lineup and as such, the group's best material. If you want more of the original band's work, consider Complete Animals. At 40 tracks it includes virtually all of the Animals' first three U.S. albums along with various B-sides and unreleased material. But if you're on a budget, The Best of the Animals will do just fine. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

Not the original...

James E. Gill | Glendale, AZ USA | 04/21/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Why can't record companies get is straight???...or am I the only one on the planet who knows that this CD's version of "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place" is NOT the version we all heard on the radio in the 60's, nor is it the version which is included on the vinyl edition of this very album... For those who don't know, in the ORIGINAL version of the song, Eric B. sings: "My little girl you're so young and pretty"...not "Now my girl you're so young and pretty...", which is what he says on the wimpy version of the song which is on this CD. The original has much better production and much better vocals. This CD's version is the one you'll hear on oldies radio...since most DJ's don't know the difference either. Message to the record company: stop pulling this garbage--there are folks who know the difference and we want the ORIGINAL version...not some crummy version you paid Eric to re-record for God-only-knows what reason."

I'm just a soul who's intentions are good

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 05/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Animals were one of the best groups of the British Invasion. So why aren't they as highly thought of as, say, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who or The Kinks? Because unlike those other groups, The Animals didn't have a great songwriter within their group. In fact, only one song on this "Best of" was actually written by the group. But regardless of who wrote them, these are great songs. This album (originally released in 1973), features all The Animals chart hits through 1965, plus some well selected album tracks. This is terrific stuff. One thing I need to mention is that, despite the writing credits, "I'm in Love Again" is not the old Fats Domino hit, but is a different song entirely. Also, for those of you who care about such things, this CD is in mono. I highly recommend this CD, especially to fans of the British Invasion."