Search - Animals :: Absolute Animals 1964-1968

Comprehensive collection of one of the most important Britis

Paul Tognetti | Cranston, RI USA | 01/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had been searching for a comprehesive collection of The Animals for something like 20 years but I never managed to find one that I liked. The only collection I ever saw that included all of their hit singles was a 2 CD set from Britain that contained far more material than I wanted at a price I was unwilling to pay. At long last, in 2003, Australia's Raven records saw fit to release "Absolute Animals: 1964-1968". This impressive single disc collection includes all of the M-G-M hits from the original 1964-1966 Animals as well as hits by the new incarnation of the group known as Eric Burdon and the Animals from 1967-1968. These are all the original recordings you would remember from the radio. Enjoy once again some of the group's earliest hits including their fabulous debut single "The House of the Rising Sun" which went all the way to the top of the charts in the summer of 1964. Also are included are Top 20 hits like "It's My Life", "See See Rider" and "When I Was Young" from 1967, Perhaps my favorite Animals tune of all time is the 1966 hit "Help Me Girl" which is also included here. After a couple of personnel changes in 1966 and 1967 the group would re-emerge with a somewhat different sound and would be known as Eric Burdon and the Animals. It was this group that produced such great hits as "San Franciscan Nights", "Monterey" and "Sky Pilot" which are all part of this collection as well.

As a collector I am very pleased to report that "Absolute Animals: 1964-1968" also comes with a neat 12 page booklet describing the history of the group and what various group members are up to today. I had the pleasure of seeing Eric Burden perform at a local festival a number of years ago. He still looked and sounded pretty much the same. If you are an Animals fan or a collector I would snap this one up while it is still available. Kudos to Raven records for a long overdue and well thought out anthology of an important British Invasion group. Very highly recommended!



"

Wow...I can't believe there's only two reviews for this - th

C. Cross | 01/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Animals are one of the lesser known R&B/psychedelic bands of the 60's, though most everyone knows their big hit "The House Of The Rising Sun". Even though not every song is as great here, they're all good. The worst part about this collection is the audio quality - it's all in mono and definitely needs a remastering. If you can look past this, however, it's still great stuff. Singer Eric Burdon wasn't one of the best singers in the world, but he was still pretty likable. He definitely matched the sort of R&B influenced psychedelic rock that they produced. The lyrics tend to be pretty interesting, but they aren't always so (see "Boom Boom" for an example). However, they're usually fun, memorable and catchy. The musicianship is pretty good, but the production is not - as I said before it needs a remastering. It certainly sounds unique - The Animals, I would argue, have their own sound. Even though The Animals aren't as great as other 60's bands like The Lovin' Spoonful or The Zombies, this collection is definitely still worth checking out. Basically, if you're a fan of psychedelic or R&B rock then you'll probably love this collection by a lesser-known classic 60's band. Highly recommended!



Highlights include:

the entire album!"

The one to get...

nicjaytee | London | 03/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With so many Animals compilations out there it's difficult to know what to go for but this is probably the one. Why?... well it includes the best tracks from their first iteration as one of the UK's finest R&B groups and their second as one of the most successful of the West Coast's psychedelic immigrants. All the hits are here, from their brilliantly raw first single "Baby Let Me Take You Home" through to their infectious celebration of San Francisco's summer of '67 "Monterey" festival, with each driven along by Eric Burdon's superb, searingly powerful blues-rock voice that converts even the ordinary into something special.



Talented & inspired but lacking the ruthless aspiration of their more successful peers, history is increasingly consigning them to "also-rans" which is very unfair because, at their peak, which this compilation captures, they were as good as anything on the UK R&B and San Francisco scenes.

"