River Deep, Mountain High - Eric Burdon, Barry, J.
I'm an Animal - Eric Burdon, Stewart
I'm Dying, Or Am I? - Eric Burdon, Burdon, Eric
Ring of Fire - Eric Burdon, Carter, June
Coloured Rain - Eric Burdon, Capaldi, James
To Love Somebody - Eric Burdon, Gibb, Barry
As the Years Go Passing By - Eric Burdon, Malone, Deadric
Gemini - Eric Burdon, Hammond, Steve
The Madman (Running Through the Fields) - Eric Burdon, Money, George Bruno
Limited digipak reissue of this 1968 album, including Ike & Tina Turner's 'River Deep, Mountains High' & 'the old Johnny Cash hit 'Ring Of Fire'. Repertoire. 2004.
Limited digipak reissue of this 1968 album, including Ike & Tina Turner's 'River Deep, Mountains High' & 'the old Johnny Cash hit 'Ring Of Fire'. Repertoire. 2004.
CD Reviews
Buy this CD!
George A. Zaninovich | SoCal | 11/19/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Repertoire label has just released a remastered version of this album and the sound quality is truly amazing, obviously taken from the first-generation master tape - makes the out-of-print versions by One Way and Polydor of Japan sound thin and weak in comparison.
A cursory glance through other reviews for these earlier releases show the potential buyer that this was an album you either loved or hated. No question that there are some filler tracks here - my advice is to program out "I'm Dying, Or Am I?", "Gemini" & "The Madman". What you're left with is one of the great unsung and underappreciated albums of the psychedelic era. Andy Summers' solo on Traffic's "Coloured Rain" alone is worth the price of admission. Add in a unique interpretation of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and a soulful take on the Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody", among others, and you've got an indespensible relic of the late '60's.
4 out of 5 stars for the aforementioned filler.
By the way, Repertoire also issued Eric & the Animals' penultimate album, "Every One of Us", at the same time - another strong recommedation."
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IS!
Lee Mellott | Frederick, Maryland | 11/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I was a teen visiting England, my uncle played this album and I fell in love with it. After much searching I located it as a young adult, but my record player gave up the ghost so I was without it for many years. I was thrilled to discover it had been remastered and released on this CD.
Music is very subjective. And this is definately a work that you are either passionate about or think HUH? I just love it.
When I got this CD and put it on and heard it again for the first time in years I cried!
Colored Rain, River Deep Mountain High, and Ring of Fire are just incredible. Eric Burdon moves my soul!
This remastered recording is outstanding.
"
Time piece
Steven H. Dymond | Englewood, CO USA | 06/13/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this album in the UK after trying to find it in the US in 1971.
If you are a fan of Eric Burden, and especially the later Animals, this is a great album. There are tracks such as River Deep, To Love Somebody and Gemini which are all great, showing not only the blues side but also the creative, experimental, psychedelic side of the group.
What I find most endearing about this album is it rawness-not unusual for this period of The Animals.
While the vinyl MGM album and my CD are indeed a bit flat in production sound, as were many of the MGM Animals albums IMHO, (think "needs extra bass and treble" on the stereo) in terms of performance, very fresh-almost like a "live studio album".
Love Is is one Animals album that continues with the cool introspective spoken word side of Eric shown on Winds of Change and Every One of Us, and The Twain Shall Meet. Another reviewer suggested deleting Gemini, and while admittedly 'op pop' in sound, I find I like the track.
To prospective buyers, this album doesnt contain any pop radio tracks you will recognize. Its still quite good for those of us who were introduced to Eric back when the Sun was Rising, and we were learning about the blues."
HEADPHONES ARE A MUST
R. McElroy | 07/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've had this album since 1970 in one form or another.
I don't listen to it very often but when I do I am still amazed at it.
I have many many records, cd's, mp3s, reel to reel
tapes and cassettes. I'm obsessed with music, just about every kind of
music except Rap and Punk or Heavy Metal.
This album beats them all.
But it is also in a class all it's own.
There's many many great albums that you just put on and they sound great
whatever your doing. Some even help you do whatever.
This is not one of those albums. This is special.
Like the girl you keep away from your friends and only have
dinner with by candlelight and just look at eachother.
Forget HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN,
DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD and
WE GOTA GET OUT OF HERE.
The animals have left the planet.
Eric Burdon's voice is the only familiar thing here.
They have all been taken over by aliens.
You'll know what I mean when you hear those aliens in your head.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
This album requires special listening situations.
1 - ABSOLUTLEY NO DISTRACTIONS
2 - lay down
3 - most important listen with headphones.
Don't ruin it, you need headphones.
4 - in short don't do anything except listen.
5 - start listening with GEMINI, THE MADMAN
as Eric Burdon says in San Francisan nights,
"IT WILL BE WORTH IT"
optional, get high first, it gets even better.
If you follow my guidelines you won't be listening
to music you'll be having an experience.
Notes and voices and images will be floating around
in your head like you can't image.
And like Gemini, you'll feel both sides.
Beware though, after hearing this you'll be looking for a little
something extra from your music. More in the left speaker and
something different in the right.
You'll begin to question why can't there be more records produced
like this. I wouldn't want all records produced like this.
One is great.
Listening to this album with headphones
will take TOTO out of Kansas for awhile and that's always nice.
If you liked this EXPERIENCE then you're ready for the next;
THE TWAIN SHALL MEET,
same aliens but now their on a different planet.
If you can't relax or don't like headphones forget this album.
It would be like asking Jesus a question
and not paying attention to the answer. Why waste your time."
Have You Seen Tina Turner?!
R. A. Burke | 01/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Sixties zeigeist, at least on the face of it, was one of peace, love, and freedom. Love Is, originally released as a double vinyl album was Eric Burdon & the Animals' most ambitious effort and very much epitomizes that period. It's a recording that truly reflects its times with equal amounts of great musicianship and inspiration but a good deal of pretentiousness and overkill as well. River Deep, Mountain High is one of the most energetic cuts on the album as Eric pays tribute to the lovely Tina Turner with a great rendition of the song that she made famous. I'm an Animal is fun in a sort of dumb bar song type way while I'm Dying or Am I is basically a throwaway. I love Eric's version of Ring of Fire. It doesn't sound at all like Johnny Cash's original but Eric more than does justice to the tune even though there's some sloppiness (the harmony vocals don't always sound in tune and Barry Jenkins comes in a tad too early on drums on one of the choruses). Some reviewers have dumped on Coloured Rain but I have to disagree. This is a great version with an outstanding guitar solo (apparently by a pre-Police Andy Summers) and cool horns. The only negative note on it is again the harmony vocals. Although I've never particularly liked Eric's version of To Love Somebody, it's a sweet production job complete with soulful singers in the background and mellow guitar lines. As the Years Go Passing By is Eric's heartfelt tribute to the blues, "the ball and chain around every musician's leg." This minor key blues has it all: powerful vocal, smoking guitar solos, and real feeling. Whether you like Gemini and Madman or not depends on your personal taste. I have loved them since I first heard them on the vinyl release with all the psychedelic effects and trippy choruses. So this album is a mixed bag but I think that most of these "double-album" efforts during the Sixties tended to be part inspiration and part filler. George Martin once said that he felt that, looking back at the Beatles' White Album, the really good material would have made one great album. There is definitely one great album within the grooves of Love Is. You just have to be patient and stick with it."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1