- Vic Briggs -- guitar, bass (replaced Chas Chandler)

  (1967-68)
- George Bruno -- keyboards, vocals (1968)

- Eric Burdon -- vocals (1961- )
- Chas Chandler -- bass (1960-67+77)
- Luke Francis -- guitar, vocals (-62)
- Barry Jenkins -- drums (replaced John Steel) (1967-68)
- Danny McCulloch -- vocals, bass, guitar (1968)
- Zoot Money (aka George Bruno) - vocals, organ (1968)
- Alan Price -- vocals, keyboards (1960-65)
- Dave Rowberry -- keyboards (replaced Alan Price) 

  (1964-67, 77)
- John Steele -- drums (1960-66+77)
- Andy Somers (aka Andy Summers) -- guitar, bass

  (replaced Danny McCulloch) (1968)
- Hilton Valentine -- guitar (1960-67)
- John Weider -- guitar, violin, bass (1967-68)

- Eric Burdon (solo efforts)
- Eric Burdon Band 
- Eric Burdon and War
- Chas Chandler (solo efforts)

- Grimms (Zoot Money)

- Danny McCulloch (solo efforts)
- Zoot Money (solo efforts)
- The Nashville Teens (Barry Jenkins)
- The Police (Andy Summers)
- Alan Price (solo efforts)

- Stud (John Wilson)
- Andy Summers (solo efforts)
- Hilton Valentine (solo efforts)

- John Weider (solo efforts) 

Genre: rock 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  The Best of the Animals

Company: MGM

Catalog: E-4324

Year: 1967

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: mono pressing; light scratches (doesn't hurt sound), gatefold sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 67

Price: $7.00

Cost: $1.00

Released in early 1966, "The Best of the Animals" served as a good compilation, pulling together the band's previous singles and a couple of lesser know album tracks. Backed by publicity surrounding their fifth America tour, the album proved their biggest commercial success, peaking at #6. (The set was originally released with a gatefold sleeve.)

"The Best of the Animals" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Its My Life (Atkins - D'Errico) - 3:09 
2.) Gonna Send You Back To Walker (Mathews - J. Hammond Jr.) - 3:26
3.) Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke) - 2:40
4.) I'm Mad (John Lee Hooker) - 4:15
5.) House of the Rising Sun (traditional arranged by Alan Price) - 4:29
6.) We Gotta Get Out of This Place (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil) - 3:17

(side 2)

1.) Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker) - 2:57
2.) I'm In Love Again (Domino) - 2:59
3.) Roberta (Smith - Vincent) - 2:04 
4.) I'm Crying (Eric Burdon - Alan Price) - 2:30
5.) Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Benjamin - Marcus - Caldwell) - 2:26

Genre: rock 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  The Best of Eric Burden and the Animals Volume 2

Company: MGM

Catalog: SE 4454

Year: 1967

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: stereo pressing

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 66

Price: $10.00

Premature by anyone's estimates, MGM management saw fit to bolster corporate profits with the release a second "best of" compilation. Certainly ecclectic,1967's "Best of Eric Burden and the Animals, Volume 2" bounced all over the musical spectrum. While the majority of material focused on the band's R&B repertoire ("Don't Bring Me Down" and "When I was Young"), the set also included Burdon's love song to the States ("You're On My Mind"), the Franz Zappa arranged "The Other Side of Life" and Burdon's non-too subtle tribute to LSD ("A Girl Named Sandoz"). Basically the set was of little use to anyone other than Animals fanatics, though it hit #71. (Always loved the Bob Peek's cheesy cover art.)

"Best of Eric Burden and the Animals, Volume 2" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) When I was Young (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 2:53
2.) A Girl Name Sandoz (Eric Burdon - John Weider) - 2:59
3.) Don't Bring Me Down (Gerry Goffin - Carole King) - 3:13
4.) She'll Return It (Eric Burdon - Barry Jenkins - Dave Rowberry - Chas Chandler - Hilton Valentine) - 2:47
5.) See See Rider (Dave Rowberry)- 2:44

(side 2)

1.) The Other Side of This Life (Fred Neil) - 3:43
2.) Hey Gyp (Donovan)- 3:46
3.) Help Me Girl (English - Weiss) - 2:35
4.) That Ain't Where It's At (Sieger) - 2:55
5.) You're On My Mind (Eric Burdon - Dave Rowberry) - 2:54
6.) Inside Looking Out (J.A. Lomax) - 3:47

12.) Cheating (Eric Burdon - Chas Chandler) - 2:23

Genre: rock 

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Title:  The Twain Shall Meet

Company: MGM

Catalog: SE 4537

Country/State: UK

Year: 1968

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: stereo; gatefold sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM Catalog ID: not yet listed

Price: $15.00

As on the previous set, anyone expecting to hear the same band that did "House of the Rising Sun" was in for a major shock. A reflection of their LSD soaked Southern California lifestyles, 1968's "The Twain Shall Meet" was charitably described as an aural mess. With Burdon's voice reduced to a croak, the band's efforts to craft socially relevant material ("Closer To the Truth", "Every One of Us" and "No Self Pity"), were painfully weak (critics labeled them outright crap). While it may have been intended as a sincere embrace of the love generation, Burdon's "Orange and Red Beams" came off as little more than an inept Moody Blues-on-bad-acid parody. All told the band sounded thoroughly stoned and largely uninterested in the material (check out the seemingly endless raga flavored "All Is One" - where was Ravi Shankar when you needed him?). Interestingly the album spun off a pair of singles that momentarily returned them to the pop charts. Complete with a nod to Shankar, Burdon's plodding paean to the Monterey Music Festival "Monterey" b/w "Ain't That So" (MGM catalog number K-13868) went top-20, while the bombastic "Sky Pilot (Parts 1 and 2)" (MGM catalog number K-13939) proved equally successful. Unfortunately those late inning successes did little to slow down the band's commercial decline. The parent album peaked at #79. 

"The Twain Shall Meet" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Monterey (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 4:18
2.) Just the Thought (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 3:47
3.) Closer To the Truth (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 4:31
4.) No Self Pity (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 4:50

(Side 2)

1.) Orange and Red Beams (Danny McCulloch) - 3:46
2.) Sky Pilot (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 7:37
3.) We Love You Lil (instrumental) (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 6:48
4.) All Is One (Eric Burdon - John Weider - Vic Briggs - Danny McCulloch - Barry Jenkins) - 7:45

Genre: rock 

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Title:  Every One of Us

Company: MGM

Catalog: SE 4553

Year: 1968

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 260

Price: $15.00

Credited to 'Eric Burdon and the Animals', 1968's "Every One of Us" was a mixed blessing. On the positive side the self-produced collection found Burdon and company pulling back from their earlier psychedelic excesses. Weider's fuzz guitar and McCulloch's pounding bass turned "Year of the Guru" into a decent rocker, while the instrumental "Serenade To a Sweet Lady" served as a pretty slice of AOR jazz. Unfortunately, never the most versatile singer, on tracks such as "St. James Infirmary" Burdon seemed particularly flat and uninspired. Adding to the problem, the band seemed to have lost their focus, bouncing all over the musical spectrum without much enthusiasm. The 19 minute "New York 1963 - America 1968" found them taking a stab at awkward social commentary (this one has to be heard to be believed), while "The Immigrant Lad" started out with a folk-rockish feel before degenerating into a strange racist narrative between a pair of English coal miners. Elsewhere, released as a single "White Houses" b/w "River Deep, Mountain High" (MGM catalog number K-14013) charted at # 67, providing the band with their final American hit. In spite of an American tour the collection proved a poor seller, faltering at # 152. 

"Every One of Us" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) White Houses   (Eric Burdon) - 4:43
2.) Uppers and Downers   (Eric Burdon) - 0:24
3.) Serenade To a Sweet Lady (instrumental)   (John Weider) - 6:17
4.) The Immigrant Lad   (Eric Burdon) - 6:15
5.) Year of the Guru   (Eric Burdon) - 5:25

(side 2)

1.) St. James Infirmary   (arranged by Eric Burdon) - 4:15
2.) New York 1963 - America 1968   (Eric Burdon - George Bruno) - 19:00