Eric Burdon & WAR

Formed in Newcastle, England, 1960

Alan Price (keyboards), Hilton Valentine (guitar), Chas Chandler (bass) and John Steel (drums). In 1962 they recruited lead singer Eric Burdon. In 1964 they moved to London, where they teamed up with the then unknown producer Mickie Most, and signed to Columbia. They recorded Price's arrangement of the traditional song "House Of The Rising Sun", which rocketed to #1 in the UK, USA and around the world, catapulting the Animals to Fame.

For the rest of the mid 60s, The Animals hit the charts regularly, with songs such as "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "I'm Crying". Price left after only two albums and John Steel by the Third. This was the end of the First wave of Animals.

While the Animals changed personnel Eric recorded a solo LP ( Eric Is Here, 1967 - released only in the US) and he moved to California. This album was a bluesy album with a heavy mix of strings and brass with Burdons voice grating in the Background. One of his finest solo moments!!

After 'Eric is Here', Burdon formed the second Wave of Animals in March '68 renamed as Eric Burdon & The Animals, the new line up was: Burdon, Jenkins, Vic Briggs (guitar), John Wieder (guitar/violin) and Danny McCulloch (bass). This new line-up produced two LPs with a different style to the old Animals. The first 1967's 'Wind Of Change', almost had an apology in the form of a poem on the front sleeve as he tried to appease his 'old' Animal fans and win 'new' ones, with Eric's new musical direction and influence that was very apparent in his new music. The traditional blues format had drifted away and in with the power of Love and Freedom of the late sixties. Eric's appreciation of Jimi Hendrix was also evident in a number of tracks on the album such as 'It's all meat' and 'Yes I'm Experienced'.

The second album 'Every one of Us' had the hit 'White Houses', however the rest of the albums form was bleak and dark, with heavy acoustical sounds & instrumentals. One of it's finer moments is 'Good times', a tale of drinking and regret, maybe from Eric's earlier days in the band?

The new, 'psychedelic' Animals did fairly well, with some chart success. But by August '68, McCulloch and Briggs were replaced by bassist Zoot Money and guitarist Andy Summers. These Animals released two LPs, 'Never the twain' & 'Love Is'. Commercially unsuccessful but musically these albums were progressive and experimental, however as a unit these animals never bonded as a group and ultimately Eric Burdon & the Animals folded. Eric Burdon then turned around and moved towards a new direction with WAR.

War was a band called Night Shift, they played Club acts and specialized in R&B covers mixed with original material of a heavy Latin/Jazz/blues mix. Producer Jerry Goldstine introduced Eric Burdon and Lee Oscar (a Danish Harmonica wizard), who were both looking for a blues based band to back them up at the time. Burdon at this point in his career was almost going to pack it in and head back to England.

However, to Burdon, Night Shift offered the experience to improvise and experiment but with a new musical direction and with a tight backing group. The groups name was changed to 'War' and was chosen as a declaration of opposition to the love and peace vibe and culture of the late 60s.

The first line-up was: Burdon plus Howard Scott (guitar/vocals), Harold Brown (drums), Lonnie Jordan (keyboards/vocals), Peter Rosen (bass), and Charles Miller (saxophone/clarinet) and Lee Oskar (harmonica) - however this only lasted a few weeks when Rosen died of a drug overdose. He was then replaced by B. B. Dickerson and Papa Dee Allen (keyboards/vocals) - to provide more backing support for the band. Eric Burdon & War started rehearsing immediately and only after a few weeks practice they played in the devonshire Downs Rock festival before a of crowd of 100,000!! Burdon & War toured for almost a year developing their sets and tightening up as a band, before recording their first album: Eric Burdon Declares War.

The band's debut album, Eric Burdon Declares War, was recorded between the 2nd and 4th of January 1970. This album is a masterpiece. It allowed the Band to capture their complex interplay and dazzling improvisation. With the bands tight Blues/Latin/Jazz mix and Burdons calm to frenzied improvised singing, thru psychedelicized blues jam, tingling latin funk jams....the album is incredible. Everything that Burdon had been searching for, had been found and captured. The track 'Spill the wind' became a hit, and the Band gained critical acclaim throughout the world for their album & live performances. After more touring the band began to record their second album in late 1970.

Recorded in Late '70 and entering the charts in early '71 The Black Man's Burdon had gone where the '..Declares' album could not possible go. Far more progressive and exciting, the band had now reached dizzying heights of kinetic interplay where other bands could only dream of going.....a double album of flowing music, pulsating and breathing like a ravage animal, then slowing dying to a whisper......shuuusshhh....then.....storming back to life in an uncontrollable frenzy. This was a milestone achievement in Music history. As for been a commercial success, the album failed where the debut album faired much better. The album became an underground album rather than a commercial. The musicianship on these albums was incredible. Eric Burdon & War then began touring in '71, sadly however Eric declared himself burned up halfway through and quit. War finished the dates without him.

With Burdon gone, War continues to record and became very successful throughout the '70's, however their style changed dramatically without Burdons presence and they never created another album like the 'Declares' and the 'Black Man's Burdon'. As that Burning catalyst was gone.

Eric himself continued to perform solo, and teamed up with the animals and other musicians through the 70's, 80's and 90's. However again Eric has never musically peaked like he did when he was with WAR in their explosive but brief time together. The Eric Burdon & War albums are truly gems and will go down in Music History as some of the best music ever produced.

In 1976, a surprise third album was released. This contained previously recorded tracks from the Declares sessions in January '70 (a day in the Life, Magic Mountain) also home demos from Papa John Philips of two songs: Home dream and Tobacco Road recorded in August '69. Also a live version of 'Paint it Black' recorded in Sept. '69 at the Whisky a Go Go, LA. This album has some great gems especially 'Love is all around' title track. The demo Tobacco Road version just shows how tight the band were even earlier on.