[
H I S T O R Y : t w o ]
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rising son 1963-1966 |
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"...if
jazz was the rough diamond, then rock-n-roll was the seam of coal
generating heat and flames."
Eric Burdon 1986
In
September of 1963, the Animals signed a contract with Mike Jeffreys
which stated he would be their manager. The week before Christmas
Mike made a deal with Yardbirds manager, Giorgio Gomelsky. The Yardbirds
would play a series of dates on the Newcastle circuit and The Animals
would play a series of gigs on the London circuit. The plan worked.
They were embraced by the unfamiliar London music scene who took the
Animals' brand of "sweaty R&B to their hearts" (Blackford
1986)
Jeffreys introduced them to Mickie Most who would become their record
producer and in March of 1964, the Animals went into the recording
studio to record a portion of their debut LP. The first single released
by the Animals was a variation on an old blues ballad, Baby Let Me
Take You Down. The Animals version, Baby Let Me Take You Home, made
considerable progress, rising to number 15 on the UK charts.
In May of that same year, they toured Great Britain with their idol,
Chuck Berry. During that tour, the Animals stopped briefly at the
recording studio to record House of the Rising Sun. They session lasted
less than twenty minutes. The song that would burst them onto the
international music scene had been recorded in one take.
It is important to note that due to the number of names they could
fit on the recording label, Alan Price's name was the only one credited
to House of the Rising Sun. This was incorrect but after being reassured
that they would all be paid equal royalties for the song, they went
ahead with its release. They would later regret that decision. Within
three weeks of the songs first pressing, it hit number one on the
UK charts. On September 5, the song made it to number one on US Billboards
Chart and by the time the Animals hit US soil, the fans were waiting.
"We
were on our way to fulfill a lifetime dream, to perform in the land
that produced the music that we played and loved so much - America,
the land of the Blues."
-Eric Burdon 1986
The
US tour began in late September during which the Animals made their
first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show performing House of the Rising
Sun. They went back into the recording studio in November and by February
1965 their third hit single, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood was steadily
climbing its way towards the top.
Royalties for House of the Rising Sun began pouring in about the time
that Alan Price began to feel uncomfortable about flying abroad. He
left the band in April of 1965 to pursue his own career in music,
deciding to tour with Bob Dylan. The only Animal to receive money
for the single which grossed millions was Alan Price. Needless to
say, this left a bad taste in everyones mouth because everyone of
them had taken part in writing the monstrous hit.
"I
must admit, the spark was gone, as far as recording went, Dave Rowberry
delivered and the Animals held their own once again..."
-Eric Burdon 1986
With Alan out of the picture, the Animals moved forward replacing
him with Dave Rowberry in May of 1965 and went on to tour the US and
make another appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show to perform Bring it
on Home to Me and Bright Lights, Big City.
Its My Life was recorded in September of 1965 and was another big
hit for the Animals. It would be the last single the Animals would
make with producer Mickie Most. They didn't feel that they were evolving
musically because, with Most, they were unable to record the material
of their choice. Their break with Most signaled a significant 
musical
change for the band. In January of 1966 they recorded tracks for their
fourth US release, Animalization which is the first of two their less
'pop' oriented albums. Animalism is the second. The album Animalisms,
released in Europe, is in essence, a compilation of both these records.
On March 5, 1966 John Steel played his last gig with the Animals.
By March 15, he had been replaced with Barry Jenkins. But by this
time the Animals were worn out and, quite frankly, angry. In my opinion,
the ordeal with Alan demoralized the entire band and signified the
end of this chapter in the lives of the Animals. In addition to that,
the guys had been on a virtual non-stop tour of the World since bursting
on the scene a year and a half earlier.
"...I
told them I could go no further..."
-Eric Burdon 1986
After the release of their last LP, Animalism in mid-1966, the Animals
disbanded on September 5.
But, that was not the end of Eric Burdon and those Animals.
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