Formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 60's, the band fronted by Eric Burdon would find commercial success with their hit "House Of The Rising Sun". The band took from other UK acts and started out covering R&B tracks before developing a sound of their own. Eventually hitting paydirt in the US as part of the British Invasion. With tracks like "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", the former track would later be covered by Punk band Fear, The Animals seemed to be headed for great things. Of course though like many acts of the era only lasted a few years due to poor business management amongst other things. The lineup went through various name changes through their first incarnation before dissolving in '66. Eric Burdon went onto form another version of the band focusing on more of a hard rock/psychedelic sound which was on display during the Monterey Pop Festival. Bassist Chas Chandler went onto to manage an unknown guitarist at the time named Jimi Hendrix. In addition Eric Burdon also went onto play with War for a short time, gaining some success with their track "Spill The Wine".
The Animals are best known for "House Of The Rising Sun", a song which has the dubious claim of being the most covered song in the world. However I feel like the band gets treated as an one hit wonder in some senses. What's overlooked is the vocals of Eric Burdon and the brooding sense with every tale on songs like "House Of The Rising Sun" or "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place". And while the band never gained the success as some of their British Invasion counterparts, the band does have some legacy as an influence on musicians like Bruce Springsteen. So for that, take a nostalgia trip and enjoy 'The Best Of The Animals'.
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