The Animals - Retrospective 1964-1970 (2004) [SACD]

Retrospective is a compilation album of The Animals, released by ABKCO in 2004 as Hybrid SACD.

Retrospective looks like just another greatest-hits compilation recycling the same old tracks already easily available elsewhere. Yawn! Yet, on closer inspection, there’s a big difference with this particular set. These 22 tracks are taken from the ABKCO masters and utilize Direct Stream Digital (DSD), containing both CD and Super Audio CD layers. ABKCO initially previewed this technology with much fanfare on the Rolling Stones’ reissues of 2003. That excellence is again applied here and the material undeniably sparkles. The first incarnation of the band with Mickie Most’s production is represented by what have to be the cleanest recordings heard yet of favorites like “House of the Rising Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” and “Don’t Bring Me Down.” However, it’s the psychedelic phase of the band, when they became Eric Burdon & the Animals, that the DSD really kicks. Every nuance present, and sometimes hidden, on a song like “San Franciscan Nights,” or “Monterey,” in which the horns noticeably jump out at you, or the battle sequence on “Sky Pilot,” is incredibly vivid whether you’re using high-tech gear or an average playback unit. Even if you’ve heard these tracks a zillion times, this ABKCO release gets you as close to hearing studio playback as you’re likely to get!

 

1. House Of The Rising Sun - 4:29
2. I’m Crying - 2:47
3. Baby Let Me Take You Home - 2:20
4. Gonna Send You Back To Walker - 2:28
5. Boom Boom - 3:18
6. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood - 2:28
7. Bring It On Home To Me - 2:42
8. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - 3:13
9. It’s My Life - 3:06
10. Don’t Bring Me Down - 3:15
11. See See Rider - 4:00
12. Inside - Looking Out - 3:47
13. Hey Gyp - 3:47
14. Help Me Girl - 2:39
15. When I Was Young - 3:00
16. A Girl Named Sandoz - 3:04
17. San Franciscan Nights - 3:20
18. Monterey - 4:19
19. Anything - 3:22
20. Sky Pilot - 7:30
21. White Houses - 3:50
22. Spill the Wine - 4:04

Eric Burdon & The Animals - When I Was Young: The MGM Recordings 1967-1968 (5 CD, 2020) [FLAC]

 

Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a boxed set featuring all of the albums recorded by ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS for the MGM Records label issued between October 1967 and December 1968. ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS came together in December 1966 when the original Animals had ground to a halt. Vocalist Eric Burdon recruited Vic Briggs (guitar, piano), John Weider (guitar, violin, bass), Danny McCulloch (bass) and Barry Jenkins (drums) to form a new group which changed direction away from raucous Rhythm and Blues and embraced Psychedelic rock and the influences of the emerging counter-culture.

 

Superstars in Concert (Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and more) [1973, DVDRIP video]

 

Throughout ten years, the documentary Peter Clifton registered perfomances of some of the greatest names of world pop rock. From 1964 to 1973, lots groups went to London, such as The Rolling Stones, Animals, Cream, Blind Faith, Pink Floyd and Faces, and some of the greatest soloists like Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding; also poets of their times like Cat Stevens and Donovan, and others that would be even more famous like Joe Cocker and Tina Turner. You have all this and lot more, in this historical DVD, a document that will be essential for the lovers of pure rock.

The Animals - The Complete (1964-1967) [11 CD, 2003/FLAC]

 

The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon – as exemplified by their number one signature song "The House of the Rising Sun" as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life" – the band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues-oriented album material. They became known in the United States as part of the British Invasion.

The Animals underwent numerous personnel changes in the mid-1960s and suffered from poor business management. Under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, they moved to California and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic rock band, before disbanding at the end of the decade. Altogether, the group had ten Top Twenty hits in both the UK and US.

The original lineup had a brief comeback in 1977 and 1983. There have been several partial regroupings of the original era members since then under various names.