Between 1964 and 1966, the original incarnation of
the Animals
, led by singer
Eric Burdon
, organist
Alan Price
, and guitarist
Hilton Valentine
, charted an impressive string of singles that have made them one of the most enduring of the British Invasion bands. At their best,
made contemporaries like
the Rolling Stones
sound like boys, thanks to
Burdon
's emotional and edgy vocals, which always carried a dose of attitude and weary defiance, and backing from a solid R&B and blues combo. Singles like the group's definitive arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" (via
Josh White
), the brilliant "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (via
Nina Simone
), the equally brilliant "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," "Don't Bring Me Down," and "It's My Life" were frustrated and passionate pleas for freedom and clarity. All of these are collected in this concise ten-track budget set of the so-called
Mickie Most
years with
Columbia
and
Decca
. The
/
Price
Valentine
version of
called it quits in 1966. It really was the only version of
that truly mattered. The rest of the various
-led combos were merely footnotes, however interesting they may have been. ~ Steve Leggett