| This Tyneside group were formed when Eric Burdon and Hilton Valentine teamed up with the Alan Price Trio. They were the greatest of the Tyneside bands although quite short lived in their original form. Burdon's musical background had been as a trombonist in an amateur jazz band. However, his confident, assertive style made him an exceptional R&B vocalist. The band rapidly established themselves in the Newcastle area with their blues based rock and roll. Burdon always held close to those musical roots and once paraded with a placard declaring 'Rock And Roll Lives!' during a TV appearance in the mid-1960s. | |
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The EP shown on the left was the group's second release on that format and carried a selection of numbers not released on any of their singles. Animals lovers everywhere will therefore find that it is a 45 that is well worth seeking out. |
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The band became the most successful of
those managed by former failed pop star Mickie Most, who became
a better musical guide than he'd been a singer. After moving
themselves to London, they hit the chart with their first record
release. However it was their second release that would really
set things alight for them. This was 'The House of the Rising
Sun', but it was over four minutes long, and thus risked restricted
airplay. It was a tribute to Most's judgement, as well as the
band's musical skills, that the record became one of the greatest
international hits of the 1960s. Alan Price split from the Animals in 1966 because his fear of flying prevented him from travelling with the rest of the group. The Animals' singles continued to be successful only until the end of 1966, but both Eric Burdon and Alan Price continued issuing chart climbing records under their own names. |
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