Sunday, February 17, 2013

Eric Burdon


Eric Burdon has one of the most distinct voices that I know of. When you hear him sing, you cannot mistake him for any other. He has a voice and style that is immediately identifiable as his own, and it seems to bleed through no matter who he is playing with - the original Animals, the new Animals, War, or a solo album.

The Animals were one of the "British Invasion" groups of the sixties that hit it relatively big. The song that was their breakout, and for which the band is still best know for, was "House of the Rising Sun". It was a cover, and thus, not an original of their songs. But their interpretation of it resonated, and is probably the best known version of this great song.

It was their biggest hit, but by no means their only hit. They are also famous for other songs, including "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", and "It's My Life", among others. Bruce Springsteen cited "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" as one of the most moving songs he had ever heard, and went on to say that in it was essentially the basis of what he was trying to get across with numerous of his own works, including some of his most well known songs.

They were not on the level of the Beatles or the Stones, perhaps. But they were big in their own right, and seemed to have a promising career ahead of them.

Only, they didn't. Not as "The Animals", anyway. The band split up within a couple of years of hitting it big, and there was some confusion afterwards.

Eric Burdon released an album, one that I grew very familiar with and which brings me back to my childhood every time that I listen to it, or even see an image of the cover. It was called "Eric is Here: Eric Burdon and the Animals", and is pictured above. It featured a song that Burdon had done on his own, separate from the Animals, that had already charted, and became a hit. It was a great album, although not regarded very highly by many fans of the Animals or Eric Burdon, although I have always loved it. Most of the album are not original pieces to Burdon or the Animals, but rather covers, and perhaps that accounts for it not being considered such a great album, although since that was the only actual album that we had of the Animals (the other record was a greatest hits compilation), it was always the one that I identified them by. There was only the record that my family had of it for a long time, but I was elated to find it in compact disk version back in 1997. As it turns out, that cd is now considered very rare, and seems to be selling on various internet sites for upwards of $100 or more!

After that, Burdon recreated the band once again, if that is the way to put it. He recreated the group, and renamed them "Eric Burdon and the New Animals", while he moved to San Francisco to become a voice for the "Love Generation". Their musical style changed as well, going with the psychedelic times. This version of Burdon and the "New Animals" enjoyed some success, as well, with noted and loved hits like "Monterey", a song about the famous music festival that he attended that was the big concert of huge assembled talent, just before Woodstock.  They also enjoyed success with other notable songs, such as "San Franciscan Nights" and "Skypilot". The look and imagery involved with the band changed, too, reflecting the hippie times. But this incarnation of the Animals was not to have a long shelf life, either.

Burdon then joined "War". This was not the longest lasting band either, but they were edgy, taking risks and pushing the envelope. They were probably best known for "Spill the Wine", and at their peak, they enjoyed a bit of success, although nothing like what Burdon had enjoyed with the Animals.

Eric Burdon then embarked on a long solo career, although he did work with other notable musicians along the way, including Ringo Starr. He also was part of two reunions with the original Animals lineup, and they released two great albums: "Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted" in 1977, and "Ark" in 1983. There was a world-wide tour following "Ark" in 1983, and one of the concerts, at Wembley Stadium, became an official release for the band.

That was the last that anyone would hear from the "original" Animals, although a couple of former members of the group would become part of a band known as "Animals II", and I actually got to see them in August of 1997 in Brooklyn, a concert that I felt very blessed to have seen, and I cancelled plans to see Santana on that same night in order to see the Animals II, among other acts that evening, including the Grassroots, Gary Puckett, and the New Yardbirds. It originally was supposed to be a free concert, but due to rain, had to be moved indoors. There was a $5 cover charge for entrance, and it was a "first come, first served"  basis. What a night that would be!

I felt bad, however, because I had not yet seen Eric Burdon in concert, although I would finally get my chance later that year, in December. What a night that was! This, too, was on a "first come, first served" basis, and we got there early, to get the best seats that we could - front and center! It also marked the first concert and dinner for me, which had been a relatively foreign concept to me prior to that. After the show, I snuck backstage, and actually got to meet Eric Burdon, as well as get several autographs, for myself and my father. One thing that he signed was a poster, and he commented that he had "never seen this one before". He was a lot shorter than I had expected him to be. A lot drunker, too. Hell, I even accidentally spilled beer on the man, when I backed into a waitress carrying beer! I'll never forget the expression on his face. I think it is safe to say that he was truly thrilled to meet me!

I saw him another time with those same guys. And although when i saw him both times, the act was billed as "Eric Burdon", but very shortly thereafter, he would rename that group (it was a trio, actually), "Eric Burdon and the New Animals". But after a protracted legal battle in 2008, he lost the rights to the "Animals" name. Shortly after that, the band dissolved.

Now, here is where I will make an admission: my father (who went with me for the first show) and I both were a bit stunned to see him live, because there was a certain sadness to it. Here was a very talented musician who, in his day, had ranked among the elite musicians of the age. Yet, here he was, sounding and acting drunk on stage, an old musician clearly past his prime. This was the same man who had produced such brilliant and enjoyable music, and who seemed to be a rising star back in the day, yet here he was, playing a small club, and playing for an old audience wanting to reminisce about old times. We still sometimes shake our head over that one.

Some years ago, I got my hands on a relatively obscure and hard to find autobiography by Eric Burdon, "I Used To Be An Animal, But I'm All Right Now" (see the picture below). It was a good, if somewhat disorganized, book. He even admits to it being a bit chaotic, and not really in chronological order. But for any Animals fan, it is a fascinating read. Admittedly, it has been many years since I read that (we're talking the nineties), so I do not remember it all that well anymore. To my understanding, he incorporated these writings in a subsequent autobiography, with help by Jeff Marshall Craig, although I have not (yet) gotten the opportunity to read that particular book. Maybe that's an idea for the future, which would also allow me to post a book review about it on this blog? Hmmmm....

Eric Burdon is back now, with an album of all new material, 'Til Your River Runs Dry. I will be reviewing it either tomorrow or the next day, so stay tuned!




Picture by: allmusic.com

Picture of Eric Burdon's autobiography, a relatively rare book, by: amazon.com

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