The discography of the Animals, an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, contains 20 studio albums, six compilation albums, five EPs and 25 singles. Featuring a gritty, bluesy sound and a deep-voiced frontman in Eric Burdon, they are best known for their rendition of an American folk song "The House of the Rising Sun", which is described by many as their signature song.Muze article, "Best of The Animals (Abkco)" , Tower Records. Accessed 4 May 2007. This single had worldwide sales of nearly 5 millionThe Book of Golden Disks, Joseph Murrells. . and became a Number One hit in both the UK and US in 1964. Overall, the group balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life" against rhythm and blues–oriented album material. The Animals released separate UK and US albums, a practice common to other British Invasion bands of the time such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
The Animals underwent numerous personnel changes in the mid-1960s and suffered from poor business management. An incarnation using the name "Eric Burdon and the Animals" moved to California in 1967 and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic outfit, before disbanding at the end of the decade. Altogether, the group had ten Top Twenty hits on both the UK charts and US charts.
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. The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Studio albums The Animals' studio album releases varied significantly between the UK and the US; even those with the same or similar names had different contents.
UK albums Title Album details Peak chart positions UK The Animals Released: 30 October 1964 Label: Columbia (SX 1669) Format: LP 6 Animal Tracks Released: 7 May 1965 Label: Columbia (SX 1708) Format: LP 6 Animalisms Released: 13 May 1966 Label: Decca (LK 4797) Format: LP 4
US albums Title Album details Peak chart positions US USCash. USRW The Animals Released: September 1964 Label: MGM (E/SE-4264) Format: mono/rechanneled stereo LP 7 14 8 The Animals on Tour Released: February 1965 Label: MGM (E/SE-4281) Format: mono/rechanneled stereo LP 99 — 92 Animal Tracks Released: September 1965 Label: MGM (E/SE-4305) Format: mono/rechanneled stereo LP 57 27 27 Animalization Released: August 1966 Label: MGM (E/SE-4384) Format: mono/rechanneled stereo LP with 1 true stereo track 20 17 13 Animalism Released: 21 November 1966 Label: MGM (E/SE-4414) Format: mono/stereo LP 33 27 21 "—" denotes a release that did not chart.
Eric Burdon & the Animals albums Title Album detailsPeak chart positions UK US USCash. USRW Eric Is Here Released: March 1967 (US only) Label: MGM (E/SE-4433) Format: mono/stereo LP—1218454 Winds of Change Released: September 1967 Label: MGM (E/SE-4484) Format: mono/stereo LP— 42 26 23 The Twain Shall Meet Released: April 1968 Label: MGM (E/SE-4537) Format: mono/stereo LP—798448 Every One of Us Released: August 1968 (US only) Label: MGM (SE-4553) Format: stereo LP—152—107 Love Is Released: December 1968 Label: MGM (SE-4591-2) Format: stereo LP—1239496"—" denotes a release that did not chart.
Reunion albums Title Album detailsPeak chart positions UK US CAN NZL Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted(released as The Original Animals) Released: August 1977 Label: Jet Format: LP—708424 Ark Released: August 1983 Label: I.R.S. Format: LP—66——
Live albums Title Album detailsPeak chart positions UK US Greatest Hits Live (Rip It to Shreds) Released: 1984 Label: I.R.S. Format: LP——
Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications UK US USCash. USRW The Animals The Best of The Animals Released: February 1966 Label: MGM (E/SE-4324) Format: Mono/Stereo LP—654 RIAA: Gold The Most of the Animals Released: February 1966 Label: Columbia (SX-6035) Format: Mono/Stereo LP4——— Eric Burdon & the Animals The Best of Eric Burdon and the Animals Vol. II Released: June 1967 Label: MGM (E/SE-4454) Format: Mono/Stereo LP—715448 The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and the Animals Released: March 1969 Label: MGM (SE-4602) Format: Stereo LP————
Off-sequence albums These albums are principally a continuing re-release of a set of live recordings from Club A Go-Go, Newcastle, 1963, either solely The Animals or The Animals and Sonny Boy Williamson II. The track listing for the all-Animals set is generally all of or a selection from "Let It Rock", "Gotta Find My Baby", "Bo Diddley", "Almost Grown", "Dimples", "Boom Boom" and "C Jam Blues". The recordings were made in December, 1963 by Giorgio Gomelsky and involved seven live tracks of the Animals alone and eleven tracks with the Animals backing Sonny Boy Williamson.Uncredited, Liner Notes to Almost Grown, Pazzazz Records, 2006
The Animals (Capitol [Canada] T-6092, Sep 1964) Mickie Most Presents 'British Go Go' (MGM SE-4306, Jan 1965) Wild Animals (Decca, 1966) In the Beginning (Wand, 1970) - Live album, recorded 30 December 1963 Rock Generation Vol. 2 (BYG 529.702, 1973) - The Animals at the Club A Go-Go, Newcastle, 1963 Rock Generation Vol. 4 (BYG 529.704, 1973) - more of the same, backing Sonny Boy Williamson Night Time Is the Right Time (Springboard 4065, 197?) - with Sonny Boy Williamson Live (Woodford, 1991) In the Beginning: Live in 1963 (Sundazed, 1993) Almost Grown (Pazzazz, 2006) The Animals with Sonny Boy Williamson (Charly, 2006) Live at the Club A Go-Go (Hallmark, 2008)
Post-lifetime compilation and reissue albums The Most Of (Music For Pleasure 5218, 1971) Best of the Animals (ABKCO 4426, 1973, 2-LP set) Best of the Animals (Springboard 4025, 1973) Best of the Animals (ABKCO 4324, 1975, 1-LP --- first U.S. compilation to feature the UK "correct" version of "We Gotta Get Out of This Place") The Best of the Animals (ABKCO, 1988) The Complete Animals (EMI, 1990) The Best of Eric Burdon and the Animals 1966–1968 (Polygram, 1991) Original Hits (Disky, 1995) The Best of the Animals (EMI, 1997) The Best of the Animals (Liberty, 2000) The Best of Eric Burdon and the Animals (Universal, 2001) Interesting Life (2003) Complete French EPs 1964/1967 (2003) Retrospective (ABKCO 93252, 2004, Hybrid SACD) The Hits (2010)
Extended plays Title EP details Notes The Animals is Here Released: December 1964 Label: Columbia (SEG 8374) Format: 7-inch 45 RPMDebut EP released, but not the first recorded. The Animals Released: March 1965 Label: Columbia (SEG 8400) Format: 7-inch 45 RPM The Animals No. 2 Released: July 1965 Label: Columbia (SEG 8439) Format: 7-inch 45 RPM Animal Tracks Released: September 1965 Label: Columbia (SEG 8499) Format: 7-inch 45 RPM The Animals Are Back Released: October 1965 Label: Columbia (SEG 8452) Format: 7-inch 45 RPM In the Beginning There Was Early Animals Released: 1966 Label: Decca (DFE 8643) Format: 7-inch 45 RPMFirst recorded EP, but last released. It is also their first record, recorded 1963.
Singles YearTitle (A-side)Peak chart positions U.S. record labelB-sideFrom same album as A-side except where indicatedCertificationsAlbum UK US AUS CAN GER NLD NOR SWE 1964 "Baby Let Me Take You Home" 21 102 — — — — — — MGM Records "Gonna Send You Back to Walker" The Animals "The House of the Rising Sun" 1 1 2 1 10 5 — 4 "Talkin' 'bout You" BPI: 2× Platinum IFPI DEN: Platinum RMNZ: 4× Platinum "Gonna Send You Back to Walker" — 57 — 25 — — — — "Baby Let Me Take You Home" (A-side) "I'm Crying" 8 19 40 6 — 44 — — "Take It Easy" The Animals on Tour 1965 "Boom Boom" — 43 39 14 — — — — "Blue Feeling" The Animals "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" 3 15 29 4 — 26 — 7 "Club A-GoGo" Animal Tracks "Bring It On Home to Me" 7 32 42 7 — 3 — 1 "For Miss Caulker" "We Gotta Get out of This Place" 2 13 49 2 31 12 — 6 "I Can't Believe It" (US-only LP track) "It's My Life" 7 23 10 2 — 12 5 3 "I'm Going to Change the World" (Non-LP track)The Best of The Animals 1966 "Inside-Looking Out" 12 34 20 21 34 24 — 14 "You're on My Mind" Animalization "Don't Bring Me Down" 6 12 20 3 17 15 — 16 "Cheating" "See See Rider" — 10 9 1 — — — — "She'll Return It" "Help Me Girl" 14 29 18 25 — — — — "That Ain't Where It's At" Eric Is Here 1967 "When I Was Young" 45 15 2 10 31 9 — — "A Girl Named Sandoz"The Best of Eric Burdon and The Animals Vol. II "San Franciscan Nights" 7 9 9 1 20 5 — — "Good Times" Winds of Change "Good Times" 20 — — — — — — — "San Franciscan Nights" (A-side) "Monterey" — 15 9 3 — 37 — 17 "Ain't That So" (Non-LP track) The Twain Shall Meet "Anything" — 80 65 45 — — — — "It's All Meat" Winds of Change1968 "Sky Pilot" 40 14 7 7 — — — — "Sky Pilot (Part Two)" The Twain Shall Meet "White Houses" — 67 66 46 — — — — "River Deep – Mountain High" (from Love Is) Every One of Us1969 "Ring of Fire" 35 — 8 — — 2 — — "I'm An Animal" Love Is 1972 "The House of the Rising Sun" 25 — — — — — — — ABKCO Records "Bring It On Home to Me" 1982 "The House of the Rising Sun" 11 — — — — — — — 1983 "The Night" — 48 — — — — — — I.R.S. Records "No John No" Ark "Love Is for All Time" — — — — — — — — "It's Too Late"
Notes A.The cover is original Animals lineup that made the recordings. No identification of recordings as being 1963. Licensed from Disky Music; Disky ownership interest uncertain. Five songs only, excluding "Let It Rock" and "C Jam Blues". B.As described by reviewer Bruce Eder, "Recorded in December of 1963 at a live concert, this CD captures the Animals at their rawest and most animated on record, ripping ferociously through a bunch of standards (by Chuck Berry, James B. Odom, et al.), playing the crowd and making snide comments about their London rivals The Rolling Stones, all with Sonny Boy Williamson II hanging somewhere around the stage. Sundazed has actually found the original master to this oft-bootlegged piece of rock/blues history."[ Review of In the Beginning]; AllMusic C.The album contains uncredited liner notes describing the early history of The Animals and the December 1963 recording by Giorgio Gomelsky. There is no indication on cover that the 2006 release is the 1963 live recording. The cover photo includes Dave Rowberry, who did not join the band until 1965, rather than Alan Price. D.In fact being the seven live recordings of The Animals without Sonny Boy Williamson. E.The album includes detailed liner notes by Rob Lipshutz; includes unedited single version of "Monterey", included on an album for the first time. Previous album inclusions, from the time of The Twain Shall Meet, involved fade-in intro; see Lipshutz liner notes. F.Eighteen songs from the 1964–1965 period, licensed from EMI. G.The album of ten tracks, principally 1967–1968 material, featuring the "new" Animals, yet the cover is of the 1963–1965 lineup with Alan Price. Also includes "Shake" and "All Night Long" from 1966. No liner notes, production details or recording times. Contains three actual "hits"—"Monterey", "Sky Pilot" and "San Franciscan Nights". "Sky Pilot" is the abridged, single version, though not so indicated.
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