The Animals: True Rock Royalty

By Mark Hodermarsky

If ever a rock band reflected the era in which they played, then it must be the Animals to the 1960s. To know their story is to know that decade. And it is no exaggeration to suggest that for part of that thrilling and prolific time in rock history the Animals were, for a little while, nearly as popular as the Beatles. The Animals: True Rock Royalty traces the original group's humble Newcastle beginnings and meteoric ascent to international fame; the drug and alcohol issues, poor management, and internal conflicts that led to a breakup; Eric Burdon's new band of Animals; and the acrimonious (original) Animals reunion attempts. Personal reflections from the author and others offer compelling insights regarding the band's groundbreaking contributions to rock music in this much-needed fresh appraisal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Haven Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Apr 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370125364

Book preview

The Animals

True Rock Royalty

Mark Hodermarsky

Published 2018

NEW HAVEN PUBLISHING LTD

www.newhavenpublishingltd.com

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All Rights Reserved

The rights of Mark Hodermarsky, as the author of this work, have been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

No part of this book may be re-printed or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now unknown or hereafter invented, including photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the Author and Publisher.

Cover design © Pete Cunliffe

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Copyright © 2018 Mark Hodermarsky

All rights reserved

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Foreword by Suzi Quatro*

Chapter 2: Preface*

Chapter 3: Introduction*

Chapter 4: Here Come the Brits*

Chapter 5: When I Was Young*

Chapter 6: Good Times*

Chapter 7: First Interlude*

Chapter 8: Winds of Change*

Chapter 9: Second Interlude*

Chapter 10: Eric is Here*

Chapter 11: Third Interlude*

Chapter 12: We Gotta Get Out of This Place*

Chapter 13: Fourth Interlude*

Chapter 14: O Lucky Man*

Chapter 15: Animalization*

Chapter 16: Bring It on Home to Me*

Chapter 17: It’s My Life*

Chapter 18: Final Interlude*

Chapter 19: Animal Tracks*

Chapter 20: Discography*

Chapter 21: Notable Cover Songs*

Chapter 22: Twenty Personal Favorites*

Chapter 23: Bibliography*

Chapter 24: Acknowledgements*

About the Author

Chapter 1

*Foreword by Suzi Quatro*

So, let’s talk about the Animals... easy for me. I was just the right age (14) when their big hit was a number one in the USA... The House of the Rising Sun. What a record. I was just starting out in my first band, so I was soaking up like a sponge all the music around, especially the British Invasion, which these guys were big part of.

What struck me was the slightly sinister edge to this song, which was mainly due to Eric Burdon’s ‘one-off’ vocal style - and it really is one-off, because he tries never to repeat his performance the same way. We have discussed this. He is a true original, with more than his fair share of sex appeal.

In fact, speaking of backstage... I shall never forget I was in Stuttgart Germany, at the Schleyerhalle, for a big big show sponsored by Porsche in 2008, which I had played myself many times. On this occasion though, I was not appearing. I was just there as a guest, as the acts were always booked by my husband, Rainer Haas. The Animals were appearing. Eric came up to me in the green room and asked me if I wanted to come up, play bass and sing with him on We Gotta Get Out of This Place... did I want to... you bet I did. I had about a ten minute run through with Hilton Valentine, the original guitarist, and off we went. You can see it on YouTube.

Re the musicians, it’s hard to pinpoint because everyone played a big part in the sound. Of course Alan Price’s keyboards were and are fantastic, Chas Chandler, the huge Chas, on bass, Hilton Valentine on guitar, and John Steel on drums - and the icing on the cake, Eric´s vocals, with more than a little attitude. What a line up. Great band.

They took their place in the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 1994, and rightly so.

I am still a fan.

Suzi Quatro

Chapter 2

*Preface*

In the soundtrack from the 2017 PBS documentary film epic, The Vietnam War, two rock songs by the Animals reinforced two major themes: the defiance of authority and the yearning to return home. The directors, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, recognized It’s My Life as a song that mirrored the striking 1965 anti-war images on the screen. Later in the film, We Gotta Get Out of This Place (another 1965 hit from this British Invasion band) captured the desperate cravings of soldiers to escape a controversial, bloody conflict they increasingly believed could not be won. Indeed, We Gotta Get Out of This Place became the unofficial anthem of all Vietnam service personnel. The song would also become the title of a widely read book published in 2015 by Douglas Bradley and Craig Werner, We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War.

These are just two recordings from the Animals that I would suggest come closer to expressing the essence of rock and roll than any from their musical forefathers (Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley) and British Invasion contemporaries (Beatles, Rolling Stones). Authors continue to write about these and other rock icons, but few have acknowledged the contributions of the Animals.

No other 1960s rock group spoke more truthfully to the listener. John Steel, the original Animals drummer, shared the following comments with Alan White in 2011, regarding the enduring popularity of the band’s songs: I know, it’s because they’re about life you know. They’re not pop songs, they’re not la, la, la songs. They are songs about the dark side of life, ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place,’ ‘It’s My Life… ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place’ is about a guy who’s going to be a stud, he has to, to get some money so him and his bird can get out of where they are.

There remains, underneath the deceiving simplicity of their musical constructions, a sound that faithfully reveals the heart and soul of rock and roll. Before the legacy of this wildly ignored band is forgotten, a fresh look is long overdue.

Like most of you who have begun reading this book, you probably realize how rock and roll has impacted and even changed your lives. Within the text I will briefly share the impressions the Animals left on me as a kid growing up in Cleveland and how their music continues to resonate and inspire. I want to understand why the Animals’ music is still played, and why their recordings remain fresh and meaningful 50 years later.

My perspectives are those of a fan. I have not disguised my affection for the group. I’ve also tried to speak conversationally rather than as an academic might. I apologize in advance if my prose drifts towards the abstract. Like the band I am about to describe, I’ll try to communicate straightforwardly.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Eric Burdon, the legendary lead singer of the Animals: It’s more important what you leave people on this planet. I want my legacy to exist now, currently, not after I’m gone. Well, Eric, I’ll do my best to help you out there.

Chapter 3

*Introduction*

During his keynote address at the 2012 South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas, Bruce Springsteen may have surprised his audience with his soaring praise for a British invasion group other than the Beatles or Rolling Stones. The Boss hailed the Animals as producing the first records with full blown class consciousness that I ever heard. He also admitted stealing chords from Don’t Let Me Be Understood to write Badlands, and how We Gotta Get out of This Place inspired every song I’ve ever written, that’s all of them . . . ‘Born to Run,’ ‘Born in the USA,’ everything I’ve done for the past forty years, including all the new ones. Add Jim Morrison, Robert Plant and Tom Petty among the countless artists who have acknowledged their indebtedness to the Animals.

In his 1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech for the Animals, Dave Pirner, lead vocalist for Soul Asylum, mentioned that the Animals can now be recognized as a key link in the evolving transition from black R & B to punk rock. While listening to a live recording of the group, Pirner described hearing a band possessed by the moment, reveling in the joys of being pissed off. He explained that the Animals captured this illusive duality of anger and exuberance . . . a key element that makes playing in a band so much fun.

Skipping the 1994 event in New York because of a booked appearance in Dusseldorf, Germany, Eric Burdon, the Animals’ legendary frontman, did not join his original bandmates to accept the induction ceremony accolades. Although Burdon sincerely intended on attending, many were reminded of the tension that had led to earlier disputes and breakups. As a result of Burdon’s absence, John Steel (drums), Hilton Valentine (guitar), Chas Chandler (bass) and Alan Price (keyboards) did not perform that evening. They had earlier set aside personal differences to record two albums in 1975 and 1983 and to stage a reunion tour.

The original Animals--minus Alan Price who left in May1965 to be replaced by Dave Rowberry and John Steel whose exit was filled by Barry Jenkins in February 1966--constitutes the first incarnation, 1963-1966, the rock/blues/R & B period. The second incarnation, December 1966-July 1968, Eric Burdon and the Animals (or the New Animals), represents the blues rock/hard rock/psychedelic rock interval and featured (in addition to Jenkins) John Weider (guitar/violin/), Vic Briggs (guitar/piano), Danny McCulloch (bass), and, briefly, Zoot Money (keyboards) and Andy Summers (guitar). These two periods produced the music that solidified the Animals enduring legacy and are the focus of my narrative.

My passion for rock music can be traced to the invasion of the British bands, particularly the Beatles, in 1964 at age ten. I admired the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Hollies, the Zombies, the Yardbirds, and the Merseybeat sounds of Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Searchers. But I felt lukewarm toward the Dave Clark Five and Herman’s Hermits. I disliked Freddie and the Dreamers, dismissing them as silly and lacking any suitable edginess. I fully embraced the Animals, however. Their gritty, blues-based, unpretentious sound, so novel at the time, awakened emotions that had lain dormant. After hearing the Animals, music suddenly became a relevant fixture in my life.

What distinguished the Animals from every other British Invasion band was their frontman, Eric Burdon, credited by Steven Van Zandt of inventing the genre of the white guy singing low. Close friend Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones called Burdon the best blues singer to come out of England—ever. The strength, deepness and emotional intensity of Burdon’s vocals set him apart from