There is often lots of animosity towards Best Of albums, but I wouldn’t be true to myself if I chose “The Animals” or “Animal Tracks” instead of this album. This was the first vinyl record I ever bought. It was from the Peddlers Mall in Lexington KY, where I remember walking around with Ramsey. We found this best of copy which was promptly purchased for $3! What a steal! Or so I thought…

I quickly learned that on the hit song “House Of The Rising Sun”, there was a scratch after Eric Burdon says “mother tell you children”, resulting in the following words “I’ve done” to repeat until the needle is moved or the floor is stomped near the record player. It’s interesting to see your brain make predictions based on previous experiences and stimuli. Now, every time I hear House of the Rising Sun, I feel and hear the skip happening up to the point where my streaming service breezes right by this roadblock. Anticipation for an outcome that doesn’t happen (and you know it won’t) is such a strange feeling. But it feels special to have a unique experience based on listening to a scratched record enough times.

I love The Beatles and The Kinks, but I have a feeling that if I was witnessing the British Invasion, The Animals would have stolen the show. There’s this emphasis on the keyboard and gritty vocal quality that really captures this sound that makes me feel as though The Animals walked so The Doors and Stones could run. I find myself in love with this raw quality that demands no high fidelity, but instead a sentimental feeling!

Top songs for me are It’s My Life, We Gotta Get Outta This Place, and I’m Crying. Although I recently discovered Story Of Bo Diddley, which I don’t recall being on the vinyl record. This story telling style and type of playing provides some foresight into the type of music that Eric Burdon will be pursuing in the years to come in songs such as Spill the Wine and his cover of Tobacco Road.

The range of music in the Animals’ repertoire to this day amazes me. Songs like Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood fill me with empathy and a feeling resonation with Eric’s words for experiences I haven’t had myself. That’s the sign of a great storyteller in my eyes!