The Animals Greatest Hits

When it comes to wild men of rock, they didn't come any wilder than Newcastle's Animals and their larger-than-life frontman Eric Burdon. His distinctive rasp was instrumental in taking the group to the top of the transatlantic charts; 1964's 'House of the Rising Sun', followed by 'I'm Crying', and covers of Nina Simone's 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood', Sam Cooke's 'Bring It On Home to Me', and Mann & Weil's 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place'. Despite splitting from his four bandmates in late 1966 and relocating to the USA, Eric retained the group name and put together a different line-up. These New Animals, turned in some searing acid-rock in the shape of 'Spill the Wine' and 'San Franciscan Nights', the latter a paean to Burdon's adopted home that made the top ten charts on both sides of the Atlantic.