LINK: CAN’T CAGE THIS ANIMAL: AN INTERVIEW WITH ERIC BURDON

His white hair spiked and his glasses framed with rainbow-coloured rims, Animals front man Eric Burdon still looks every bit the rocker he was when he helped lead the “British Invasion” alongside bands like the Beatles, The Who and the Rolling Stones in the 1960s. Though the original version of The Animals broke up by 1968, Burdon’s distinctly aggressive, raw vocals on hits such as “House of the Rising Sun” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” helped land the band in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Still writing and touring, Burdon, now 71 and living in southern California, pulls no punches when talking music, aging or his candid reactions to the untimely passing of friends like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. With a new album, ‘Til Your River Runs Dry, in stores, a show to play tonight at Casino Rama and a third autobiography in the works, Burdon recently sat down withZoomer’s Mike Crisolago.

PART ONE: The Invasion, Drugs and the Death of Jimi Hendrix

MIKE CRISOLAGO: The British invasion proved one of the most monumental cultural shifts in modern music history. Was there competition between you and other bands like the Beatles or was everyone just happy to grab a piece of the pie?

ERIC BURDON: Well, when it started out, we were like brothers in arms. We were all friends and we’d get together and have a drink after a show. It was a real tight knit club of people. But then the big money started coming in, and the big agents and managers got their hands on the dough, and then there was a need for competition and so the camaraderie was lost by about ’67. I hated the expression British invasion. But we were young, we were from Britain and we were in America playing their music to them. That was a big thing to be able to pull off.

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CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT GONZO

The Lost Broadcasts DVD - £9.99

The Animals And Beyond  DVD - £9.99

Beat Beat Beat - Eric Burdon.. DVD - £4.99

LINK: Eric Burdon’s life story - A staggering life, and an incredible look at music and people

Eric Burdon is best known as the singer for The Animals. He’s not at all known for being a guy with a collection of stories and a good way of telling them. He should be, because his bio “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” is full of insights into the music scene, the ups and downs of being a 60s rock star and some of the biggest names in music history.

Burdon lives up to one of his own songs very well- “No Self Pity” on The Twain Shall Meet album. He describes the tough times and the good times with a tongue in cheek version of himself. His sense of humor is good, and there’s an element of songwriting in the way this book is put together.

One of the reasons for including this book in the SMJ Eclectics collection is because it does accurately reflect a lot of the sleaze in the music industry. The tales of big hits and stardom get a comeuppance they’ve deserved for a long time. Burdon’s no great admirer of the industry himself, and he accurately depicts the shady and sometimes very nasty characters in it. He recalls being told that one of the reasons the Animals anthem House of the Rising Sun was a hit was because “people” had been buying it

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 Check out his Gonzo Artist Page. Also check out All my Loving on DVD. You know it makes sense.

ERIC BURDON, TONY PALMER AND ME

Back in the autumn of 1977 I was unemployed and eighteen years old. The BBC showed Tony Palmer's All My Loving which is now available on Gonzo Multimedia, and as I mentioned some weeks ago it changed my life. Amongst the amazing artists that I heard for the first time that night was a bloke called Eric Burdon. Well, no, actually I didn't hear him for the first time that night. I had been aware of his magnificent rendition of 'House of the Rising Sun' whilst the lead singer of Newcastle R&B merchants The Animals and as a wannabe guitar hero I had ploddingly learned the chords myself. But it wasn't until seeing Tony Palmer's film that I first heard Eric Burdon the bonkers solo artist. And I fell head over heels in love.

It depends who you believe. Some folk have written that Burdon discovered the dreaded heaven and hell drug, and became imbued with the San Fransisco peace and love thos. Others say he had a breakdown, others an epiphany, but whatever the cause, in the mif 1960s this Geordie bruiser changed and started producing some of the most gloriuously insane music I have ever heard.

The soundtrack to 'All My Loving' included this song:



And it blew me away.

Then, today, whilst I was out stocking up the wine cellar and trying to buy a new shelter for my parakeet aviary, a parcel of DVDs arrived from Anne-Marie at Gonzo HQ. And guess what? It included a DVD in our acclaimed 'Lost Broadcasts' series featuring the man himself. Eric Burdon, with War recorded in 1970.

Watching it I nearly cried with joy. This is the first time I have ever danced in my office chair whilst watching a review DVD. This version (or rather, this complete re-imagining) of The Rolling Stones song 'Paint it Black' is only the firt of four magnificent songs on this DVD.



LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND BUY THIS DVD. YOUR LIFE WILL NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT IT.

There. I have spoken.

PS. Much to my great joy I have found that there are two other Eric Burdon DVDs out on Gonzo. I will be covering them in great detail very soon. In the meantime check out his Gonzo Artist Page.

Also check out All my Loving on DVD. You know it makes sense.