A performance by the original Animals was one of the first concerts I ever attended. During 1966 they were touring the United States with Herman’s Hermits but their performance at the Cape Cod A-Go-Go Club was just them and a local band, whose name has completely disappeared from my mind during the intervening 47 years. In fact I had to Google The Animals' 1966 tour to pinpoint the date, which was August 2, 1966.
The summer of 1966 was my first time living away from home, as I worked in the kitchen of a camp on Cape Cod. It was a summer of work, coming of age, and expanding my musical horizons. I don’t remember a lot about the performance but it had an impact, as all of their early albums adorned my growing music collection and opened my mind to seek music outside the orbit of The Beach Boys and Roy Orbison.
Nearly a half century later I still have a loyalty and affection for the bands of my youth. As with many music lovers they form a connection to a time long past, the memories of which age well if inaccurately at times. I have lost track of Eric Burdon for periods of time but he always seems to resurface.
Time has passed for myself and Eric Burdon. Now in his early 70s, he is one of the grand old men of the original British music invasion and of rock and roll itself. His journey toward the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame began with The Animals who occupied the middle ground between rock and blues. They managed to strike a chord with the music mainstream with such hits as “House of the Rising Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” and “It’s My Life” among others.
ERIC BURDON
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