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the-alan-price-combo · 2 years

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Wild Animals (1963-65)

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“The Animals were originally my band, of a sort. We were known as the Alan Price Combo. The name was like a really bad Fifties film, so we became the Animals when we came down to London. Basically we all disliked each other. It was a marriage made in hell.” - Alan Price, “How We Met: 46. Georgie Fame and Alan Price”, 1992.

Yeah, Alan, I can imagine being married to four other people would be hell. However, we’ll soon see that when it’s just one person, whom you share a “common soul” with… things are a little bit smoother.

Anyway, the Animal-history gets a lot more intense from here on out. Up until now, the Alan Price Combo had just been playing local gigs, that is, until Mike Jefferies entered the picture (“Mike”, Michael”... “Jeffery”, “Jeffrey”, “Jefferies”... I have no idea 😐). A businessman who owned clubs in the area, including the Club A-Go-Go (which he hired Eric to design the interior of), he offered to be the Combo’s manager. A double-edged sword, to be sure… as Jefferies had been and would continue to be a very shady individual. He was able to make a deal with the Yardbirds’ manager, Giorgio Gomelsky, to swap the band’s primary venues in December of 1963, so the Yardbirds could start to make a name for themselves in the northeast of England and the Combo farther south. This turned out to be quite an advantageous move for the group, though, this change in location came with a caveat: there needed to be a name-change. “The Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo” was too much of a mouthful, not to mention, very stuffy for a name. They needed something snappier, quicker… one word.

Now, all of the Animals seem to have different ideas of how the name of “the Animals” came about. Eric says it was a tribute to their buddy “Animal” Hogg, John says the name was given to them by Graham Bond, and the most popular story floating around is that the name was given to them originally as a nickname, because of their wild acts on stage. Whatever the case, Alan had a lot of grumblings about this, but eventually accepted it. And thus, the Animals were born, with their first single “Baby Let Me Take You Home” recorded in mid-February of 1964, by their recently-acquired record producer, Mickie Most. Most is an interesting character in the Animals' story, primarily in the way he treated them versus the later acts he produced for (Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Lulu, and the Jeff Beck Group, among others). The Animals honestly felt a bit like guinea pigs to him - a way for him to find his footing in the music production industry - for better and for worse. And, like everyone associated with Animal-history, I am eternally fascinated by him.

Anyway, get ready for some more scattered and silly moments between Alan and Eric!

Keyboard Smash -

Before I take my Alan/Eric magnifying glass to the Animals’ general history, I’d like to bring special attention to a little moment Eric shared in his first autobiography (he vaguely mentions it in his second, though, with much less detail). This takes place at the Scene Club in London (Eric accidentally confuses it with the Flamingo Club in his book), around the time they first arrived in December of ‘63 or perhaps very early on in ‘64.

“The dance floor area in the centre of the club was tiny and would hold maybe 200 people standing up, jam packed like sardines on a Saturday night. The comfortable night would be Tuesday when there would be about twenty to fifty people with room to dance to the great sounds. Needless to say the stage was even tinier. There really wasn’t enough room to move and I often found myself performing on the floor, at the same level as the dancers, sometimes joining in with the dance. By the time the drums and keyboards were set up there was just enough room for Hilton and Chas to find a niche on stage - no room for me.

“So I disappeared beneath the heads in the front row. The main reason for this was there was a huge white elephant of a grand piano on stage, a throwback to when the joint had been a nightclub. The jazz musicians had always arranged themselves around this monster.

“One night, I vented all my frustrations and anxieties on the great white piano. This was probably triggered by a purple heart, I must admit, but I was feeling good and I wanted to be seen as well as heard. I was wearing thick-soled cowboy boots, so why not? I clambered on to the top of the white monster. I should mention here that its one and only function was for people to put empty glasses on, so when I climbed up and started jumping around in time to the music I was crushing drinking glasses to powder beneath my feet into the top of the grand. The audience loved it, they went berserk. I jumped so long and so hard, egged on by the boys in the band, particularly Alan Price who hated this white monster with a vengeance. It didn’t ever actually play, you see, it was just a prop, but it was there and they weren't going to move it, so I had to move it for them.

I continued to jump up and down, egged on by the guys - the top of the piano gave way and splintered. My boots made it through to the other side and struck what remained of the strings beneath. It made a lovely noise, especially with the microphone stuffed down there. Alan Price, a huge grin on his face, held one of the Shure microphones next to the strings as they popped and twanged. Three huge bouncers made their way towards the stage through the crowd, pushing people aside, wondering just what the hell was going on. By the time they reached me the piano was demolished with the help of most of the audience. The bouncers got there and saw what was actually happening in front of the stage, and they took it all in good fun. They too joined in the melee against the hated piano.” - Eric Burdon, I Used to Be an Animal, but I’m All Right Now, 1986 (p. 47).

Not sure what I love more… Eric somewhat doing this for and primarily egged on by Alan or Alan letting some of that composure slip in order to encourage him and join in the fun Eric was having, even leaving his instrument to do so. It’s just so great to see the spontaneity of both their relationship and the band’s dynamic in action… the five of them all finding common ground, but Alan and Eric, in particular, making it something special. Personally, it’s my favorite Animal-anecdote of all time and one of my favorite shared moments between Alan and Eric… but don’t worry, there’s a lot more where that came from!

The Animals at the Scene Club, presumably in late-‘63 or early-‘64. This is before Eric destroyed the piano - it’s that giant white table-like thing next to Eric! And the band obviously looks quite crowded. Also, interesting how both Alan and Eric are even with one another at the front of the stage, while the other three are in the back… this is probably due to the stage constraints, but it’s still an intriguing visual.

Here’s another Scene Club picture that I absolutely love. Alan, leaving his keyboard and playing a piano-esque harmonica instead, and sharing the microphone with Eric. I love the dynamic on display here; it’s a rarity to see Alan and Eric this close on stage. If you’re wondering what Alan’s harmonica sounds like, listen to the Animals’ recording of “Pretty Thing”; they recorded it when they were still the Alan Price Combo!

Rising Suns -

The stories surrounding the Animals’ cover of “House of the Rising Sun” have been talked about many, many times, so I won’t go too in-depth about them here. In short, it was selected off of Bob Dylan’s self-titled debut album by Eric to end the Animals’ segment of shows while they were on tour with Chuck Berry in May of ‘64. “You can’t out-rock Chuck Berry,” Eric says, and he’s absolutely right, so he wanted the Animals to have a very different-sounding rock finisher as to differentiate themselves from the rest of the set. Hilton created that iconic guitar riff himself, and all of the Animals seemed to work together on the arrangement. That is… except for Alan. While I personally don’t think he made zero contributions, it’s obvious that he wasn’t a big fan of the song early on (a detail that is corroborated by all four other Animals… very rare for them), even walking out of rehearsals from frustration. He did seem to come around to it eventually, literally covering it himself for a solo album he released later… and, if I’m being honest, I’m thinking Eric’s influence was a huge reason why.

Now, this part of the arrangement process is completely told from Eric’s perspective (the handful of times Alan actually talks about this song, he claims he created the organ solo all by himself), but I’m a lot more inclined to trust Eric here because of how much this echoes a familiar song-and-dance of theirs that Alan fondly looks back on: Eric introducing Alan to new music and Alan being highly inspired by it.

“I wanted to find something really ferocious for Alan Price to play. I had just seen a movie called Walk on the Wild Side, and Jimmy Smith did the title music for it. So, I got a copy of the album, for the soundtrack, and I said ‘Alan, this is the attitude you gotta play in the solo section of this.’ So that's the basis of the idea for the solo section.” - Eric Burdon, 2020 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8bKL4nO9xE)

Eric is still showing him music and gently shaping Alan, helping him discover new ways he can play… it’s so wonderful to see (hope you got yourself and Alan a pair of movie tickets, too 👀). This is just speculation, but I have to wonder if some of Alan’s initial apprehension with the song was not being able to leave his own mark on it, with Hilton and Eric charging ahead with their own dominant sounds. Having such an impactful solo like that allowed for Alan to feel connected to the song in a major way, so much so that he was vocally frustrated whenever radio cuts would omit the solo for broadcast.

Another tidbit:

“I said [to Alan], ‘Get that feeling, coming out of the break.’ That propelled me into the next line: ‘One foot on the platform, the other foot on the train.’” - Eric Budon, 2013, The Animals 180g LP released in 2022.

…So not only using the organ solo to bolster Alan’s confidence, but to spur himself on as well… Goes to show just how much of a profound impact Alan’s keyboard-playing has on him; musical feelings not at all one-sided.

Anyway, the rest is history. The Animals recorded the iconic song in one take, between their shows with Berry, in the early hours of the morning on May 18th, 1964, much to the chagrin of the pop-savvy Most and a puzzled Jefferies. And the song ended up topping charts around the globe, launching the Animals’ name and sound into the stratosphere. For better and for worse.

And, of course, with only Alan’s name on the label, due to there not being enough room for the others and his being the first alphabetically. A decision that would forever taint his relationship with each of them, including Eric… but at least, for a little while, they seemed to look past this. I definitely think Alan made a horrible decision here, and while I sympathize with him if any higher-ups were the ones to pull the strings (...Jefferies…) and the fact that he was 100% using those royalties to pay the members of his future bands fairly, he still didn’t share the money with his original band members, and it’s been almost 60 years. However, I look past this only because this treasure-trove of an intriguing relationship is so often looked over precisely because this one stupid decision of Alan’s gives the impression that there can’t ever be anything salvageable about his relationship with Eric, which I simply believe isn’t true. Spoilers for a good amount of the content ahead, but over the next decade, Eric never seemed to pry Alan about this, and there were some truly sweet moments shared between them, indicative of a close relationship despite it all. Not to mention, the whole royalty-situation is incredibly complex, especially with the knowledge of how much money Alan was investing into the musicians he hired for later creative endeavors, and how much paying them proper wages meant to him. In that regard, he was stuck in an extremely difficult trolley problem, which no doubt wore away at his mental health further. Yes, my sympathy towards Alan Price is all-consuming.

Our moody, pouty Alan…

Sounds Perfect -

The love-hate, delicate tension of their personal relationship already has quite a bit of nuance, but that’s to say nothing of their musical relationship. Eric’s vocals and Alan’s keyboards… together, they’re truly unstoppable.

“...If there was any sort of fellowship, it was between the fact that Eric was the singer and I was - I think the word is ‘amanuensis’, the translator. I used to follow his singing closely, and put fills in between. In other words, if you’ve heard Ray Charles singing and playing piano, I did the Ray Charles piano bits and he did the Ray Charles singing.” - Alan Price, Goldmine, 1995

“Price’s brooding personality and jazz-inspired keyboard wizardry in contrast to Burdon’s cockiness and R&B-laced vocals established an intoxicating and complementing mix. Valentine, Steel, and Chandler’s contributions were many, but most of an audience’s attention was directed at Burdon and Price. They were the heart and soul of the Animals. And despite the obvious tension that existed between these two musical giants, there was an unquestionably mutual admiration for the other’s talents. The Animals’ singular sound was constructed around these two members.” - Mark Hodermarsky, The Animals: True Rock Royalty, 2018 (p. 124-25).

Alan… did you seriously just imply that you and Eric together are a whole Ray Charles?! …Wow, between that and the “common souls” comment Alan made, it’s obvious that he really values the musical relationship and general connection they have. Also, the fact that Alan seems to take pride in the fact that he had the closest relationship with Eric out of all of the Animals…

It’s true, though; the pair have an incredible musical dynamic in all of their songs, especially detectable in a choice few.

“If one thinks about it too much, the entire concept of doing a version of Diddley’s eponymous, vainglorious anthem is ridiculous, but the Animals’ version of ‘Bo Diddley’ is no less delightful for that fact. Price starts out playing the chunka-chunka rhythm in tandem with Valentine, then during the instrumental break abandons the guitarist as he sets off into the stratosphere. Burdon rouses the crowd by getting them to participate in call-and-response routines, then engages Price in similar activity: making bizarre noises with lips and throat and daring Price to imitate them on his keyboard. Price turns out to be game.” - Sean Egan, Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals, 2012 (p. 47-48).

I promise this isn’t going to just be a glorified Alan/Eric playlist, but there are several great examples of songs that exercise this dynamic perfectly. Basically the entirety of the In the Beginning/Live in December, 1963/The Animals and Sonny Boy Williamson album (they’re all the same, just different names, plus the extended collaboration they do with Williamson) is an excellent display of this, especially the aforementioned “Bo Diddley”. What I consider the “golden trifecta” of Animals songs, “Worried Life Blues”, “How You’ve Changed”, and “I Believe To My Soul”, are also excellent examples of this; the former happens to be my absolute favorite Animals song of all time. Eric’s voice and Alan’s keyboard seem to meld the best when Alan’s on a traditional piano, in my humble opinion, but their sound is still wonderful when he’s on an electric organ (again, “Worried Life Blues” is my favorite song of theirs). This is just a handful of songs, of course; basically every song they’re on together has Alan backing him up in some way. Even “House of the Rising Sun”!

Also, to validate my “Alan sounds best on a traditional piano” point, I’m not the only one with this sentiment…

“I hated the sound of the fucking Vox [Continental]. I hated it. That’s where Pricey and I parted, musically, when he bought that frigging Vox. It’s just the chintziest, wheeziest sound. It’s due to the records that our ears became tuned to it and it became an affectionate sound signal to a lot of people but I never liked it at all. I wanted Pricey to stay on piano. It was out of convenience that the Vox organ became part of the Animals’ musical line-up.” - Eric Burdon, Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals, 2012 (p. 33).

Hmm, it sounds like someone preferred when they sounded like a whole Ray Charles, traditional piano and all…

Excellent mid-performance photo. Again, Alan and Eric even with one another.

Burdon-Price -

As I mentioned way at beginning, Alan and Eric were a homoerotic songwriting duo! Or, at least, they tried to be a songwriting duo (they did alright at the homoerotic stuff, though).

“Chas, being a real Beatles fiend, knew the story. He knew everything about them and how they developed as songwriters and stuff like that. It was probably Chas who said, ‘We should be writing our own material, that’s what the Beatles do.’ Alan was the obvious choice because it wasn’t like he was the Animals’ arranger but he was the one who could play the piano and lift something off a record and say, ‘This is the guitar line, this is the bass line, and these are the guitar chords.’ We pinched stuff, basically. Very original stuff. And Eric would say, ‘How about this for a lyric?’, and they would thrash it out a bit. Unfortunately, it never really developed much beyond that.” - John Steel, Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals, 2012 ((p. 65).

So, Alan and Eric wanted to branch out as a duo of songwriters And the first song they penned was “I’m Crying”, followed by its B-side, “Take It Easy”, both written in early-July of ‘64. As mentioned and implied before, this was a relatively haphazard attempt for the Animals to not only begin to write their own content, but also to establish Alan and Eric as their own songwriting duo, as the two were the most musically competent in the group. Ironically, I’d argue (and feel I’ve already proven lol) that Alan and Eric were already a musical power-duo, though, songwriting wasn’t part of the equation, nor did it necessarily need to be. They were already perfect musical complements… but were being crunched and stretched all at once, with little time to produce music. “I’m Crying” was slated to be their next single after “Rising Sun”, so it had to be good.

“I don’t think that Price and I could have developed like Mick and Keith as writers because I’m not Mick and he ain’t Keith.” - Eric Burdon, Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals, 2012 (p. 71).

“We were being harassed into producing material, as everybody was in those days. At that time, we’d just toured Britain with Carl Perkins. We all became extremely friendly with him and on the tour bus, he showed me that chord sequence. During the sound check I played that riff for Eric and he made up all the words. And that was ‘I’m Crying’, really. It was just a throwaway attempt at a song, without any conviction whatsoever.” - Alan Price, Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals, 2012 (p. 69).

“I don’t think that Eric and Alan ever got anywhere near being a classic songwriting team, you know? *visibly cringes* It was just a few things cobbled together. ‘I’m Crying’ was the most successful one, I suppose.” - John Steel, My Generation: The Animals, 1996. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ovgViQGj44)

So… yeah. The band didn’t seem to like it and found it lazy. Despite the fact that it did end up charting; #8 in the UK and #19 in the US. Alan mentions that it was their record producer, Mickie Most, who was trying to coax a pop-sound out of the band, through both their originally penned and covered material; something Alan and Eric simply did not like. Not only were Alan and Eric being forced to work together, they were forced to create content they were not happy with.

However, I’m going to play devil’s advocate and say that I love Alan and Eric’s original songs. All three of them. Yeah… only three - “I’m Crying”, “Take It Easy”, and “Club A-Go-Go” (written in late autumn of ‘64). And you could say, “Oh, how biased of you, Connie!”, but I’m being completely serious with my love of these three songs. I actually made a little unscripted video where I “ranked” this trio of songs, and despite how silly my commentary is, I stand by all the points that I made (and I’ve even warmed up further to “Take It Easy” since I made it). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVjWoXNschI)

Also, “I’m Crying”, man… legitimately one of my favorite Animals songs; easily in my top five, and easily my favorite original song “they” wrote (believe me, I love “Inside-Looking Out” and “You’re On My Mind” with my entire heart, but “I’m Crying”... it’s incredible). It’s such a driving, energizing song, and I like to consider it the anti-”Worried Life Blues”. You see, while I think “Worried Life Blues” captures each of the Animals at their best in a slower, more bluesy number, “I’m Crying” captures each of them at their best in a much faster-paced song. Sure, the lyrics are simple… but I've always stood by the idea that it never was the lyrics of the songs from this particular era that make them great (re: the bug lads), but the instrumentation, melody, and what the vocalists do with their voices. Alan and Eric knocked it out of the park with this song, and the fact that they wrote it under pressure with presumably very little time and it turned out this good… it makes me wonder what the pair could’ve written with ample space and time to work with one another.

Also, don’t just take it from me… Eric seems to have some fond memories, of the recording session in particular.

“...It was 2 o’clock in the morning and we’d been working pretty hard. Mickie Most behind the desk, looking like a fresh-faced high school kid, wasn’t ready to give up. As long as the band wanted to record, he’d be there, pencil in the mouth, sitting in the producer’s chair, feet up on the console. Relaxed. Over the intercom, into the main room, he spoke. It was the voice of God, the producer. ‘OK, if you guys feel you’ve got something else to come up with, we need a B side for the new single. Have you got anything? In the middle of the room AP sat behind the red-topped Vox Continental, his feet nervously tapping out a fast gospel-type rhythm, his fingers skating up and down the keyboard surrounded by baffling and studio blankets.

He was playing fast, uptempo, hot and nasty gospel. I was in the isolation booth, headphones clamped on my head. Pricey opened, swirling through the changes.” - Eric Burdon, I Used to Be an Animal, but I’m All Right Now, 1986 (p. 132).

…Wow, Eric. Wow. For the record, Eric describes a lot of… sensual things in this particular autobiography, even compared to the second one, and this is hands down one of the more… heated moments, despite how short it is compared to the Intensely Detailed Recountings Of Sex™. 😐

Anyway, he also describes advocating for “I’m Crying” a handful of times, for example, wanting to promote it on the Ed Sullivan Show:

“Our first experience of how not to rub him up the wrong way was when we wanted to change the choice of material. We wanted to come out with our new single. We had a new song in the can and we wanted to promote it. Alan and I had written ‘I’m Crying’; it sounded great and we were ready to go. But he wanted to take up valuable air time with ‘House of the Rising Sun’ which we had already promoted. We couldn’t understand him, he failed to understand us. We had a real bad run in, and it was either put up or shut up. Cancel the show, in other words.” - Eric Burdon, I Used to Be an Animal, but I’m All Right Now, 1986 (p. 80).

Hmm, so Eric seemed to like it, at least at this point in time… perhaps, he found the way he and Alan seemed to work together, as a duo, appealing? Actually, yeah, he did… but we’ll explore that a little later.

Anyway, despite this little burst of success together, the other Animals’ outside perspective of their relationship still seemed to be a little warped.

“I don’t think Mickie Most ever tried to stop them. I think it was themselves. They should’ve kept writing stuff together but they didn’t. It was their own fault. What’s to stop two people getting together in a room and writing stuff?” - Hilton Valentine, Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals, 2012 (p. 71).

(I could answer that, Hilton… but I won’t.)

“I think things would have been an awful lot different if we’d developed a songwriting team in the band. It’s not fair to say we didn’t get the time because nobody was busier than the Beatles but McCartney and Lennon always found time to knock out a song. The opportunity would have been the glue that held the band together.

The probable reason that it didn’t develop was the fact that Alan and Eric didn’t particularly get on together on a personal level. With Lennon and McCartney, they were great buddies. I don’t think Eric particularly liked Alan as a person.” - John Steel, Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals, 2012 (p. 71).

I should mention, a lot of John and Hilton’s accounts of this era (in particular), seem to be as outsiders, opposed to their perception being influenced by, say, Eric confiding in them. While I can’t confirm this (and they’re, of course, looking back on this years later), I do believe what they were seeing was how the two operated when others were constantly hovering over them, opposed to when they were alone. Alan is distant, detached, and didn’t like being around people, so it makes sense that Eric wouldn’t enjoy being around Alan when they were around other people, which is all John and Hilton saw.

Now, this is my personal thesis regarding all of Alan and Eric’s relationship, which will be expanded upon further, but I think the pair work best when they aren’t forced together by external encouragement. By the band, by songwriting mandates, by any higher-ups. Rather, they work best when they find each other and meet halfway. They both have extremely stubborn personalities, however contrasting they are in other traits, and thus, they need a chance to meet one another when they’re ready. Think back to the affectionate way Alan seems to reminisce about time alone with Eric (meeting him, listening to music with him, learning from him), versus the burning jealousy and anger towards Eric the others seem to think he harbored, particularly when the pair were in the band setting and crowded on all sides. Just… an interesting pattern that contextualizes a lot of what others perceive as “not getting along” or “not having the same creative direction”. I think they did have the same vision, more often than not, they were just forced to be more diametrically opposed when management and their band members were throwing in their two cents as well.

With all of that being said, do I think Burdon-Price works as a songwriting duo? Eh… they could work, just not in the circumstances they were crammed into. While I absolutely love the three songs they wrote together, it’s obvious that being forced to songwrite was not the right route for them. Perhaps it would’ve worked later on in their careers, where they could be songwriters not as a mandate from band-management, but on their own. They’re already both incredible singer-songwriters in their own right, and what they wrote together was brilliant (I could go on and on about “I’m Crying”), however, they needed to find one another on their own time. Performing and spending time with each other was already exhilarating and enjoyable for them…

The Animals On Tour photo, my beloved.

Animal Crackers -

Time for some miscellaneous little tidbits that also happen to take place during the original Animals’ time together!

First, let’s start with some Eric Burdon and Alan Price Affectionately Describing Each Other in Magazine Articles:

“Alan, our organist, is the musical brain of the group. He does all our arrangements, and takes credit for our version of ‘House of the Rising Sun’.

“Alan really gets carried away with music. Even when we have finished a show, he’ll keep on playing. If he sets eyes on a piano, he can’t pass it without looking at the make and trying it out.

“He’s great on vibes, too. In fact, he is a natural musician. He doesn’t read a note - he learned everything by ear.

“His brother was a church organist, and Alan took up piano when he was very young. He always wanted to be a musician, so he is now doing what he wants to do most in life.

“But he has one little weakness. He is an absolute magpie for collecting things - particularly trinkets that glitter. He must owe half-a-million on hire purchase!

“He buys watches, bracelets, magazines - anything that catches his eye. He has three walking sticks with silver tops. He once dashed into a shop and bought a tough pair of American Army boots. They just happened to take his fancy.

“If there’s one thing he hates, it’s traveling by plane. Last week, we had to fly down from Manchester after a ‘Top of the Pops’ show to play a date the same evening at the Flamingo in London. Alan didn’t say a word all the way. He just sat in that plane scribbling on pieces of paper. He must have been making his will out.

“I understood how he felt. We had a pretty terrifying experience not so long ago when our plane hit an air pocket. We thought we were all goners.” - Eric Burdon, Music Echo/Disc Weekly, July 18th, 1964 (p. 5).

Eric did one of these for each of the Animals, but if I’m being honest, Alan’s seems to be laced with the most affection. Even compared to Hilton’s on the same page, it sounds more like Eric’s taking the piss out of him compared to the way he describes Alan’s little mannerisms. Love the shout-out towards Alan’s affinity for things that glitter… the only mention I’ve ever found of that interest of Alan’s outside of the facts on back covers of their first album…

Now, it’s Alan’s turn. Also, I apologize, but I’m going to trim it down a little bit because Alan talks about him a whole heck of a lot (longer than each of the others, for sure), with quite a bit of what he says being stories Eric told him. I’ll include a picture if you want to read the whole thing yourself, though. I actually own this article twice… whoops. The August 1964 issue of RAVE and the December 1964 issue of 16’s “Introducing My Animals” articles are the exact same and that’s okay because I get to look at that image of them two times and feel whole inside.

“Eric Burdon, our singer, is great at this. He has an amazing depth and sensitivity. He’s an artist, so I think maybe this has something to do with it. He can feel things the rest of us can’t. We can only see his back when he’s singing, he grabs the mike, leans down to it.

“When he breaks, he wanders off ‘round the stage, even walks right off someplace and we keep playing until he gets back.

“…He analyzes everything.

“He’s short, stocky, hard as nails. Nine months heaving bricks on building sites around Newcastle did that for him. Very arty. Wears calf-length suede boots specially made for him by a Soho firm. Usually sports Bohemian-type ties.

“Eric is the rebel, the non-conformist. I don’t think it’s deliberate. It was forced upon him, really. Maybe he’s had it a bit rougher than the rest of us have.

“He’s rather bitter, and gets cynical sometimes. He studied for five years at the Newcastle College of Art. Says the first four were one long rave. He didn’t do much at all.

“…But what really makes Eric bitter is what happened to him after he left college and looked for a job. Here he was, fully-trained with a diploma to prove it, but could he get a job? Not on your life!

“He came down to London expecting that with his qualifications it wouldn’t be too hard. But he finished up on the dole.

“…We call him Workyticket, because he’ll talk about anything. He reads anything about the blues he can lay his hands on. He says that his big ambition is to go to the States and sing with his idols - Jimmy Witherspoon, Joe Turner, Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker, and the rest of them.

“He’s a wonderful artist. Doesn’t have much time to sketch or paint these days, but he’s full of ideas. First free time he gets, he swears he’s going to do some work. He designed the interior of the Club A-Go-Go in Newcastle when he was at college.” - Alan Price, RAVE, August 1964 (p. 52-53).

So much fascination and appreciation for Eric’s artistic abilities… Also, Alan pondering how Eric got his “stocky, hard-as-nails” body is not lost on me. 😐 Describing his personality, too… we love to see it.

Here are a few little tidbits from Eric’s first autobiography, hence me considering these “moments” between them. Because if Eric’s going to affectionately recall some of the things he saw Alan do and say during this time, then I am going to read those moments with an affectionate lens.

(Talking about Alan’s paranoia about cars after Hilton crashed the band’s shared Ford Galaxy:) “After the wreck of the Galaxy our driving habits changed radically. Alan Price never missed his place in the front seat alongside the driver. His paranoia and fear of crashing probably saved us. He did the map reading from now on.” (p. 59)

(During a press conference in New York when the band first arrived:) “In the conference room gum-chewing crew-cut Polyester men stood with cameras loaded and slung from their shoulders, ready to shoot the shit out of us. ‘Hey, hey, hey, which one’s the tiger? You the tiger?’ One of them pointed at Alan Price who turned with a sharp smile. He stared the guy down then snapped, ‘I’ll report you to the RSPCA.’ The man obviously didn’t think this was funny. He kept it up. ‘Hey, which one’s the lion? Now growl for the cameras boys, growl like one big animal together.’ Fuck, this was embarrassing, I thought.” (p. 67)

(Alan’s reaction after they played at the Apollo in New York:) “We played for three successful days at the Apollo, three shows a day and every show was a laugh, a gas. In fact the afternoon shows were a little more crowded than I’d ever seen them before for other acts. I was dead chuffed and had a right to be. Even Alan Price was smiling…” (p. 83)

(Describing Alan’s behavior on a train, as they were traveling to the West Coast of the United States:) “Alan Price usually looked out of the window, in awe of the vast country below.” (p. 89)

(Alan being everyone’s giggly and gay best friend when fans would swarm them backstage:) “And backstage after every show, was the inevitable cake. ‘We brought you a cake,'’ the band would sing out in unison as the girls entered the dressing room. ‘If I knew you were comin’ I’d a baked a cake…’ we sang. Or Alan Price would chortle: ‘Hey, good lookin’, what you got cookin’, how’s about cookin’ something up for me?’” - Eric Burdon, I Used to Be an Animal, but I’m All Right Now, 1986 (p. 90).

Gosh, I love all of those little moments… Especially the little tidbit about Alan’s behavior on the train. The way Eric so gently describes Alan’s absolute awe, implicitly glad that he actually has a chance to enjoy traveling. Because, as mentioned earlier, Alan was very, very, afraid of airplanes, and that will come up many times later. At least here… he was at peace, and Eric observed that and took it to heart.

Here is a gif from when the Animals first landed in the United States on September 4th, 1964 (footage from the documentary History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Episode 3). Look how close their faces are and how Eric is practically spooning him. I just think it’s neat. 😐

ALAN WAS GOING TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY WITH HELP FROM ERIC AND JOHN!??!!?

“Alan Price of the Animals may soon be branching out on his own - as a writer. He plans to start work on a book of his experiences with Eric Burdon and John Steel around the Newcastle jazz and blues scene, ending with the trio’s expansion and success with Hilton Valentine and Chas Chandler.

“Should make interesting reading as Alan has been playing for six years in various groups ranging from modern jazz in fashionable restaurants to skiffle in folk clubs. The book should also give an accurate insight into the struggle and tensions of achieving stardom, as Alan is extremely perceptive and has a biting sense of humor.

“‘Even if no one reads it,’ he told me ‘I’ll be glad I wrote it because so much happened to us all we’ll get a good laugh out of remembering various incidents and people.’” - RAVE, November 1964. (p. 22)

Where is this?? Even if it’s just a rough draft… ALAN. GIVE IT TO ME, PLEASE. The fact that he was just writing this for fun and so he and Eric and John could have a good time reminiscing and being cynical… that’s so wholesome. And further proof that Alan did get along with them during this period. Sorry… the image of them all drinking and laughing together as they’re brainstorming ideas for this book of Alan’s is just too sweet. Yeah, John’s also included in this, but the sentiment is still the same and shows some real friendliness on Alan and Eric’s behalf.

Here’s a random story about Eric jumping on a guy to protect Alan after Alan accidentally angered the dude (I am not kidding):

“… then someone grabbed hold of Alan and tried to break his arm. He’d just been to the States and bought a pair of novelty ‘gun’ cufflinks which fired a small, ineffective charge - it went off and this thug went down clutching his scorched shirt and swearing he had been shot.

… then little fatty Burdon jumped up in the air to try and hit this huge Polish guy and Henry Henroid moved in and floored five of ‘em - and got Eric out.” - Terry McVay, NME, January 4th, 1969. (p. 2)

This was just a no-context story this particular roadie told about these two… thank you, Terry. Even if I’m a little off-put by you calling Eric “fatty”... I’m sorry, but we respect Eric Burdon’s body in this house.

And finally, we have Mickie Most and the article that changed my life…

“Eric and Alan hardly seemed to notice the darts whizzing past their heads. They just sat in the Soho pub with remote looks on their faces. I just sat there with them and looked on. I was sure about one reason for their apparent unfriendliness. They hate darts. They were there this lunchtime just to keep me company after leaving my Oxford Street office. I hoped I was right about another reason for them being remote. Earlier, I had played a demo disc which I wanted them to record. The number on it was fine by me. I hoped it would be fine by the Animals. Eric and Alan hadn’t said much after hearing it and I knew they would now be kicking the number around in their minds as the darts sped by. I was counting on them giving the number a rave to Hilton, John, and Chas later in the day.” - Mickie Most, RAVE, June 1965. (p. 63)

Okay. Okay. So much to unpack here.

First of all, canon lunch-dates. /hj

In all seriousness, this one little insight alone says so much about not only the Animals’ song-selection process, but about how the “higher-ups” regard Alan and Eric’s relationship, too. The song being discussed here is “Bring It On Home To Me”, by the way.

Mickie is actively looking for their approval first and foremost, before the other three. Not just Alan, not just Eric, but both of them; he doesn’t see one clear leader because of the presence they create together. That implies that, at least during this point in time (though, probably earlier as well), he views them as a unit that must be reasoned with together. Not only this, but both prove to be a tough sell with the songs Mickie chooses and presents to them. I didn’t include the full quote, but Alan mentions in Animal Tracks: The Story of the Animals that Mickie was always trying to present them with very pop-based songs, ones that the band, and especially Alan and Eric themselves, did not like one bit. They shared this sentiment quite staunchly, and what Mickie describes here perfectly represents this commonality they have. Also, apparently they both hate darts.

As a personal aside, this little article by Mickie had a huge impact on me when I was “first learning” about the Animals, and I put “first learning” in quotes because I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to go down that rabbit hole at this point in time (September of 2020). I really liked Alan after watching Dont Look Back, but I was relatively gradual as I approached the band’s history. However, I ended up buying myself this issue of RAVE after seeing it in a Donovan documentary (the image of Bob Dylan and Donovan on the front cover was tempting), and I found that article in there… and it really made me go, “Wow, there’s so much going on in that band, and especially between Alan and Eric.” Reading that article is what inspired me to take the plunge, and I’m so glad that I did. I won’t get sappy about them yet… but this issue of RAVE and this article in particular have a very special place in my heart.

So thank you, Mickie Most, for changing my life. (In more ways than one,, because he was, you know, the Animals’ record producer and is the reason they were a thing in the first place.)

One last thing, do yourself a favor and watch the New Musical Experience (NME) concert from April 11th, 1965 (the Animals take the stage around the 1:25:00 mark).

(https://archive.org/details/NewMusicalExpressPollWinnersConcert1965)

Not only do all of the groups and solo folks who perform there do a stellar job, but the Animals in particular… man, it’s incredible. Especially since there is so little live footage of them performing; it’s my humble opinion that the Animals sound the best live, and this is excellent proof of that (as well as that Burdon-Price vocals-keyboard dynamic). Even if Hilton’s not plugged in at first… poor Hilton. Also, Alan and Eric unintentionally duet during “Boom Boom” because Chas’ microphone cuts out for some reason.

Also-also, Alan tries to affectionately hit Eric over the head with a trophy when they receive their rewards (they’re on the right, behind John).

Like… this is composed and moody and quiet and reserved Alan we’re talking about. Letting his guard down to have a bit of fun, teasing Eric, in front of thousands of people.

…Aww… Hope the band doesn’t break up anytime soon.

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