Eric Burdon

Eric Burdon had a fiery blue-collar approach to the mostly R&B-based songs he sang as a member of the Animals in the mid-'60s. One of the more interesting of the so-called British Invasion bands, the Animals specialized in a kind of desperate pop blues and took several gritty songs into the Top Ten, including "We've Got to Get Out of This Place." When the original group disbanded, Burdon fell under the spell of the times and made a hard left turn into psychedelia, the fruits of which are gathered here. Unfortunately, much of this material sounds indulgent and dated, full of half-spoken vocals, sitars, heavy channel phasing, and all the other bells and whistles of the day. Even if his reach exceeded his grasp, Burdon was always a crafty singer and the best songs here ("San Francisco Nights," "Monterey," "Sky Pilot") have a kind of uplifting nostalgic charm. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide