Animalisms/Animalization – THE ANIMALS***

One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show/Maudie/Outcast/Sweet Little Sixteen/You’re On My Mind/Clapping/Gin House Blues/Squeeze Her Tease Her/What Am I Living For/I Put A Spell On You/That’s All I Am To You/She’ll Return It. US album includes Don’t Bring Me Down/Cheating/Inside Looking Out/See See Rider and omits Outcast/ Clapping/Squeeze Her Tease Her/That’s All I Am To You

Animalisms was the final UK chart album by The Animals and came with a change of label to Decca. A similar LP was released as Animalization in the US. The group fell apart shortly afterwards with vocalist Eric Burdon forming the New Animals with a more psychedelic sound. (US:20 UK:4)

"The album is packed with blues standards recorded in the States with top producer Tom Wilson. Typically raucous lead singer Eric Burdon pours heart and soul into classics such as Gin House Blues and One Monkey Don't Stop No Show."

"Most of the trademark Animals sound is still there: Eric's raunchy vocals, the band's menacing energy and invigorating rhythms, and new member Dave Rowberry even gets to shine with a couple of organ solos that sound not unlike the classic Price ones, although in general the organ is sorely missed on most of these songs."

"Eric is already going in the 'psychedelic/soulful jam' direction he would cherish so much for the next few years. Many of the songs don't have stable melodies as such, and often abandon the verse/chorus scheme in favour of random 'sound making'. In less experienced hands, this would prove to be a terrible disaster. Fortunately, Burdon is such a great singer, and the band is such an effective unit, that even the most loose 'chants' are still efficient."

"This has a better overall sound than their previous albums, but if I’d bought this when it came out I’d have been hugely disappointed. It just doesn’t seem right for a big name group to be covering something like Sweet Little Sixteen in 1966."

"As good as this album is, there's a sudden drop in sound quality and the covers are starting to get a little old. It's not like every other British pop band at the time hadn't covered Sweet Little Sixteen yet, and the songs are drenched in echo and have a darker sound to them. But on the bright side, they do great versions of these songs. It's no exaggeration to call Burdon the king of Brit blues for 1966. But he's still able to do pop as well. Recommended for Animals fans, but it does sound a little outdated."