My favorite Geordie, Eric Burdon, turns 80. Arguably the UK's best blue-eyed soul singer, his band, The Animals, merged rock and roll with blues and soul into something quite extraordinary. When browsing at Tower Records Shibuya in my early days of CD collecting, I'd always head straight to the "A" section and get my Burdon fix. Saw him live in concert twice, with his new "New Animals". He fully lived up to his reputation, and one could easily forgive him for turning "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" into an audience participation thing. I've never really liked the lead singer pointing the mic at the audience for the chorus, but the audience loved him for it. In later years, he became the go to interviewee for rock docs, reminiscing about the old lysergic. After all, who but Eric Burdon would record a tribute song to the Sandoz Laboratory in Switzerland? He was also the mysterious "Egg Man" that John Lennon sang about, in reference to his penchant for greasing up with egg whites during sex. An excited Lennon would cheer him on, "Go, Egg Man, go!"
"They tell me I was born shouting the blues. I know that I was kicked out of the school choir because my voice was drowning out the others. As a teen, I would go to the jazz and blues clubs around Newcastle and beg for a chance to sing. Finally, one evening, I was asked to take the singer’s seat with a jazz outfit when I was 17, and as soon as I grabbed the microphone, I knew the power of my own voice."
Happy 80th, Eric Burdon
- GoogaMooga
- custodian of oldies
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Happy 80th, Eric Burdon
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck
- robertff
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Re: Happy 80th, Eric Burdon
Got a lot of time for Eric and the Animals, was tempted to buy the set you showed above but already got all the titles on both vinyl and CD, shame because it looks quite a nice set.
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- GoogaMooga
- custodian of oldies
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Re: Happy 80th, Eric Burdon
There's always the ten bonus tracks to entice me.
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck
- Matt Wilson
- Psychedelic Cowpunk
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Re: Happy 80th, Eric Burdon
Yeah, I quite like him. Great voice, good music in both iterations of the Animals, and "Spill the Wine" with War of course.
Saw him with Robbie Krieger once, and with the original Animals in the mid eighties.
Saw him with Robbie Krieger once, and with the original Animals in the mid eighties.
- 50 Shades Of Blue
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Re: Happy 80th, Eric Burdon
80! What an effort. Not exactly a clean liver and has been touring the world forever.
If Eric can reach 80 surely the rest of us can.
If Eric can reach 80 surely the rest of us can.
Some mother's talking 'bout Guns' n 'Roses
As if i give a fuck
At best i think they suck
As if i give a fuck
At best i think they suck
- kath
- Groovy Queen of the Cosmos
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Re: Happy 80th, Eric Burdon
there was a time in my life, when i was pre-teen, that i was more in love with the animals than the stones.
and i love the fucquin stones.
and i love the fucquin stones.