So why is The Animals’ Animal Tracks on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
The slightly strange thing for me about including The Animals’ Animal Tracks on the best 1,000 albums ever project relates to the fact that it’s the sole Animals album to make the cut – and it does not include their incredible version of “House of the Rising Sun.”
Couple of quick style notes on the above video:
- Huge bonus points for when bands all wear the same outfit
- One of my favorite men’s style looks of all time is that mid-‘60s “mod” look: sharp suits with a dash of flash, and hair that’s just a bit too long for square company
Anyway, this is all to say that Animal Tracks as a whole is my favorite and most consistent album by The Animals. And it really is packed with standout gems.
“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” is a British Invasion classic – I can never get enough of that organ sound. The Animals also craft arrangements and use musical dynamics in a surprisingly sophisticated way. And of course Eric Burdon brings it home with his fantastic voice.
I love how beguiling and very mid-‘60s “It’s My Life” sounds. And I’m reminded that the time period of 1964 to 1967 – figure very roughly from The Beatles’ arrival in America through The Doors catapulting to the top of the charts during the Summer of Love – is one of my absolutely favorites.
The Animals drop just a dusting of psychedelia into their British blues rock mix with “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” and it works perfectly. Alan Price’s organ sound again here is unusual and highly compelling.
Some stats & info about The Animals – Animal Tracks
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? British Bands, British Invasion, Rock Music, Blues Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Animal Tracks released? 1964* (looks like the album was released in ’64 in the UK and ’65 in the U.S.)
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #521 out of 1,000
The Animals’ Animal Tracks on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Animals’ Animal Tracks that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
I’m just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.
What’s the most interesting thing about The Animals’ Animal Tracks that most people don’t know?
Animal Tracks is the last Animals album to feature the band’s original lineup: Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Hilton Valentine, Chas Chandler, and John Steel. After the album’s release in 1965, Price left the band, and the remaining members continued on. Various personnel changes would then continue.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.