The Animals were one damn good band. Nuff said. The story about them is far too complex for me to get into, but understand this. Through all the years and all the hits that this band put out, they have always struggled. Even Eric Burdon, who carried the band on after it dissinigrated in the mid sixties. I guess this is what gives this band it's charm. They may be well known, but they still live like most of us. No glory of riches for these guys. However, Bla, bla, bla.... if you want to know about THE ANIMALS then let the music do the talking. This album RETROSPECTIVE does a very good job at covering all phases of the bands recording career... all to short lived if you ask me.
The first incarnation of The Animals started in the early sixties... these guys were a gritty blues rock band, that had a really great sound. They could be like a doo wop style or a dark gloom rock style. Some of the music they put out was way ahead of its time. They had that gritty feel down patted though. HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN is a timeless song. It's as fresh for me now as it was when I was eight years old, amazed at its haunting charm. WE GOTTA GET OUTTA THIS PLACE is a funky bass line, with more blue collar lyrics. Dig. Lots of greats (most of it came between 64 and 66 before the band fell apart.) The remainder of the tracks come from the second incarnation of the band, the San Fransiscan line up, put Eric Burdon in more of a psychedelic phase. I personally prefer the grittier older tracks to these, but there are some goods here too... SKY PILOT, and SAN FRANSISCAN NIGHTS....
Also though we get a small offering from Eric Burdon and War. These two joined forces after the demise of The Animals in 1970 and recorded some classic tracks. SPILL THE WINE, an excellent tune, is represented here.
This is probably the best Animals you can get, as nowadays I think it's impossible to find any originaly tracked albums, these days you have to seek out the most complete "hits" package with The Animals. There are multitudes of them, this is the one you want.

The Animals rode the crest of the British Invasion in 1964 and topped both the U.K. and U.S. charts with "The House of the Rising Sun." Over the next four years, they would reach the Top 40 a total of fourteen times, and they're all here along with additional tracks like their first U.K. hit ("Baby Let Me Take You Home"), a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" from their debut EP, and the No. 3 hit "Spill the Wine" that Eric Burdon recorded with the funk band War in 1970.

When looking at these songs, it's evident that there are distinct stages to the group's career. The original group only lasted through 1966 (and keyboardist Alan Price left by the end of 1965). During this period, the band was a hard-edged R&B group and mostly covered other writers' songs. "I'm Crying" was the only group-penned hit from this period.

By 1967, the only original member was vocalist Eric Burdon, who became the group's principal songwriter. In the liner notes, Burdon admits "we were knee-deep into (LSD) at the time" and this is clearly evident on the psychedelic-tinged hits like "When I Was Young," "San Franciscan Nights," "Monterey" and "Sky Pilot."

The only noticeable ommision is there are no tracks from 1983's reunion album ARK. Otherwise, this is an essential look at one of the era's most influential bands. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BEING A DJ FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE ORIGINAL VERSIONS OF CLASSIC SONGS. THIS CD CERTAINLY FILLS THE BILL. ALL THE SELECTIONS ARE THE ORIGINAL CUTS AND SOUND GREAT. ANYONE WHO BUYS THIS CD WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.