The reason I chose this compilation above others was the inclusion of,'The Story of Bo Didley.' I thrilled to this mesmerizing slice of rock revisionism when it first hit the airwaves. I can't recall clearly, but I think,'The House of The Rising Sun,' was already out there, and what a pounding chunk of R & B that was. It alerted me to Dylan, and retrospectively to Leadbelly. But neither of them surpassed Eric Burdon and Alan Price's take. The Bo Didley story just romped on and on, flashing light on Bo's humble beginnings(I didn't even know who he was), Dylan, payola, The Stones & the Mersey beat. And of course, when Bo visits England with Jerome Green and his gorgeous sister,'The Dutchess' Burden twists on a feigned Southern accent to declaim his own emulations of the Blues, telling us that according to Bo, their music was, 'the biggest load of rubbish I ever heard, in my life'. But not in my life. Bo and the black bretheren came after Eric in my life. So thanks, Animals. I look at Pricey stumbling around the keyboard in Pennebaker's film,'Don't Look Back', and can't believe this innocent' was capable of those deep organ notes that set a new agenda for Rock music, paving the way for the ethereal sounds of Garth Hudson, I suggest. We'd have to wait on Don McLean's nostalgic,'American Pie' for an equivalent and qualitative summary of Rock's progress. And it packed nothing like the impact on the membranes as this Animalism!

There are many Animals compilations out there, some of which are good and others that are awful, but this one is quite possibly the best one. By getting this compilation you are essentially getting the band's first two albums, "The Animals" and "Animal Tracks" and a whole bunch of bonus tracks at a fraction of the cost of getting all the material seperately.
Considering the remastering job is from 1990, the sound quality is impressive. Many other compilations have poorly transferred versions of these songs. The sound quality sets apart the Animals stylistically from their other British counterparts (the Kinks, the Who, the Yardbirds). The vocals and drums are especially clear, while the keyboard parts waver a bit here and there and the guitar is mixed up pretty high in places. Nothing that bothered me, however (I can accept the distortion on the last note of House of the Rising Sun).
The tracks here include every legitimate recording produced by Mickie Most and original keyboard player Alan Price is present on every single track with the exception of "It's My Life" - which is done by a Price-less lineup (no pun intended). Almost every song is a cover version; original material was not the Animals strong suit at this time. Stuff like "Inside Looking Out" and "See See Rider" are not present here because this collection focuses exclusively on the Mickie Most recordings instead of overextending itself by attempting a truly "complete" collection.
Almost immediately after the last session featured on this compilation the band would head for new creative fields with new personnel in tow. Two years later, the Animals would be a completely different band with the exception of singer Eric Burdon. For those who choose to continue the story of the Animals (and you should), track down "Animalisms" ("Animalization" was the US title), and the confusingly titled "Animalism" which is actually a wholly different album featuring new drummer Barry Jenkins. Some of the later material is nearly impossible to find on CD, but it's out there. Hopefully somebody will wise up and give a similar treatment to the later years of the Animals that this compilation has done with the band's first two years.
(Addendum: You get the full length versions of every song. No single-edit hackjobs to be found here!)

I bought this double cd after I had practically worn out the Animals' greatest hits album. If you like that album, you are sure to love this one. It includes all of the original Animals' music, recorded from 1964 to 1965. It's hard to believe that Eric and the boys created so much great music in such an extraordinarily short period of time, but they did. This includes so many great r&b covers, I can't even name them all. My personal favorites include "Worried Mind" (reminiscent of early Zep), "Ain't Got You", and many, many more. The Animals (esp. Burdon) were the very best of British r & b. Why are they so underrated? Eric Burdon has the sexiest, most emotive voice I've probably ever heard in this genre. If you like the Stones, the Beatles, the Who, Zep, and ANY blues, you will surely love the Animals. I listen to these two cds at least once a week, if not more. In fact, I've listened to them so much I'm almost embarrassed because every time my fiance drives my car, one of these cds is in there. He doesn't mind because he loves them too, even though he's more of a hard rock/metal fan. Do yourself a favor and indulge yourself with the greatest blue-eyed soul ever created: The Animals!