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The Animals
Retrospective
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Everybody has heard The Animals' timeless classic, "House of the Rising Sun" and if you haven't heard it, you've heard of it. This song of lost innocence has become one of the quintessentials of Rock n Roll, and without question. Eric Burdon's voice was a centrepiece of the Animals, and one of very few unique voices in all of rock. The Animals themselves were timeless.
Part of the British Invasion, The Animals brought a blues infused style with them that was more traditional than many. Their approach and delivery was more than legitimate, they actually were pretty bloody amazing. If you remember The Animals, then you remember their "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" (US Version on this set), "House of the Rising Sun", and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." Buttressed by "It's My Life", "Boom Boom" and the psychedelia of "Don't Bring Me Down", The Animals are firmly entrenched into the annals of musical history. Many of their songs were covered by other artists such as "Inside -Looking Out" which has been covered by Grand Funk Railroad to great effect.
This collection from Abkco, Retrospective, brings together 22 legendary songs including Burdon's singular, "Spill the Wine", recorded with a rising band named WAR, who would go on to generate enough singles to fill an album themselves. What sets this collection apart from the other numerous 'best of' collections is its presentation. Re-engineered in DSD and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig of Gateway Mastering, this SA-CD provides the extraordinary clarity that is a hallmark of DSD.
13 of the 22 songs are Mono recordings with the rest are in Stereo. While the Mono recordings are well done, the Stereo truly shines on these inclusions. Listen to "San Franciscan Nights" and you'll be amazed at the depth and richness of the instruments and vocals. The many sound textures of "Spill the Wine" also shows off the DSD effect. As a collection, this covers a lot of ground; not only in the fairly broad scope of the songs included here but also in how it is played back. Of course, you'll need SA-CD capable players to gain the full advantage of this album, however, the hybrid aspect of this CD allows you to play this disc in any CD player. When you acquire an SA-CD player, the disc becomes a bonus in that it becomes re-invented, sound wise. You'll gain a better appreciation not only of the music of The Animals but also of the latest technology used to convey it. Fans cannot go wrong with this SA-CD.
