The Beatles were the good boys with long hair (long by the early 60s standards), the Rolling Stones the bad boys, while Eric Burdon and the Animals were the dirty boys. Formed in England in the early 60s, the Animals were a hard band to categorize. They were certainly psychedelic, but also a commercial success in spite of their persona.
Here are a few things you might not have known about this British band…
The Beatles paved the way for Eric and the Animals as part of the British invasion in 1964, and the boys found themselves in California booking gigs and selling records. It seems this band was cursed however, as poor management left them bankrupt, forcing the band to sell everything they had and start all over again.
The Animals had early success with “House of the Rising Sun” and flew to New York to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. In a brilliant marketing ploy, Sunbeam Automotive persuaded the band to be driven to their hotel from the airport in a motorcade of Sunbeam Alpine Series IV convertibles. Each car showcased a single member of the band riding in of the car’s model from the back seat and the rooftop down.
Alan Price one of the driving forces of the band, left the boys in 1965 because he had a dreadful fear of flying. This really set them back as Alan was the keyboardist of the group.
—
Photo credit: PrinceOfLove / Shutterstock.com