the Animals | Members, Songs | The Animals
theAnimals,five-piecerock[1]groupfromnortheasternEnglandwhosedrivingsoundinfluencedBobDylan[2]’sdecision,in1965,tobeginworkingwithmusiciansplayingelectricinstruments.TheprincipalmemberswereEricBurdon[3](b.May11,1941,NewcastleuponTyne[4],TyneandWear[5],England),AlanPrice[6](b.April19,1942,Fatfield,Durham),HiltonValentine[7](b.May21,1943,NorthShields,TyneandWear—d.January29,2021),ChasChandler[8](bynameofBryanChandler;b.December18,1938,Heaton,TyneandWear—d.July17,1996),andJohnSteel[9](b.Februar...
the Animals, five-piece rock[1] group from northeastern England whose driving sound influenced Bob Dylan[2]’s decision, in 1965, to begin working with musicians playing electric instruments. The principal members were Eric Burdon[3] (b. May 11, 1941, Newcastle upon Tyne[4], Tyne and Wear[5], England), Alan Price[6] (b. April 19, 1942, Fatfield, Durham), Hilton Valentine[7] (b. May 21, 1943, North Shields, Tyne and Wear—d. January 29, 2021), Chas Chandler[8] (byname of Bryan Chandler; b. December 18, 1938, Heaton, Tyne and Wear—d. July 17, 1996), and John Steel[9] (b. February 4, 1941, Gateshead, Durham).
Released in 1964, the group’s first single was a version of Eric Von Schmidt’s folk-blues song “Baby Let Me Follow You Down,” which had appeared on Dylan’s first album. Retitled “Baby Let Me Take You Home,” it featured Burdon’s hoarse rhythm-and-blues[10]-inflected singing. Their second single, the traditional “House of the Risi...