Eric Burdon, 2005, New York
Photo by Frank Beacham
Eric Burdon is 81 years old today.
The English singer-songwriter, known for his aggressive stage performance, is vocalist of The Animals and the funk band, War.
Burdon was lead singer of The Animals, formed during 1962 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The original band was the Alan Price Combo which formed in 1958. They became the Animals shortly after Burdon joined the band.
The Animals combined electric blues with rock and, in the U.S., were one of the leading bands of the British Invasion. Along with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five and the Kinks, the group introduced British music and fashion.
Burdon's powerful voice can be heard in the Animals' singles "The House of the Rising Sun," "Sky Pilot," "Monterey," "I'm Crying," "Boom Boom," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Bring It On Home to Me," "Baby Let Me Take You Home," "It's My Life," "We Gotta Get out of This Place," "Don't Bring Me Down" and "See See Rider."
By late 1966, the other original members, including keyboardist Alan Price, had left. Burdon and drummer Barry Jenkins reformed the group as Eric Burdon and the Animals. This more psychedelic incarnation featured future Family member John Weider and was sometimes called Eric Burdon and the New Animals.
Keyboardist Zoot Money joined during 1968 until they split up in 1969. This group's hits included the ballad "San Franciscan Nights,” the grunge–heavy metal-pioneering "When I Was Young," "Monterey," the anti-Vietnam anthem, "Sky Pilot," and the progressive cover, "Ring of Fire."
In 1975, the original Animals reunited and recorded the album, Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted, released in 1977 and overlooked due to the dawning of punk.
In May, 1983, the Animals reunited with their original lineup and the album, Ark, was released in June, 1983, along with the singles "The Night" and "Love Is For All Time." A world tour followed and the concert at Wembley Arena, London, recorded on December 31, 1983 was released in 1984 as Rip It To Shreds. Their concert at the Royal Oak Theatre in April, 1984 was released in 2008 entitled Last Live Show.
The band members were augmented by Zoot Money, Nippy Noya, Steve Gregory and Steve Grant. The original Animals broke up for the last time at the end of 1984. Although the band Burdon formed in the late 1960s was sometimes called Eric Burdon and the New Animals, it wasn't until 1998 that the name Eric Burdon and the New Animals was officially adopted.
The 1998 band had bassist Dave Meros, guitarist Dean Restum, drummer Aynsley Dunbar and Neal Morse, on both keyboard and guitar.
In June, 2003, he formed another Eric Burdon and the Animals, with keyboardist Martin Gerschwitz, bassist Dave Meros, guitarist Dean Restum and drummer Bernie Pershey. They disbanded in 2005. During 2008, Burdon toured again as Eric Burdon and the Animals with a variable lineup of backing musicians.
On December 13, 2008, Burdon lost a three-year legal battle to win the name "The Animals" in the UK in a suit with drummer John Steel. Burdon was prevented from using the name "The Animals" in Britain while the case was under appeal. In 2013, Burdon won and can use the name "The Animals" in the UK.
During 1969, while living in San Francisco, Burdon joined forces with California funk rock band, War. The resulting album was entitled, Eric Burdon Declares “War,” which produced the singles "Spill the Wine" and "Tobacco Road."
A two-disc set, The Black-Man's Burdon, was released later in September, 1970. The singles from the double album, "Paint It, Black" and "They Can't Take Away Our Music," had moderate success during 1971.
During this time, Burdon collapsed on the stage during a concert, caused by an asthma attack. War continued the tour without him.
In 1976 a compilation album, Love Is All Around, was released by ABC Records, which had recordings of Eric Burdon with War and a live version of "Paint it Black" and a jam session called, "A Day In The Life." Burdon and War were reunited for the first time in 37 years, to perform an Eric Burdon & War reunion at the concert at the Royal Albert Hall London on April 21, 2008.
The concert coincided with a major reissue campaign by Rhino Records (UK), who released all the War albums, including Eric Burdon Declares "War" and The Black-Man's Burdon.
Burdon began a solo career in 1971 with the Eric Burdon Band, continuing with a hard rock funk style. In August, 1971, he recorded the album, Guilty!, which featured the blues shouter, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Ike White of the San Quentin Prison Band.
In 2013, Burdon came out with a new album, "Til Your River Runs Dry." The lead single off the album was called, "Water," and was inspired by a conversation he had with former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.
Burdon continues to perform.
Here, Burdon performs “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” in Switzerland, 2006
Howard Ott, Frank Beacham and Gloria Caldwell (now married to Horace Ott) at a dinner party, 2005
The song "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded hundreds of times, and not just by Eric Burdon. The back story is quite interesting.
Horace Ott is a noted composer, record producer, conductor and pianist. Although not formally credited (his wife, Gloria Caldwell, being credited instead), the song was actually written by Horace Ott, Bennie Benjamin and Sol Marcus.
Ott also arranged the Village People's hit, "Y.M.C.A.," and led the Horace Ott Orchestra. The song was originally written for the jazz singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. Since then, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been covered by many artists, including a 1965 blues rock hit by Burdon and The Animals.
Ott came up with the melody and chorus lyric line after a temporary falling out with his girlfriend (and wife-to-be), Gloria Caldwell. He then brought it to writing partners Bennie Benjamin and Sol Marcus to complete.
However, when it came time for songwriting credits, rules of the time prevented BMI writers (Ott) from officially collaborating with ASCAP members (the other two), so Ott instead listed Caldwell's name on the credits.
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was one of five songs involving the writing of Benjamin and Marcus, presented for Nina Simone's 1964 album, Broadway-Blues-Ballads. There, it is taken at a very slow tempo and arranged around harp and other orchestral elements. A backing choir appears at several points.
Simone sings it in her typically difficult-to-categorize style. Ott's involvement did not end with his initial songwriting; he was the arranger and orchestral conductor for the entire album. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was released as a single in 1964, but failed to chart.
To some writers, this version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" carried the subtext of the civil rights movement, that concerned much of Simone's work of the time. To others, the song was more personal — one that best exemplified Simone's career and life.
Decades later, a commercial for Christian Dior's perfume, J'Adore, starring Charlize Theron, featured Simone's version of the song, as did the final scene of the 2009 Polish film drama, Rewers.
The Animals' lead singer, Eric Burdon, would later say of the song, "It was never considered pop material, but it somehow got passed on to us and we fell in love with it immediately." The Animals sped up the tempo and started off with a memorable electric guitar-and-organ doubled riff from Hilton Valentine and Alan Price.
That was picked out and expanded from an element that originally appeared in the Simone recording's outro. This riff immediately led into Burdon's trademark deep, impassioned vocal line:
Baby, do you understand me now?
Sometimes I feel a little mad.
But don't you know that no one alive can always be an angel?
When things go wrong, I seem to be bad.
(group unison) But I'm just a soul whose intentions are good:
(just Burdon) Oh Lord! Please don't let me be misunderstood ...
The group gained a trans-Atlantic hit in early 1965 from their rendition, rising to #3 on the UK Singles Chart, #15 on the U.S. pop singles chart and #4 in Canada.
A version by Joe Cocker (from his 1969 debut album) played over the ending credits of the 2004 film, Layer Cake.
Artists who have recorded the song include The Moody Blues, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Lou Rawls and dozens of others.