The musical world changed indefinitely when The Beatles touched down on US soil in 1964, but they were certainly not the only group to usher in the age of the British Invasion. One of the scene’s most renowned groups were The Animals, spearheaded by the deep blues-ridden voice of Eric Burdon. Far from being competitive, though, Burdon was always keen to espouse the genius of his contemporaries to anybody who would listen.
Virtually every band who made up the British invasion scene took heavy inspiration from the melancholic world of the blues. The Rolling Stones, for instance, were noted for their devotion to the blues rock genre during their early period, owing largely to the underappreciated leadership of Brian Jones. However, few groups managed to perfectly toe the line between old-school blues and modern pop rock quite like The Animals.
The Newcastle band were undoubtedly the premier blues rock band of the early 1960s. That is not to say, though, that Eric Burdon and The Animals lacked an appreciation for other musical styles. In fact, the band are perhaps best remembered for their incredible version of the age-old folk track ‘House of the Rising Sun’, which showcased their respect for the folk tradition, as well as their unique ability to modernise the archaic sounds of both blues and folk.
Like everybody else in the music world of the 1960s, Burdon was a particular fan of The Beatles. The Fab Four’s influence could be felt in virtually every band of the era, with their innovative songwriting and unique compositions paving the way for countless future artists. Many other musicians at the time might have felt some sense of rivalry or contempt with The Beatles, but on the contrary, Burdon repeatedly heaped praise on the Merseyside rockers.
In December of 1965, at a pivotal moment within the history of both The Beatles and The Animals, Burdon was asked to review a selection of newly-released tracks for Melody Maker. Included within the selection of singles was The Beatles’ seminal single ‘Day Tripper’, which Burdon was a particular fan of. “I think it’s fantastic that every Beatles single that comes out gets knocked, and then two or three days later everybody likes it,” the singer wrote, “But I liked this immediately.”
Continuing in his assessment of the group, Burdon pondered, “The trouble is, what can you say about The Beatles? They just go on producing good records,” adding, “It’s important that they’re writing about English things and, in fact, they are already on the verge of writing English folk songs.” While it is difficult to imagine ‘Day Tripper’ as a folk track, it is true that their Englishness formed an important aspect of The Beatles’ popularity – especially during an age in which so many English groups were attempting to evoke the sounds of America.
To an extent, The Animals were guilty of cosplaying as an American blues rock outfit rather than sticking to their Geordie roots, but they clearly had an appreciation for how The Beatles always paid homage to their Englishness. In that sense, Burdon’s claims that the band were close to writing English folk songs are not all that inaccurate.
