Animal Tracks

The Story Of The Animals : Newcastle's Rising Sons

Book by Sean Egan - Helter Skelter Publishing - 2001

Not counting Eric Burdon's biography of a few years ago ("I Used To Be An Animal, But I'm All Right Now") this is - as far as I am aware - the first full book on Newcastle's finest and one of the world's finest R & B bands. Sean Egan has interviewed all the members of The Animals and The New Animals, the latter whilst mainly a Burdon project was an incredibly interesting phase of his career.

There is, of course, the controversy of the credit for "House Of the Rising Sun" which still manages to cause some resentment amongst the band members today - some thirty-odd years later.

The main selling point of this book is its honesty and members of the group have to be congratulated for their candid recollections of an era sometimes viewed through rose-tinted glasses. At times, it wasn't all peace and love. In spite of what Eric Burdon was espousing at the time, it seems you can take the boy out of Newcastle, but you can't take Newcastle out of the boy.

All the relevant periods are covered here including the attempt at a mid-seventies reunion and the final reunion in the early-80's which by all accounts wasn't a pleasant (or lucrative) experience for all concerned.

Sean Egan has delivered an absorbing read about a British band that could have been as big as the Rolling Stones. Contained within these covers are perhaps some reasons why this didn't happen. An incredible story, well told.