The second installment of ABKCO Records’ reissue series of The Animals first four US LPs in their mono versions features the misleadingly titled ‘The Animals On Tour’, actually a studio recording, originally released in February 1965.

Like its predecessor the album is dominated by American blues and R & B covers although it does include one Eric Burdon Alan Price original among its twelve tracks.

Despite containing the Burdon/Price penned ‘I’m Crying’ a #19 US and #8 UK single when released c/w another of the duo’s originals, ‘Take It Easy’, which confusingly appeared on the band’s third US album ‘Animal Tracks’ in September 1965, ‘The Animals On Tour’ did not fare as well as their debut, reaching only #89 on the Billboard Hot 200. The LP’s second single, a 2:57 edit of the band’s cover of John Lee Hooker’s ‘Boom Boom’ which deleted Hilton Valentine’s guitar solo c/w ‘Jimmy Henshaw’s ‘Blue Feeling’, a track from ‘The Animals’, failed to crack the Top 40, stalling at #43. To ABKCO’s credit and the listener’s delight the full 3:17 version of ‘Boom Boom’, complete with Valentine’s solo, is included on this reissue. The album also includes fine covers of Chuck Berry’s ‘How You’ve Changed’, Jimmy Reed’s ‘Bright Lights, Big City’, two Ray Charles tunes, ‘I Believe To My Soul’ and ‘Hallelujah, I Love Her So’ as well as another Hooker classic ‘Dimples’ covered by The Allman Brothers Band among others, and a stellar take on Calvin Carter’s ‘I Ain’t Got You’, a Yardbirds staple, spotlighting Hilton Valentine and Alan Price, who contribute extended solos, the former on guitar and the latter on organ. The CD edition of ‘The Animals On Tour’ adds three bonus tracks, tasty covers of Jimmy Reed’s ‘Baby What’s Wrong’ and Ray Charles’ ‘F-E-E-L’ as well as a New Year’s radio spot.

As with ‘The Animals’ the reissue comes in 180 gram vinyl and CD versions. The Mickie Most produced tracks again feature the 2013 tape transfers by Peter Mew, mastering by Adam Ayan and lacquer cut by Carl Rowatti. The LP version of ‘The Animals On Tour’ has liner notes by June Harris, while the CD edition features the same sound credits along with six page fold-out liner notes by David Fricke.

Kevin Rathert

The Animals – ‘The Animals On Tour’ (1965 / 2022 ABKCO reissue)