Raw Animals

Recorded in the winter of 1963 at a British club concert, this often-bootlegged live set features a disc of the Animals opening for blues great Sonny Boy Williamson, and the band is wonderfully raw and energetic, with lead singer Eric Burdon bantering with the crowd and being endearingly snotty throughout a short set of blues standards. The second disc of this two-disc set features the band backing Williamson, and it's a fun listen, even if nothing really catches lightning in a bottle. This recording is most valuable for its historical nature, capturing as it does the sound of the British blues boom in full flight. ~ Steve Leggett