Happy birthday Eric Burdon, 71 years old today (May 11).

I vividly remember the day I heard The Animals’ “The House Of The Rising’ for the first time. It was one of those life-changing moments, of which rock n’ roll has figured into many. The song came on the radio and practically lunged at me. It WAS an animal - a ferocious beast with glinting eyes and blood on its fangs. It gobbled up everything in its path as it clawed its way into my brain and fucked with my head forever. The year was 1964 - the year The Beatles released their teenybop ditty “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” In contrast to the Fab Four’s mop-topped innocence, The Animals mournful dirge seemed to have originated in a universe where the heads of Beatles and Monkees and Beach Boys were held aloft on gore-drenched spears as flames licked around the cloven feet of Eric Burdon and Mick Jagger. Yes, Jagger! For in that same year, The Rolling Stones too unleashed a beast into my suburban rec room - “Not Fade Away” - a record I played until I was abandoned by friends and family and left to my own dark devices. This was the dawning of my nefarious age.

Here are some performances that appeared on Canadian TV in 1968 featuring Eric Burden and The (New) Animals. This was Burden in his psychedelic period and The Animals were Danny McCulloch, John Weider, Barry Jenkins and Vic Briggs. I saw this version of the Animals at the Fillmore West in 1968. They were using the lightshow effects and film footage you see in the following video. It was the most dramatic use of film in tandem with music I had seen at a live show. My 17-year-old mind was blown.