Love Is (The Animals album)

Love Is
Love Is
Studio album by Eric Burdon and the Animals
Released	December 1968 (US) and May 1969 (UK)
Recorded	October 1968
Studio	TTG (Los Angeles); Sunset Sound (Hollywood);
Genre	Psychedelic rock; R&B; progressive rock;
Length	66:32
Label	MGM
Producer	The Animals
Eric Burdon and the Animals, UK chronology
Eric Burdon and the Animals, US chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]

Love Is is the third album by Eric Burdon and the Animals. It was released in 1968 as a double album.

Background[edit]

Love Is was issued in both the United Kingdom and United States. It was the last album released before the Animals' second dissolution in 1968. An edited version of the track "Ring of Fire" was released as a single and peaked at No. 35 in the UK singles chart, breaking the top 40 in Germany, Holland, and Australia as well.^[3]

Aside from the self-penned "I'm Dying (or am I?)", the album consists entirely of cover songs with extended arrangements by the Animals and sometimes even additional lyrics and musical sections. The entire Side D is occupied by a medley of songs originally by Dantalian's Chariot, a former group of band members Zoot Money and Andy Summers. Dantalian's Chariot archivists have been unable to locate a recording of "Gemini", and it is possible that Eric Burdon and the Animals were the first to actually record the song.^[4]

This album captured the only studio work of future Police guitarist Andy Summers with the group. The recording of Traffic's "Colored Rain" includes a guitar solo by Summers which runs a full 4 minutes and 15 seconds. To ensure he ended at the right place, Zoot Money kept count throughout the solo and gave him the cue out at bar 189.^[5]

Track listing (MGM, USA)[edit]

Side one[edit]

"River Deep, Mountain High" (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) – 7:23
"I'm an Animal" (Sylvester Stewart) – 5:34
"I'm Dying (Or Am I?)" (Eric Burdon) – 4:28

Side two[edit]

"Ring of Fire" (June Carter, Merle Kilgore) – 4:58
"Colored Rain" (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) – 9:38

Side three[edit]

"To Love Somebody" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 6:55
"As the Years Go Passing By" (Deadric Malone) – 10:13

Side four[edit]

"Gemini" (Steve Hammond) / "Madman Running Through the Fields" [listed as "The Madman"] (Zoot Money, Andy Summers) – 17:23

Personnel[edit]

Eric Burdon & The Animals

Eric Burdon — lead vocals, spoken word
Zoot Money — bass, backing and co-lead (3, 8a) vocals, organ, piano, spoken word (8a)
Andy Summers — guitar, backing vocals
John Weider — guitar, violin, backing vocals
Barry Jenkins — drums, percussion, backing vocals

with:

Robert Wyatt - backing vocals (1)^[6]
brass? arranger? female vocalist on "To Love Somebody" ??

Album versions[edit]

LP
1968, MGM SE 4591-2, U.S.A.
1968, MGM U.K.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Album Reviews" (PDF). Melody Maker. 3 May 1969. p. 16. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b Allmusic review
^ The Animals chart entries, tsort.info.
^ Dantalian's Chariot: Chariot Rising sleeve notes.
^ Andy Summers, One Train Later, Thomas Dunne Books, 2006. ISBN 0-312-35914-4.
^ Hulloder: Robert Wyatt discography 1967-1969

[MM1969-1] "Album Reviews" (PDF). Melody Maker. 3 May 1969. p. 16. Retrieved 16 January 2023.

[AllMusic-2] Allmusic review

[3] The Animals chart entries, tsort.info.

[4] Dantalian's Chariot: Chariot Rising sleeve notes.

[5] Andy Summers, One Train Later, Thomas Dunne Books, 2006. ISBN 0-312-35914-4.

[6] Hulloder: Robert Wyatt discography 1967-1969

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]