Ark (The Animals album)

Last updated

Ark
AnimalsArk.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1983
Recorded1983
StudioCountry Lane Studios, Germering, Germany
Genre Rock, new wave, post-punk
Length47:53
Label I.R.S. (U.K. & U.S.)
Illegal (Europe)
Epic (India)
Castle (various U.K. & U.S. CD re-issues)
Repertoire (2008 German CD re-issue)
Producer
The Animals chronology
Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted
(1977)
Ark
(1983)
Greatest Hits Live (Rip It to Shreds)
(1984)
Singles from Ark
  1. "The Night"
    Released: September 1983
  2. "Love Is for All Time"
    Released: November 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Ark is an album by the original members of the Animals. Released in 1983 by I.R.S. Records, it peaked at #66 on the Billboard Top 200. Ark was the second and last reunion attempt of the band's initial lineup, and the album was subsequently followed by a tour by the band.

Contents

"The Night" was a moderate success in the US, reaching #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #34 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. The single was followed by "Love Is for All Time". Both songs were written and recorded for an Eric Burdon solo album but held back once the reunion plans went further. A lot of the other songs were written by Burdon and his team. "No John No" was penned by Alan Price.

This album follows a recent trend of many veteran acts such as Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Queen, where they either augmented their classic sound, or swapped it entirely, for a punk/new wave sound. The Animals were no exception with Ark displaying a prominent new wave/post-punk sound.

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Loose Change" (Steve Grant) (3:01)
  2. "Love Is for All Time" (Eric Burdon, Danny Everitt, Terry Wilson) (4:23)
  3. "My Favourite Enemy" (Steve Grant) (3:46)
  4. "Prisoner of the Light" (Eric Burdon, John Henry Raskin, John Sterling) (4:09)
  5. "Being There" (T. Gemwells) (3:29)
  6. "Hard Times" (Eric Burdon, John Sterling) (2:55)

Side two

  1. "The Night" (Eric Burdon, John Sterling, Don Evans) (3:55)
  2. "Trying to Get You" (Rose Marie McCoy, Charlie Singleton) (4:16)
  3. "Just Can't Get Enough" (Eric Burdon, John Sterling) (3:54)
  4. "Melt Down" (Danny Everitt, Terry Wilson) (3:08)
  5. "Gotta Get Back to You" (Danny Everitt, Terry Wilson) (2:42)
  6. "Crystal Nights" (M. Anthony, Eric Burdon, M. Lewis, John Sterling) (4:12)
  7. "No John No" (Alan Price) (4:18) (track on CD, but not on original album. B-side of "The Night")

With the exception of the CD bonus track, the songwriting credits shown above are as they appeared when the album was originally issued in 1983 (I.R.S. Records, SP-70037). When the album was re-issued in 2002 on compact disc (Castle Records, 06076-81172-2), the songwriting credits for Everitt, Wilson and Gemwells were removed. This left tracks 5, 10 and 11 ("Being There", "Melt Down" and "Gotta Get Back to You") with songwriting credits that simply read "Unidentified". It also left Burdon as the only credited songwriter for track 2 ("Love Is for All Time").

When the album was re-issued on the Repertoire label in 2008 the songwriting credits for "Melt Down", "Gotta Get Back To You" and "Being There" were restored.

The album was again re-issued as a burn-on-demand title by Amazon using the CD as the source in 2014. The artwork eliminated the booklet in favor of the song titles only.

Personnel

The Animals
Additional personnel

Production

Production is credited to all five band members. Co-production credit is given to Steve Lipson on tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10. Engineering credit is given to Lipson for those tracks on which he is credited as a co-producer, and to Nic Rudrum for the other tracks. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Animals</span> English rock band

The Animals (currently billed as Eric Burdon & The Animals and Animals & Friends are an English rock band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Burdon</span> English singer (born 1941)

Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the R&B and rock band the Animals and the funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, powerful blues-rock voice. Burdon is also known for his intense stage performances.

<i>Animalism</i> (album) 1966 studio album by the Animals

Animalism is the fifth American album by the Animals, released in November 1966. The album includes the band's usual repertoire of blues and R&B covers, while Frank Zappa contributed a song and played bass on two tracks. It was the last album recorded by the original incarnation of the Animals prior to their disbandment, after which singer Eric Burdon would assemble a mostly new lineup under the name "Eric Burdon and the Animals". This new version of the group was already touring when Animalism released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Weider</span> British musician

John Weider is an English rock musician who plays guitar, bass, and violin. He is best known as the guitarist for the Animals from 1966 to 1968. He was also the bass player for Family from 1969 to 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Gotta Get Out of This Place</span> 1965 single by The Animals

"We Gotta Get Out of This Place", occasionally written "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place", is a rock song written by American songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded as a 1965 hit single by English band the Animals. It has become an iconic song of its type and was immensely popular with United States Armed Forces G.I.s during the Vietnam War.

<i>The Best of The Animals</i> 1966 greatest hits album by the Animals

The Best of The Animals is the first greatest hits collection by the British rock group the Animals. MGM Records released the album in February 1966 in the United States. It showcases the Animals' tough-edged pop hits combined with their more devoted blues and R&B workouts. The album has been reissued with some different tracks and a similar collection, The Most of Animals, was released in the United Kingdom in 1966.

David Eric Rowberry was an English pianist and organist, most known for being a member of the rock and R&B group The Animals in the 1960s.

<i>Winds of Change</i> (Eric Burdon & the Animals album) 1967 studio album by Eric Burdon & the Animals

Winds of Change is the debut album by British-American band Eric Burdon & the Animals, released in October 1967 by MGM Records. The album was recorded following the 1966 dissolution of the original group the Animals and singer Eric Burdon's move to San Francisco, where he and drummer Barry Jenkins formed the new Animals lineup with musicians Vic Briggs, Danny McCulloch and John Weider. The album was produced by Tom Wilson and arranged by Briggs in sessions that spanned several months.

<i>Every One of Us</i> 1968 studio album by Eric Burdon & The Animals

Every One of Us is an album by Eric Burdon & The Animals. It was released in 1968 on MGM Records.

<i>Eric Is Here</i> 1967 studio album by Eric Burdon & The Animals

Eric Is Here is a 1967 album billed to Eric Burdon & The Animals, although the actual bands with Burdon are the Benny Golson orchestra and the Horace Ott Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny McCulloch</span> British bassist (1945–2015)

Daniel Joseph "Danny" McCulloch was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Eric Burdon and The Animals.

<i>Moment of Forever</i> 2008 studio album by Willie Nelson

Moment of Forever is the 56th studio album by American country music artist Willie Nelson, released on January 29, 2008, on the Lost Highway Records label. A video has been made for the album's first single "Gravedigger", and another video has been made for the track "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore", featuring Jessica Simpson, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Wilson, and Dan Rather. The latter video premiered on the weekend of February 23–24 on MTV.

<i>The Most of the Animals</i> 1966 compilation album by the Animals

The Most of the Animals is the title of a number of different compilation albums by the British blues rock group the Animals. Although track listing varies, all feature only songs from 1964 and 1965. The title is derived from the name of their then producer Mickie Most.

<i>Absolute Animals 1964–1968</i> 2003 compilation album by The Animals, Eric Burdon & The Animals

Absolute Animals 1964–1968 is a compilation album of The Animals, released in 2003 and which features many of their hits. It was also the first compilation to feature songs from their Columbia, Decca, and MGM albums.

<i>Comeback</i> (Eric Burdon album) 1982 studio album by Eric Burdon

Comeback is an album by Eric Burdon released in 1982, during the Comeback film project. It was the studio album to the film. Live tracks recorded during the sessions were released later on compilations.

<i>Power Company</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Eric Burdon Band

Power Company is an album by the Eric Burdon Band, released in 1983. It features recordings from the Comeback project. It also features live recordings.

<i>Stop</i> (Eric Burdon Band album) 1975 studio album by The Eric Burdon Band

Stop is a hard rock / R&B album by the first incarnation of the Eric Burdon Band, whose line-up consisted of Burdon, John Sterling, Kim Kesterson and Terry Ryan.

<i>Greatest Hits Live (Rip It to Shreds)</i> 1984 live album by The Animals

Greatest Hits Live (Rip It to Shreds) is a live album by the original members of The Animals. It was released in 1984.

Robert Terry Wilson is an American bass player, record producer and composer.

<i>Til Your River Runs Dry</i> 2013 studio album by Eric Burdon

'Til Your River Runs Dry is a 2013 album by Eric Burdon. It is his "first high-profile record in eons and his first album of largely original material since 2004", states Stephen Thomas Erlewine in his Allmusic review.

References

  1. Eder, Bruce. "Ark - The Animals | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  2. Liner notes, I.R.S. Records SP-70037