The Original Animals - Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted (1977)

"Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted" is a 1977 reunion album from The Animals, billed here as The Original Animals.

This was a reunion of the five original Animals from the group's first incarnation: Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Hilton Valentine, Chas Chandler, and John Steel, in their first recording sessions (and, save for a one-off concert in 1968, their first musical project at all) since 1965. Bassist Chandler produced the effort using his Barn Records team.

The title refers to the first sentence of William Connor's first column in the Daily Mirror after World War II: "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,...".

Recorded under the auspices of the late Chas Chandler's Barn Productions, the album was highlighted by a dramatically bluesy rendition of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," boasting superb playing by Alan Price. Hilton Valentine's soaring guitar pyrotechnics light up "Fire on the Sun," perhaps the flashiest performance of his career for this most introspective of '60s British blues axemen, and "As the Crow Flies" has the group returning to its roots, as a dark, brooding rendition of the Jimmy Reed song that gives room for Chandler, Valentine, Price, and John Steel to show off their '60s-era blues chops in a more expansive form. After a promising start, the gospel number "Many Rivers to Cross" falls apart a bit, but "Just a Little Bit," with its rippling organ break, the group original "Riverside County," and the pounding finale, "The Fool," make the rest of side two eminently enjoyable, although, coming out in the midst of the punk and disco booms, the LP never had a chance to be heard by more than the most dedicated fans.

Track listing

01.  Brother Bill (The Last Clean Shirt)  (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Clyde Otis)  - 3:18

02.  It's All Over Now, Baby Blue  (Bob Dylan)  - 4:39

03.  Fire on the Sun  (Shaky Jake)  - 2:23

04.  As the Crow Flies  (Jimmy Reed)  - 3:37

05.  Please Send Me Someone to Love  (Percy Mayfield)  - 4:44

06.  Many Rivers to Cross  (Jimmy Cliff)  - 4:06

07.  Just a Little Bit  (John Thornton, Ralph Bass, Earl Washington, Piney Brown)  - 2:04

08.  Riverside County  (Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Hilton Valentine, Chas Chandler, John Steel)  - 3:46

09.  Lonely Avenue  (Doc Pomus)  - 5:16

10.  The Foo l (Sanford Clark)  - 3:24

Released:  August 1977

Recorded at:  Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Goulds Farm

Genre:  Rock, Blues Rock, Rhythm & Blues

Label:  Barn Records 

Producer:  Chas Chandler

Personnel

Eric Burdon - vocals

Alan Price - keyboards

Hilton Valentine - guitar

Chas Chandler - bass

John Steel - drums