Growing up, I was always kind of fascinated by Eric Burdon, then lead singer for the Animals, the British rock band who always seemed just in the shadow of the Beatles and the Stones. But they were different than the other bands of that early British Invasion. They seemed rougher, more closely connected to American blues. Their songs were not mere love ditties. They were angrier, more defiant and fatalistic.
And it was all captured in the face of Eric Burdon. He was not a pretty boy, not the smiling cute one that even moms found charming. He was sleepy eyed with pock marked skin and an almost surly demeanor that never broke into a toothy smile. I might be mistaken, but I think he even had a broken tooth. But he sang those songs that still resonate today–House of the Rising Sun, Boom Boom, Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Don’t Bring Me Down, Sky Pilot, We Gotta Get Out of this Place.
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want…
He has had a long career, starting the band War, best known for Spill the Wine, Cisco Kid and Low Rider. Today. he lives in the desert of Southern California and, at age 71, has a new CD, ‘Til Your River Runs Dry, out on the market. I am including a song from it today, Water, that deals with the ever growing problem with maintaining the availability of safe and potable water now and in the future. Water is that thing that we all need– more than oil, more than gas, more than any precious metals. Water is the cause of the current battle over hydro-fracking and might be the thing that nations battle over in the future. Give a listen…
Redtree Times 