13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Autobiography of the British Invasion's top blues singer, November 11, 1998
This review is from: I Used to Be an Animal, but I'm All Right Now (Hardcover)
Stream of consciousness reporting on the life and times of Eric Burdon starting with his early days in Newcastle and ending with the British reissue of "House of the Rising Sun" (1972).
You will find very few verifiable dates, names or facts. Eric describes his story telling technique better than I could...
"Most of what you are about to read are memories, dreams, feelings and even hallucinations, but that's rock'n'roll....My story is true. Everything you read happened, although not always in the right chronological order. There's no way it could be, as even after only one or two weeks on the road with a touring band, life becomes a blur."
Published in 1986, long out of print and very difficult to find.
A must read for any Eric Burdon fan and a nice diversion for anyone interested in the sex and drugs aspect of Rock and Roll. As you might expect though, this is not a source of recording dates, discographies, release dates or useful trivia.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyable to read, August 5, 1999
This review is from: I Used to Be an Animal, but I'm All Right Now (Hardcover)
i am of course an eric burdon fan. but you don't have to be to read this book and enjoy it. burdon is a survivor and that is what this book is all about. many have died but this guy is still alive and making music. he's also a hell of a nice guy, after meeting him. puts everything into his music, appreciation of life and his performance. has been known to be the most screwed artist by the recording industry and he still keeps swinging. best account of life on the road i've ever read. could and should of been what mick jagger never was. a true blues singer but thats all past. best friend of jimi hendrix. section of that book. did his own art and illustrations. scoured everybook store and resource for two years and finally found a brand new copy in some low life record store in NYC village. paid $5.00 for it. and no its not for sale. try doing what i did. its worth the hunt and read. good luck!
arnold serafin carrollton, texas
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Burdon on LSD, February 1, 2005
This is a super fun read and it took me long enough to find a copy i could afford. But my recommendation comes with a BIG caveat - read it with a grain of salt. I can say that because me and my friends are mentioned in one of Eric's 'stream of consciousness' stories and what he describes is pure fantasy. The characters are right but what he describes never happened. Well, okay, we did sneak up to the 20th floor of the hotel where the Animals were staying...but the rest is totally made up! Still, i'm sure that there are a lot of stories with more validity. I love Eric and his music and first met him when he played at New York City's Paramount theater. My friends and i were kids but we knew talent when we heard it. He was and continues to be, one of the finest blues musicians out there. For a more recent perspective (his writing has improved tremedously too) read his latest "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". It too is full of fabulous, probably exaggerated, stories, but Eric sure knows how to get your attention. And besides, hearing road stories from a really good racanteur is worth the price of admission. It's like hearing your favorite uncle tell war stories. You know half of it's b*S* but you get sucked in just the same.
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