Recorded in 1973-1974, Mirage was one of the finest albums of the 1970s by Animals front man Eric Burdon. The soundtrack for a proposed United Artists film with the Vietnam War as its subject matter, the music recorded by Burdon such as Dragon Lady, River of Blood, Mind Arc and Driftin / Geronimos Last Stand was some of the finest of his career. Exploring the genres of rock, psychedelia and African beats, the sessions also saw Burdon record the song Mirage, written by Jimi Hendrix on the night he died. Sadly, first the film and latterly a proposed double album release by Atlantic Records were shelved and the Mirage album and sessions were consigned to the archives. This CD release on Esoteric Recordings makes for the album's CD debut in the UK.
Recorded in 1973-1974, Mirage was one of the finest albums of the 1970s by Animals front man Eric Burdon. The soundtrack for a proposed United Artists film with the Vietnam War as its subject matter, the music recorded by Burdon such as Dragon Lady, River of Blood, Mind Arc and Driftin / Geronimos Last Stand was some of the finest of his career. Exploring the genres of rock, psychedelia and African beats, the sessions also saw Burdon record the song Mirage, written by Jimi Hendrix on the night he died. Sadly, first the film and latterly a proposed double album release by Atlantic Records were shelved and the Mirage album and sessions were consigned to the archives. This CD release on Esoteric Recordings makes for the album's CD debut in the UK.
This may seem like a strange way to listen to a group's legacy, 42 songs on 11 CD platters in a box. It is a bit pricey, as well, but going up four songs at a time with the Animals sort of makes sense, at least as far as distilling down their most successful and interesting work. The group never quite got the hang of making successful albums; that doesn't mean that they didn't do some very good ones, including their two for EMI, but their 12" platter sales never remotely matched the popularity of their nine hit singles from 1964 through 1966. Their EPs were a different matter - while the group strained in the studio to assemble 40 minutes of attractive listening, their songs made great four-track platters. In England, they issued five extended-play singles, while in France the group saw twice that many issued in their name, both by EMI Records and the Barclay label…