Eric Burdon and the Animals

With the exception of a drowned drummer here and a slain icon there, Lady Death has been holding off on the Beatles and the Rolling Stones' pact with the Devil for an awfully long time -- allowing them to soak up their "living legends" titles while remaining productive (if not exactly vital, relevant, or particularly compelling). But the third squad that made a splash circa the British Invasion era has been remarkably off-radar, no? No! From his original distortion fuzz hits with the Animals to his stints in War to collaborating with Jimmy Witherspoon, Robby Krieger, and many more, Eric Burdon has been a very busy man. Living on the road and hitting the studio whenever possible, he has never slowed down nor dipped into mediocrity. Constantly revamping his old standards or just plain pursuing other interests within rock, jazz, and R&B, he now finds himself alongside long-time guitarist Dean Restum and a revamped Animals lineup with Dave Meros (bass), Bernie Pershey (drums), and German piano wunderkind Martin Gerschwitz. This ain't a dinosaur of rock arena-filling tour, but that might just be for the best.