Eric Burdon - The Eric Burdon Story (Deluxe Edition) (2004)

This double-disc set goes into Eric Burdon's entire recorded oeuvre from his time with the Animals and War to his solo material, and pulls out the stops. While it's truly a shame that some of the growling blues-rock classics from recordings like Animalism ("Smokestack Lightning" should have been here) are missing, at least "I'm Crying" is here. More important than the Animals material, the later years are given a solid lion's share, without the excessive baggage of the band. This is a positive simply because this anthology showcases just what a stirring, rousing, utterly gifted singer Burdon is, despite his material, whether it's his read of Louisiana Red's "Sweet Blood Call" or the Elmore James classic "It Hurts Me Too," which goes on for over ten minutes. Thankfully, many of the classics are here as well, from "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" to his near-definitive read of J.D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road." This is solid.