"In 1965, there were two types of group in the UK: those influenced strongly by the Beatles, and those whose raison d'être was American blues and R&B. In part this split would have come about because of the pioneering blues work from Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies, who were both London based. Newcastle's Animals and Belfast's Them were the two biggest exceptions. This 2CD set includes all the Animals' BBC Saturday Club sessions - 28 songs in all - plus a further 22 songs broadcast in front of a live audience and 7 fascinating interviews. Amongst the highlights are their contributions to a Granada TV show Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.

Several of those great hit singles (plus a flip plus some LP tracks) are here too, all benefitting from full 'road testing'; Hooker's Boom Boom is a stand -out with mood switching between intimacy and all out rocking. Round about the time the Animals' first single was released, I saw the band perform in one of those Central London clubs you have to go downstairs to reach. They were the toughest of the British R&B Groups. They were the real thing." - Dave Stephens.