Monterey - ERIC BURDON and The ANIMALS (Single Stereo Version 1967)

#monterey #ericburdonandtheanimals #montereypopfestival1967

"Monterey" is a song by Eric Burdon & The Animals.
Released as a single on December 30, 1967 (MGM Records).
It was included in the new band's second album The Twain Shall Meet as well as their 1969 U.S. only compilation, The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon and The Animals.
Eric Burdon and the Animals performed at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival at the peak of the Summer of Love; they followed Johnny Rivers onstage and were introduced by Chet Helms. In his book, Monterey Pop, Joel Selvin wrote that, at the festival, "Burdon did nothing short of reinvent himself in front of the audience.
The song "Monterey" was subsequently written in tribute to the group's experiences at the festival, and proved to be one of the new band's biggest hits. The lyrics describe the atmosphere of the festival and some of the notable musicians who played, including The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shankar, The Who, Hugh Masekela, The Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix, as "young gods" with music "born of love" and "religion was being born." The band described a scene at which "children danced night and day", and "even the cops grooved with us." "His Majesty Prince Jones" referred to Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, who was an MC at the event. Before the ending of the song, Burdon quoted the Byrds song "Renaissance Fair": "I think that Maybe I'm Dreamin'".
The song featured a brass section as well as a string section. The longer version of the song begins with a spoken recitation by Burdon. The ending as the song is extended with the instruments dropping out, with only the sounds of a mystical instrument play before the fade.
Almost each of the musicians mentioned are represented by a corresponding instrument: Ravi Shankar by a sitar sounding electric guitar, The Who by electric guitars and drums, Hugh Masekela by a trumpet, The Grateful Dead, by electric guitars, and Jimi Hendrix by a different sounding electric guitar. The sound of a distortion of the guitars is heard when the "ten thousand electric guitars" are playing. The Strings come in on the line: "You wanna find the truth in life / Don't pass music by / And you know I would not lie", sounding like a Hindu chant.

Eric Burdon - vocals
Vic Briggs - guitar
Danny McCulloch - bass
John Weider - guitar
Barry Jenkins - drums

Produced by Tom Wilson

MGM Records 1967.

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The people came and listened
Some of them came and played
Others gave flowers away, yes they did
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey
Young Gods smiled upon the crowd
Their music being born of love
Children danced night and day
Religion was being born
Down in Monterey
The birds and the airplane did fly
Oh, Ravi Shankars music made me cry
The Who exploded into fire and light
Hugh Masakela's music was black as night
The Grateful Dead blew everybodies mind
Jimi Hendrix baby, believe me, set the world on fire, yeah
His Majesty, Prince Jones, smiled as he moved among the crowd
Ten thousand electric guitars were grooving real loud, yeah
You want to find the truth in life
Don't pass music by
and you know I would not lie, no I would not lie,
No, I would not lie
Down in Monterey
Three days of understanding of moving with one another
Even the cops grooved with us
Do you believe me, yeah?
Down in Monterey
I think that maybe I'm dreaming
Monterey
Down in monterey
Did you hear what I said?

Barry Jenkins / Danny Mcculloch / Eric Burdon / Johnny Weider / Vic Briggs