ALAN PRICE SET/THE PRICE TO PLAY LK 4839 (-66) UK MONO

At the same time The Animals moved from Columbia to Decca in UK, Price left the group and got a separate contract with the label. As I see it he always was the driving force of the group with a musical talent surpassing the others. Yet the break-up appearantly was made in a friendly mood with mutual support (check Burdons liner notes below). You should think this debut to some extent would remind of his work with The Animals, but it is completely different to anything they made. There's no blues or rock here, but twelve keyboard-driven, heavily orchstrated covers of pop numbers. I haven't been able to figure out who produced - cover only says "An Anim Production" - so maybe he did it himself with some help from the Decca crew. The arrangements sounds a lot like contemporary work of Mike Leander or Ivor Raymonde, and since they are co-credited on his follow-up to this it's safe to assume they were involved here too. In any case it's very well done. I really like it and listen to it a lot. He's got a special voice, very warm and cozy and the whole thing is in that mood - a true feel-good album fitting any condition - as background, party music or just for relaxing. This UK issue is a separate mono mix and it sounds great. The earliest US release I can find with any of his work is "The Price Is Right" (Parrot PAS 71018) from 1968 - a compilation of '45 tracks and stuff from first two LP:s. Premiere UK issue with thin, laminated cover and ridged label. (ÄNÄ*)(MÖRS*)