The Animals' original albums were hard R&B without the subtle pop edges that characterized their singles; they were also on the serious side, as though the group, offered the chance to make an LP-length statement, was bent on only displaying its most intense and ambitious musical inclinations. Perhaps as a consequence, their albums never sold in huge numbers, appealing as they did mostly to fans of the harder side of singles like "House of the Rising Sun" and "Baby Let Me Take You Home." ~ Bruce Eder