Eric Burdon has posted on his Facebook that the Animals guitarist died today at the age of 77.

Hilton Valentine dead at 77: Animals guitarist and founding member dies (Mirror)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-01-30 12:52 by bv.

Very sad - always loved his unique/original sound and what he contributed to the Animals.

From Eric Burdon several years ago:

"It really was Hilton who made the early Animals a rock band because I don’t think the element of rock was in the band until we found him.
In those days, Hilton wasn’t just playing rock 'n' roll, he looked rock 'n' roll. Here was a guy with the greased mop of hair combed back,
cheap leather jacket, winkle picker shoes, black jeans and a smile on his face playing through an echoplex, which was a secret weapon back then".





RIP Hilton Valentine

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Rest In Peace Hilton! Love the original Animals of Eric Burdon, Hilton, Chas Chandler, Alan Price and John Steele.
Go onto Youtube and check out the NME 64 concert. See the raw power of the Animals on stage, Hilton on his knees during Boom Boom! Definitely the most exciting band at that show.
Opening chords to House of the Rising Sun rank right up there as one of the most famous riffs in rock music.

Really sad, another original gone.
I discovered the Animals pretty late.
Here are 3 of my favourites,
Hilton´s guitar is just brilliant:













Born 1943...





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-01-30 14:08 by TooTough.

I saw the five original Animals twice during their 1980s reunion tour, which I believe, marked the last time any of the first wave of British Invasion bands toured with ALL of their original members. Rip It To Shreds, the live album from that tour, doesn't even begin to hint at the supercharged atmosphere of those shows. Hilton had wonderful stage presence. The craziest guy by far in a band full of crazy guys. Here's some footage from around the time of the reunion tour.

[www.youtube.com]

I wish there was better quality footage of the shows themselves, but this at least captures a faint echo of what went down. I saw them in New York, 7/22/83 at Pier 84 (the very same night a Diana Ross concert in Central Park ended with the crowd going on a "wilding" rampage), and then again on 11/12/83 at the Beacon Theatre. Must have been right around the same time the Stones Undercover album was released, because I remember walking to the upper west side that night with the title track playing over and over in my head.

[www.youtube.com]

Love the early Animals stuff. Was into them before the Stones. They did a great reunion album titled "Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted" which you can find on utoob.

...beautiful page in rollingstone.com....!

I am another, who loved the music from the Animals in its time, even if I did not actually buy those records myself before years later, due to scarce money earlier on.

So this was sad news!

Didn't appear on BBC news channel here until today.
The Animals were a big part of the 60's music scene coming out of the UK.

R.I.P. Hilton Valentine.

I saw the reunion tour at the long gone Poplar Creek Music Center (and minimum security prison) outside Chicago. It was an excellent show. Sad to hear the news.

RIP

I also being more into the Animals even before I get to know the Stones. Their 60s records were very difficult to find in Finland during the early 80's. There wasn't new editions, and the originals from the 60's to be found on second hand shops were pretty expensive for a young kid like me.

Now to think of it, the first thing I learned to play with guitar was the Animals version of "House of the Rising Sun". That's pure Valentine, right?

So RIP Mr. Hilton Valentine.

- Doxa

Quote
Doxa
That's pure Valentine, right?

So RIP Mr. Hilton Valentine.

- Doxa

I'd imagine so. I've never read of any involvement of session guitarists. The drumming is a different matter: as with The Kinks, the regular drummer was substituted for session musician, Bobby Graham.