Here's a treat for all EB fans. This is possibly the rarest bootleg with Eric. If anyone's out there read Eric's latest autobiography, you'll remember the chapter called "Not a dime from the Fatman" (or something like that). In short, this is the story:

In the summer of 1995, Eric was getting in touch with a producer only referred to the Fatman by Eric (he suspects he's mobbed up, so he won't say his name). This guy was very keen on producing Eric, and after 10 years without a record contract and failed projects behind him (ref. torrent 270295 and the story there), Eric was happy to finally get something going again. The idea was to take the I Band (his current touring band) into the studio and kick some ass. But to finance the whole thing, the Fatman suggested Eric should re-record some Animals classics to raise some money. Long story short - the Fatman stole the demos of the Animals tunes recorded with studio musicians/computer programmed music and sold them to Disky. These crappy versions now flourish on illegal releases such as Absolutely the best: Eric Burdon, Eric Burdon sings The Animals' greatest hits and so on.

What isn't mentioned in the book, is that the I Band also made a demo during the summer of '95! This one with original songs, the first new material to come from Eric in almost 10 years. 3 of the 5 songs have never appeared again, EVER (to my knowledge). This is a cryin' shame, because track 3 on this demo tape is one of the better songs Eric has done ever! It's called Robert Johnson and is about the legendary bluesman who supposedly sold his soul to the devil in the early 30's. I received a cassette copy of this demo from a friend of mine in the US who bought it from ebay - most likely from the Fatman or one of his henchmen (he tried to track them down, but to no use).
Two of the tracks (2, 4) re-appeared on Soul of a Man in 2006, 11 years after this demo was made. GTO was performed live on numerous occasions in the 90's with great success. It was penned by the great singer/songwriter David Munyon, but Eric's recording from 1995 actually predates David's version by 1 year! His version first appeared on Acrylic Teepees from 1996.

Enjoy this rare piece of Eric Burdon material! You're truly lucky to get this - it's completely uncirculated!

01 - Touch of the Heart
02 - I Don't Mind
03 - Robert Johnson
04 - GTO
05 - Fever

Dean Restum - guitars/backing vocals
Larry Wilkins - guitars/backing vocals
Dave Meros - bass/keyboards
Mark Craney - drums
Eric Burdon - vocals
Kathe McKa-Wilkins - backing vocals