The Very Best of Herman's Hermits

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-04-16 rating:
A certain charm
This combo, seemingly on Top of the Pops every week in the 60s, were the epitome of meaningless, relentlessly cheery, pop. The Tremeloes, a group with the same MO who announced their intention to go "heavy" around 1969, promptly alienated their core audience; one couldn't imagine Peter "Herman" Noone even attempting such a volte-face with that
little-boy grin which was his fortune: the Hermits were ginormous in America in the wake of the Beatles' 1963 breakthrough, and if part of the Fabs' success can be attributed to their taking a nation's collective mind off the assassination of its president, then Noone's resemblance to a young Jack Kennedy didn't hurt his group's chances. Some Hermits recordings which peddled a cariacature of Englishness were released only in the states, like I'm Henery the Eighth, I am and I'm Leaning on a Lamp Post - Mickey Most must have realised you can only push a UK audience so far.

I don't know when their American success ended exactly, but the Hermits never followed the Beatles down their more adventurous alleyways, and when the Monkees (essentially Beatles-lite, with all that dangerous drug nonsense filtered out) got their own TV show I believe that had a significant impact on the Hermits in the states. After all, they were
doing much the same thing - and David Jones, who was English, was like a brunette Herman (with maybe a side order of Macca) - plus the Monkees shared some of the same songwriters, like Goffin and King.

In the UK, however, they still had hit singles up till around 1970, and unlikely as it sounds Peter Noone as a solo artist then recorded a comparatively unknown David Bowie's "Oh You Pretty Things", included in this collection, as well as a song not found here called "Right On Mother" which sort of rubbed the narrator's mother's nose in her son's newfound freedom: "Right on, Mother, you know the way I feel, / Now you know I'm living with my gal and it's real ... now I'm a man" - possibly that was indeed Noone's solo version of going "heavy", but when you're blessed (or cursed) with a face like that, not a good idea. And there was a petulance about the song which was ill-judged: the target market of (I'd imagine) fifteen year old boys had had it with Herman, what with all those TOTP appearances, and the mums who (I imagine) bought a lot of those Hermits records had just been handed a good reason to turn their backs on Mr Noone. Maybe he thought that it would be his equivalent of Dirk Bogarde's two fingers to his matinee stardom (all those Doctor movies) in accepting the role of the gay barrister in Blackmail, I don't know. But he's still performing, I believe (Noone, not Bogarde), so good luck to him. And a Hermanless Hermits, with only the original drummer left, still tours. There are official websites for both.

And now, with rather more pop knowledge than I once had, I can see that the recordings on this double CD set do have a certain charm. Goffin and King apart, No Milk Today is by Graham Gouldman, later of 10cc, who also wrote for the Hollies, and other British songwriting craftsmen are represented. One song I particularly remember, and which is rarely played on oldies stations, is You Won't Be Leaving, a comparatively delicate ditty about a girl visiting a boy one evening with nookie as the subtext but with some good details: "Candlelight puts shadows of your figure on the ceiling, / I've got a feeling you won't be leaving at all." There you have the indirect ogle and the atmosphere in one. Okay, it's not Leiber and Stoller but it's something. On the minus side, this compilation is let down by its very comprehensiveness: B sides, many penned by the group, alternate with As, but if you ignore those, you will find a lot of quality, unpretentious pop here. And most titles seem to have been remastered in the last few years so I'd imagine sound quality will be better than some of the cheaper, older compilations.

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review by: Alice Collector date: 2006-11-25 rating:
At least they improved
The 60s were times of English covers of American songs outselling the originals and probably Earl Jean and the Cookies original had bubbled under-in spite of the Beatles covering Chains there was no demand for their records and eventually they stopped selling altogether.
It was of course damned easy to knock Hermans Hermits just on the strength of I'm into something good but Goffin & King actually wrote his follow up Show me girl.
Eventually Kenny Young wrote songs just for them and they all charted-Just a little bit better and Don't go out into the rain were a couple.
The songs written by the group can be discarded but the ones by fellow Mancunian Graham Gouldman were excellent especially No milk today.
By the time of the Monkees the Herman voice was echoed in Davy Jones,also from Manchester-both had been in Coronation Street.In fact Manchester did better in terms of No 1s than Liverpool groups when there were others by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders and Freddie & the Dreamers though Herman's Hermits would be the most consistent through the 60s both here and in America.
Album tracks would provide a couple of other chart toppers which gave Herman a George Formby image-the Lancashire movie star and singer was unknown of in America and had passed away the year the Beatles made their first single.But Leaning on a Lampost and the music hall song from the 1910s-I'm Henery the Eighth- I am were up there as massive chart hits and as much an influence on anything else at the time.Not however issued as singles in the U K
Mrs Brown you've got a lovely daughter was though a pastiche of Noel Coward and first recorded in England by the writer Trevor Peacock.
Probably a very smart move to push Herman's Hermits into this area.
A few of the covers were,though,no improvement on the originals-Wonderful World and Silhouettes especially but This door swings both ways-a song which had totally failed for black singer Amanda Ambrose-was at least as good.
Seen in retrospect Herman's Hermits were pure High School Pop-no way were they even close to the new breed of rock star.
Though the hits ran out by the early 70s the group lived on in various forms-either the Tremblers or just the Hermits with Peter Noone at times as a solo star.
It could never happen again but in the late 80s there was a vague link of sorts when the son of the producer Mickey Most (Michael Hayes) had a group called Johnny Hates Jazz and they topped the American chart with a very Hermanesque song

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review by: date: 2006-10-22 rating:
Fabulous
This album is superb ! with b-sides to the song's as well as the a's! Well worth the money and took me well back into my childhood day's as well as my teen's !! A must to buy if you are into Herman's Hermit's get this !!!!

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review by: date: 2005-10-24 rating:
It might not be trendy but it's classic pop music
This is the pop music that I grew up with. Revisiting it I'm slightly suprised that I still like it so much. It is simply melodic pop with a few nods to rock. Apparently Jimmy Page features on some of these sessions which doesn't surprise me as some of the musicianship on these recordings is impeccable. I'm not sure what the actual Hermit's input was but who cares, it's the songs that count. I am perhaps over familiar with this material as, being a child of the sixties, two of my first LPs were the "Best of Herman's Hermits" and "The Most Of Herman's Hermits" (I wasn't aware of the pun on producer Mickie's name at the time). Some of the songs were, and still are, quite good. The cover of "Wonderful World" was my first introduction to this song long before I heard the Sam Cooke version so, and I know this is bizarre, for me the Hermit's version is the definitive one. Of the other tracks "Must To Avoid" and "Just A Little Bit Better" are almost power pop and the version of "Kind Of Hush" cannot be beat and is actually verging on atmospheric. Then there is Graham Gouldman's "No Milk Today" which is another Hermits classic. True there are some dodgy songs like "Sleepy Joe" and "Sunshine Girl" although the Formbyesque "Mrs Brown you've Got A Lovely Daughter" is better than I remember. The even more Formbyesque "Leaning On A Lampost" and "I'm Henry the 8th I am" (pronounced Henery) are strictly for battle hardened fans though. As the other reviews have noted this is a fairly comprehensive compilation but where's the version of "Sea Cruise" that I know so well. Ah well, you can't please everybody.

I owe this group a lot as the LPs I had featured the composers names in brackets after the songs and this fostered a lifelong interest in who wrote songs as well as who recorded them. So much so that I now get edgy if I buy CDs and it isn't immediately obvious who actually wrote the material. Anyway, at the age of eight Herman's Hermits were my favourite group and I vaguely remember keenly watching a Royal Variety Performance in order to see the group perform (probably for all of two songs). My parents bought me later singles such as "My Sentimental Friend" and "Years May Come Years May Go". Then there came the RAK singles such as "Lady Barbara" and the grittier "Bet Yer Life I Do" which, unless my memories playing tricks, had a photograph of a boat/yacht on the label. I also later bought an album by Peter Noone's band The Tremblers which I'm horrified to say I can't recall anything about.

To sum up, nostalgia aside, this is an excellent comprehensive compilation and probably all the Herman's Hermits you're ever going to need. Great value for money.


review by: Pete the music fan date: 2005-08-17 rating:
Definitive singles collection
In the early nineties, two separate 22-track single CD's were released, each focusing on a particular period of Herman's Hermits career. They have long been out of print, since when fans have had to choose between various single CD's, all of which had to exclude something important. Now, at last, a double-CD (with 28 tracks on each) is available to satisfy those fans who want all their important British and American hits (which were often different) in one package. In their early years (1964 to 1966), the group were more successful in America than in Britain but their American popularity faded quickly. From 1967 onwards, they were more popular in Britain. Indeed, their popularity grew in Britain as it faded in America.

Herman's Hermits began with I'm into something good (a cover of a song by Earl Jean of the Cookies), their only British number one hit, which also made the American top twenty. After that, single releases in Britain and America differed considerably. Six top ten American hits including two number ones were never released as UK singles, these being Can't you hear my heartbeat (a UK hit for Goldie and the gingerbreads), Mrs Brown you've got a lovely daughter, I'm Henry the eighth I am (an old music hall song), Listen people, Leaning on the lamp post (a cover of a George Formby song) and Dandy. Two UK singles - Show me girl, You won't be leaving - made the top twenty but were not released as singles in America.

Some singles were released in both countries, these being Silhouettes (a cover of a fifties song by The Rays), Wonderful world (a song that has also charted for both Sam Cooke and Louis Armstrong at different times), Just a little bit better and A must to avoid, This door swings both ways, No milk today and East west. They starred in a film, Hold on, and the title track is included here.

There's a kind of hush was a top ten hit in both charts although it was a bigger hit in America. Don't go out in the rain was never released as a UK single but made the American top twenty. Museum was a top forty American hit that didn't make the UK chart although it was released as a single. I can take or leave your loving just missed the UK top ten and just missed the American top twenty. After that, Herman's Hermits never again made the American top forty but continued to chart in Britain.

Their remaining major UK hits were Sleepy Joe, Something is happening, My sentimental friend, Years may come years may go, Lady Barbara and Oh you pretty thing, the last track being a Peter Noone solo written by David Bowie and featuring Bowie on piano. Here comes the star (an Australian song) and Bet your life I do (written by members of Hot Chocolate before they became famous for their own music) became lesser UK hits.

All the above hits are included along with many of their B-sides and a few bonus tracks, making this the most comprehensive collection of Herman's Hermits music yet released. The order is lightly strange, arranged with all the British singles (A and B sides, except that one of the British B sides is omitted) in chronological order, with the American-only singles (A sides only) sandwiched between the final British single and the bonus tracks on the second CD.

To those for whom a single CD of Herman's Hermits is not enough, this is a dream come true. If you only like them a little, you should choose one of the many single CD's instead - make your choice according to whether you are looking for their British or American hits.

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