Herman´s Hermits

When all is said and done regarding the most influential power pop bands of the '60s, Herman's Hermits and Tommy James & the Shondells emerge as the clear-cut winners for the same reason: Their music was so diverse and well constructed that it showed the different dimensions of a genre that inspired music smart enough to respect its roots which, in turn, inspired music too hip for its own good – the modern rock movement that was not half as much fun as "the new wave," or as essential as anything found on ABKCO's perennial release of Herman's Hermits' Their Greatest Hits.

Herman's Hermits four UK albums for EMI's Columbia label, dating between 1965 and 1968. All albums were produced by Mickie Most and feature UK and US hits such as 'I'm Henry The Eighth I Am', Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter', 'Listen People', 'No Milk Today', 'There's A Kind Of Hush', 'Dandy' and 'You Won't Be Leaving' Digitally remastered and slipcased. New notes.

More than another Herman's Hermits album with two hit songs, "Leaning on the Lamp Post" and "A Must to Avoid," this MGM soundtrack features the original version of "Where Were You When I Needed You," the first of 14 hits for the Grass Roots, which landed in the Top 30 four months after Peter Noone sang it. This version, like everything here, sounds very British Invasion, Mickey Most's production emulating early Beatles. Four of the tunes, including the title track "Hold On" and the hit "A Must to Avoid," were written by the team of Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan, the original pairing which helped launch the Grass Roots. This is the West Coast meeting the U.K. in a very pleasant way, and the combination is impressive. Five of the lesser tunes were penned by F. Kargor/B. Weisman/S. Wayne, including the best of that bunch, "Make Me Happy," sung by actress Shelley Fabares…

Repertoire records has sort of confused the issue of Herman's Hermits CDs by releasing this 25-song compilation in 1994 and then, in 2000, re-releasing the soundtrack Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter on CD. To clarify, this is not the soundtrack to the 1968 movie, but a collection of the group's 1964-1965 sides from various singles and EPs. Some of it will surprise listeners who think of Herman's Hermits as the poppiest component of the British Invasion and barely a rock & roll group at all - regardless of who is actually playing on "Walking With My Baby" or "Dream On," those are as solid as any early album track by the Hollies, and they don't do a bad version of "For Your Love" either; they even make an attempt at a slightly bluesier sound on "I Wonder," though this was clearly not Peter Noone's vocal forte…

Herman's Hermits were never taken seriously, not when they were having hits in the '60s and not in the decades since. This indifference makes Bear Family's decision to release a celebratory 50th Anniversary Anthology all the more surprising: not only is it a rare dip into the British Invasion for the American roots-besotted label, but the act seems too frivolous for their tastes. Sometimes, the double-disc The Best of Herman's Hermits: The 50th Anniversary Anthology does feel a little light, particularly on the earliest recordings when the group is mincing through "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter," but the set – produced and compiled by Ron Furmanek, who presents all takes in true stereo for the first time (there are eight exceptions to this rule), and annotated by Andrew Sandoval – is smartly assembled, so it gains momentum as it proceeds headlong through its 66 tracks.