# Turn It Up! - Herman's Hermits



## Guest (Aug 30, 2018)

View attachment 107270


_"Turn it up, turn it up, little bit higher, radio
Turn it up, that's enough, so you know it's got soul
Radio, radio turn it up..."
_- Van Morrison

The average length of the 45 rpm single is 3 minutes and 30 seconds...

If you can't say what needs to be said in 3 minutes and 30 seconds then it probably isn't worth saying...

"Turn It Up!" is a series about those classic tunes played on radio stations the world over that still live on over the airwaves of our memories and the artists who created them...

*Herman's Hermits*

"Herman's Hermits are an English beat rock band, formed in Manchester in 1964.

Originally called Herman & The Hermits, they were discovered by Harvey Lisberg, who signed them up to management. Lisberg sent a return plane ticket to Mickie Most so that he could come up from London to see the band play in Bolton. Most became the group's record producer, controlling the band's output. He emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers. This helped Herman's Hermits become hugely successful in the mid-1960s.

The band's name came from a resemblance, noted by a publican in Manchester, England, between Noone and Sherman in the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon. Sherman was shortened to Herman, and then became Herman and his Hermits, which was soon shortened to Herman's Hermits.

View attachment 107272


Their first hit was a cover of Earl-Jean's "I'm into Something Good" (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King), which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 in the US in late 1964. They never topped the British charts again, but had two US Billboard Hot 100 No.1s with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (originally sung by Tom Courtenay in a 1963 British TV play) and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" (a British music hall song, which singer Peter Noone's Irish grandfather had been in the habit of singing when Noone was young). These songs were aimed at a US fan base, with Noone exaggerating his Mancunian accent.

In the US, their records were released on the MGM label, a company which often featured musical performers signed to record deals in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films. The Hermits appeared in several MGM movies, including "When the Boys Meet the Girls" (1965) and "Hold On!" (1966). They also starred in the film "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (1968) and appeared in the 1965 anthology film "Pop Gear".

Herman's Hermits had four Top 3 hits in the US in 1965, with the aforementioned No. 1 hits, "Listen People" (US No. 3), and "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" (US No. 2).

They recorded The Rays' "Silhouettes" (US No. 5), Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" (US No. 4), "Just a Little Bit Better" (US No. 7), and "A Must to Avoid" (US No. 8) in 1965; George Formby's "Leaning on a Lamp Post" from Me and My Girl (US No. 9), and the Ray Davies song "Dandy" (US No. 5) in 1966; and "There's a Kind of Hush" (US No. 4) in 1967.

On Chicago radio station WLS "Mrs. Brown" and "Silhouettes" were 1-2 on 14 May 1965 and exchanged positions the next week, a distinction matched only by The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" during 14 February-6 March 1964.

The group appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Dean Martin Show" and "The Jackie Gleason Show". Continued success in the US proved elusive beyond 1967, although they had as many Top Ten hits in Britain in the period 1967 through 1970 as they had had there in the years of the mid-'sixties when the band were wowing American audiences and British audiences seemed more diffident. By the time the group recorded their final album of the 1960s, "Rock 'n' Roll Party", the band's success in the US was history and the album was not released by MGM there.

Peter Noone left the band in 1971. Herman's Hermits reunited in 1973 to headline a successful British invasion tour of the US culminating with a standing-room-only performance at Madison Square Garden and an appearance on The Midnight Special. A later lineup with lead guitarist Derek Leckenby and drummer Barry Whitwam as the remaining original members opened for The Monkees on their 80s reunion tours of the US. The band still continues to tour today, with Whitwam as the only remaining member from the original lineup.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman's_Hermits

Peak US Chart position in parentheses -

"*I'm Into Something Good*" - 1964 - (# 13) -





 - (Live video)

"*Can't You Hear My Heartbeat?*" - 1965 - (# 2) -





 - (Live video)

"*Silhouettes*" - 1965 - (# 5) -






"*Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter*" - 1965 - (# 1) -





 - (Live video)

"*Wonderful World*" - 1965 - (# 4) -





 - (Live video)

"*I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am*" - 1965 - (# 1) -





 - (Live video)

"*Just A Little Bit Better*" - 1965 - (# 7) -






"*A Must To Avoid*" - 1965 - (# 8) -





 - (Live video)

"*Listen People*" - 1966 - (# 3) -






"*Leaning on a Lamp-post*" - 1966 - (# 9) -






"*This Door Swings Both Ways*" - 1966 - (# 12) -






"*Dandy*" - 1966 - (# 5) -





 - (Live video)

"*There's A Kind Of Hush*" - 1967 - (# 4) -






"*Don't Go Out into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)*" - 1967 - (# 18) -


----------



## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

No. Just No!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

No for me as well - almost as irritatingly naff as Freddie and the Dreamers.


----------



## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

elgars ghost said:


> No for me as well - almost as irritatingly naff as Freddie and the Dreamers.


well i am telling you now............both ok in the day


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Like them well enough to put a few songs on the car MP3 USB stick (No milk today, I'm into something good, There's a kind of hush, Mrs. Brown you've got a lovely daughter).


----------



## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Art Rock said:


> Like them well enough to put a few songs on the car MP3 USB stick (No milk today, I'm into something good, There's a kind of hush, Mrs. Brown you've got a lovely daughter).


well Mrs Browns daughter was "hush'ish when i tried to talk to here


----------



## Guest (Sep 1, 2018)

Belowpar said:


> No. Just No!!!!!!!!!!!!





elgars ghost said:


> No for me as well - almost as irritatingly naff as Freddie and the Dreamers.


If you are of a certain age, a certain time and place, these tunes by Herman's Hermits can have a cultural and personal significance that eludes those who are not - you really had to have been there to understand what it was like to hear tunes like this during days like those...

But even for those who were not of age, place, or time these are really first-rate pop songs - well-crafted and superbly sung, played, and produced - that are as vibrant today as they were when first released 50 plus years ago.

They were genuinely talented and acquitted themselves honourably when squaring off against their mid-60s "British Invasion" contemporaries - they need make no apologies to anyone for having released a body of work that includes 14 Top Twenty singles that have memorable melodies and hooks that catch you upon the very first listen.

The music is more than capable of standing on its own merit without needing a passionate defense from me and so I would respectfully suggest that perhaps you might click on the following three tunes and attempt to hear what we first heard so many years ago and which is still relevant today to those of us with impeccable taste in pop music...

"A Must To Avoid" -






"Listen People" -






"There's a Kind of Hush" -






Catchy tunes, eh?


----------



## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

I don't wish to take this to seriously but for those of a certain age brought up in Britain, HH were the acceptable face of modern music at a time when Pop! was exploding in all directions. Saturday night TV consisted of a series of 'variety' shows that would include one act for the youngsters. The very clean and respectible Mr Noone and friends would come on in Blazers and sing something inoffensive and the kids at home all played at sticking thier fingers down their throats! Amazingly one such weekend on The Lulu Show they booked Jimi Hendrix for this sopt and the world was never the same again. I feel the same way about him as others earlier had about Pat Boone and Rory Hurricane - safe white acts playing sanitised versions of what was really going on at the time.

Maybe I missing out on a talented well crafted act but the memeories wont go away.


However to each his own and I don't really want to be a curmogeon and spoil others enjoyment. This is just my personal take.


----------



## Guest (Sep 1, 2018)

Belowpar said:


> However to each his own and I don't really want to be a curmogeon and spoil others enjoyment. This is just my personal take.


And good for you for expressing it - anyone is always free to comment upon any aspect of the content within the thread and you are always welcome to write what you wish to have others read. I respect your opinion and your right to express it and I was glad that you did so because it gave me an opportunity to write what I wished that others would read.

I was trying to balance one opinion with another as our threads are being read not only by fellow forum members but also for a guest viewership which is often 10 to 20 times the size of those who log on as members and it's important to let potential members know that there are kindred souls in here who share their interest and that once you join up you can create threads upon any subject that interests you and that you can do so without fear of being ostracized for expressing an interest in an artist or genre that may be light-weight or inconsequential to some but middle- to heavy-weight and of substantive significance to others.

Keep reading and writing as it is important for all voices to be heard even those who quite frankly don't know what the hell they're talking about - :lol: - but don't forget to click on the links and actually listen to the tunes, eh?

- Syd


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

ldiat said:


> well Mrs Browns daughter was "hush'ish when i tried to talk to here


She was probably out of milk.


----------

