Customer Reviews

British Invasion: Herman's Hermits - Listen People, 1964-1969

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Herman's Hermits are the most under rated band of the British Invasion. This DVD finally does the band justice. Guitarist Derek "Lek" Leckenby was one of the best guitarists in rock during the 60's and until his death in 1994. So much incorrest information has been published about Herman's Hermits it is nice to hear the true story from the surviving members. It is particularly nice to hear that the Hermits played on most of their records and on all their biggest hits. The DVD contains great video from the era.

In 1965, I was a young teen screaming for Herman's Hermits. I followed the band up through 1969, going to see them as often as I could.
Back in those days, I never really thought about how they sounded live, mainly because I couldn't hear them, above all the screaming! However, last night when I watched this DVD, I finally heard how incredible they really sounded live, and can now appreciate their music even more today.
It was wonderful to see all the surviving Hermits interviewed, and I loved hearing their stories, especially the ones about their adventures touring with the Who.
Many thanks to the folks who put this DVD together-it was a labor of love, that took me right back to that time in the sixties when life was sweet, and every day felt like I was "into something good"!!

High Quality DVD, both in visual & sound. I loved their music in the 60 and love it now. I also liked the interviews with Peter/Herman and his other bandmates. Lots of information about the group. Although it is sad that Lek is no longer with us. He was an great musician! Miss you Lek! It's about time a DVD about HH was made. They deserved more glory and recognition then they got. Denise, Lowell, MA

If you are a true fan you will be better off buying the box which not only contains Herman's Hermits but also the Small Faces, Dusty Springfield and Gerry and The Pacemakers.

WHY? because you get an extra DVD with that set which has even MORE HH videos (including their performance of Bus Stop and a couple of positively wonderful interviews from the 60's) The bonus Disc also has many more Dusty tracks and another 20 minutes with Peter Noone and more time with Gerry Marsden and other contributing performers... SO....I'll say the reviews on this DVD are spot on. Its well done from all angles and in fact so fun, you have a great documentary with clips and interviews, you may also just watch the clips(even more of them) without interviews or WITH commentary...and more bonus interview footage. This is a solid value for money for fans of the groups in question. If you have interest in the other performers get the box set. If not try and buy the individual DVD on ebay as it has crucial bonus footage of HH.

Herman's Hermits get a bad rap. I always thought their hits were twee, until I once saw live footage of "Henry VIII" so fast and intense it sounded like Punk. This disc will turn a lot of heads around, too.

The Hermits were actual teenagers singing for teenagers, in the tradition of Brenda Lee, Lorrie and Larry Collins, and Frankie Lymon. It sold records but hemmed them in with coy, marketed hits. Here you see the bigger story with sharp interviews and solid songs. Like raw footage of their energized take on soul chestnut "Fortune Teller" in the Cavern Club as green kids, followed by the stunning color and stylishness of "I'm Into Something Good". A breakout surprise is the clear, smart leads of guitarist Derek "Lek" Leckenby. A bonus feature is a 24-minute Aussie concert that puts you right into the British Invasion experience: an intimate theatre full of screaming teen girls, budding moptop boys, flung streamers, stage-dive kissings, and jet-age R'n'B. A sweet time trip in itself.

From that set, "Listen People" shines out. It is gentler, moodier, more adult, and oddly ironic in its plea. Clearly the Hermits should have been allowed to grow with their audience in that direction. That's born out by the closer "My Sentimental Friend" ('69), where Noone's voice is as inviting as his expression seems resigned. Other stand-outs are "No Milk Today" and "There's A Kind Of Hush", which Beat fans know for John Paul Jones' great arranging and playing, and ravers like "A Must To Avoid".

Threading the disc are hilarious interviews with all the Hermits, including their insane tour of America with The Who. Noone particularly has a funny, self-deprecating, insightful, and wistful charm that puts it all in perspective. Expand your Britpop palette, this is a must to have.

Listen People 1964-1969 is one of four documentaries released as part of a five-DVD British Invasion box set by Reelin' in the Years Productions. Like the other three, it's a terrific collection, spanning twenty-two complete vintage performances, period promotional footage, television and stage performances, and contemporary interviews with Peter Noone, Karl Green (bass), Keith Hopwood (guitar) and Barry Whitwam (drums - sitting in front of his awesome gold-sparkle Slingerland drum set). Noone was - and is - one of the most charming front-men of the British Invasion, and the documentary reveals the band to be much more than a backing unit for their vocalist. Their hits were often the lightest of pop songs, but written, played and sung exceptionally, and the group was a charming live act.

The group's hit singles were brought to them by producer Mickey Most, who had a golden ear for material and arrangements. Their first single, a 1964 cover of Earl-Jean's "I'm Into Something Good," was a worldwide smash and followed by a string of singles, some unreleased in the UK, some unreleased in the US, that kept the group at the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic well into 1967. The unusual release strategy left U.S. audiences with a different picture of the group than those in their home country; in particular, "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," "I'm Henry VIII, I Am," "Listen People," "Leaning on the Lamp Post," and "Dandy" were all stateside smashes that went unreleased as singles in the UK.

The documentaries' interviews reveal the unorthodox story behind the recording and release of the music hall styled "Mrs. Brown," and recollections of the band's first NME Poll Winners Concert are born out by a winningly nervous performance. The group looks more comfortable with their up-tempo cover of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World," with the young Noone in his schoolboy suit playing the part of the song's protagonist. It's easy to see why he was the sort of heartthrob who induced Beatlemania hysterics in young girls. An early performance of "Fortune Teller" at the Cavern Club shows the group to have had a grittier R&B side that was mostly unused for their hits. The liner notes and commentary mention a hot version of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" that unfortunately didn't seem to make the final cut of the DVD.

The group's hits rarely strayed from polite pop, failing to navigate many of the changes wrought by the latter half of the 1960s. Their recordings of songs by P.F. Sloan ("A Must to Avoid"), Ray Davies ("Dandy") and Graham Gouldman ("No Milk Today") took them towards folk-rock and more poetically crafted lyrics, but even as their clothes took on the fashions of 1966 and 1967 their singles remained "romantic, boy-next-door stuff." They continued to record through the psychedelic era, having a Top 40 hit with Donovan's "Museum" (not included here) and thickening their productions with strings and a hint of country twang on "My Sentimental Friend," but the heavy sounds emanating from San Francisco and elsewhere spelled the end of their hit-making days.

Herman's Hermits were a feel good band whose chipper music became anachronistic in the face of Monterey Pop and Woodstock. Their singles weren't trendsetting (though Noone suggests his over-the-top English accent on "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" freed other British bands to abandon their faked Americana), but they were catchy, sold extremely well, and to this day remain memorable. In addition to the 78-minute documentary, the full individual performances can be viewed via DVD menu options, and bonuses include a 24-minute concert filmed for Australian television, a commentary track, and fifteen minutes of interviews that recollect the Hermits' 1967 tour with the Who. This is a great documentary for both fans and those who only know a few of the group's hits. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Bought this in the 3 pack along with Hollies and Gerry & The Pacemakers. It was definitive music, creative and fun as were the times back then; and all these years later, people are wanting to hear this music still today. These dvd documentary disks are the most amazingly professionally produced product I have seen for any 1960's groups and were put together in the best format I have ever experienced. Quality in every way from the interviews to the many live performances on each dvd.

So good to see and hear these performers again as there is nothing today in music that will ever match the "love of simply performing the music, not for the money" mentality of so many groups we had in the 60's.

This is a must for any serious hermits fan. I highly recommend this. It's filled with lots of concert clips. Two thumbs up for a great job!

As a long time Herman's Hermits fan I only heard the Hermits on an album (LP). It is great to see the group performing. I also like that the orignal members, in present day) talk about what it was like to be in the group.

First, Herman's Hermits were a true very talented band in every sense of the word and not some creation called a band in order to sell records. This wonderful DVD sets that straight with extreme high-quality video and sound for the period in which it draws.

At the time of my writing this review there are six reviews which cover most everything pertinent, but I did feel compelled to add my own thoughts as well as ditto the comments others have generously contributed. I can't say enought about the production of this DVD. Reeling In The Years have made a true textbook example of how to profile a rock band here. I've never seen a better put together set and the fact that Herman's Hermits were actually great musicians performing their certain kind of lighter rock in such a fantastic way really rises to the top. There is even a true, albeit compact, concert here in very good sound and sight that I would have never guessed even existed!

Perhaps the first rock record album I ever purchased myself was one of the MGM Herman's Hermits Greatest Hits collections. I was about in the third grade! This music spoke to my young mind. It helped start me on a lifelong love of music as defined by my own tastes which only grew outward. This DVD helps me to realize that I wasn't just a juvenille with no music sense because this stuff is still fun to listen to over 45+ years later. If you like me grew up, but forgot how good Herman's Hermits really were, run, don't walk, to buy this DVD because it is truly the best, plus you'll learn more than you ever could have guessed about one of the most fertile periods of rock music extant.