Customer Reviews

Retrospective (Dig)

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In May of 1965 I was 14 years old and just getting interested in pop music. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was shopping at a local discount store with my parents and I begged them to let me buy my first 45 rpm record. That record was "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits. I have been collecting music ever since. "Retrospective" is a long overdue collection of one of the 1960's most popular groups. And I have nothing but good things to say about it.

In "Retrospective" you will find every single one of the groups 19 charted U.S. hits as well as a handful of gems from the groups LP's. Most people forget just how dominant Herman's Hermits were back in 1965. For the better part of that year the group always seemed to have multiple tunes riding high on the Billboard Hot 100. Songs like "Silhouettes", "Wonderful World" and "I'm Henry VIII,I Am" were staples on Top 40 radio. In addition, unlike many of their contemporaries whose success was limited to single releases, the group was selling albums like crazy. All three of the groups 1965 album releases including "Introducing Herman's Hermits", "Herman's Hermits On Tour" and "The Best of Herman's Hermits" were wildly successful. In fact, "The Best of Herman's Hermits" would remain on the Billboard Top Pop Album chart for just over two years! In addition to the three big hits mentioned above you will also find great pop classics like "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", "There's A Kind of Hush" and the original 45 rpm recording of "Leaning On The Lamp Post" which for some reason has been unavailable for decades. I was also pleased to find songs like "Hold On" as well as the Hermits beautiful rendition of the Skeeter Davis hit "The End Of The World".

As I mentioned earlier there is absolutely no downside to this collection. The fact of the matter is that the remastering job is so superior that you feel like you are listening to many of these songs for the very first time. The attached 19 page booklet is chock full of info about Peter Noone and the group and it all comes in a very attractive package. And to top it all off the price is right. You wonder why it took so long but if you are a fan of the British Invasion I would snap this one up pronto before it disappears. Highly recommended.

This compilation is definitely a wise investment for those looking for the essential Herman's Hermits disc. I sincerely hope the following points guide you towards purchasing this CD:

-The Sound quality: This "SACD" plays spectacularly on CD players, with gorgeous remastered fidelity. I, personally, own every Herman's Hermits album on mono vinyl, but I realize that most people are not into collecting LP's, so I will not impose my views on vinyl's superiority here on a review for a *CD*. But I *will* say that this is best sounding Herman's Hermits compact disc on the market, plain and simple. You won't find a better sounding disc.

-This album is comprised of the original singles (45) versions of the tunes. Which will delight most collectors. The following songs especially: Hold On! (7" version - Totally different take than the one that appeared on the Hold On! LP), Leaning on the Lamp Post (Again, totally different take than that on the Hold On! LP) and also, A Must to Avoid has s much more pronounced tambourine track than the album cut.

One small detraction from this set: The mastering on Sunshine Girl seems to be rather rushed, as a very tiny portion of the beginning is clipped. Rather than "Sssssssunshine girl, I'm leaving soon..." it sounds more like "Ssunshine girl, I'm leaving soon..." This may be an anal point that only an obsessive collector like myself would point out (and care about for that matter), but I figured it was worth mentioning.

A piece of advice: Yes, this compilation is probably the most expensive Herman's Hermits single-disc set on the market, but it is totally worth it. Why would you place your trust in some $5.99 hits package put out by some no-name label and end up with a disc of inferior re-recordings? Place your trust in this disc. Original hit versions, amazing new remastering.

Allen Klein's ABKCO Records, who own the release rights to the entire Herman's Hermits back catalog on US MGM, have until now restricted their re-issue program to only one rather sub-standard «Greatest Hits» CD released in 1987. For a group who was a household name alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the 60's, and sold more than 60 million records worldwide, it's about time that ABKCO release a compilation that do the group more justice.
«Retrospective» is exactly what we've been waiting for. The sound is absolutely superb as the disc has two layers. One is a normal CD, the other layer is SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc) of the same songs. Both layers benefit from DSD technology used during the remastering process, and sounds that were lost and inaudible on the original records have been found and restored so you can hear every nuance of the original master tapes. A brilliant job!
The 26-track compilation covers not only their peak years from 1964 to 1967. It also includes the singles from 1968-69, when the decline in sales and popularity in the US set in, and the group dropped from the charts. In the UK and Europe, however, the group continued to have hits until 1972.
Also for the first time on CD are the original single versions of «Hold On» and «Leaning On A Lamp Post» (MGM K 13500), both recorded in England in early 1966. These are quite different to the versions recorded in America shortly after, for the «Hold On!» soundtrack album (MGM E/SE 4342ST).
ABKCO Records have also done a fine job with the packaging this time. The CD comes with a nice digipak cover with a 19-page booklet. This contains photos and a detailed biography, as well as info about recording dates and studios used for every track on the CD. With all the info at hand one wonders why the songs are not presented in chronological order all the way on the CD?
The biography by Jim Bessman also contains a few inaccuracies. For instance Lou Reed is mentioned as co-writer of «There's A Kind Of Hush», but that was Les Reed. And it's a rather bold statement to say that the Hermits rarely played on their records. The fact that future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and other session men appeared on some of their recordings, has led people to believe that the Hermits weren't up to the task. Not so! What made the use of session men a necessity in those days was mainly the group's gruelling tour schedule, especially in 1965-66, when they were almost bigger than The Beatles in America. All of the Hermits were in fact excellent players, and they played on the majority of their own records, including their big hits «I'm Into Something Good», arranged by guitarist Derek Leckenby, and «Mrs. Brown». On some recordings they didn't play their usual instruments, because Mickie Most had hired sessioneers to lay down the backing tracks while the Hermits were out on the road. However, Peter Noone, Keith Hopwood and Karl Green sang on all of them. As for John Paul Jones, who was an arranger for many of Mickie Most's artists (Donovan, Lulu etc.) he actually came on a German tour with Herman's Hermits in 1968, playing organ. He was asked to join as a permanent member after the tour, but instead of becoming the «6th. Hermit» Jones a few months later emerged as bassist with Led Zeppelin!
ABKCO's «Herman's Hermits retrospective» is an excellent CD with a superb sound. Buy this - the music is better than ever!

Herman's Hermits more than wonderfully represented the whimiscal pop of the British Invasion, and I can still remember hearing "I'm Into Something Good" for the first time on my parents' car radio, or bringing a copy of "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" to the elementary school dance (gosh, I must have been 11, "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" reminded me of my unrequited love, Cheryl Rubenstein, - and "Hen-e-ry the 8th I am" - boy, what a great singalong. Not until I was older did I realize that it was a cockney song well-known and well-beloved in my cousin's London district. I knew and loved the Herman version!

Well, Peter Noone is still going strong - the ageless "teenage" wonder, and his current Hermits performed a solid set of most of the hits featured here at a tremendous outdoor show in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank this past Sunday evening. This particular album wasn't made available at the show, and I kind of wish it had been, as it features later Herman (or Peter) classics like "Don't Go Out into the Rain", "This Door Swings Both Ways" and "East West"...plus all of the great hits already mentioned.

One of the previous reviewers said that "Daydream Believer" would have been a huge Hermits hit...and funnily enough Peter has included that song in his shows - and his version sounds so uncannily like that of Davy Jones and the Monks.

The recent A & B sides record that was sold at the show is a very good choice - but this one is far superior due to the inclusion of those later hits. All in all, great singalong music, excellent Noone vocals and harmonies, and crisp Britpop instrumentation, including appearances by Mickey Most's stable of sessionists including the future Zeps Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones.

This is finally a worthwhile compilation.Three caveats,however.While"Leaning on a Lamp Post" may be the "original"version.It is NOT the single version released in the U.S.A.Also,a number of the songs released here in mono,have been released in the U.K.on various compilations in true stereo.Thirdly,"Hold On!" for some reason is presented without the lead guitar and sounds just plain strange without that overdub.With those three exceptions,this is the best currently available single disc from the Hermits.

Among the Herman's Hermits compilations currently available, this is the best for American listeners. It contains all their American hits, all but one of their UK top ten hits and Hold on, the title of a soundtrack, which (as far as I know) was not released as a single anywhere although some reviewers appear to think otherwise.

Their American chart history was very different from their UK chart history. Some singles were released in one country but not the other and even where a single was released in both, it often did much better in one than the other. Despite having a UK number one hit with their first single, they were much more popular in America than Britain from 1964 to 1966 but the positions were reversed thereafter.

Several UK hits missing are missing, the biggest of which is their 1970 top ten hit, Years may come years may go. Of course, all their UK hits are available on British compilations. As they didn't make the Billboard top 100, there was no need to include them on this American compilation. Nevertheless, British fans may want this for the superior re-mastering.

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. 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 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 and are not included here.

Some singles were released in both countries, these being Silhouettes (a cover of a fifties song by The Rays), Wonderful world (Sam Cooke), Just a little bit better, A must to avoid, This door swings both ways, No milk today and East west.

There's a kind of hush was a top ten hit in both charts although it was a bigger hit in America. 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.

Of their remaining UK hits, Sleepy Joe, Something is happening, My sentimental friend (all UK top ten hits) and Here comes the star (an Australian song that became a minor UK hit) are included here, presumably because they were released as singles in America. After these four flopped, subsequent singles didn't get an American release.

Despite missing a few songs, this collection will provide enough Herman's Hermits music for most people. Some years ago, there were two CD's available in the UK titled Best of the EMI years (Volume 1 1964 - 1966, Volume 2 1967 - 1971). These are now out of print but together remain the most comprehensive collection of their music yet released on CD.

Regardless of what you may have read, this is the first American Greatest Hits comp (on record or CD) to have the original hit versions of the Hermits hits. Yes even the MGM issued Greatest Hits albums in the 60s used the wrong versions. Subsequently, the wrong versions over the last 35 years have been accepted as right.
Prior to this release, the only way you could get the hit versions of Hold On or Leaning On The Lamppost was to own the original US MGM single, until now! Apparently when the movie soundtrack was recorded for Hold On! it was relized these songs were weak. So for the American Market the Hermits re-recorded new versions of these for single release. These are the original singles in digital clearness for the first time. Those three songs make the cost of admission worth while. The fact the remainder of the CD is the Hermits hits in the best sound ever is an added bonus.
This is a must for collectors (because of the three US single hits) and the causal fan alike.

Yes, age 14 in Portland Oregon. Had just seen the Beatles in concert and the next big act to come was Herman's Hermits whose pictures from teen magazines covered my bedrooms walls. I had all of his albums, we met his plane, we pounded on his bus! This one sounds REAL. Now he's touring again and will be in Oregon in July and I have 8th row tickets with my grade school girlfriends. I know he's older. I don't know who is in his backup band now. But do we care? It's HERMAN'S HERMITS. This CD/album has all the biggies. Further, because it's so good, I've ordered CDs for my friends so we can all shed our 50+-year old faces for one night and become 14 again. Between this CD re-educating us in all of the words and going to an actual concert, my life has made full circle and I feel young and complete. Herman's Hermits has always had a special sound and this CD captured it just right with a good selection of songs. Thanks!

Nearly everybody knows "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry the VII, I am," but how well do you really know the Hermits? Most critics dismiss them as an extremely lightweight British importation. But who can reasonably compete with the Beatles or Stones? This compilation, though missing a few UK releases, gives the hits and then some--and they are beautifully remastered (Peter only sounds better in concert! He is still an extraordinary performer). The song selections take you from the first American release to the last. Two of these later releases, "Don't Go Out Into the Rain" and "Museum" (which kinda sounds like a Beatles song and was written by Mr. Sunshine Superman himself; this song is shaggedelic, baby) are stunning. If you want all the American hits, this is your collection. Five stars for great songs, great remastering, and a great little Herman's Hermits career recap in the notes.

I have since revised my opinion a bit based on further factual information. This is another summer of '04 compilation for all of us in the Nostalgia Bus (and a nice way of ABKCO cashing in with their old masters). It is yet another act that follows the huge success of the Beatles' # 1s. The main advantage is better remastering and a justified use of the amount of time that a CD should rightfully have. Another way of resuscitating old master tapes/acts is to take full advantage of the SACD format, which is an awesome technology which I hope will survive. I do have an SACD player and this one (also recommend the Searchers new release in SACD) is very well worth the money spent. Peter Noone and his mates managed to pass the test of time, as we can still sing all these tunes!
Herman Hermits was one of the late producer Mickey Most staple of pop stars. Contrary to what is stated in the ABKCO label, a good chunk of these tracks are original mono, because Mickey Most simply did not care/record his acts in Stereo when he became successful in 1964-1967. Only when H & H went to L.A. to record the soundtrack of "Hold On" (1965),they were taped in stereo. Despite this CD containing the British versions of the singles Hold On, Leaning on a Lampost, Must to Avoid) I (and others) still believe the LA sessions (MGM Hold On Soundtrack) does have the definitive versions that has been the choice of any compilation worldwide I have had throughout 38 years. It would have been nice to load the additional 7 mins or so with the standard versions. Most people know that Most used session musicians for taping while the guys were on tour. The important trivia is that Jim Sullivan, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones features in most of these. That explains sometimes the very competent guitar work you hear (examples: intro to Museum, riffs in Must to Avoid). It is interesting to hear this Hold On "original" version with an aggressive 6-string accoustic. (Good stereo versions are heard in Best of EMI years 1964-1968, and a RAK Australia/New Zealand 1973 compilation I have). Despite my misgivings for expecting a definitive work, if you have to choose a single disc to hear the best of the Herman's Hermits , this should be your choice. Period.