Search - Herman's Hermits :: A's, B's & EP's

Not only the hits again...

Olaf Owre | Finnsnes, Norway | 09/06/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A Herman's Hermits CD with not only the hits again is definitely a welcome project, and EMI have compiled a 24-track collection of singles (A's & B's) and EPs released by the original group. The track listing spans the 1964-69 years, but all in all the CD seems a bit hap-hazardly put together, leaving out classic A-sides such as the Gouldman penned «East West» (later covered by Morrissey) and Donovan's «Museum», as well as some of the group's best B-sides such as the Chuck Berry influenced «My Reservation's Been Confirmed» and the Beatlesque «Moonshine Man», both self penned by the Hermits. In all fairness, though, one would need at least a 2CD-set to give the complete story of the group's single and EP releases during the EMI years.

To go on, the first twelve songs on the CD are presented in random order, and the biography in the 8-page CD-inlay is not very comprehensive. EMI haven't even bothered to look up the correct writer's credit and publisher for some of the songs. For your information «Marcel's», a wonderful psych-pop number with a bizarre story about the people on board a houseboat on the Thames, was written in 1967 by Keith Hopwood, Graham Gouldman and Peter Noone. Manager Harvey Lisberg was also credited on the original single. The other song with 'unknown' writers according to EMI is «Nobody Needs To Know». This was also a self penned number co-written by Leckenby-Hopwood-Brook. Both songs were published by Enquiry/Carlin Music Corp. The songwriting team of Leckenby-Hopwood-Brook also wrote «Understand A Woman» for Nick Lowe's Kippington Lodge in 1968.

Herman's Hermits were a great band and for a new collector this CD can be a good starting point. But all in all this release seems a bit sub-standard compared to previous releases on EMI.

"