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It seems too easy to denigrate the musical accomplishments of Herman's Hermits, the perky pop band from Manchester that came to the United States on the second wave of the British Invasion in the mid-sixties. They were snubbed at the time by many of the so-called "serious" musicians in England and later by many musical historians, who found their records trivial at best. However, they did manage to sell over seventeen million records in the three years between 1964 and 1967. And in 1965 they outsold everyone, including the Beatles. The story of Herman's Hermits centers around Peter Noone, the adorable lead singer and decision maker of the band. Peter was born in Manchester and educated at St. Bedde's College. His father, a musician, was responsible for his son's enrollment in singing and acting classes at the Manchester School of Music. Peter appeared in several plays and on British television before joining his first band, the Cyclones. Formed in 1961 with just one amplifier, the band evolved into Peter Novak and the Heartbeats. Peter received only eight dollars a night as the lead singer of the group in 1962. With their increased following, they decided it was time for a name change and a record contract. Some people thought Peter looked like Sherman of the TV cartoon "Mr. Peabody," and Pete's nickname eventually became Herman. It was then decided that "Hermits" went well with "Herman," and the new name was found. The record contract, however, did not come as easily. Week after week the group was turned down at each new audition. Then, in 1964, they flew in an independent record producer named Mickie Most to see one of their Manchester gigs. Mickie, who had been the force behind the Animals and who would go on to produce Donovan, Lulu, and many others, agreed to check them out. After all, the trip was free! What Most didn't know what that the group had arranged to have all their friends and fans show up and go crazy with staged enthusiasm. Despite the ploy, Mickie said he liked Peter but felt the band was weak. Peter fired two members of the band and brought in Derek Leckenby and Barry Whitwam to join Karl Green and Keith Hopwood. This edition of Herman's Hermits would soon have young girls shrieking for them with genuine adoration. Recording with Most, they released "I'm Into Something Good" on the MGM label in October of 1964. Selected by Most and written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, this song hit the top of the charts in England and stayed there for three weeks, selling over a million copies internationally. In 1965 Herman's Hermits had a year that most groups would have sold their souls for. In January they released "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," which went gold in the U.S. by May. Before they left to go on their first U.S. tour, the Hermits recorded "Silhouettes," a |
1957 hit for the Rays written by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay Jr. There were advance orders for four hundred thousand copies in the U.S. alone. In April they released "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter," a song that was originally written in 1963 for a British TV play. Initially it was just another cut on their first L.P., Introducing Herman's Hermits, but it received so much radio airplay that MGM released it as an American single. Advance sales surpassed six hundred thousand and went over the million mark while the group was on its first U.S. tour. The record was number 1 for four weeks, entering the charts at number 12. Within just three months Herman's Hermits had received five gold-disc awards for their first four singles and their first album. In May 1965, they struck gold again with "Wonderful World," which was credited to a "Barbara Campbell," but was actually written in 1959 by Sam Cooke, Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" was first made famous by a Cockney comedian in 1911. Herman's Hermits put their version on their second L.P., Herman's Hermits On Tour. Again, constant radio airplay forced its release as a single, resulting in six hundred thousand orders in two days. This July release went gold, as did their September 1965 hit "Just A Little Bit Better." Later that year The Best of Herman's Hermits made the album charts and stayed there for an amazing 105 weeks. The band toured from Tahiti to Cambodia. They were one of the first Western rock groups to play Japan. As was characteristic of most concerts by the British groups, almost everywhere Herman's Hermits went their fans squealed so loudly the music couldn't be heard. The Hermits were part of Dick Clark's traveling Caravan of Stars and appeared on his TV show Where The Action Is, as well as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Danny Kaye Show, and The Dean Martin Show. They appeared in a film called When The Boys Meet the Girls, which yielded their February 1966 million seller, "Listen People." February 1967 brought them their fifteenth big hit, "There's A Kind of Hush," whose flip side, "No Milk Today," also received widespread airplay. By the late sixties more progressive, underground groups drove Herman's Hermits to the edge of the musical scene. A legal battle for royalties dissolved the band in the early 1970s. Years later a Hermanless version of the Hermits surfaced but sank quickly. Peter went on as a solo singer after the breakup, then did some acting on English TV. Transplanted to California, Noone formed a new-wave band of his own in 1980, playing clubs and bars in an effort to recapture some of the musical excitement he had experienced in the early days of Herman's Hermits. Into the eighties, Noone and group found limited success. But he was a survivor, while most other sixties' successes simply faded into obscurity. |