Product Notes
Reissued 1964-65 albums. The first European album release now has 13 bonus tracks including the hits 'I'm Into Something Good', 'Show Me Girl', 'Silhouettes', 'Wonderful World' and of course the title track. Some rare non LP B sides are also featured alongside an informative 12-page booklet that includes a full discography of this highly successful 60's band.
Product Reviews
Repertoire records has sort of confused the issue of Herman's Hermits CDs by releasing this 25-song compilation in 1994 and then, in 2000, re-releasing the soundtrack Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter on CD. To clarify, this is not the soundtrack to the 1968 movie, but a collection of the group's 1964-1965 sides from various singles and EPs. Some of it will surprise listeners who think of Herman's Hermits as the poppiest component of the British Invasion and barely a rock & roll group at all -- regardless of who is actually playing on "Walking With My Baby" or "Dream On," those are as solid as any early album track by the Hollies, and they don't do a bad version of "For Your Love" either; they even make an attempt at a slightly bluesier sound on "I Wonder," though this was clearly not Peter Noone's vocal forte. Keith Hopwood's "Don't Try to Hurt Me" and "Tell Me Baby" are off-the-shelf, generic British Invasion rockers of no particular distinction, pleasant but otherwise undistinguished except perhaps by the unusually ambitious playing on the latter number's guitar break. "I'm Henry VIII I Am," "The End of the World," and the title track are the most familiar songs here, and then come the A- and B-sides of the group's first five singles ("I'm Into Something Good," "Show Me," "Silhouettes," "Wonderful World," etc.) and their debut EP, which includes their version of "Sea Cruise," all perfectly listenable British Invasion rock & roll. The notes give a decent brief history of the group, and a discography is included as well -- the sound is very good, though more recent releases may have the edge for audio quality, if anyone cares about that in this instance. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi