Product Reviews
This 65-minute, 25-song compilation -- at least the third distinct time that EMI Records UK's Music For Pleasure line has anthologized the group's work and the second time they've used this title -- offers nine more songs than the equivalent ABKCO Records Herman's Hermits collection; lists for about six dollars less; and was mastered almost a decade later, with resulting superior sound. All of the U.K. and U.S. hit singles are represented, from 1964's "I'm Into Something Good" to "Lady Barbara" in 1970, along with a handful of B-sides. That's more songs than most listeners probably realized the group ever charted, and the only flaw is that flops like "Museum" (admittedly, the most interesting of all of their singles) are overlooked. The annotation is surprisingly thorough for a collection like this and gives some idea of the real story behind the group's music, which has aged better than anybody could have predicted at the time. Anyone buying this or any other singles collection by the group, however, should think about getting one of their better albums, such as There's a Kind of a Hush All Over the World, Both Sides of Herman's Hermits, or Blaze, to get the fuller story of the group and its sound. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi