Herman’s Hermits – Blaze (1967/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 46:52 minutes | 1,38 GB | Genre: Pop, Pop Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Parlophone Records, Warner Music
ABKCO Music re-issues Blaze, one of Herman’s Hermits most iconic and beloved albums!
Herman’s Hermits were one of those odd 1960’s groups that accumulated millions of fans, but precious little respect. Indeed, their status is remarkably similar to that of the Monkees and it’s not a coincidence that both groups’ music was intended to appeal to younger teenagers. The difference is that as early as 1976, the Monkees began to be considered cool by people who really knew music; it has taken 35 years for Herman’s Hermits to begin receiving higher regard for their work. Of course, that lack of respect had no relevance to their success: 20 singles lofted into the Top 40 in England and America between 1964 and 1970, 16 of them in the Top 20, and most of those Top Ten as well. Artistically, they were rated far lower than the Hollies, the Searchers, or Gerry & the Pacemakers, but commercially, the Hermits were only a couple of rungs below the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
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Herman’s Hermits – Retrospective (2004)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 65:29 minutes | Scans included | 2,68 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 746 MB
No less than 26 hybrid, SACD-remastered tracks from Peter Noone and crew you’re into something very good! I’m into Something Good; Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter; Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat; No Milk Today; I’m Henry VIII, I Am; There’s a Kind of Hush; A Must to Avoid; Silhouettes; Hold On; Just a Little Bit Better; Leaning on a Lamp Post; (What a) Wonderful World , and more. Every hit!
The 26 tracks on Retrospective show that it’s not enough to just have hits, you have to have hits with the right songs. Herman’s Hermits came to prominence during the early days of the British Invasion with a mix of odes to teenage love such as “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat,” “Mrs. Brown, You’ve got a Lovely Daughter,” and “I’m Into Something Good” and mildly rocked-up versions of ancient English music hall songs like George Formby’s 1937 hit “Leaning on a Lamp Post” and the 1911 chart-topper “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am.” By 1966, two years after lead singer Peter Noone and his band mates scored their first hit, they were pigeonholed as a novelty act and their records stopped charting. Which is too bad because their later songs like “No Milk Today,” “East West,” and “Don’t Go Out Into the Rain” are delightful dollops of late 1960s British pop. Many of these later songs featured string arrangements by John Paul Jones and guitar parts by Jimmy Page, who were both studio musicians before they formed Led Zeppelin. Herman’s Hermits were not among the most important bands from the British Invasion, but their best songs perfectly captured the giddy spirit of the times and are certainly worth revisiting.
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