Herman's Hermits

The first thing that needs to be said about this band is that despite their squeaky-clean, cuddly extremely pop image, These boys could play. A group of quite capable musicians, they cut their teeth playing RnB covers in clubs while all in their teens. Hailing from Manchester, England, they got together in 1963 with original members Keith Hopwood and Karl Green both on guitar and vocals, bassist Alan Wrigley, drummer Steve Titterington and 15-year-old lead vocalist Peter Noone. Later on guitarist Derek "Lek Leckenby and drummer Barry Whitwam, both formerly of a band called The Wailers (obviously not THE Wailers) replaced Wrigley and Titterington. Green switched to bass guitar and Leckenby took over as lead guitarist. Shortly after, the group secured a contract with producer Mickie Most signing with EMI's Columbia Records in Europe and MGM Records in the United States. Bassist Green noted a resemblance between Noone and the Sherman character in the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. As the story goes, they shortened "Sherman " to "Herman" and called themselves Herman And The Hermits, shortened later to simply "Herman's Hermits". As good a story as any, I suppose. The band played on most of it's singles, including their first, 1964's "I'm Into Something Good" 

Despite the group's collective youth, they were seasoned practicioners of their craft. Noone himself was also an experienced actor at 15 having been on the hugely popular British soap opera Coronation Street. Under Mickie Most's guidance however, the emphasis was placed on their cute looks and non-threatening presence resulting in an exremely easy-listening sort of pop, much of which were confectionized cover tunes such as Ray Davies' "Dandy", Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World", Goldie And The Gingerbreads' "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" and The Ray's' "Silhouettes". The group (particularly Noone) was even urged to exaggerate their Mancunian accents to further emphasize their cuteness.

Despite the fact that they were competent musicians, producer Mickie Most used session players on all of the band's releases utilizing Jimmy Page, Big Jim Sullivan, John Paul Jones, Vic Flick and other such mercenaries with contributions from the Hermits, particularly Derek Leckenby. The use of session musicians was a common practice at the time as it is today. Even highly respected "serious" bands such as the Yardbirds with their amazing guitarists and The Rolling Stones with multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones made extensive use of outside players. The fact is, Herman's Hermits  did much more of their own playing than they have gotten credit for.The following video illustrates the band's competence as they sail through the number flawlessly missing nary a beat despite the constant throwing of debris onto the stage.


In 1965 and 1966 the group rivalled The Beatles in chart success in the United States, but were not nearly as big in their native England. The band's management admitted deliberately aiming the group at the American fan base, and it showed. In 1965 Herman's Hermits were the top-selling pop group in America. The group was nominated for two Grammy Awards that year for the single "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter", a song the band recorded as an afterthought in two takes, never intending to release it at all, let alone as a single.
In addition to recording music on the MGM label, the band also appeared in several MGM feature films including 1965's When The Boys Meet The Girls, 1966's Hold On, and the anthology Pop Gear. After releasing three more albums in 1967 through 1968 including There's A Kind Of A Hush, Peter Noone left the band.


After Noone's departure the band carried on for a while as The Hermits with Peter Cowap as lead vocalist. They recorded a few singles  with minor success in the U.K., as well as an unreleased LP. Eventually Hopwood and Leckenby started a music company, Pluto Music which was still in business as of 2011 specializing in commercial and animation soundtracks. Hopwood has since become a composer of television and movie scores. Green became a sound systems manager for concert venues in London. Whitwam continues to tour as "Herman's Hermits Starring Barry Whitwam". Peter Noone returned to touring as well billed as Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone", and is still seen hosting public television pledge drives.
Derek Leckenby died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1994.

The Delfonics

Throughout the history of All Things Rockin', and specifically in this case soul and/or RnB music, different styles of the genre were identified by the regions in the United States from which the particular artists came from or at least produced their best work. We had The Motown Sound, The Stax/Volt sound from Memphis, Chicago Soul and The Philadelphia or "Philly" Sound which gave us this pioneering vocal group, The Delfonics. Brothers William and Wilbert Hart, Randy Cain and Ritchie Daniels got together while attending Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pa. They called themselves The Four Gents in the beginning, then changed into The Orphonics before finally settling on The Delfonics. Their first recording was "He Don't Really Love You" on the local Moon Shot label in 1966, shortly after which Daniels was drafted into military service. In 1968 the remaining trio was introduced to Cameo-Parkway Records producer Stan Watson who in turn got them together with fellow producer Thom Bell resulting in the group's first album release on Watson's own Philly Groove label. The title track from this LP, "La La Means I Love You" was released as a single in 1968, sold over a million copies and was awarded a gold record.

This was the beginning of a string of successful Bell-produced releases. Working with a basic budget in those early days, there was not enough money to pay string sections and the like so in addition to a small group of musicians Bell played many of the instruments himself. Even then you could hear the beginnings of what would become the trademark fully orchestrated arrangements of the Philadelphia International sound carried on by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in later years. Other hits followed, including 1969's Grammy-winning "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time).

Randy Cain left the group in 1971 to be replaced by Major Harris. By this time, Thom Bell had moved on to produce The Stylistics,who were cast in the same falsetto-lead -voiced mold as The Delfonics, and ex-Motown group The Spinners. With Bell's attentions focused elsewhere, Stan Watson assumed the producer's role for the group but was not able to match the Delfonics' past successes. After a few minor hits and one or two outright misses, the group split in 1975.


Saying that the group "split" is actually a gross simplification. More accurately, the group began a series of reshuffling that at times was downright confusing because the only constant was the name "The Delfonics". Wilbert and William Hart each had a trio of the same name. Randy Cain returns to Wilbert's group, then leaves to join William's group. There finally was basically two groups. The main recording line-up was William Hart, Major Harris and Frank Washington. Two separate trios would then tour with additional members as needed. One sure thing was, amid all this running about, Major Harris managed to record a major hit (pun intended) with a masterfully executed ballad titled "Love Won't Let Me Wait"


In addition to being proven hitmakers, The Delfonics had quite the impact on the industry at large. Their songs, written and co-writen mostly by lead singer William Hart, have been sampled extensively by artists such as The Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., Missy Elliott, Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince and Boyz II Men. T heir music has found its way into movie soundtracks, most notably Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, Swing Out Sister, Prince and The Manhattan Transfer are only a partial list of those who have covered The Delfonics' songs.
Groups led by both William and Wilbert Hart still tour sporadically to this day.
Randy Cain passed away at his home in Maple Shade, New Jersey April 9, 2009
Major Harris died of congestive heart and lung failure on November 9, 2012
Cain was 63, Harris was 65.

Hullabaloo

Another good thing about "The Good Old Days" is that we were able to regularly see our favorite rock, pop and RnB acts on the TV. Variety shows were quite popular once upon a time, what with The Ed Sullivan Show, Hollywood Palace, The Smothers Brothers and more that featured a weekly offering of music, comedy and other forms of entertainment crammed into an hour of programming. This also left a niche for shows featuring pop music acts aimed at younger audiences wanting to see the artists they listen to so faithfully on the radio. Elsewhere in this blog I've disscussed such shows broadcast in the U.S. and the U.K. Hullabaloo was one such show.

Built along the lines of Shindig and American Bandstand, Hullabaloo was an American show that ran on the NBC network in prime time from January 12, 1965 to August 29, 1966. A showcase for the top pop acts of the day, it was directed by Steve Binder, who went on to direct Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special. Different celebrity hosts were used each week who introduced the acts and performed themselves. While some shows were taped in NBC's Burbank, California studios, most were done in the network's New York City location.  Some earlier segments were even taped in the U.K. and hosted by Brian Epstein. The show was in colour, but oddly enough most were copied in kinescope (black and white) which is how they are seen today. It was originally a one hour broadcast, but was later cut to 30 minutes and remained so until the end of it's run when it was replaced by... The Monkees!

to follow are some of the acts that appeared on Hullabaloo.

My Top Five Songs By The Temptations

 

It's been a while since I did one of these lists, So why not now? Nothing? Anybody? Okay then, here we go...
This list is about my personal favorite RnB vocal group, and one of the proven greatest of all time, The Temptations. I've gone on elsewhere in this blog about the many virtues of this group, so I won't repeat myself here. I'll just say these gentlemen have given us some of the highest quality music ever to bless an ear, and to follow are, in order of my own personal favorites, their top five songs and why.

#5) Cloud Nine
In 1969 Otis Williams, after hearing music by Sly And The Family Stone, suggested to producer Norman Whitfield that maybe they could try similar material. This song not only marks the beginning of a new Temptations era, but it was also the debut of the Mark II lineup with new singer Dennis Edwards.

#4) Don't Look Back
The tragic,immensely moving voice of the troubled Paul Williams. He never sang enough for my tastes and he left us far too soon.


#3) Treat Her Like A Lady
The Temptations in the 80s...and the debut of Ali Ollie Woodson who may not be everyone's favorite Temptations vocalist, he was arguably the most technically gifted. Probably the best from this era.


#2) You're My Everything
The velvet falsetto of the also gone-too-soon Eddie Kendricks singing the exquisitely pleading lyrics of Roger Penzabene, This one of the greatest songs of the Norman Whitfield era. There were a few worthy high tenors to fill Kendricks' spot, most notably the recently deceased Otis Damon Harris, but nobody, I mean nobody sounded like Eddie. Also some of the finest orchestration heard on a Motown recording.


#1) My Girl
This song is #1 because it is not only the group's signature tune, It is also one of the most well-known pop songs ever. The Funk Bothers' Frank White's (RIP) guitar intro is universally recognizable. The group's dance steps for the song are even classic, unchanged to this day regardless of the line-up. William "Smokey" Robinson wrote the lyrics dedicated to his then-wife Claudette and intended to have The Miracles record the song,  co-written with Miracle Ronald White. But Smokey, astute as ever, detected the immense untapped potential in Temptation David Ruffin and decided to make this song the first vehicle for his gritty, emotive lead voice. The rest is freakin' history as they gave birth to not only a classic song, but an American icon.


This list of course, is totally my own subjective opinion. If anyone thinks I got it wrong, I'd love to hear your list and/or comments about mine. That's what it's all about, after all.

Roxy Music

 'In November of 1970 a ceramics teacher at a British girls school by the name of Bryan Ferry was fired from his job. No, not for the reason you're thinking (minds out of the gutter, people!). It seemed that Mr. Ferry preferred to use up valuable ashtray-making time to play rock and roll recordings for his student's listening pleasure. Shortly after his dismissal, Ferry placed an ad in the venerable rock publication Melody Maker for a keyboardist to collaborate on musical projects. During this time in late 1970 Ferry also auditioned for the band King Crimson for the vocalist spot left vacant by the departure of Greg Lake. While Ferry turned out to be not what the band was looking for, bandleader Peter Sinfield was impressed enough to help Ferry secure a contract with E.G Records. In the meantime, Ferry's ad was answered, not by a keyboardist but by saxophonist Andy McKay and friend Brian Eno. While not a musician, Eno knew how to operate a synthesizer and shared, along with McKay Ferry's love for avant-garde and electronic music. The three decided to join forces. Another ad was placed for "a wonder drummer" which resulted in the addition of Paul Thompson. As the result of yet another ad, this time for "the  perfect guitarist", twenty hopefuls showed up, among them one Phil Manzanera who, though quite proficient, was not chosen. The position went instead to David O'List, formerly of The Nice. The band was still sufficiently impressed with Manzanera to offer him a job as a roadie, which he accepted. He also, unbeknownst to the band learned all of the band's repetoire. As it turned out, in early 1972 O'List had an altercation with drummer Thompson and consequently was asked to leave, wherein the band immediately gave the job to Manzanera. 

The band was originally named Roxy which was Ferry's tribute to the old theatres and dance halls. Upon finding out about an American band with the same name, the change was made to Roxy Music. Visually, the band certainly stood out from most. With Ferry's secret agent/gigolo, Mckay's beach boy from outer space and Eno's androgynist vampire, their look was a calculated potpourri of styles. Their sophisticated fusion of Brit-pop, soul and retro influences proved both arty and artful. Topped off with Ferry's vocal style which basically defined the word "croon", you had an arrestingly appealing
yet challenging act.
Interesingly enough, Roxy Music never really had a permanent bass guitarist. Those filling the spot included Rik Kenton, Graham Simpson, John Gustafson, John Wetton and Rick Wills. Of them all, Gustafson in my opinion was the best fit both musically and visually, and indeed spent the most time in the band's ranks.
The band's epynomous debut album, produced by King Crimson's Peter Sinfield, went into the U.K. top 10 in 1972. The non-LP singles "Virginia Plain" and "Pyjamarama" also hit the high end of the charts in Britain. While the U.K. readily embraced the band critically and commercially, America proved to be a tougher nut to crack chart-wise, despite positive critical reviews in the U.S.


The next LP, For Your Pleasure was the start of a long and fruitful partnership with producer Chris Thomas. It was also the end of the band's partnership with Brian Eno, who departed the band due to differences with Ferry about the band's direction and Ferry's dominance song-wise. Eno was replaced by 19-year old Eddie Jobson. Jobson was a classically trained keyboardist/violinist formerly of the prog-rock band Curved Air. An accomplished musician and dazzling violinist, Jobson brought a greater refinement to the band's sound and in addition to freeing Ferry from keyboard duties onstage, he also added to the song writing. Eno himself acknowledged the quality of the material following his departure.


It wasn't until their fourth album,1974's Country Life that Roxy Music managed to crack the U.S. top 40, albeit at #37, yet with widespread critical acclaim. Their fifth album Siren was the one that got them their first actual U.S. hit, "Love Is The Drug", peaking at #30 in 1975. After touring in support of that LP, they disbanded for a short time to concentrate on individual solo projects, paricularly Ferry who was carving out a successful solo career. During this time a live album, Viva! was released in 1976.

The band reunited in 1978 to record the album Manifesto, their highest charting U.S. release at #20. This would  be without Eddie Jobson who by this time had joined the band U.K. with John Wetton and Bill Bruford. The album would produce two major British hits "Angel Eyes"(#3)  and "Dance Away" (#4). This would begin a distinct change in musical style to a smoother, less challenging direction. This was met with mixed critical reviews. After a tour and the recording of the next album, Flesh And Blood, Paul Thompson would leave the band permanently after breaking his thumb.He would turn up again later in the band Concrete Blonde (elsewhere in this blog).
 

In 1981 Roxy Music recorded a cover of the John Lennon composition "Jealous Guy" as a tribute to the slain Beatle. It went to the top of the British charts to become their only #1 single and was awarded a gold record in the United States ultimately reaching platinum status. Later their sombre, atmospherically crafted eighth and final studio release Avalon redeemed the band's critical status and was commercially successful on the strength of the single "More Than This", which went platinum in the U.S. After extensive touring they disbanded in 1983.

From 2001, the band would regroup sporadically for festivals and the like up to this day. Their influence is seen in a generation of style-oriented artists. Those who acknowledge Roxy Music's influence include The Human League, Duran Duran, Annie Lennox, The Psychedelic Furs, Nile Rodgers, The Cars and many more.  The British band Madness (elsewhere in this blog) recorded a tribute to Bryan Ferry called "4BF", a reference to the song "2HB" that was itself a tribute to Humphrey Bogart and appeared on the first Roxy Music album.
For their role in making style and substance equally vital in all things rockin', I have to say Viva Roxy Music!