Hermans Hermits - The Hilton Show

  by Tommy Gunnarsson

published: 19 / 2 / 2009

intro

Herman's Hermits new DVD, a concert film which which filmed on an Australian tour in 1966, features both the original and also a modern version. While there is much to recommend in the old film, he finds a lot less so in the new version

One of the British bands of the 60's that were most successful in the US, other than of course the Beatles, were Herman’s Hermits, who were best known for their hit singles 'I’m into Something Good' and 'No Milk Today'. Apparently, they appealed to the Australian teens too, and this new DVD shows them performing in front of a very enthusiastic audience at the Hilton Hotel in that country in 1966. The first thing that struck me when I watched the DVD was that there are two different versions of the concert, a “2007 version” and the “original 1966 version”. Curious, I chose to watch the former first, which was a big mistake. I soon realized that this “new version” was an attempt from the film company to make the DVD a bit cooler, as they have taken the live footage and massacred it with some hideous comic book-style and other graphic effects. A shame! But fortunately the original version is much more of a pleasure to watch ! It is always good to see and hear live footage from the 60’s, as most of the DVDs available with bands from that era are concerts recorded “with as many of the original members as possible” on a shabby stage in the US, as part of a 60’s nostalgia tour. The footage here is also surprisingly good, with both the sound and vision despite its age being excellent. Singer Peter Noone also seems to be enjoying his time on stage, even though he seems annoyed with all the flowers that some of the screaming girls in the audience keep throwing at him. There is, however, more than the Hilton concert on this DVD. Included amongst the extras are a documentary about the band (featuring recent interviews with some of the members, although not Peter Noone, which seems somewhat strange), which is quite informative, despite the picture quality being horrible (I guess the documentary was transferred from an old VHS tape). We also get a “making of”-documentary from the recording of the film 'Mrs Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter', some trailers and a video for 'No Milk Today'. The sleeve for the DVD says that the latter is a “specially made video”, and, after watching it, I have to ask if this was the best its makers could do. The “video” is really just the song played over some milk bottles floating over the screen with alternating labels on them, and the song title written on the bottom of the screen. All I can do is laugh. If you are, however, a Herman’s Hermits fan, this DVD is a must just because of the live footage. The rest is, to quote the band themselves, “a must to avoid”.