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YOU COULD hardly place Herman in the heavyweight class. Yet in the past month he has shown the pluck of a pugilist, climbing off the canvas after that disappointing tour with Love Affair to come roaring back with his biggest hit for some years which now seems fairly certain to be next week's No. 1
It was only four weeks ago that Herman withdrew in a cloud of controversy after only three dates on his eight-day tour, having played to houses that weren't even half full.But far from being dismayed, Herman's prompt reply to suggestions that he has lost his fans was "My Sentimental Friend," which leaps six places to No. 2 today. His close friend - sentimental or otherwise - is Mickie Most, responsible for Herman's record productions for the past five years and who said this week: "The trouble with the tour was that it came at a very delicate time in Herman's career. "He has been around for five years now and he is currently in the process of making a gradual move towards older audiences, by means of things like cabaret, where he usually does terrific business. "It's also got to be accepted that today's new generation of younger girls just don't want to be associated with their elder sisters' heroes - they want their own idols. So Herman has been gradually edging up to an older audience. "Even so, the combination of Herman's Hermits and the Love Affair looked strong enough and should have pulled in more people." He doesn't think Herman's pre-occupation with pandering to American audiences did anything to keep his British fans at home. "Herman has been enormously successful in America and if you have the opportunity to tour there for large amounts of money you must go. You would be mad not to do so." And all the time, although he kept very quiet after the tour, Herman still had the act up his sleeve. "Actually," said Most, "we could have put out 'My Sentimental Friend' before Christmas. We had a choice between that and 'Something Is Happening' but I went for the latter because it made a far more suitable record for that time of the year. But I also knew that 'Friend' just had to be a big hit when we did get round to releasing it."  Mickie Most ... close friend |
 And Most has miscalculated about only once in selecting Herman's single over five years. "It's not easy knowing what he should release, however," he says. "We get loads of material sent in and it's like looking for a tiny nugget of gold to get the right song."But it's a joy to work with Herman in the recording studio. He is very co-operative and always on time, which is more than you can say for a lot of artists. "I always thought he would be a big success. I recall writing a note to myself after first seeing a photograph of him that this boy had a young Kennedy appeal. It's such a very, very good face. He has a good image altogether You can't really get annoyed by him. Certainly his appeal can be as sweet as sugar, but he's not dirty or untidy or a rebel. It's impossible not to like him, whatever your opinion of his records. It's like Jeff Beck says to me: 'Herman? I'm not a fan of his, but he's such a nice fellow.'" And the "nice fellow" has accepted, too, that he is stuck with his style of music and that's that. "There was a time when Herman wanted to get into something a bit more involved with his records, but he came round to agreeing that it was a case of horses for courses and he shouldn't, or couldn't change his style. In fact, the only group who can switch about and try different things successfully are the Beatles, but they are still a phenomenon. "Herman's Hermits, anyhow, have captured a corner of the record business and there's no reason why they can't go on having hits for some time yet. He wants, of course, to progress with his career, but you cannot do this unless you have a strong enough vehicle and his films weren't strong enough. "But I think the time is right for him to undertake a series on TV. He could handle one very well and it would be a big step for him." Before any hope of that turns up, however, Herman's Hermits - possibly British pop's most globe-trotting group - are off again on another safari, taking them to Mexico, Israel, Hong Kong and Australia. At 21,, Herman has already been around the world twice and with an attractive wife at home, you might suppose he would want to apply the brakes and settle for an easier existence. "While you're 21," says Most, "travel cannot be a drag. It never was for me at that age. "Besides, there is very limited work in this country for Herman. He can't go back to ballroom tours because that's a backward step, pop tours, as we've seen, are in a bad way at the moment and you can exhaust the cabaret field. So you work abroad and what's bad about that? It can only make you international. And Herman is very international, indeed." |