FUDGE: BETTER TO EAT THAN TO WRITE

WHAT IS TRUTH?

In the telling of history, be it the kind we take in school classrooms or musical history, too often truth is defined by the prejudices and necessary decisions of the person writing that history.  It's often said the winner of a war writes the history.  There is much to be said for that.  There is much to be said for the difficulty of future historians knowing what to take as gospel from previous histories, which are used as resources for their research.  I bow to the best of these gentlemen.  I now have a small taste of the bitter side to writing "truth" for the masses.

HERHMAN'S HERMITS:  AFTER THE BREAK-UP!

In the post titled as above, I had to "FUDGE" a few details for the sake of brevity and clarity.  Because I feel "FUDGE" is better to eat than to write, I wish to unfudge and correct myself.  Although using 1971 as the break-up year for Herman's Hermits is reasonably accurate, you find different dates from different sources.  My own personal recollection is the break-up came in 1971.  Barry Whitwam in a video interview put Peter Noone's departure as early as November 5, 1970, which is Peter Noone's birthday.  I have no absolute date when Keith Hopwood left Herman's Hermits, but one source puts his departure around the same time or before Peter Noone's departure.  Peter Noone tells a story of the band officially breaking up at the end of their final tour together, either 1970 or 1971.

It's safe to say, by the end of 1971 Peter Noone and Keith Hopwood were no longer with Herman's Hermits.  SOUR MASH, which may or may not have been intended to replace Herman's Hermits, and included Peter Cowap as lead singer, was essentially Cowap and the remaining Hermits:  Karl Green, Derek Lekenby, and Barry Whitwam.  Keith Hopwood appears to have helped Sour Mash.  I am not certain if anyone else was added to the band.  When the album "A WHALE OF A TALE" was not released (supposedly one source says, due to record company financial problems), the name Herman's Hermits resurfaces.  I have no idea if the band ever legally disbanded.  I doubt it, for bands rarely go that far.  The surviving members returned to performing as Herman's Hermits.  Legally, the name appears to persist from 1964 to the present.  So...there's no brief, easy way to describe how Herman's Hermits became the Herman's Hermits with Karl Green as lead vocalist.  Having the band to cease to exist momentarily, then retake the name, appeared the most expedient means of getting from point A to point B. 

ON KARL GREEN:

As history, I wish to point out a small, yet important detail I meant to bring up in the prior post.  Karl Green, like Peter Noone was part of the band the Heartbeats, a root band which became Herman's Hermits.  When Peter Noone entered that band, using the name Peter Novac, Karl Green was already in the Heartbeats.  I believe he played lead guitar.  My understanding is Karl Green left Herman's Hermits in 1980 or by the mid 1980s.  This would make him the longest lasting member of the combined Heartbeats, Herman's Hermits, Sour Mash, and for a time, The Hermits; a name I've heard was used.  In a sense, I feel this qualifies him to take a shot at singing lead for Herman's Hermits.  Probably only Peter Noone and Peter Cowap were absolutely better than Karl Green.  I base this on others I've heard sing lead over the years, for what is commonly known as Barry Whitwam's Herman's Hermits.


THE IRONY OF HERMAN'S HERMITS:

What will always strike me as a tragic irony of Herman's Hermits is not the date they broke up or the last get together of the band in 1973 with Peter Noone to tour the USA to great success or that each member has gone his own way, finding his own success, while Derek Lekenby passed away in 1994 from Non-Hodgekins Lymphoma.  To me the irony of Herman's Hermits is how few people will ever know how talented the members of Herman's Hermits were in their day and still are today.  In 1990 I lucked into seeing the Barry Whitwam / Derek Lekenby led Herman's Hermits.  Their lead singer, at that time, sounded like a singer of B-sides on a 45 record, but had he found the right song to fit his voice, might have put a song in the Top Forty.  Barry Whitwam came from his drums to perform Henry the VIII, as I recall, and handled it well enough.  Barry handled his drums even better and was a pleasure to hear, since I like drums.  Derek Lekenby did a solo or two that convinced me he was as good in 1990 as anyone from his own era.  Hearing Karl Green sing on the songs in the earlier post, convinces me the backing vocalists in Herman's Hermits were capable of more.  I have no idea whether Keith Hopwood can sing, but I would bet he's not bad.  Unless you have seen the five members of Herman's Hermits in person, after Peter Noone left the band, you have no idea how talented these five guys were.  Sadly, you will never know, either.

Herman's Hermits were teenagers who happened upon a moment in history.  They wanted to make hits like other bands and hear their music on the radio.  Maybe charm the girls.  That sort of thing.  Mickie Most recognized they had talent, but even he took actions that traumatized that talent in the long run.  Yet, he did what he was supposed to do and the creation of Herman's Hermits sowed the seeds of its on demise.  Fate intervened in the lives of five talented teenage guys, set them on the road to fame few people ever equal.  Fate typecast them, as well.  Karl Green mentions in a video interview, he would have liked to have done other music, more attuned to his interest; Blues, I think.  But, he admitted, they were grateful to have the hand they were dealt.  That sums up Herman's Hermits.  They were much more than people realize, but at the time, only the Beatles and Dave Clark Five were dealt a better hand than Herman's Hermits.  They were right up there with them for a time, even soared a bit higher, before the sun of the musical establishment scorched them.  I remember in those days someone saying, there could never be another Beatles, for the Dave Clark Five would be that band, but their luck was to hit at the same time as the Beatles.  The echo of those words were not quite gone, when out of nowhere Herman's Hermits appeared; they were the new Beatles.  Millions of teenagers delivered that message unequivocally.

HE WHO LAUGHS LAST LAUGHS BEST:

Peter Noone strikes me as a fellow who has had the last laugh on all the experts.  I'm convinced, even given the ego of Rock stars, he realizes just how talented the other four Hermits were.  He understands, no matter who writes the history, for a time, Herman's Hermits soared high enough to look down on the Beatles from above.  Not that he or his bandmates ever thought they were bigger or better than the Beatles, just the truth is, for a time, they rose so high, the Beatles were below them.  Herman's Hermits have been severely penalized for rising so high, with the simplicity their music represented.

COMPARE TO BILL HALEY & HIS COMETS:

I am often reminded that Bill Haley and His Comets suffered  in similar fashion.  If not for Bill Haley's hard work at presenting Rock music as wholesome fun for teens and young adults, The Rolling Stones and others may have been confined to England.  In fact, many, including Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, the whole race of people Little Richard represented and many others, may have ceased to exist.  Rock might have died.  Yet, Bill Haley's critics often claim, he never changed his style, never advanced his music.  He was trapped by his own success.  Herman's Hermits were the epitome of what Bill Haley convinced people Rock n' Roll was all about; having a good time, having fun.  If Rock is to be true to itself, it MUST learn to recognize those, whose intentions are to create music for a good time and have fun.  It doesn't now. 

This would make a difference to Peter Noone, the most successful member of the band, the one member, who laughs, because he knows the truth of where he's been; to Keith Hopwood, who is talented enough to operate his own entertainment studio, Pluto Music, as proof of his talent; Derek Lekenby, who may have been one of the best, yet least known, lead guitar players in Rock during his lifetime; Karl Green, who sang well enough on the songs posted to be worthy of applause and recognition; and Barry Whitwam, who continues to drum away in his own talented way.  If anything, these guys are modest compared to their achievements as teens and adults.

GIFTED MEN:

They could laugh, but they don't.  They don't scream to the world they were teenagers, very talented teenagers, who only got better as the years passed.  Maybe there is something in the water of Manchester, England that caused post World War 2 generation sons to be modest, self-assured, and accepting of whatever fate dumped on them.  Perhaps that is why I have made this correction so long, felt the need to make the correction, but had to say more. 

I would love to convince the world, especially the U.S.A. to view Herman's Hermits for what they really were.  They were perfect for their time and place in history, while being far more talented than anyone ever gave them credit for being.  So, if Peter Noone, somewhere in heaven Derek Lekenby, Keith Hopwood, Karl Green, or Barry Whitwam, should ever read this, THANK YOU GOOD GENTLEMEN.  TO THIS DAY YOU REMAIN FINE ROLE MODELS TO OTHERS.  For those who will never understand this, I can only pity you for what you have missed.  That ain't no "FUDGE" either.