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While I have no idea of the background of this filmed live performance number at the Mathew Street Cavern by Manchester’s Herman Hermit’s other than it is said to be 1964. I can tell from the HH line-up that the late Derek Leckenby, the tallish, glasses wearing, accomplished lead guitarist is absent. Reportedly, Leckenby joined the group in 1964 replacing bass player Alan Wrigley, requiring Karl Green’s move to bass. As Derek Leckenby played on the group’s UK Number 1, a cover of the Gerry Goffin & Carole King written “I’m Into Something Good” released 7 August 1964, then this Cavern performance must date from before August 1964.


Left to Right: The HH 'British Invasion' line-up of ...
Keith Hopwood, Karl Green (Stripped Jacket), Derek Leckenby, Peter Noone and Barry Whitwam

Thank you for this post! Fun to see the Hermits playing at the Cavern. I had no idea that Noone was as young as he was at the time of the band's success. It would be interesting to see their whole set list at the time this gig took place. They always said they were more of a soul band before they hit, especially considering the hits they were most known for in America. The impact of Mickie Most on the Hermits and the other artists he produced was phenomenal. Most was able to recognize talent and then shape that energy into distinctive sound and images and life long careers.

Thank you for this post! Fun to see the Hermits playing at the Cavern.

Always glad to be of some little service.

I had no idea that Noone was as young as he was at the time of the band's success.

Peter Noone, reportedly born 05 November 1947, so would have been 16 at the time.

They always said they were more of a soul band before they hit, especially considering the hits they were most known for in America. The impact of Mickie Most on the Hermits and the other artists he produced was phenomenal.

I understand that was very much the direction that then lead guitar, Karl Green, who was the R&B enthusiast of the group, wanted to go. However, when record producer Mickie Most got hold of HH he had altogether different ideas. Mickie Most brutally told Karl Green he was not good enough to play lead and that then drummer, Steve Titterington wasn't up to the job either. Hence the recruitment of the under-rated, and no longer with us, Derek Leckenby on lead guitar and Barry Whitwam on drums, both previously of The Wailers, another notable Manchester group ‘round that time. Naturally, Karl Green was not best pleased with his move to bass, but had the sense to go along with the changes. He has since said that Mickie Most was proved to have been right. While over the years there's been a lot of bad mouthing that's gone on between Peter Noone and the other members of HH, they only have good things to say about Mickie Most. To a man, they all credit the studio recording and song-picking skills of Most with what chart successes the group achieved.

Re: Green, it would be the unusual teenage talent that could reflect on themselves clearly. Being influenced by a musical genre is a long way from actually being able to pull it off. Not to mention that the bass is pretty darned fun to play!

Most's artists seem to have differing viewpoints. Eric Burdon wasn't a fan. Putting aside the fact that he was totally ripped off (easy for me to say) it is hard to fault the Animal's repertoire. Burden was able to sing lots of blues and the hit songs Most chose for the band are, of course, real classics. In the end Lulu didn't fault him but did break away. Donovan certainly did well by his production and I'm not aware of him disparaging Most. I learned a little about Most while doing research for a Lulu tribute last year. His was an interesting tale. Definitely a guy into the art form of the 45rpm single, and who's to fault that, especially during the sixties? Anyway, the Hermits at the Cavern...right on!

Just to clarify, Burdon was less impressed by Most as producer than others; the money problem was laid at the band's manager's misappropriation of arranging credits on House of the Rising Sun.

Re: More about Mickie Most

In case you haven’t seen them and might be interested, uploaded to You Tube are a couple of prehistoric VHS taped documentaries concerning Mickie Most – so, apologises for the picture and sound quality.

The first is from 1968 and presented by Julian Pettifer as part of his then BBC series on ‘Millionaires’ in which Peter Noone is prominently featured …



The second (and uploaded in two parts) is a more in-depth and critical examination of music industry practices of the times taken from a 1975 broadcast of London Weekend Television (LWT) “The London Programme” and hosted by English economist, broadcaster and future British Ambassador to the United States (1977-79) during the Jimmy Carter presidency, Peter Jay.

The programme concerns the relationship and the resulting parting-of-the-ways between Mickie Most’s Rak Records, the song writing partnership of Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman and the then successful South of London group MUD …

Thanks, I just noticed this. I will check these videos out.