Herman's Hermits - BBC Sessions, Volume 4: 1969-1972

Here's the fourth and last volume featuring Herman's Hermits performing at the BBC. 

This deals with a time when the band was losing popularity and falling apart. The first six songs are of Herman's Hermits with their long-time lead singer Peter Noone. But then Noone tried for a solo career. You can see in the credits which songs just feature him. There also are three more songs (tracks 11 to 13) of Herman's Hermits without Noone.

You might think the musical quality dropped along with the band's popularity, but I honestly don't think that's the case. For that era, the band was out of step with popular musical styles and well as a fashion image. (Note how they're STILL wearing suits on the album cover.) But decades after the fact, these things don't matter much. I'm sure the songs would have been much more successful if they'd been released a few years earlier.

The band actually still had fairly good success with some singles during this time. "My Sentimental Friend" was a number two hit in Britain, "Years May Come, Years May Go" and "Lady Barbara" were Top Ten hits there, and they had some other Top Forty Hits. But I think it's notable that the record company wouldn't let them put out any albums. Noone also had a big hit with a cover of the classic David Bowie song "Oh, You Pretty Things." Another song here, "Right On Mother," is a Bowie song that Bowie himself didn't release at the time.

After 1972, both Noone and what remained of Herman's Hermits had such low profiles that they effectively ceased putting out new music. As a result, they ceased performing for the BBC. But in my opinion, they were doing interesting things with their BBC sessions right until the end. Note especially the nice cover of Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Helplessly Hoping," which was never officially released.

01 Green Street Green [Edit] (Herman's Hermits)
02 My Sentimental Friend [Edit] (Herman's Hermits)
03 Here Comes the Star (Herman's Hermits)
04 Years May Come, Years May Go (Herman's Hermits)
05 Bet Yer Life I Do (Herman's Hermits)
06 Lady Barbara (Herman's Hermits)
07 Together Forever [Edit] (Peter Noone)
08 Oh, You Pretty Things [Edit] (Peter Noone)
09 Right On Mother (Peter Noone)
10 Walnut Whirl (Peter Noone)
11 She's a Lady (Herman's Hermits)
12 Helplessly Hoping [Edit] (Herman's Hermits)
13 Gold Mandela [Edit] (Herman's Hermits)
14 Each and Every Minute (Peter Noone)
15 Shoo Be Doo Ah (Peter Noone)

https://www.upload.ee/files/15291907/HermansH_1969-1972_BBSessionsVolum4_atse.zip.html

The cover art shows the band playing on the "Top of the Pops" TV show in 1969.