Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter/Hold On! in Bloomington, MN

This two-fer from
ABKCO Records
features a pair of out of print
Herman's Hermits
soundtrack albums,
Hold On!
and
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter
, both originally issued on
MGM
in 1966 and 1968, respectively. The story line for
, the group's first film, involves NASA wanting to name a spaceship after the group while frontman and teen idol
Peter Noone
develops a crush on Louisa, played by
Shelly Fabares
. At that time in early 1966,
were still one of the most popular British Invasion bands. Two years later, at the time of the second film, one that focuses on dog racing while
develops a crush on Judy, played by
Sarah Caldwell
, the group had already peaked. The films are fun, but are second (or third) rate next to A Hard Day's Night and Help! The soundtracks, however, are loaded with some of
the Hermits
' best tracks:
"A Must to Avoid,"
"There's a Kind of Hush,"
"Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter,"
"Leaning on the Lamp Post."
Also included is an unlisted bonus demo of
which is played at a much slower tempo than the hit version. While a greatest-hits package would satisfy most casual listeners' needs, these albums are worth acquiring for fanatics of the '60s British Invasion group. ~ Al Campbell