The Beatles singing Barry. Meredith Wilson's musical Miracle on 34th Street is going to be at the playhouse this Christmas I hope it doesn't contain a hide as bad as there were birds in the sky but I never saw them when you Jimmy Webb simply wouldn't of allowed something like that through. Download the b.b.c. Sound. Nor tablet and open a world of b.b.c. Sound you'll find loads of b.b.c. Programmes and podcasts but most important of all find all your favorite radio presenters right on the front page downloading the b.b.c. Sound today and. My guests today are Barry with one of Herman's Hermits and Simon Wells who's written a book on the making of Quadrophenia and as you'll find out these interviews linked by the who the sixty's goal tour with Herman's Hermits the most he beats the mind benders moma late and Steve Ellis is coming to the film on a call on Friday and also on for so it's coming to the full amount to call on stuff today and will be here to Bridgwater hall Manchester on the Friday I caught the shore the show at Blackpool a couple of weeks ago and thought it was very entertaining. Barry which one was the drummer for Herman's Hermits and when they started in 1964 well it was with a drummer initially when they started in 1984 and he still drumming for them today so he's been playing with them for 55 years it's fun but amazing isn't it and I 1st started I thought I'd give it a couple of years see how we go on 55 years later I'm still here and still enjoying it and so you ended up with a name because everybody's left sort of yes we went to go to court and that is $75.00 because Peter want it to be his hermits and sort of way and the judge awarded the name to myself like a man called green because the trademarks anyway in Australia Europe New Zealand but Peter works a lot in America so I don't call that a morsel has ever been a time where you thought oh I've done with the hermits have is now I'm going to do something else no no no I love the songs of playing them every night and watching people enjoy listening to them how did it come about I come from Liverpool and I know there was all that the club scene and in Liverpool with all the different groups and I get a feeling that in Manchester it was more social clubs and things was that yes that's right it was working men's clubs that's what I sort of learned to play the drums when I was 12 I can even play the drums but I was working in the band was going to work in men's clubs labor clubs because of the clubs use clubs anything we could get a job would work it the 1st time was called the demons we played June's the benches and the shadows and we got a singer then so so did you get a chance to do say something else and Steen beat I do something else is that the bedrooms Still I did I was stage of a fast a version it's about 40 minutes long at the audience involved with it how did Peter Newman come into the picture then there was a band called Herman on the hermit's in 1963 to early 64 and it sort of broke up between his money home village but as seen my group the way it was and he wanted to the whalers to be the new. Yes we went from See you just to Harvey showed us that diary and they were working 7 nights a week I don't teach empathy tional So I said she said they said with joy if you change the name though from heaven on the. They had a good fan base and she would let them know some things changed and they did and we joined the self and I can be a pita for us 96 for. This long and. When I play the 1st time as helmet records now Herman actually sounds so young doesn't know what it was he said when he joined up with those myself and like I think is only 16 I was only 7 just just over 17 myself we used to do the cavern a lot if you come to Liverpool that much but the cabin was a great place to play we used to do the Sunday afternoon for the younger kids although that uni accounted Yeah I think that what he's called Yes yes he was you have to do some of the nighttime ones they have done a few the night ones but the special as he was doing the Sunday Well what about getting the recording contract how did document him and then the hermits have been down to London with Mickey most to try and make a record and didn't work out after April 1st we got a lot of gigs on Dr Bell sounded pretty good even though it was a service to have a list invited Micky most to where the North to see is again and it came to Bolton we did look at the beach comber Mickey Mouse as seen the news that new found they liked it he left I had tape recording of me to something good by Jane written by a call from the king and he said right come down to London next Monday so we did next Monday with 10 o'clock at Manchester Square he had my house in 2 hours the. I sighed and peace I was recorded and did you feel it was a hit at the time I wasn't sure what was not many numbers drums and I thought that this should be more drums and of itself but Micky actually didn't like it he went on holiday and he's played he's wife said that this is the heavens on its new record I've recorded and she starts a hit he said I'm not sure about it she said believe me that's a hit so he released it September 17th and got to number 123rd of September 27th stayed there for 3 weeks in one why do you think yours was a big no genes help and made the young band we were even younger than the kids next door clean cut against the Rolling Stones and the big fools and we just started a slot there for us young kids loved it that the management said they wanted to pick the next hit so Mickey said well he's not that easy you know said we're going to do another government Kingdom local show me go so what should a record and it got to number 20 and the press as a field day with us said a flash in the pan those lights from the most of us will never see them again so Mickey said Well you've had your chance I'll pick the next one and it was silhouettes went straight to the studio and recorded so as it got to number 2 I think in the charts I'm presumably you knew that song anyway from their version was a bit faster Drake song people love it still Yeah when I was playing the covers today from him is how much you do speed him out don't you know we still do on stage because some of the stuff like something is happening is a bit slow to play live so we've got to get everybody involved so we speed it up a bit and everyone can sing it the more you speak about the was your song to get in . Your. long. Something interesting happened to you with the old discographies as it were because the English and the American discographies are very different Dante who decided that the Americans had won something different from the English and American fans really record it as a throwaway song in the she's bound You gotta love adult and Henry the 8th and put them on albums and then when the albums were played in America the deejays like that song she drowned because of the accident m.g.m. Records so many phone calls asking them to releases a single and James running the chemo some said we got 500 advance copies to make said no I don't really see which of the 1000000 so who. Is a militant Vance copies you know it's from m.g.m. So it should release it number one record ever to get in the charts Did someone stink this record won't work as a single in Britain I think he did and Henry the 8th was a throw away song as well that went straight to number one and surely you must the thought that they were British hits as well if they could have been when I've had to try some corny did it on the only new t.v. Play he put it out as a single it was a it was written by Trevor pique I was writing for a t.v. Play yes around here put it out as a single and it was about number 29 year or something but really the public didn't know the song and it didn't have being a gigantic lead for us I'm not sure. It was an e.p. I think it was a direction we really wanted to go you know we sit down and I Man of the 8 but that's the way it went. Shop around. I remember Dairy Queen telling me that when Freddy in the tree was told America it was very successful make a backhoe and they found they got a bill for $5000.00 or something and they were paying for things that they didn't know about how to raise their time due to our 1st trip to America we got off the plane and picks up in a limousine and taken to put the Midlands what is a press conference and it was champagne caviar all sorts of stuff that and they kept photographing asking questions that a year later we got a bill from m.g.m. Nearly $5000.00 champagne lobsters were never to be had was a sandwich you told it amazingly really with the who said How did that come about and that was part of a kind to treat artists but most times we went to America would take an English group but as we've taken the the animals the Hollies went from town the Mindbender as is the who's turned so we invited them to join us as I will more and stuffed in it who will win a for its But the last song was my generation's and then the song Keith Moon kicks his drums off the explosions they walked off the stage and 10 minutes later the boys would be set the stage and we came on and sang Mrs Brown You gotta love the that you can't get any different you know different contrast of music than not did you ever discuss drums with Keith No we didn't talk about drums or talk about the things you were blowing things up and. So it was a dangerous person to be around to that we showed Keith Moon and the who what cherry bombs were used like a very powerful firework in America and once you lit that they would go out and had a nasty habit of dropping them down toilets in Flushing and well why would it go around the you bendable the tallest of the. Expense to be paid for the damage you know about your Bubby they got of the cherry bombs we'd sold them they were traveling in front of his and these things. Televen threw out the window and exploded under a rock up. Top if you if you were doing this in fact I was with you we end up being bound for the hotel we got down from the hall of the ins for life but it was Keith Moon's 21st birthday party and mine we held it at the Holiday Inn lounge in Flint Michigan and we had the lounge and a policeman to the security and there's hundreds of them spit at least $200.00 cakes arrive for a birthday and the American fans used to bake cakes anyway but all this lounge was full of cakes and Keith Moon stuck his finger in one of them elected to Cargreen the base but I said you don't eat the cakes distinctions in the summer to me he would want to wait like razorblades or they don't use powder did use soldiers said of the baking powder Keith Moon gets into the pit machinery flicks it Cargreen it's in the face called ring it's a handful throws it Laden casement tries to pull Coughlin child's off Caltrain but he sings in people pull them down it's trousers came off right off I've got no one to pounce on and Shorty should this particular time is when the policeman got his revolver and. I don't know is going to do it it's us walking over to go to rest to Keith Moon for indecent exposure but we pay for this policeman God knows so we get him out the back door quick so he could get Keith Moon out about 20 trips it's much easier chase on the curb and he spent the rest of the night in a dental office beetle and his teeth put right next Meanwhile the cake fact started there was cakes on the ceiling walls carpets being Pete a new site if we used a fire extinguisher we could get the cake office so we did and we had a fire extinguisher 5 mean Peter Newman on the on the car parks everywhere something in the fire extinguishers affected pate Unka house and 12 cars needed we sprayed we found out in the moly. All the furniture to the hotel pool gone the railings around the pool the gun fans knew where we were staying and big they'd come in and started to damage as well so when we come to check out the hotel manager said well the $25000.00 for the damage. And then we were bound for life for a holiday in. Lol Yeah what about the late sixty's Hammond decides to Peter Noone decides that he wants to go all out Duffy That's right he gave a year's notice and he said he's going to leave November the 5th 1981 wants to be as a solo singer it just joined up with the grades organization in London and I think when he left he got the president saying get on my go would show starts a culture American do things and we went to the studio and wrote an album called whale of a tale which changed our name for the album it's called subtle mash some of the best records we have a don't break never got released without Ca in the chaff it was organized and it was an 8 out of out a check in that got shelved still in the got released and it was putting it out now a days it's a great great songs on it and we had to change the image slightly and went on to the university circuit that didn't work out who contributed nothing so it was unusual to do it in university that it could be very easy to do now in a digital basis with me all the school stuff in it all done on a 8 track machine you decide to eat despite the saw mushy you continue was a mistake I was right and that's happened since Yeah I mean if you told the u.k. a Lot he tore around the world today or every year will go to Germany no if Finland come out straight it probably New Zealand that kid as it were Yeah we're doing all these tours now. It's already new music from you 20 so for us in ourselves but people don't want to be any news to from as I was going to the old stuff you know but you must be writing it for a purpose to put it out the rave for us the guitarist writes and so does Jeff Rogers themselves and sell about their own serials if they do any Well it's been it's been great to talk to you after all this time Barry and I'm looking forward to the show when he comes to Liverpool was a very good package and some tossers great solvents so many hits on the mercy beats you know from a Liverpool bomb been a great Steve Ellis is fantastic from a love affair. Mind Benton's but he's been great to talk to so that he would from thanks very much indeed my pleasure indeed thanks. Of an alley night with a late night life the next time we went down there waiting for us to go and the show can you play this tape to deal with trying to get a recording contract or said Ok so a word to the play that to the guy left it with him when I called toll came back about 6 weeks later to my call next single and they were waiting for us outside. On the set thanks to the Mercer bench wave no go to a bunch of stick recording contract with full of truck loads and I said you're part of the thought of the name Last year I would decide to call Also the wall couple with us join me and into my for the late night life. Well well well or play that trail from Linda and she's cut turtoni Crane of the Mersey beats on and they're the same show as urban term it's so they're touring around at the moment the toys coming towards the end and it features Herman's Hermits the mercy beats the mind benders When I sure saw the show in Blackpool when from town I was ill so I'm not sure if he's still around or not but he was in hospital at the time the marmalade and Steve Ellis So there's 5 acts there and even if Wayne from town is not on the mind benders are actually very good and it's going to be at Manchester on the Friday this Friday at Bridgewater Hall bit of a good venue always think it's rather like the Phil and on Saturday it's going to be the fill and then the final date of the tour Well actually we've got 2 weeks off and December the 15th out the final date of the tour at the Leeds Grand Theatre and on Friday you've also got a choice of a couple of shows that are on in Liverpool The Stylistics I had air in from the stylistic some. Few weeks ago now they're going to be on with the sounds of the Supremes at the Fillmore to call on Friday and at 81 Renshaw you've got those 2 lunatics John Ottway and Wild Willy Barrett and I'll be interested to know whether John Ottway who is well in his sixty's now is still doing his somersaults on stage and. When I was playing that record no milk today then I was reminded of a story of when the Rolling Stones run Tolbert Craig Douglas. You forgive me if you've heard this before but Craig Douglas used to be a milkman in the yard of white and the Stones sort of thought he was rather drippy pop weren't really interested in him they they like tougher stuff and they were on tour with him and so one day they got hold of a milk bottle put a note in it saying 2 pints 2 pints please put it outside his dressing room door and of the time he wasn't very pleased about it and talking of the Rolling Stones as a new documentary about Ronnie Wood called Somebody Up There Likes Me Somebody Up There Likes Me a documentary about Ronnie Wood and that's going to be shown at the Odeon in switch Yolland between November the 26th and of Amber the 30th So that's this week of the audience which island the only place in the area that you can see it it's an documentary about Ronnie Wood called Somebody Up There Likes Me. Still sounding great aren't they that's the Rolling Stones with a Howlin Wolf song commit a crime that was recorded a couple of years ago and the documentary about Ronnie Wood which is called Somebody Up There Likes Me that's going to be the Odeon switch Island on the end of the $26.00 through to November the 30th and in the film he talks about his time both with faces and the Rolling Stones and this Wednesday at the Epstein theater t. Rex to see a playing but they're doing something special they're going to be doing the acoustic show so it's a t. Rex doing the songs acoustically Daniele's who does T.-Rex to see is really God so that should be of a different sort of show and a couple of Beatle related events that are on the Cern awful lot of things happening at the moment on the. Monday December the 2nd at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool you've got Earl slick who worked with David Barry John and Yoko David Coverdale and many many other artists too well known in his own right as well and so were his over from New York and he's going to be of the Unity Theatre in Liverpool on December the 2nd and from what I know about these type of events usually the end of the evening they suddenly any anything so I should think you'd be able to get albums of all sorts of people signed and also on Thursday the 5th of December at 6 o'clock there's going to be a film. The film you know well know were boy they're going to be showing it on the screen at fact though that's at 6 o'clock and they're going to have matter greenhouses you wrote No we're boy there so that's Thursday the 5th of December at 6 o'clock no we're a boy at 5th this fact a special showing of that with the screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh. Let's have a reissue Now this is this is marvelous Actually it's 2 Steve Goodman albums that have been put on one album Steve Goodman was a very very good songwriter indeed marvelous up the big jump raw and I think this is a wonderful song it's about the expatriate had to alter the Americans there in Cuba say getting up to all sorts of mischief in the song is called but on the republic. That is brilliant so grating Steve Goodman and that's from a double cd it's called Jesse's Jagan words we can dance to 2 albums together available now 20 tracks on it and that's the standout track but there's plenty of other good stuff too now the author Simon Wells is an old friend of this program and I met up with him to talk about his new book The Making of Quadrophenia the who made the album Quadrophenia 973 and it became an album in 1979 with Phil Daniels Leslie Ash sting and Toya it has become a cult film but it had a mixed reception at the time the critics who really didn't know what to do with it to his was a he was a film set in the sixty's styled by punks with a contemporary rock opera