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Unit 4 + 2 still gets airplay today thanks to "Concrete and Clay." The 1965 single which hit No. 1 on the U.K. Pop charts and No. 28 on the U.S. Hot 100, and inspired covers by everyone from Gary Lewis and the Playboys to They Might Be Giants (including Randy Edelman's hit revival in 1976). But there was more to the British pop band, as evidenced by RPM's double-CD anthology, Concrete and Clay: The Complete Recordings. The 43 tracks here hail from 1964-1969 and encompass two albums, an EP and fourteen singles for a full overview of the band's career.
Lead singer Tommy Moeller and guitarist Brian Parker, the group's songwriting duo, were joined by singers David Ian "Buster" Meikle and Peter Charles "The Count" Moules to form Unit 4, so named for their four-part vocal harmony. When the foursome recruited part-time drummer Robert John Henrit and guitarist Russ Ballard of The Roulettes, Unit 4 + 2 was born. (Never mind that banjo player Norman "Rusty" Snook was also involved for a short time!)
Decca signed Unit 4 + 2 in 1963, premiering the band on 45 with the folk-influenced "The Green Fields." (A No. 48 U.K. hit, itturned out to be Snook's only recorded contribution to the band's catalogue.) Shortly thereafter, Parker opted to concentrate on his behind-the-scenes role as a songwriter, with his place onstage taken by Howard "Lem" Lubin. Rodney "Humble" Garwood also joined the band on bass. Though sophom*ore single "Sorrow and Pain" failed to set the charts on fire, third A-side "Concrete and Clay" certainly did. Its Latin beat and soulful sound was atypical for Unit 4 + 2 and indeed, from much of mainstream radio. Bob Crewe noticed its pop/R&B potential early and drafted Eddie Rambeau to record a cover for the American market, which split sales when the original was released in America. International versions also cropped up.
Unit 4 + 2 unseated The Rolling Stones from the top of the U.K. Pop chart in April 1965; the band's next single, the melodic ballad "(You've) Never Been in Love Like This Before" couldn't top "Concrete" but performed respectably (No. 14 U.K./No. 95 U.S.) on the charts. Decca issued the band's first album, simply titled 1st Album, filling it out with covers of The Righteous Brothers (a rather raw "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"), The Ad Libs ("The Girl from New York City") and the late Ritchie Valens ("La Bamba"). Henrit also departed the line-up, replaced by Hugh "Pygmy" Halliday.
The Complete Recordings, naturally, features all of the above tracks as well as the band's subsequent, diverse recordings which hoped to recapture the "Concrete and Clay" magic. Unit 4 + 2 recorded big beat ballads, harmony pop and folk-tinged material, and even returned to the "Concrete" rhythm for "Hark" and "Baby, Never Say Goodbye," but the public simply wasn't receptive enough. "Baby" cracked the U.K. Top 50 to become Unit 4 + 2's final chart entry. Decca dropped the group, and there were further line-up changes. Meikle resigned to form the duo Bill and Buster (with Tommy Moeller's brother Billy), and Russ Ballard and Bob Henrit joined full-time.
Fontana signed Unit 4 + 2 as the band struggled to modernize its identity. One single ("Loving Takes a Little Understanding" b/w "Would You Believe What I Say?") was credited solely to The Unit. The group touched on folk-rock (Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere") and light psych (The Bee Gees' "Butterfly") but dissolution was in the cards. By late 1968, only Tommy Moeller remained from the original group; Ballard and Henrit notably defected to an early iteration of Argent. Moeller assembled a new Unit 4 + 2 for the single "3:30," but it turned out to be the group's last single release. In 1971, drummer/singer Michael David Ingle formed a new Unit 4 + 2 that continues to perform live today. Tommy Moeller joined Harmony Grass, and Russ Ballard has of course enjoyed a long career as a songwriter, producer and performer with hits like America's "You Can Do Magic" and Argent's "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" among his credits. The other band members, too, went on to pursue music in various avenues.
RPM's Concrete and Clay: The Complete Recordings includes a 16-page booklet with a comprehensive essay about the band's history and music, plus a discography. Simon Murphy has remastered all tracks which showcase Unit 4 + 2's eclectic and frequently rewarding, enjoyable pop journey.
Unit 4 + 2, Concrete and Clay: The Complete Recordings (RPM Retro D 944, 2016) (Amazon U.S. TBD / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1
- The Green Fields
- Swing Down Chariot
- Sorrow and Pain
- The Lonely Valley
- Concrete and Clay
- When I Fall in Love
- Woman from Liberia
- Wild is the Wind
- Cotton Fields
- Cross a Million Mountains
- To Be Redeemed
- (You've) Never Been in Love Like This Before
- Tell Somebody You Know
- Couldn't Keep It to Myself
- You'll Remember
- 500 Miles
- La Bamba
- You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
- The Girl from New York City
- Hark
- Stop Wasting Your Time
- You've Got to Be Cruel to Be Kind
- I Won't Let You Down
CD 2
- Baby Never Say Goodbye
- Rainy Day
- For a Moment
- Fables
- I Was Only Playing Games
- I've Seen the Light
- Too Fast, Too Slow
- Booby Trap
- Butterfly
- A Place to Go
- Loving Takes a Little Understanding - The Unit
- Would You Believe What I Say - The Unit
- You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
- So You Want to Be a Blues Player
- 3:30
- I Will
- Face in My Head
- Something I Can Believe In
- (Living In) The World of Broken Hearts
- I Can't Stop
CD 1, Tracks 1 & 2 from Decca single F 11821, 1964
CD 1, Tracks 3 & 4 from Decca single F 11994, 1964
CD 1, Tracks 5 & 6 from Decca single F 12071, 1965
CD 1, Track 7 from London single 9732 (U.S.), 1965
CD 1, Tracks 8-11 from Decca EP DFE 8619, 1965
CD 1, Tracks 12 & 13 from Decca single F 12144, 1965
CD 1, Tracks 14-19 from 1st Album, Decca LK 4697, 1965
CD 1, Tracks 20 & 21 from Decca single F 12211, 1965
CD 1, Tracks 22 & 23 from Decca single F 12299, 1965
CD 2, Tracks 1 & 2 from Decca single F 12233, 1966
CD 2, Tracks 3 & 4 from Decca single F 12398, 1966
CD 2, Tracks 5 & 6 from Decca single F 12509, 1966
CD 2, Tracks 7 & 8 from Fontana single TF 834, 1967
CD 2, Tracks 9 & 10 from Fontana single TF 840, 1967
CD 2, Tracks 11 & 12 from Fontana single TF 891, 1967
CD 2, Tracks 13 & 14 from Fontana single TF 931, 1968
CD 2, Tracks 15 & 16 from Fontana single TF 990, 1969
CD 2, Tracks 17-20 from Unit 4 + 2, Fontana LP SFL 13123, 1969
Joe Marchese
JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others.He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders.Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.
