Unit 4+2 - Concrete and Clay/Unit 4+2
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Free Music Notes for Concrete and Clay/Unit 4+2
Free Music Review: Two-fer of mid-60s UK vocal group's albums + bonus cuts
Hit: 3 Stars
This six-piece was one of several UK vocal groups whose blues-tinged folk-styled harmonies grew out of the British skiffle sound and the American folk-revival. Their earliest work (including their debut single "Cotton Fields" and a cover of "500 Miles") applied their smooth, multipart harmonies to standards that were blossoming in Greenwich Village. By their second single, "Sorrow and Pain," the rhythms were more sophisticated, and their third single, "Concrete and Clay" became the group's commercial high water mark. The single's bossa nova beat and Spanish-styled acoustic guitar runs were memorable then, and still sound unique to this day.
The band tried their hand at soul and gospel sides, a bit like the Box Tops, and as the '60s progressed they dabbled in organ-driven psychedelia with "3.30" and electrified their folk roots with a cover of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere." Try as they might, they couldn't duplicate the success of "Concrete and Clay" (even when they recorded the knock-off "Baby Never Say Goodbye"), and never developed a commercial identity distinct from the hit. Their recorded legacy, represented here by a pair of albums and six bonus tracks, shows Unit 4 + 2 to be a talented group who simply didn't have the material or spark of others then on the scene.
Repertoire's 1993 29-track collection pulls together both albums released by the group on Decca, plus six bonus tracks - all in mono. The same label has recently dropped a 30-track compilation that focuses on the band's singles and includes the latter-day "I Was Only Playing Games," among other tracks missed here. With so many other UK vocal groups' catalogs available (Searchers, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Zombies, The Ivy League, et al), this isn't a necessity, but if you loved "Concrete and Clay," there's more to hear from Unit 4 +2. [?2007 hyperbolium dot com]
Free Music Review: A Great Single, A Wonderful First Album, but...
Hit: 3 Stars
Unit 4 + 2 is one of my favorite (there may be 100 + or so) groups of all time. Since I grew up during the so-called "British Invasion", that undoubtedly has a lot to do with it. Unit 4 + 2's first lp simply entitled "#1 featuring Concrete & Clay" was, I think, the fourth album I ever bought (the first three were "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann, "True Love Ways" by Peter & Gordon & "Out Of Our Heads" by the Rolling Stones---one selling point for me being that those first 3 were monaural, and the Unit 4 + 2 lp was stamped "stereo"). Having become so intimately familiar with the American release vinyl version of Unit 4 + 2's first effort, therefore, I must say that I was more than a bit disappointed by this CD. Sure, I was warned beforehand that it was going to be mixed down in fabulous mono, still, I was, as I say, disappointed having to listen to these tracks in flat mode since many of them were in stereo on the original vinyl release. But where else was I going to find a digital copy of this gem? Although some of the songs on the vinyl were mono ("Concrete & Clay" being one---all of them tweaked out in shotty "re-processed stereo" so popular in that day), others, some of them my all-time faves, were clearly in lovely stereo. "Sorrow And Pain", "Wild Is The Wind", and "Cross A Million Mountains" all suffer from monomania on this CD release. You should hear them in stereo: they pulse & throb with rhythm across the stereo band with a full bodied magnificence. What a shame. Guess I'll have to go to the bother of converting these vinyl tracks to digital myself.
Another disappointment to me, since I got the American version of the album, is the fact that 2 of the songs on that album were not included on this CD. They were "Tell Somebody You Know" (an infectious hand-clapping gospel rocker) and "Woman From Liberia" (a rollicking Jimmie Rodgers cover, and they give it a marvelous guitars-banjo-vocal-congas-percussion Unit 4 + 2 treatment that reminds me a little bit of some cartoon sequence of a leaky kitchen sink dancing around the room. But only if I think about it. No I ain't smoked nothin'.). "When I Fall In Love", the cover tune on the B-side of the "Concrete And Clay" 45 rpm, is a beautiful mainly vocal harmony offering that I would love to have a clean copy of. A-ha! I see that there has been a CD issued called "Singles As & Bs" just now, and it has this track on it. Can someone tell me if any of these songs are in stereo?
As for the group itself---a most peculiar idiosyncratic mix of about 6 English cats with something like 5-part coffeehouse folk harmonies backed by driving percussive Latin rock, with a very distinctive south-of-the-border guitar orientation. All of which is quite evident on their first (& to my knowledge only) single hit. One of the things I like about these guys is that they seemed to be from some working-poor hole in the wall, and it seems to show in the music---and in the talent. As an excerpt from the liner notes on the lp says, "The vocal harmony proved good enough for them to win on October 22nd, 1962, the National Boys Club award for vocal groups presented by Frankie Vaughan at the Royal Festival Hall." Sounds like a humble beginning to me, but they had ambition and drive, and produced some great music.
Having said a lot about the first album material on this CD, I can't say much for the rest. Sounds a bit schmaltzy & overly commercial to my ears, like maybe they were being steered too much by record producer types trying to mold & manipulate them. I don't recall hearing any standouts on the remainder, but I do recall maybe a few that I couldn't stand. I don't recommend this CD to anyone but the most die-hard fan & completist, as a curiosity and a sort of "rise and fall" kind of thing. But I haven't listened to it extensively. Maybe it's just unfamiliar to me. I'll give it another spin sometime (since I've already sprung the money for it).
{Correction: I have since found some tracks amongst those that remained that I would say are worth a listen. One early favorite for me was "I Won't Let You Down", included under "Additional Tracks". It has that punch, vocal complexity and exuberance characteristic of the original Unit 4 + 2 sound. Also, "Face In My Head" is quite lovely and has interesting harmonic textures. As it turns out, both of these were penned by Parker/Moeller, who seemed to have written all the group's best tunes. So, definitely, give this CD a thorough listen.}
Also, since I have praised the American release of their first album, I should clarify which songs were on that record. They were:
Concrete And Clay***************You've Never Been In Love Like This Before
Sorrow And Pain*****************La Bamba
Couldn't Keep It Myself************Woman From Liberia
You'll Remember*****************Wild Is The Wind
Cotton Fields*******************The Girl From New York City
Tell Somebody You Know**********Cross A Million Mountains
Yeah, mixing classic stuff like this down in mono seems to be all the rage these days (check out the Kinks "Face To Face" on the mcps/Sanctuary Midline label---yeah, all mono. Also some of the Motown reissues. Many others.). I don't even want to go into what they did to the Honeycombs on that "Very Best Of" CD release (just read the reviews). Guess they figure you'll shell out more hard-earned bucks a few years down the line for the new improved stereo version of whatever ( a la the Zombies' Decca Stereo Anthology---great one though it is, or the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" stereo/mono reissue CD. Hey, I almost forgot about the exclusively mono treatment they did to all the tracks on every early Beatles lp up to Help!, yet you can find stereo versions of some of the same songs on at least one expensive compilation. I'm still in the process of transfering stereo album cuts, like from "The Early Beatles" into digital, 'cause they got way more depth and soul and are more exciting than lousy linear mono).
I give this Unit 4 + 2 CD 3 stars, not out of any lack of love for the group, but because it just doesn't do the spirit of the group justice. Maybe those who decide these things will get it right later on (and maybe they'll do the Honeycombs justice, too).
Free Music Review: "Concrete and Clay" is a Good Pop-Song
Hit: 2 Stars
I bought this CD because I had read that members of the Roulettes played a big part in this band. I think The Roulettes was one the greatest English 1960`s bands that never really made it ( try to check out their CD! ), so I had hopes that this CD would be of the same high standards.
I was pretty disappointed. Maybe it`s unfair to compare this act with the Roulettes, because their styles are so different. I would rather compare Unit 4 + 2 with the Seekers or the softer side of the Searchers.
Their big hit "Concrete and Clay" is a good and catchy 1960`s pop song, but the majority of these songs sound dated and without profile. Even the rocking songs sound like their were played for Granny on her 75th birthday.
Who needs yet another version of "Cottonfields" or "La Bamba"?
Their version of Bob Dylan`s "You Ain`t Going Nowhere" is pretty good, though.
A lot of obscure British 1960`s bands made some terrific records, but apart from "Concrete and Clay" I don`t think Unit 4+2 has much to offer.
Free Music Review: Concrete &Clay
Hit: 5 Stars
I'd get this album for the title cut alone.Without a doubt,"Concrete And Clay",has to be one
of the all-time great guitar songs recorded.It
has a folksy,Latin rythmn to it.Well done,well
written.
Free Music Review: More than just Concrete and clay
Hit: 5 Stars
This British group originally comprised Peter Moules (lead vocal), David Meikle (guitar), Howard Lubin (guitar) and Thomas Moeller (keyboards) and was called Unit 4. Before achieving any success, Rod Garwood (bass) and Hugh Halliday (drums) joined. Rather than change the name to Unit 6 (the obvious new name), they became Unit 4 + 2.Their music was a blend of folk, pop and rock'n'roll. Their first hit was The green fields, which just scraped into the British chart. The next single, Sorrow and pain, failed to chart at all. The real breakthrough came via their third single, the British chart-topper, Concrete and clay, which was also an American top thirty hit. The follow-up, You've never been in love like this before, was a British top twenty hit but only just got into the American chart. Ten more singles were released but none of them charted, during which time there were several personnel changes.
This compilation includes all the hits and several of the A-sides that failed to chart - there were too many failures to include them all here. It also includes covers of Cotton fields, 500 miles, La bamba, You've lost that loving feeling and Swing down chariot - four different songs with very different origins.
Unit 4 + 2 made some entertaining music, but history will record them as a one-hit wonder. This collection is for those (like me) who are deeply into sixties music and who want to explore its obscure backwaters.
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