Orange Bicycle
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Defunct | 1971 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Psychedelic pop music |
Orange Bicycle was a British psychedelic pop ensemble active between 1967 and 1971. Their musical approach was influenced by groups such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, as well as the 1960s countercultural movement. They also functioned as the backing band for the duo Paul and Barry Ryan, performed in over 100 sessions for BBC Radio One, and made appearances on television in the UK.
Line-up
- Robert F Scales (lead vocals, performing as Robb Storme)
- John Bachini (bass guitar, guitar, vocals)
- Kevin Currie (drums)
- Bernie Lee (guitar, vocals)
- Wilson Malone (keyboards, drums, vocals)
Career
Starting out as a skiffle band in Crouch End, North London in 1959, they evolved into an electric outfit called 'Robb Storme and the Whispers'. After impressing at the Soho Fair contest in 1960, they secured a contract with Decca. Although several singles were released under Decca without significant commercial impact, they maintained an active touring schedule across the UK.
Initial members featured Robb Scales (vocals), Jim St. Pier (saxophone), Chuck Hardy (guitar), Gary Hooper (bass), and Lewis Collins (bass), who later achieved recognition through the television series The Professionals.
During the 1960s, the group recorded singles for Columbia and Piccadilly labels while performing extensively at colleges and universities throughout the UK. In 1964, still known as Robb Storme and the Whispers, they became pioneers as the first rock/pop band to tour behind the Iron Curtain during a visit to Poland with Helen Shapiro. Subsequently renamed The Robb Storme Group, they produced a cover of The Beach Boys' "Here Today" in 1966. With psychedelia gaining popularity, they adopted the name Orange Bicycle.
Their inaugural single under the Orange Bicycle name, "Hyacinth Threads," reached number one in France and enjoyed widespread success across European markets. In 1968, they released a rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Sing This Song All Together" and took part in the Isle of Wight Festival alongside artists such as Jefferson Airplane, T-Rex, and Fairport Convention. That summer, they appeared on BBC Two's Colour Me Pop. Their most acclaimed album, Orange Bicycle, included covers like "Carry That Weight", "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You", "Say You Don't Mind", and "Take Me to the Pilot".
By 1970, they issued their debut LP titled The Orange Bicycle, but as psychedelic pop waned in popularity, the group dissolved in 1971.
Subsequent careers
Malone pursued a solo career releasing an album under his own name on Fontana, as well as the album Motherlight credited to "Bobak, Jons, Malone" on Morgan Blue Town. This project showcased his vocals, keyboard work, and drumming alongside engineers Mike Bobak (guitar) and Andy Jons (recording). He went on to establish himself as an accomplished arranger and producer; notably, his string arrangement for The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" garnered widespread acclaim.
Currie became a member of Supertramp before joining Burlesque and continued working as a session drummer.
John Bachini—also known by aliases such as John Baccini, John Bacchini, and The Wop—developed a career as a session bassist, backing vocalist, producer, and sound engineer. Alongside Don Larking, he co-founded Wopalong Recording Studios and Superwop Music Publishers based in Luton, Bedfordshire, focusing on producing content for children's characters and television formats. In 2004, Bachini obtained a significant out-of-court settlement from Celador Productions, ITV, and other parties after claiming that his game show concept Millionaire had been copied to create Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Singles
- "Hyacinth Threads" / "Amy Peate" (Columbia DB 8259) 1967
- "Laura's Garden" / "Lavender Girl" (Columbia DB 8311) 1967
- "Early Pearly Morning" / "Go with Goldie" (Columbia DB 8352) 1968
- "Jenskadajka" / "Nicely" (Columbia DB 8413) 1968
- "Sing This Song All Together" / "Trip on An Orange Bicycle" (Columbia DB 8483) 1968
- "Last Cloud Home" / "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here" (Parlophone R 5789) 1969
- ""Carry That Weight"-"You Never Give Me Your Money"" / "Want To B Side" (Parlophone R 5811) 1970
- "Take Me to the Pilot" / "It's Not My World" (Parlophone R 5829) 1970
- "Jelly on the Bread" / "Make It Rain" (Parlophone R 5854) 1970
- "Goodbye Stranger" / "Country Comforts" (Regal Zonophone RZ 3029) 1971
Albums
- The Orange Bicycle (Parlophone PCS 7108) 1970
- Hyacinth Threads: The Morgan Blue Town Recordings (Edsel MEDCD 688) 2001 (compilation double album)