Plastic Penny
| Company type | Pop group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | November 1967 |
| Defunct | August 1969 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music recordings (singles and albums) |
Plastic Penny was a British pop group active during the late 1960s, established in November 1967 and dissolved by August 1969. Their most notable success came with the early 1968 hit single "Everything I Am". Several band members subsequently attained higher prominence through involvement with other groups or as studio musicians.
Career
The sound of Plastic Penny was chiefly characterized by psychedelic pop infused with elements of progressive rock. The majority of their compositions were penned by Brian Keith, Paul Raymond, and Tony Murray. Following Keith's exit, Raymond took over lead vocal duties. Their recordings were released under the Page One Records label. Notably, the band appeared at the first-ever Isle of Wight Festival on 31 August 1968.
"Everything I Am" climbed to number six on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 30 in Canada. This song featured orchestral string arrangements and was a slow ballad adaptation of a track originally performed by the Box Tops, written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn. Later singles such as Bill Martin and Phil Coulter’s "Nobody Knows It" did not achieve chart success.
Mick Grabham (initially known as Mick Graham) went on to join Cochise and later Procol Harum. Brian Keith became the frontman for The Congregation. Paul Raymond replaced Christine Perfect (Christine McVie) in Chicken Shack, subsequently collaborating with Savoy Brown and UFO. Drummer Nigel Olsson gained extensive experience as a session musician working with Elton John. Tony Murray also contributed bass to Elton John’s Empty Sky album before joining The Troggs.
Their third album, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, was released after the band’s breakup in 1970 and compiled some of their more obscure tracks.
Band members
- Brian Keith (born Brian O'Shea, 22 September 1942, Port Glasgow, Scotland) – Lead vocalist
- Paul Raymond (16 November 1945 – 13 April 2019) – Keyboardist and guitarist
- Mick Graham (born Michael Grabham, 22 January 1948, Sunderland) – Guitarist
- Nigel Olsson (born Peter Nigel Olsson, 10 February 1949, Wallasey, Cheshire) – Drummer
- Tony Murray (born Anthony Murray, 26 April 1943, Dublin, Ireland) – Bass guitarist
Singles
- 1967 - "Everything I Am" / "No Pleasure Without Pain My Love" (Page One POF 051, UK)
- 1968 - "Nobody Knows It" / "Happy Just to Be with You" (Page One POF 062, UK)
- 1968 - "Your Way to Tell Me Go" / "Baby You're Not to Blame" (Page One POF 079, UK)
- 1968 - "Hound Dog" / "Currency" (Page One POF 107, UK)
- 1969 - "She Does" / "Genevieve" (Page One POF 146, UK)
- 1975 - Reissue: "Everything I Am" / "No Pleasure Without Pain" (DJM DJS 353, UK)
Albums
- 1968 - Two Sides of a Penny (Page One POL 005/POLS 005, UK)
Side One: "Everything I Am", "Wake Me Up", "Never My Love", "Genevieve", "No Pleasure Without Pain My Love", "So Much Older Now" Side Two: "Mrs. Grundy", "Take Me Back", "I Want You", "It's a Good Thing", "Strawberry Fields Forever"
- 1969 - Currency (Page One POLS 014, UK)
Side One: "Your Way to Tell Me Go", "Hound Dog", "Currency", "Caledonian Mission", "MacArthur Park" Side Two: "Turn to Me", "Baby You're Not to Blame", "Give Me Money", "Sour Suite"
- 1970 - Heads I Win, Tails You Lose (Compilation, Page One POS 611, UK)
Side One: Selected tracks including "Hound Dog", "She Does", and "Caledonian Mission" Side Two: Selected tracks including "Baby You're Not to Blame" and "Give Me Money"
External links
- Alex Gitlin’s Plastic Penny webpage
- [ Comprehensive Plastic Penny biography on Allmusic]
- Mick Grabham profile at The Musicians’ Olympus
- Official website of Nigel Olsson
- []