Biography
Unit 4+2 earned recognition chiefly as a one-hit wonder whose promise exceeded its commercial footprint. Among the stronger acoustic-electric ensembles operating in the mid-1960s, the band reached the upper reaches of the charts with the memorable single “Concrete and Clay,” which succeeded on both sides of the Atlantic, yet no later release matched its immediate appeal.
The outfit began when guitarist Brian Parker departed the instrumental group the Hunters, who had cut sides for Fontana in 1961 after forming in Hertfordshire. Early in 1962 Parker joined Adam Faith’s backing ensemble the Roulettes, though he soon departed to assemble his own vocal-oriented quartet. He enlisted guitarists Tommy Moeller, with whom he started composing material, and David Meikle, along with vocalist Brian Moules; the four performed at youth clubs and similar local spots before turning professional. Parker, hampered by ongoing health problems, exited around this period but kept writing with Moeller, and Howard Lubin took his place.
In 1963 the quartet adopted the name Unit Four and sustained a following in club circuits. With the Beatles-led British beat boom dominating the charts, the musicians realized a more forceful approach would be required to secure a recording deal and escape the club circuit. They therefore added bassist Rod Garwood and drummer Hugh Halliday, thereby becoming Unit 4+2.
The sextet landed a contract with English Decca in 1964, and their first single, “Green Fields,” appeared early that year, registering modestly on the U.K. lists with its folk-gospel character. A follow-up, “Sorrow and Pain,” earned favorable notices without achieving comparable longevity.
Issued early in 1965, the third single “Concrete and Clay” proved decisive. Notably, it marked the first occasion the group recorded with two guest musicians, guitarist Russ Ballard and drummer Bob Henrit, both former Roulettes colleagues of Parker. Driven by a memorable chorus, a bossa nova rhythm, and engaging acoustic-guitar hooks, “Concrete and Clay” ascended to number one in Britain and registered internationally, ranking among the strongest pop singles of 1965 and exposing the band across global airwaves.
Success arrived abruptly. Like many contemporaries, the band lacked comparably strong material for an immediate successor, a shortcoming quickly exposed. Decca rushed out an album to exploit the breakthrough, yet the long-player lacked the single’s focus and appeal. The next 45, “You’ve Never Been in Love Like This Before,” introduced a stronger soul influence and reached the English Top 20 without replicating the earlier chart peak.
Rapid shifts in the surrounding musical landscape left the group increasingly out of step. British beat music was evolving toward greater intensity and instrumental prowess, and Unit 4+2 struggled to develop a fresh identity. Attempts to incorporate more soul elements appeared on “You’ve Got to Be Cruel to Be Kind,” while “Baby Never Say Goodbye” sought to recapture aspects of “Concrete and Clay.” Their core difficulty remained the inability to generate another memorable melody that avoided sounding like diluted versions of that signature track, while departures from its gentle, acoustic-driven bossa nova style eroded the very qualities that had set them apart.
The 1966 release “I Was Only Playing Games” introduced proto-psychedelic touches and prominent orchestral backing that foreshadowed elements the Moody Blues would refine at Decca the following year. Unit 4+2’s orchestral-psychedelic venture proved less effective, and after three further unsuccessful singles they departed Decca in 1966 for Fontana Records. Subsequent pop-oriented releases, later compiled by the label on an LP, seemed progressively less attuned to prevailing tastes.
Garwood, Halliday, and Meikle left in 1967; Ballard and Henrit, whose prior band the Roulettes had dissolved that year, replaced them. The resulting quintet gained instrumental strength from the new members, whose experience with hooks and material lent greater edge to Unit 4+2’s sound. In 1968 the band attempted to regain momentum with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” which failed to rival the Byrds’ concurrent version.
A final 1969 single, “3.30” backed with “I Will,” embraced full psychedelic textures through harpsichords and expansive orchestration but failed to chart. The group disbanded later that year; Ballard and Henrit soon joined former Zombie Rod Argent in Argent, whose heavier, arena-oriented approach suited the early-1970s marketplace.
Today Unit 4+2 is recalled almost solely for “Concrete and Clay.” Between their Decca and Fontana periods—the catalogs now held by MCA-Universal—they produced at least a dozen additional worthwhile tracks, most of which appear on Repertoire’s Concrete and Clay compilation.
The outfit began when guitarist Brian Parker departed the instrumental group the Hunters, who had cut sides for Fontana in 1961 after forming in Hertfordshire. Early in 1962 Parker joined Adam Faith’s backing ensemble the Roulettes, though he soon departed to assemble his own vocal-oriented quartet. He enlisted guitarists Tommy Moeller, with whom he started composing material, and David Meikle, along with vocalist Brian Moules; the four performed at youth clubs and similar local spots before turning professional. Parker, hampered by ongoing health problems, exited around this period but kept writing with Moeller, and Howard Lubin took his place.
In 1963 the quartet adopted the name Unit Four and sustained a following in club circuits. With the Beatles-led British beat boom dominating the charts, the musicians realized a more forceful approach would be required to secure a recording deal and escape the club circuit. They therefore added bassist Rod Garwood and drummer Hugh Halliday, thereby becoming Unit 4+2.
The sextet landed a contract with English Decca in 1964, and their first single, “Green Fields,” appeared early that year, registering modestly on the U.K. lists with its folk-gospel character. A follow-up, “Sorrow and Pain,” earned favorable notices without achieving comparable longevity.
Issued early in 1965, the third single “Concrete and Clay” proved decisive. Notably, it marked the first occasion the group recorded with two guest musicians, guitarist Russ Ballard and drummer Bob Henrit, both former Roulettes colleagues of Parker. Driven by a memorable chorus, a bossa nova rhythm, and engaging acoustic-guitar hooks, “Concrete and Clay” ascended to number one in Britain and registered internationally, ranking among the strongest pop singles of 1965 and exposing the band across global airwaves.
Success arrived abruptly. Like many contemporaries, the band lacked comparably strong material for an immediate successor, a shortcoming quickly exposed. Decca rushed out an album to exploit the breakthrough, yet the long-player lacked the single’s focus and appeal. The next 45, “You’ve Never Been in Love Like This Before,” introduced a stronger soul influence and reached the English Top 20 without replicating the earlier chart peak.
Rapid shifts in the surrounding musical landscape left the group increasingly out of step. British beat music was evolving toward greater intensity and instrumental prowess, and Unit 4+2 struggled to develop a fresh identity. Attempts to incorporate more soul elements appeared on “You’ve Got to Be Cruel to Be Kind,” while “Baby Never Say Goodbye” sought to recapture aspects of “Concrete and Clay.” Their core difficulty remained the inability to generate another memorable melody that avoided sounding like diluted versions of that signature track, while departures from its gentle, acoustic-driven bossa nova style eroded the very qualities that had set them apart.
The 1966 release “I Was Only Playing Games” introduced proto-psychedelic touches and prominent orchestral backing that foreshadowed elements the Moody Blues would refine at Decca the following year. Unit 4+2’s orchestral-psychedelic venture proved less effective, and after three further unsuccessful singles they departed Decca in 1966 for Fontana Records. Subsequent pop-oriented releases, later compiled by the label on an LP, seemed progressively less attuned to prevailing tastes.
Garwood, Halliday, and Meikle left in 1967; Ballard and Henrit, whose prior band the Roulettes had dissolved that year, replaced them. The resulting quintet gained instrumental strength from the new members, whose experience with hooks and material lent greater edge to Unit 4+2’s sound. In 1968 the band attempted to regain momentum with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” which failed to rival the Byrds’ concurrent version.
A final 1969 single, “3.30” backed with “I Will,” embraced full psychedelic textures through harpsichords and expansive orchestration but failed to chart. The group disbanded later that year; Ballard and Henrit soon joined former Zombie Rod Argent in Argent, whose heavier, arena-oriented approach suited the early-1970s marketplace.
Today Unit 4+2 is recalled almost solely for “Concrete and Clay.” Between their Decca and Fontana periods—the catalogs now held by MCA-Universal—they produced at least a dozen additional worthwhile tracks, most of which appear on Repertoire’s Concrete and Clay compilation.