Plastic Penny
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1967-68) - Mike Graham (aka Mick Grabham) -- lead guitar - Brian Keith (aka Brian O'Shea) (RIP 2025) -- vocals - Tony Murray -- bass - Nigel Olsson -- vocals, drums, percussion - Paul Raymond (RIP 2019) -- vocals, keyboards
line up 2 (1968-69) - Mike Graham (aka Mick Grabham) -- lead guitar - Tony Murray -- bass - Nigel Olsson -- vocals, drums, percussion - Paul Raymond (RIP 2019) -- vocals, keyboards
line up 3 (19669) NEW - Fred Gandy -- bass (replaced Tony Murray) - Mike Graham (aka Mick Grabham) -- lead guitar - Nigel Olsson -- vocals, drums, percussion - Paul Raymond (RIP 2019) -- vocals, keyboards
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- Argosy (Nigel Olsson) - Bandit (Mick Graham) - Big Balls (Brian Keith) - The Big Three (Nigel Olsson) - Bluesology (Stuart A. Brown and Fred Gandy) - Chicken Shack (Paul Raymond) - The Circles (Brian Keith and Paul Raymond) - Cochise (Stuart A. Brown and Mick Grahham) - The Congregation (Brian Keith) - The Fairies (Fred Gandy) - Mickey Finn (Fred Gandy) - Sam Gopal (Fred Gandy) - Mick Grabham (solo effort) - The Great White Idiot (Brian Keith) - The Guitar Orchestra ( Mick Graham) - Hookfoot (Fred Gandy) - The Tony Jackson Group (Paul Raymond) - Tony Jackson and the Vibrators (Paul Raymond) - The Elton John Band (Tony Murray and Nigel Olsson) - Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends (Brian Keith) - The Wes Minster
Five (Paul Raymond) - Mogg / Way (Paul Raymond) - Musicians Union Band (Nigel Olsson) - Nigel Olsson (solo efforts) - Nigel Olsson's Drum Orchestra And Chorus (Nigel Olsson) - Procol Harum (Mick Grabham) - Paul Raymond (solo efforts) - The Paul Raymond Project (Paul Raymond) - Savoy Brown (Paul Raymond) - Spencer Davis Group (Nigel Olsson) - The Troggs
(Tony Murray) - Uriah Heep (Nigel Olsson) - The Universals (Brian Keith, Tony Murray and Paul Raymond) - Warpipes (Nigel Olsson) - Waysted (Paul Raymond)
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Genre: progressive Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Two Sides of a Penny Company: Page One Catalog: POLS 005 Year: 1968 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: UK pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4204 Price: $175.00 Cost: $86.70
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Probably one of the rarest finds in my record collecting days, I stumbled across this LP at a Maryland record collectors convention/sale (wonder if such gatherings still exist) and bought it based on a combination of the unique cover and the fact I recognized most of the band line up (guitarist Mike Graham, singer Brian Keith, bassist Tony Murray, drummer Nigel Olsson and keyboard player Paul Raymond).
Keith, Murray and Raymond had been members of the Irish Showband Chris Lamb & the Universals. Breaking off as The Universals they recorded a couple of mid-'60s singles for Larry Page's Page One label. By late 1967 The Universals had disbanded with Page turning his attention to Keith. Seeing commercial potential in The Box Tops' cover of the Dann Penn and Spooner Oldham penned "Everything I Am" he recruited Keith to do a cover of the song with backing from studio musicians. Released as a single credited to Plastic Penny, the song proved a fluke hit.
- 1968's "Everything I Am" b/w "No Pleasure Without Pain My Love" (Bell catalog number 703)
Anxious to promote the single, but lacking a band to do so, Page teamed Keith with his Universals band mates Murray and Raymond. Unhappy with The Universals guitarist Foggy Little and drummer Terry Parsons Page hired guitarist Mick Graham who in turned suggested friend/drummer Nigel Olsson. Within a matter of days the quintet were promoting the single on various UK television shows and live engagements. A second 45 was quickly released:
- 1968's "Nobody Knows It" b/w "Happy Just To Be with You" (Page One catalog number POF.682)
While the sophomore 45 failed to chart Page rushed the band into the studio to record a supporting album.
So what
did
these guys sound like? Want a four word
review? Second-tier Procol Harum ... Seriously, the first time I played
1968's "Two Sides of a Penny"
it repeatedly reminded me of Procol. To my simplistic ears the comparison was spawned
by Raymond's Hammond organ which recalled Gary Brooker, Graham's thick distorted
guitar which recalled Robin Trower and Keith's weathered vocals which occasionally
bore a resemblance to Gary Brooker (check out "It's a Good
Thing"). Raymond and Olsson also handled a couple of lead
vocals. Produced by Page their album was derivative, occasionally
labored, but not without its charms. W
"Two Sides of a Penny" track listing: (side
1) Previously released as their debut single, I was familiar with this song as the proud owner of a copy of The Box Tops' debut album - 1967's "The Letter / Neon Rainbow". With Alex Chilton on lead vocals, the original was an impressive slice of blue-eyed soul. The track also appeared as the "B" side of their 1967 "Neon Letter" 45. With Brian Keith on lead vocals the Plastic Penny cover kept close to the original melody and arrangement; the main difference being the addition of Colin Fretcher's Baroque styled strings. The Baroque arrangement was interesting, but perhaps a touch fey and Keith's vocals couldn't match Chilton's performance. Still, a nice cover. 2.) Wake Me Up (Brian Keith - Paul Raymond) - 3:08 rating: *** stars Powered by Raymond's lead vocals and organ and Mike Graham's strumming guitar, "Wake Me Up" was a middling pop-psych ballad. The song added a touch of social commentary and some nice harmony vocals to the mix. 3.) Never My Love (Dick Addrisi - Don Addrisi) - 2:22 rating: ** stars Covering a mega-hit like The Association's "Never My Love" is a losing proposition for most bands - particularly when you don't bring anything original to the cover. Once again they stuck close to the original arrangement; Raymond's Hammond B-3 organ being the song's most prominent characteristic. Totally forgettable. 4.) Genevieve (Paul Raymond - Tony Murray) - 3:00 rating: *** stars "Genevieve" was a pretty ballad with a nice chorus and a touch of psych. Always liked Murray's bass on this one. An extended version of the song with a much heavier arrangement appeared on the group's sophomore album ("Currency") and served as the "B" side to their 1969 "She Says" 45. 5.) No Pleasure Without Pain My Love (Brian Keith - Paul Raymond) - 2:35 rating: *** stars As on several other tracks, "No Pleasure Without Pain My Love" had a decent top-40 pop styled melody. The track would have been far better without Fretcher's ham-fisted strings which pushed it dangerously into MOR territory. The track had appeared as the "B" side on their debut "Everything I Am" 45. 6.) So Much Older Now (Paul Raymond - Tony Murray) - 2:37 rating: *** stars On "So Much Older Now" the combination of Keith's craggy voice and Raymond's organ served as another track that underscored the Procol Harum comparison. A little more pop oriented than Procol, but the resemblance was still there.
(side
2) With Raymond on lead vocals twenty second into "Mrs. Grundy" and you couldn't help but flashback to The Who's "Boris the Spider". As the second half of the song began to build momentum, Raymond's ominous keyboards gave the track a bizarre The Who-collide-with-Procol Harum sound. It was the album's strangest and coolest performances. 2.) Take Me Back (Brian Keith - Paul Raymond) - 2:15 rating: **** stars The album's most blatantly commercial offering, the bouncy, radio-friendly "Take Me Back" would have been the album's most obvious choice as a single. Always wondered why it wasn't tapped as a 45. 3.) I Want You (Graham Bond) - 3:25 rating: **** stars Powered by Olsson's vocals and drums (including a brief solo) and Graham's wah-wah guitar, their cover of The Graham Bond Organization was the album's best cover and the set's hardest rocking performance. I may be in the minority, but I actually like the cover better than Bond's horn-powered original. 4.) It's a Good Thing (Brian Keith - Paul Raymond) - 2:47 rating: **** stars Another stab at a more commercial rocking sound, "It's a Good Thing" showcased a nice blend of Keith's lead vocals and Raymond's organ. Even better, the track gave Graham another shot at the spotlight. 5.) Strawberry Fields Forever (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 4:19 rating: *** stars It seems as if every mid-'60s album included at least one Beatles, or Dylan cover. Their cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever" made sure this LP was no exception to the rule. As far as covers go, with Raymond on lead vocals and Murray's booming bass lines, it wasn't bad and the nod to "Hello Goodbye" was cute, but that wasn't enough to distinguish it any way from the original.
© Scott R. Blackerby March 2026
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hat
made it even more impressive was the fact it was recorded so quickly by a
group that had literally just been thrown together. The fact they were
able to coalesce so quickly and actually recorded some decent
original material was stunning. To be clear the Procol Harum comparison
wasn't meant as
a criticism. Keith and Raymond both had likeable voices that were well
suited to the band's mix of conventional pop ("Take Me Back)", lite-psych (the bizarre
The Who-meets-Procol Harum "Mrs. Grundy") and rock moves like
"It's a Good Thing". Full of nice melodies,
interesting instrumentation (Graham's guitar was a standout) and great
harmonies, the only real artistic missteps were needless and largely rote
covers of The Association's "Never My Love" and The Beatles
"Strawberry Fields Forever" Sure, they did a nice job on
the covers, but what was the point? On the other hand, powered by
Graham's wah-wah guitar and an Olsson drum solo, their rocked-up cover of
The Graham Bond Organization's "I Want You"
provided the album's highlight. Certainly
not the most original item in my collection, but a worthy addition to anyone
collecting UK psych and 60s rock ... In spite of the fact the sweet ballad
"Everything I Am, provided the band with a top-10 UK hit, the parent LP
wasn't a massive hit.