Two Sides of a Penny

UK psych-pop group Plastic Penny released this, their debut LP, in 1968 on Kinks' manager Larry Page's Page One label. The opening track, "Everything I Am" -- written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, and originally recorded by Alex Chilton's group The Box Tops -- was a #6 hit on the UK charts in early '68. While that was the extent of most of the world's exposure to Pretty Penny at the time, the rest of the album is a glorious slice of orchestral psych-pop with light progressive touches, and in the intervening years it has become a highly sought-after collector's item. Fetching three figures on the online market, Two Sides Of A Penny has moody arrangements, killer guitar work, swirling organ, and hooks galore, along with vocals reminiscent of the aforementioned Kinks' Davies brothers as well as a taste of Joe Cocker. Members of Plastic Penny would go on to greater fame in groups like Cochise, Procol Harum, Chicken Shack, and UFO, while drummer Nigel Olsson went on to be one of the UK's most popular session musicians playing with Elton John, The Troggs, and Rod Stewart, among others. This beautiful piece of late '60s psychedelic pop is reissued on limited edition 180g vinyl.A1. Everything I Am A2. Wake Me Up A3. Never My Love A4. Genevieve A5. No Pleasure Without Pain My Love A6. So Much Older Now B1. Mrs. Grundy B2. Take Me Back B3. I Want You B4. It's A Good Thing B5. Strawberry Fields Forever