Unit 4 + 2 were a British pop band formed in Hertfordshire, England, who had a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1965 with the song "Concrete and Clay".
[1] In 1962, Brian Parker, then the guitar player and songwriter with the Hunters, decided to form his own vocal harmony group.
[2] Unit 4 was later joined by Russ Ballard on guitar and Robert 'Bob' Henrit on drums (forming the + 2) for a six-piece, four-part vocal harmony group.
As Unit 4 + 2, they issued their debut single on Decca Records titled "The Green Fields" (featuring the only performance with the band of banjo player Nigel Snook), which reached number 48 in the UK in 1964.
In 1967, Russ Ballard (who, with Henrit, went on to form Argent) joined the band full-time, having played some of the guitar work with Brian Parker on the original recording for "Concrete and Clay".
Unit 4 + 2 released 10 singles on Decca between 1964 and 1967, including one four-track EP, and many of the songs ended up on 1st Album.
[11] The album later changed in title, cover art and track listing and was re-released as #1 featuring Concrete and Clay.
They briefly resurfaced for a tour of UK clubs during 1970 with Tommy Moeller remaining as the front man, but with an entirely new backing band.
"Concrete and Clay" returned to the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart in 1976, courtesy of Randy Edelman's cover version.