Orange Bicycle

Orange Bicycle was formed in London in early 1967 and played a sanitized and poppy brand of light psychedelia that featured strong melodic harmonies. However, with each subsequent single the group released they strayed further from Psych and concentrated more on perfecting their flowing vocals.



Orange Bicycle released a total of 20 singles and one album between 1967 and 1971. It also seemed at one point in the very beginning that the band would enjoy commercial success and mainstream popularity. The band's first single in 1967, a psychedelic tinged, pop song titled "Hyacinth Threads" b/w "Amy Peate" went to 1 in France and sold reasonably well throughout continental Europe but failed to enter the charts in England. Their follow up release in late '67, "Laura's Garden" b/w "Lavender Girl", saw the band continue to distance itself from any real psychedelic sounds, evolving instead into a vocal harmony outfit.



When their next two singles in 1968 met with lackluster reviews and poor sales, the band decided to cover The Rolling Stones' "Sing This All Together" b/w "Trip on an Orange Bicycle". They hoped that by covering a Stones song their need for a hit would be realized, leading to some attention from a seemingly uninterested record buying public. Unfortunately for the band, neither materialized.



Orange Bicycle left Columbia and signed with Parlophone in the latter part of 1969. As 1970 rolled in, the band was given the opportunity to record an album and in short order put together the aptly titled "Orange Bicycle". The album was largely comprised of covers including several Elton John/ Bernie Taupin numbers, Bob Dylan's "Tonight I'll be Staying Here With You", and the Lennon/ McCartney composition "Carry That Weight". The much needed hit single continued to elude the group and the album disappeared quickly when support single releases such as "Take Me To The Pilot" (John/Taupin) and "Carry That Weight" failed to create enthusiasm or garner any significant airplay.



After one last single release in 1971, the band decided to pack it in.