Song
Title & Composer(s) |
Track
info / Notes |
Paddle Your Own Canoe
(Colin Radcliffe - George Radcliffe) |
A rare collaboration between the brothers Radcliffe,
this is a bright, catchy song which the band
sang on TV during the 1970s. It's a shame George
and Colin didn't write a few more together!
LP:
Telling Tales |
Paint A Perfect
Christmas
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
A
new Meeks-Radcliffe composition recorded for
the band's 2008 Christmas album.
CD:
A Special Child |
Pal Of My Cradle Days
(Al Piantadosi - Marshall Montgomery) |
Sentimental 1925 song dedicated to the writer's
mother. For some reason, particularly popular
among Irish female vocalists.
CD:
Better Than Ever |
Parrot, The
(Nick Brackin) |
Humorous monologue credited on the album to
Nick Brackin, but elsewhere credited to Bill
Froggatt. Very similar story to the old Stanley
Holloway monologue Sam's Parrot, written
in 1934 by VF Stevens and Lauri Bowen.
LP:
On Stage Again |
Passing Of Today, The
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Slightly melancholy minor-key song, sung beautifully
by Lynda and John. A recurring theme in Meeks-Radcliffe
songs is regret at the passing of time, and
how short our lives are - this is one of those
songs.
LP:
Makin' Tracks |
Peddlers Of Songs
(Stanley Ashton - John Meeks) |
Title track of the album, with a lyric reminiscent
of Alan Bell's The Minstrel.
LP:
Peddlers Of Songs |
Pendulum
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Another song about how quickly time flies and
how short a time we have to live. Lynda on lead
vocals, with harmonies from the others, sung
to the rhythm of a pendulum clock, gathering
pace at the end.
LP:
Wish You Were Here |
People Said
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Catchy song with a whistled introduction, sung
by Lynda. The song is about how little each
of us knows, even after a lifetime of learning.
LP:
King Cotton |
People Tree, The
(Leslie Bricusse - Anthony Newley) |
Song from the musical The Good Old, Bad Old
Days, also recorded by its writer Anthony
Newley. A somewhat unusual choice of material
for the Fivepenny Piece, this was released as
a single but never appeared on any album. Lynda
was the lead vocalist.
single:
The People Tree |
Pete Was A Lonely Mongrel Dog Who Lived In Central
Wigan
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
A children's song with the longest title of
any Fivepenny Piece song, about the eponymous
dog's adventures when he runs away to join the
forces.
LP:
Songs We Like To Sing; CD:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece |
Piddling Pete (Riders In The Sky)
(Stan Jones) |
Humorous parody by the music hall artist Leslie
Sarony about a dog with prodigious piddling
powers! Sung to the tune of Stan Jones' 1949
western song Ghost Riders In The Sky. It's
not known whether Piddling Pete and the "lonely
mongrel dog from central Wigan" are one
and the same!
LP:
On Stage Again |
Polar Bear
(Nick Brackin) |
Yet another of Nick Brackin's humorous items,
about a young polar bear questioning his parents.
LP:
An Evening With The Fivepenny Piece |
Put Wood In Th'Ole
(music: J. Meeks, words: C. & G. Radcliffe) |
A duet with Eddie and George playing the part
of a wife and husband, respectively, with hilarious
results!
LP:
On Stage Again |
Song
Title & Composer(s)
|
Track
info / Notes |
Rainbows
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Pop (or perhaps even C&W) oriented song,
opening track on the album Both Sides Of
Fivepenny Piece.
LP:
Both Sides Of The Fivepenny Piece; LP:
This Is The Fivepenny Piece |
Rawtenstall Annual Fair
(Bob Weston - Bert Lee) |
Old Lancashire music hall song which is always
popular wherever it's sung. In fact it's become
a kind of national anthem, not just for folk
around the Rawtenstall area (between Rochdale
and Blackburn) but for Lanky folk everywhere.
Written by the team who composed such well known
songs as Knees Up Mother Brown, What I Want
Is A Proper Cup Of Coffee, and the First
World War song Goodbye-ee. They also
wrote some of Stanley Holloway's monologues
and songs including Brahn Boots, My Word
You Do Look Queer, Beat The Retreat On Thy Drum
and With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm.
CD:
Better Than Ever |
Reflections Of Emily
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
A gentle song with John on lead vocals and some
good harmony singing from the others. This song
appeared as the B-side to the single A Gradely
Prayer released in 1972 and re-issued in
1975.
single:
A Gradely Prayer; single:
A Gradely Prayer; LP:
Songs We Like To Sing; LP:
This Is The Fivepenny Piece |
Rembrandt
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Country-tinged song on the Makin' Tracks
album, sung by John, about the great painter.
LP:
Makin' Tracks |
River
(Gosling - Hurdle) |
Strong pop song on the Peddlers Of Songs
album, with Lynda on lead vocals. Another contender
for a single which wasn't to be...
LP:
Peddlers Of Songs |
Royton Sands
(Trad. arr. The Fivepenny Piece) |
Old Lancashire song popularised by the Oldham
Tinkers, about the legendary "sands"
at Royton (near Oldham), with the chorus:
We kept eatin' parkin,
We kept eatin' parkin,
We kept eatin' parkin,
That's why we are so breawn!
LP:
On Stage |
Running Free
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
This song was the first ever single by the Fivepenny
Piece. Not really typical of the band's later
material and perhaps it was a bit too 'folky'
to be a mainstream chart hit.
single:
Running Free |
Song
Title & Composer(s)
|
Track
info / Notes |
Sail Away Tin Soldier Friend
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
One of the group's most popular songs, this
evocative number from the King Cotton
album is sung beautifully by Lynda and the lads.
It concerns the influx of immigrant mill workers
and their adoption of the Lancashire way of
life in the post-war era. A new version of the
song was released in 2004 on John Meeks' first
solo CD.
LP:
King Cotton; CD:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece; CD:
Just Me And Some Of Mi Songs |
Sandstone Castle
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
The lyrics of this reflective song were inspired
by a castle that Colin saw while on holiday
in the Algarve. On the live On Stage
album. John on lead vocals.
LP:
On Stage |
Saturday Cowboys
(Dave Dutton - Bernard Wrigley) |
Song from the Lanky Spoken Here! album,
about the "Saturday morning rush"
when the children would all go to the picture
house to see the latest western films. A great
performance of the song from the band. A different
version was recorded on the live album An
Evening With The Fivepenny Piece.
Note: the first issue of the Lanky Spoken
Here! (later withdrawn) featured Bernard
Wrigley's own version of the song instead of
The Fivepenny Piece's - The Fivepenny Piece
version was rightly reinstated for the second
issue.
LP:
Lanky Spoken Here!; LP:
An Evening With The Fivepenny Piece; CD:
Lanky Spoken Here (2) |
Save Your Last Kiss For Me
(Roger Greenaway - Tony Macaulay) |
Strong pop performance with Lynda on lead vocals,
of this song written by the two established
writers who had notched up many chart hits between
them during the 1960s and '70s. Issued on a
single with a picture sleeve, showing EMI's
commitment to its success, but sadly it came
to nought. The track reappeared on the LP This
is Fivepenny Piece.
single:
Save Your Last Kiss For Me; LP:
This Is The Fivepenny Piece |
| Scarlet
Ribbons |
Recorded
for the band's 2008 Christmas album.
CD:
A Special Child |
See-Saw Song
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Cheerful nonsense song - a bit of out and out
fun, with John and Lynda prominent on vocals.
LP:
Makin' Tracks |
Seth Davey
(Glyn Hughes) |
This popular song, variously known as Seth
Davy, Whiskey On A Sunday or Come
Day, Go Day, concerns the Liverpool street
entertainer with his dancing dolls, who died
in the early 1900s. Now a bit of a folk standard.
LP:
An Evening With The Fivepenny Piece |
Sha La La
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Romantic love song with doo-wop style vocal
backing, crooned with great tenderness and feeling
by George, in a rare demonstration of his balladeering
skills.
LP:
Wish You Were Here |
Silent
Night
(Trad. - arr. John Meeks) |
Well-loved
Christmas Carol arranged by John and recorded
for the band's 2008 Christmas album.
CD:
A Special Child |
Simon Gavin
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Love song from the band's 'pop' album, with
Lynda on vocals.
LP:
Peddlers Of Songs |
Sing No More For You My Friends
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Short song used to end a performance - can be
heard at the end of the live LP Fivepenny
Piece On Stage.
LP:
On Stage |
Soft Summer Nights
(Trevor Chance) |
Romantic song penned by Trevor Chance and sung
by Andrea.
LP:
Here We Are Again; CD:
Here We Are Again |
Sometimes When We Touch
(Dan Hill - Barry Mann) |
1978 hit song written and recorded by Dan
Hill, and covered by many artists. Not really
typical 5PP material, but included on the early
1980s LP Here We Are Again.
LP:
Here We Are Again; CD:
Here We Are Again |
Songs We Like To Sing
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
The catchy title track of the band's third album,
with some good vocals from John and Lynda. Re-recorded
in 2007 for the It All Began album.
LP:
Songs We Like To Sing; CD:
Where It All Began |
Sowie
(Trevor Chance - Colin Radcliffe) |
Trevor sings lead vocals on this atmospheric
number.
LP:
Here We Are Again; CD:
Here We Are Again |
|
Spanish Holiday
(Peter Christie)
Lyrics
here
|
Humorous song in the Lanky tradition, written
by Peter Christie (about whom I know
nowt!), which suits the Fivepenny Piece down
to the ground and could have been written for
them - perhaps it was?
LP:
Telling Tales; LP:
This Is The Fivepenny Piece; CD:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece |
Special
Child, A
(Colin Radcliffe) |
A previously unreleased song with Lynda singing.
The song is about 25 years old and has been
sung at Christmas concerts over the years, but
never recorded until September 2007. Written
by Colin Radcliffe, it features John and Lynda
on vocals. First released on YouTube.com,
it became the title track of the band's 2008
Christmas album.
CD:
A Special Child |
Stalybridge Market
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Nostalgic song about the old Saturday night
market in Stalybridge, where all manner of things
could be seen and bought (or stolen!), reminiscent
of the old Lancashire poem Eawr Market Neet.
A new version of the song was released in 2004
on John Meeks' first solo CD.
LP:
Songs We Like To Sing; LP:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece; CD:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece; CD:
Just Me And Some Of Mi Songs |
Stalybridge Station
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Song about the decline of the old railway station
at Stalybridge, and a railway system "determined
to die", which still seems just as relevant
in the 21st century as it was back in the 1970s!
A new version of the song was released in 2004
on John Meeks' first solo CD.
LP:
Wish You Were Here; LP:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece; LP:
Lancashire My Lancashire; CD:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece; CD:
Just Me And Some Of Mi Songs |
Stalybridge Wakes
(John Meeks - Eddie Crotty) |
Jaunty song with Eddie on lead vocals, and a
whistled introduction.
LP:
Songs We Like To Sing; LP:
Lancashire My Lancashire |
Stamford Street Lament
(John Meeks - Stanley Ashton) |
Melancholy song about the main street in Ashton-under-Lyne
- written by another Ashton.
LP:
King Cotton |
Stories From The Wishing Well
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Children's song with nonsense lyrics - great
fun and very singable. A highly popular song
from the band's very first album.
LP:
The Fivepenny Piece; CD:
The Very Best Of The Fivepenny Piece |
Straightforward Lancashire Lad
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Song dedicated to that straightforward Lancashire
lad Eddie Crotty (from Cheshire!), on the live
On Stage album.
LP:
On Stage |
Streets Of London
(Ralph McTell) |
Ralph McTell's world-famous song about
down and out society in London, included on
the album An Evening With Fivepenny Piece.
Vocals are shared between John and Lynda.
LP:
An Evening With The Fivepenny Piece |
Supposin'
(John Meeks - Colin Radcliffe) |
Another pop-oriented song with a very catchy
melody, which could easily be imagined hitting
the charts had it been issued on a single.
LP:
Wish You Were Here |
