The Action were an English band of the 1960s, formed as the Boys in August 1963, in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the ope ...

North West London The NW (North Western) postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of 13 postcode districts covering around 13,895 live postcodes within part of northwest London, England. It is the successor of the NW sector, originally ...

. They were part of the

mod Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

, and played

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

-influenced pop music.

Career

The band was formed as the Boys in August 1963, in

. The original members were

Reg King Reg King (5 February 1945, Paddington, West London – 8 October 2010, Belvedere, Kent) was an English singer and songwriter, most famous for being the solo and lead singer with The Boys and The Action. He died of cancer, aged 65, in October 2 ...

(lead vocals), Alan 'Bam' King (rhythm guitar, vocals), Mike "Ace" Evans (bass guitar, vocals) and Roger Powell (drums). They had a brief spell as a bar band in Germany, and then as a backing band for Sandra Barry, (sometimes referred to as Sandra Barry and the Boyfriends) playing on her single "Really Gonna Shake" in 1964. After the stint with Barry, Pete Watson was recruited as

lead guitarist Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featured ...

, and in 1964 they changed their name to The Action. Shortly after their name change, they signed to

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

with producer

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

. "

Land of a Thousand Dances "Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. A ve ...

" b/w "In My Lonely Room" was well received by critics, but sold poorly. None of The Action's singles achieved success in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Dissatisfied with the stewardship of their manager Rikki Farr, Pete Watson left the band in late 1966. The Action continued as a

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

but were dropped by Parlophone in mid-1967, by which time they had also parted ways with Rikki Farr. They then assumed control of their own affairs, and soon afterwards keyboardist Ian Whiteman joined the band in an effort to expand their sound in order to help secure a new recording contract. By November, guitarist Martin Stone had also joined the band. The Action now set about gathering original new material for a projected LP, but recording demos in a radically different

Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining th ...

-influenced psychedelic style failed to secure them their hoped-for recording deal (the 1967/68 demos were eventually released in the 1990s under the title ''Rolled Gold''). With the band seemingly having reached an impasse vocalist Reg King's behaviour became increasing unpredictable, and he departed the band in mid-1968. King's exit left Ian Whiteman and Alan King to share vocal duties, and at this point The Action decided on a brief change of name to Azoth. However the band soon reverted to their old name to record a new set of five demos, where they moved toward a more mid-tempo West Coast-influenced psychedelic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

style and then into

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

(these demos were eventually released in 1985 as ''The Action Speaks Louder Than Words''). By January 1969 however, upon signing to Head Records (a fledgling independent label run by their former roadie John Curd), The Action was finally and permanently re-christened

Mighty Baby Mighty Baby were an English band formed in January 1969 from the ashes of The Action. They released two albums, ''Mighty Baby'' (which appeared in December 1969, but had been recorded almost a year earlier) and ''A Jug of Love'' (October 197 ...

. Alan King later went on to form

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

, who had a US hit in 1975 with " How Long". A 1980 compilation of the Action's Parlophone tracks came with sleeve notes by

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul m ...

("The Action had it in their soul") and did much for their profile, while the Rolled Gold album demos were hailed as lost classics when they were reissued in the 1990s. In 1998, the original lineup of the Action reformed for a concert on the Isle of Wight. The band then played regularly over the next six years. They are one of the favourite bands of

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

, who performed with the reunited band in June 2000. "For me it was like playing with

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

", he later commented on the experience.

Discography

Singles

;as ''Sandra Barry and The Boys'': *"Really Gonna Shake" / "When We Get Married" (R. King) (March 1964,

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

) ;as ''The Boys'': *"It Ain't Fair" (R. King/Evans) / "I Want You" (R. King/Evans) (November 1964, Pye) ;as ''The Action'': *"

" b/w " In My Lonely Room" ( Holland-Dozier-Holland) (October 1965,

) *"

I'll Keep Holding On "I'll Keep Holding On" is a song composed by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter and recorded by Motown singing group The Marvelettes, who released the single on the Tamla imprint in 1965. Peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #11 on the ...

" / "Hey Sah-Lo-Ney" (February 1966, Parlophone) *"Baby, You've Got It" (McAllister, Vail) / " Since I Lost My Baby" (Robinson/Moore) (July 1966, Parlophone) *"Never Ever" (King/King/Evans/Powell) / "Twenty Fourth Hour" (King/King/Evans/Powell) (February 1967, Parlophone) *"Shadows and Reflections" (Larry Marks/

Tandyn Almer Tandyn Douglas Almer (July 30, 1942 – January 8, 2013) was an American songwriter, musician, and record producer who wrote the 1966 song "Along Comes Mary" for the Association. He also wrote, co-wrote, and produced numerous other songs pe ...

) / "Something Has Hit Me" (King/Jones) (June 1967, Parlophone) *"

Harlem Shuffle "Harlem Shuffle" is an R&B song written and originally recorded by the duo Bob & Earl in 1963. In 1986, it was covered by the British rock band The Rolling Stones on their album '' Dirty Work''. Bob & Earl The original single, arranged by Ge ...

" / "Wasn't It You" ( Goffin/

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

) (1968, Hansa, Germany only) *French EP: "Shadows and Reflections" / "Something Has Hit Me" / "Never Ever" / "Twenty Fourth Hour" (

Odeon Odeon may refer to: Ancient Greek and Roman buildings * Odeon (building), ancient Greek and Roman buildings built for singing exercises, musical shows and poetry competitions * Odeon of Agrippa, Athens * Odeon of Athens * Odeon of Domitian, Rome ...

(MOE 149), 1967)

Compilation albums

;''The Ultimate! Action'':(singles and other material recorded by the original run of the band, 1964–1967) # "I'll Keep Holding On" # "Harlem Shuffle" # "Never Ever" # "Twenty Fourth Hour" # "Since I Lost My Baby" # "In My Lonely Room" # "Hey Sha-Lo-Ney" # "Wasn't It You?" # "Come On, Come With Me" # "Just Once in My Life" # "Shadows and Reflections" # "Something Has Hit Me" # "The Place" # "The Cissy" # "Baby You've Got It" # "I Love You (Yeah!)" # "Land of a Thousand Dances" ;''Brain/Rolled Gold'': (Tracks recorded in late 1967 and 1968, but released only in 1995): # "Come Around" # "Something to Say" # "Love is All" # "Icarus" # "Strange Roads" # "Things You Cannot See" # "Brain" # "Look at the View" # "Climbing Up the Wall" # "Really Doesn't Matter" # "I'm a Stranger" # "Little Boy" # "Follow Me" # "In My Dream" # "In My Dream" (Demo) ;''Action Speaks Louder Than'' (EP): (tracks recorded circa. 1968, released by

Castle Music Castle Communications, also known as Castle Music, was a British independent record label and home video distributor founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane, and Jon Beecher. Its video imprint was called Castle Vision. The label's producti ...

in 1985): # "Only Dreaming" # "Dustbin Full of Rubbish" # "An Understanding Love" # "My Favourite Day" # "A Saying for Today" (all tracks written by Whiteman) ;''Uptight and Outasight'': (radio and TV recordings, CD bonus: 1998 live recording) (Circle Records): *CD1 – The Action on Television and BBC Radio 1966–1967 # "I'll Keep Holding On" # "

Land of 1000 Dances "Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. A ver ...

"/"Uptight" # "Mine Exclusively" (BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1966) # Reg King Interview (BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1966) # "Baby You've Got It "(BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1966) # "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me A While)" (BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1966) # " Going to a Go Go" (BBC Radio's Pop North 1966) # "Never Ever" (BBC Radio's Pop North 1966) # "Love Is All" (BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1967) # "I See You" (BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1967) # "India" (BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1967) # "Shadows and Reflections" (BBC Radio's Saturday Club 1967) *CD2 – The Boston Arms, London 1998 # "Meeting Over Yonder" # "

The Monkey Time "The Monkey Time" is a song written by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Major Lance. It reached No. 2 on the U.S. R&B chart and No. 8 on the U.S. pop chart in 1963. It was featured on his 1963 album ''The Monkey Time'', was arranged by Johnny ...

" (

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

) # "Baby Don't You Do It" # 'In My Lonely Room" # "I Love You (Yeah!)" # "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" # "Ooo Baby Baby" # "Crazy About You Baby" # "Heatwave" # "

People Get Ready "People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the '' People Get Ready'' album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' ...

" # "The Memphis Train" # "Since I Lost My Baby" # "Harlem Shuffle" # "Baby You've Got It" # "I'll Keep Holding On" # "

" In addition to this in 1980, Edsel released a compilation of all The Action's original UK singles called ''The Ultimate Action'' (Edsel ED101) and after that four singles using the same material: *"I'll Keep on Holding On/Wasn't It You?" – E5001 1981 *"Since I Lost My Baby/Never Ever/Wasn't It You?" – E5002 1981 *"Shadows and Reflections/Something Has Hit Me" – E5003 1982 *"Hey Sha-Lo-Ney/Come On, Come With Me" – E5008 1984

References

External links