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Funky 45's
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The Soul Roots Of | |
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The ACTION!! | |
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by Bill Luther | |
| The Action are probably the third most popular U.K. "mod" band (following of course, The Who and The Small Faces)of the 1960’s. They began playing beat music but eventually switched to soul and rhythm and blues as The Boys in Kentish Town, England in 1963. The Boys released a debut 45 "It Ain’t Fair" b/w "I Want You" on Pye 7N 15726 in August of 1964 produced by black Cockney singer/personality Kenny Lynch (later to have a small hand in careers of The Small Faces and teenage modsters The Game). A few months later the band became The Action. At the insistence of a mutual friend, George Martin came down to hear the band play and quite soon they were snapped up by his new production company (Air) and secured a contract with Parlophone records in the U.K. Though they never scored any massive U.K. chart success’s The Action were, and still are London r’n’b/soul legends. Their sound was characterized by their diminutive but soulful lead vocalist Reggie King, tight falsetto harmonies and chiming Rickenbacker 6 and 12 string guitars. No doubt this sound would not be possible without the midas production touch of George Martin who produced their entire Parlophone output The band had a steady following among the normally picky mod legions who rarely liked hearing British bands covering the sacred songs of their American soul heroes. | |
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| But The Action were different, they rarely did any note for note covers and often chose more obscure sides to revamp. Bassist Mike Evans and rhythm
guitarist Alan King admitted in a "Bucketful Of Brains" interview that most of their cover choices came from the collection of d.j. supreme and Guy Stevens (who also provided his friend Pete Townshend and The Who with a similar service). The band drifted off
their soul path with the cancellation of their debut LP and the advent of their poppy/harmony oriented fourth single in the spring of 1967. To get to the heart of the matter let’s took a look at the soul and r’n’b originals that the band chose to cover: NOTE: all chart positions for original versions refer to Billboard placings. | |
| 1."Land Of A Thousand Dances"
Originally cut by Chris Kenner on Instant 3252 (highest chart position #2) in July of 1963. The Action’s version is allegedly the number that George Martin heard them performing when he strolled in to their gig and decided the sign them. They cut it as their debut single on Parlophone R5354 in October of 1965. Their version bear’s no resemblance to Kenner’s, but precedes Wilson Pickett’s. Interestingly enough their take sounds very similar in arrangement to the U.S. hit version by Cannibal and The Headhunters, which appeared around the same time. We’ve yet to determine which came first!! |
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| 2."In My Lonely Room"
The flip of the Action’s debut was this Martha and The Vandellas single (Tamla 7031) which was released in April of 1964. The Action’s arrangement is very similar to the original but distinctly set apart by their liberal use of a Rickenbacker fueled riff. |
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"I’ll Keep Holding On" Perhaps The Action’s best known record was their second 45 (Parlophone R5410), a cover of this less mainstream Marvelettes single which was released as Tamla 54116 (highest position #34). Eschewing the original’s brass backing The Action’s cover is distinctly set off by the affore mentioned Rickenbacker guitar and double bass drum with the number being played actually slower than the original. |
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| 4. "Hey Sha Lo Ney"
Originally cut in 1965 by New York City whiteboy Mickey Lee Lane on Swan 4222 as "Hey Sah Lo Ney", The Action took this gritty kitchen sink production and clicked the pace up a few notches. Lane’s version has a primitive production with a scratchy guitar and throbby bass dueling with a poorly recorded but brilliant horn section. His vocals are raw as they come (indeed he later remarked that he could not speak for a few days after the final take). Action frontman Reggie King opts for a safer yet more soulful route while lead guitarist Pete Watson gives his 12 string Rick workout handling both the brass section riff and the lead with an almost jazzy feel. This was the flip of "I’ll Keep Holding On", |
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"Baby You Got It" The A-side of The Action’s third release (Parlophone R5474, July 1966) came from The B-side of Maurice and The Radiant’s "I Want To Thank You Baby" (Chess 127) from march 1966. The Action’s bears little if no resemblance to the original. The Radiant’s is fuller sounding with heavy brass and strings, stronger vocals and forceful backing vocals. The Action chose to speed it up almost double time and replace the necessary brass backing riff with a busy 12 string Rickenbacker lick. |
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| 6."Since I Lost My Baby"
The flip of the band’s previously mentioned 45 was provided by The Temptations hit which began life as Gordy 7043 and reached # 7 in July of 1965. Whereas the Temp’s original relies on a sweeping string section and sober harmonies (accented by some tasteful bass vocals) The Action’s is this time a jangly 12 string affair with higher falsetto backing vocals (which by now had become, along with their predilection for Adolph Rickenbacker’s guitars, their trade mark). |
| 7."Harlem
Shuffle"
The band covered this Bob and Earl December 1963 classic (Mall 104) in 1966 while recording tracks for their never to be released album (tentatively titled, according to Rave magazine "Action Packed"). While it was unearthed by Edsel records in 1981 for their excellent "Ultimate Action" LP compilation the record first saw life as a bizarre posthumous German only 1968 45 on Hansa 14321 AT(coupled with "Wasn’t It You", cut originally by Petula Clark). The Action’s version is again delivered at a quickened pace and lacks the grit and soul of the original, though it’s high falsetto backing vocals are interesting. |
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| 8."I Love You (Yeah)"
The Action chose this Impressions number (the flip of "Keep On Pushing" ABC Paramount 10554, June 1964) as another cover for their canceled long player. The Action’s version relies heavily on a call and response vocal with some precise falsetto harmonies and ignoring the horn driven Impressions route. |
| 9."Just Once In My Life"
Again a number culled from their LP that never was, The Action do a sparse yet very soulful (accented by George Martin’s piano) version of The Righteous Brothers October 1965 hit (#7 as Phillies 127). |
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| 10. "The Cissy"
Cut originally as "The Sissy" by Bob and Earl in 1964 as Chene 103, the Action recorded this during their LP sessions in late 1966. The original is slower, more soulful with it’s breaks accented by some soul duo vocal stuff by Bob and Earl and up front horns. Reggie King and company’s take is slightly more haphazard, again reliant on the 12 string to cover the brass bits and a manic, almost sloppy feel. |
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The author wishes to thank Brian Phillips, Brian Poust, Mark Raison and Mike Stax for research material that made this article possible | |
