1963–1964: The Boys
The band was formed as the Boys in August 1963, in Kentish Town, North West London. The original members were Reg King (lead vocals), Alan "Bam" King (rhythm guitar, vocals), Mike "Ace" Evans (bass guitar) and Roger Powell (drums). [1] Members Reg King and Powell had known each other since their schooldays, [3] and were involved in the early days of the Scene Club in Soho, London, becoming pioneers in mod subculture and fashion. Alan King became the third band member, and brought Evans into the band. The Boys were then approached by Mike Court from Juke Box Jury, who referred them to band management, and asked them to venture forth into song-writing. [4]
The Boys originated as a backing band for Sandra Barry, (sometimes referred to as Sandra Barry and the Boyfriends), and played on her single "Really Gonna Shake", written by Reg King and released in March 1964 on Decca. [5] After the stint with Barry, Pete Watson was recruited as lead guitarist, and the Boys had a brief period as a bar band in Brunswick, Germany. [3] On returning to the United Kingdom, the band played a gig at The Birdcage Club in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and were recruited by manager Rikki Farr. [4] In November 1964, the Boys released their first single "It Ain't Fair" b/w "I Want You" on Pye. By early 1965, the band had changed their name to The Action. [1] [6]
1965–1968: The Action
The Action first auditioned for Decca on May 31, 1965, with an assortment of demos such as "In My Lonely Room", "You'll Want Me Back", "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)", and "Fine Looking Girl". [7] However, the band were unsuccessful in securing a recording contract. [8]
In 1965, they signed to Parlophone with producer George Martin, head of Associated Independent Recording (AIR). [9] Released in October 1965, "Land of a Thousand Dances" b/w "In My Lonely Room" was well received by critics, but sold poorly. [1] The Action were renowned for their own arrangements of American Tamla Motown songs and releasing them as singles. [4] In the band's lifetime, none of The Action's singles achieved success in the UK Singles Chart. [6]
The Action began as a supporting act for The Who at the Marquee Club, in late 1965. [6] The Who's manager Kit Lambert felt the Action were too good to be a support act and that they sabotaged the Who's constructed image. As a result, The Action were dropped as the support act. However, in no time at all, from December 1965, the Action had taken on a residency at the Marquee and regularly performed there throughout 1966, developing a mod following. [10] [4] Phil Collins was a regular attendee. [11]
In 1966, the band released two more singles "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Baby, You've Got It". [12] [13] "I'll Keep Holding On" was not only the most highly regarded Action 45, but also one of the few Motown covers that is markedly superior to the original. [6] The single was released in February 1966, and entered the Melody Maker single charts. It managed to reach No.42 (on March 5, 1966), [14] and even as high as No.39, but soon faltered. [15] On June 3, 1966, the band made an appearance on the Dick Clark show Where the Action Is, performing their single "I'll Keep Holding On", while being filmed outside the Royal Albert Hall, in South Kensington, London. [16] [17]
On July 31, 1966, the Action performed at the 6th National Jazz & Blues Festival, a three-day event held at the Royal Windsor Racecourse. They headlined with Georgie Fame and early Cream. [18]
In mid-1966, there were plans for a 1966 Action LP, but it was eventually dismissed. [3] [19] In August 1966, the band recorded an obscure composition by American writing team, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, "Wasn't It You" – a highlight in their studio career. It would have stood a chance of becoming a hit, but for unknown reasons, the song was shelved. Eventually, it was released in 1969 with "Harlem Shuffle" b/w "Wasn't It You" as a German B-side on Hansa, in the years following post-Action. Powell: "I loved 'Wasn't It You'. It was a shame it never came out at the time, as I thought that it was the best song we did for a hit." [6] Reg King had regarded it as one of his top three Action songs. [4]
The Action made regular television appearances, despite not having any associated chart hit singles. They were on Ready Steady Go! (RSG), at least twice, most notably for their singles "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Land of a Thousand Dances". [20] [15] [4] There was even a short documentary episode made on the band for the American television show The Twentieth Century, where the Action performed at Durham University in October 1966. [21] Relying solely on a few singles for material, the Action were known to perform The Ronettes songs "Do I Love You?" and "You Baby" in their live sets; as George Martin was preoccupied with the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's recording sessions. [21] [4] The Action were noted for their three-part harmonies. Led by Reg King's soulful vocals, Alan King and Pete Watson were very good harmony singers. [4] However, dissatisfied with the stewardship of their manager Rikki Farr, Pete Watson left the band in late 1966. [1]
In 1967, the Action continued as a quartet. They released their last two singles "Never Ever", an original composition, [22] and "Shadows and Reflections" with the B-side, "Something Has Hit Me", co-written by Reg King with Melody Maker journalist and flatmate Nick Jones. [6] [4] The band was dropped by Parlophone in mid-1967, after their last single "Shadows and Reflections" failed to chart, [4] by which time they had also parted ways with their manager Rikki Farr. George Martin's company AIR had financed all of the Action's recordings up to this point in their career, and the band had yet to experience any hits. [23]
This is a new venture sound-wise for us [Shadows and Reflections]. In the past we have concentrated more on the bass sound, but this time we are playing flower music. Flower music is soft, happy, gentle, full-of-life sunshine sounds. This new sound is what we've been trying for a long time. I hope everyone would buy it and learn what it's all about.— Reg King, Rave magazine (July 1967)
For the second half of 1967, the Action assumed control of their own affairs. Keyboardist Ian Whiteman briefly joined, in an effort to expand their sound and to help secure the band with a new recording contract by November 1967. However, Whiteman had since left the band, and was driven out by Reg King's increasingly unpredictable behaviour. Guitarist Martin Stone was soon recruited to fill his place. [1] [24]
The Action were now set about gathering original material for a new projected LP. The beginning of Rolled Gold was initially recorded with George Martin in mind as head producer, but no one at Parlophone was interested in the demo recordings at the time. [23] Their demo recordings were in a radically different, Byrds-influenced psychedelic style, and it failed to secure the band with a long hoped-for record deal. During this time, the band temporarily worked with Georgio Gomelsky and engineer Carlos Olmes of Marmalade Records. [4] (These 1967/68 demos were eventually released in the 1990s, under the title Rolled Gold). [25] The Action's profound and experimental masterpiece, "Brain" was recorded in these sessions, with its phasing, chord-driven guitars, rolling drums, dreamy bass, and Reg's voice shouting and pleading the listeners to "remember me". [26] [27] Yet such ventures risked confusing and alienating the band's hardcore mod following. [6] With the Action seemingly having reached an impasse, the demos were shelved for 30 years, and vocalist Reg King departed from the band in mid-1968. [1] [25] King was hired by Gomelsky to produce Gary Farr, and eventually pursued a solo career. [4]
Following Reg King's exit, Ian Whiteman returned and shared vocal duties with Alan King. [24] It was at this point, that the band decided on a brief name change from the Action to Azoth. However, the band soon reverted to their old name, in order to record a new set of five demos. The demos captured the band's transition into more of a mid-tempo, West Coast-influenced, psychedelic ballad style and early folk rock. [6] (These demos were eventually released in 1985, under the title The Action Speaks Louder Than Words).
