The Action

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Action


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Kentish Town, North London, England
Genre = Beat
pop music
Blue-eyed soul
folk rock
Years_active = 1963 - 1969
Label = Parlophone Records (UK), Capitol Records (USA), Hansa Records (FRG), Zodiac Records (NZ)
Associated_acts = The Boys
Mighty Baby
Ace
Alias = Azoth (1967)
URL = [http://www.actionmightybaby.co.uk/ actionmightybaby.co.uk]
Current_members = Reg King
Peter Watson
Alan "Bam" King
Mike "Ace" Evans
Roger Powell
Ian Whiteman
Martin Stone
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Rickenbacker 12-string guitar (Watson)

The Action were an English band of the 1960s.

They were part of the mod subculture, and played soul music-influenced pop music. The band were formed as The Boys in August 1963, in Kentish Town, North London. After Peter Watson joined them as an additional guitarist in 1965, they changed their name to The Action. The original members were Reg King (lead Vocals) (born Reginald King, 5 February 1945, in Paddington, West London), Alan 'Bam' King (lead guitar, Vocals) (born Alan King, 18 September 1945, in Muswell Hill, North West London), Mike "Ace" Evans (bass guitar, Vocals) (born Michael Evans, July 1945, in Kentish Town, North West London) and Roger Powell (drums) (born July 1945, in Camden Town, North West London).

Shortly after their formation, they signed to Beatles producer George Martin's Parlophone Records. "Land of a Thousand Dances" 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; their highest charting single was "I'll Keep on Holding On", which reached number 47 in 1965.

After disastrous experiences with the Rikki Farr management, Peter Watson left the band in 1966. They continued as quartet, but were dropped from Parlophone in 1967. In the late 1960s keyboardist Ian Whiteman (born in 1945, in Saffron Walden, Essex) and guitarist Martin Stone (born 11 December 1946, in Woking, Surrey) joined the band and the Action moved toward a mid-tempo psychedelic ballad style, and then into folk rock. Reg King left the band in 1967, and Alan King took over as main lead vocalist. In 1969, when signing to John Curd's Head Records, the band was renamed by Curd Mighty Baby.

Alan King later went on to form Ace (see pub rock (UK)).

Notably, they are one of the favourite bands of Phil Collins, who performed with the reunited band in 2000. " [F] or me it was like playing with the Beatles," he later commented on the experience. [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,839719,00.html Home entertainment | | guardian.co.uk Arts ] ]

Discography

as "Sandra Barry and The Boys"
*You Really Gonna Shake / When I Get Married (R. King) (3/64 Decca)as "The Boys"
*It Ain't Fair (R. King/Evans) / I Want You (R. King/Evans) (11/64 Pye)as "The Action"
*"Land Of One Thousand Dances" b/w "In My Lonely Room" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) (10/65 Parlophone)
*I'll Keep Holding On / Hey Sha-Lo-Ney (2/66 Parlophone)
*"Baby, You've Got It" b/w "Since I Lost My Baby" (7/66 Parlophone)
*Never Ever (King/King/Evans/Powell) / Twentyfourth Hour (King/King/Evans/Powell) (2/67 Parlophone)
*Shadows and Reflections (Marks/Almer) / Something Has Hit Me (6/67 Parlophone)
*The Harlem Shuffle / Wasn't It You (Goffin/King) (1968? Hansa, Germany only)
*French e.p.: Shadows and Reflections / Something Has Hit Me / Never Ever / Twenty Fourth Hour (Fr, Odeon (MOE 149), 1967)

Posthumous releases

*"Tracks recorded in late 1967 and 1968, but released only in the 1990s as "Brain" and "Rolled Gold": 1 Come around 2 Something to say 3 Love is all 4 Icarus 5 Strange Roads 6 Things you cannot see 7 Brain 8 Look at the view 9 Climbing up the wall 10 Really doesn't matter 11 I'm a stranger 12 Little boy 13 Follow me 14 In my dream 15 In my dream (Demo) [ [http://www.parasol.com/reaction/reactcd001.asp Reaction Recordings - The Action - "Rolled Gold" CD ] ]
*"Tracks recorded ca. 1968, released Castle Music in 1985 as e.p.:" "Action Speak Louder Than ...": 1. Only Dreaming 2. Dustbin Full of Rubbish 3. An Understanding Love 4. My Favourite Day 5. A Saying for Today (all tracks written by Whiteman)
*"Uptight and Outasight" (Radio and TV recordings, CD bonus: 1998 live recording) (Circle Records)

References

External links

* [http://www.actionmightybaby.co.uk/ Official site for The Action and Mighty Baby]
*http://www.furious.com/Perfect/action.html Biography
*http://www.ready-steady-go.org.uk/action.htm Biography, Interview with Mike Evans
*http://www.darriafilm.com