[.ca] Action Packed

Mod-Soul Masterpieces from the 60's:
Who were The Action? Simply put, The Action were one of the best of the British Mod bands of the 60's, sadly forgotten in favour of The Who, The Yardbirds and Small Faces by music historians. They were in many ways superior to these bands in terms of their subtlety and deft arrangements of R & B. The Action, never released a Long Player, and the material here is culled from 45's. Songs like "Shadows and Reflections" show a stunning grasp of melody and harmony far beyond that of their contemporaries. Their approach to American R & B is relaxed and natural, listen to "Since I lost my Baby" to get the truly delicate touch these lads had. But they could also churn out the dance power "I'll Keep On Holding On" is a wonderful marriage of Soul and British Invasion guitars with rock insistance and soulful pleading. "Wasn't It You" is another stunning track that showcases the bands masterful blending of British-brewed Soul. Lots of the early 60's British bands (including the Beatles) were heavily influenced by R & B, but no one married the two genres as well and as natrually as The Action. A wonderful collection of songs by a top-notch band. Someone should really this stateside, maybe dig up some long lost tracks off of the rumoured unreleased LP. Even as is this compilation is a stunner.

An oft-overlooked mid-60s mod R & B combo from England:
While the Who and the Small Faces were slugging it out for the attention of the mod kids in mid-60s England, The Action were left to fight for what was left of their musical attention spans. The Action were more heavily influenced by American R & B and Northern Soul than their more famous contemporaries, but were not afraid to be fierce on the guitar. Despite being signed by George Martin of the Beatles/EMI fame, the Action languished in obscurity and petered out by 1967. This disc is one of a few that has captured the band's sparse music catalogue (The Ultimate Action, which I presume is out of print, is another one that comes to mind). The band was heavily into covers, but their version of "Since I Lost My Baby" is a real gem and would make Smokey Robinson proud.

• Land of 1000 Dances
• In My Lonely Room
• Harlem Shuffle
• I Love You (Yeah)
• I'll Keep on Holding On
• Hey Sha-Lo-Ney
• Just Once in My Life
• Wasn't It You?
• Baby You've Got It
• Since I Lost My Baby
• Never Ever
• Twenty-Fourth Hour
• Place
• Come on, Come With Me
• Cissy
• Something Has Hit Me
• Shadows and Reflections