The fantastic London group the Action seemed poised for stardom in the mid ’60s. They had the Fifth Beatle, George Martin, in their corner, producing five of their singles, which fused Motown soul with jittery mod moves. Unfortunately, none of those 45s hit. Shifting with the times in 1967, the Action cut some demos that reflected their mastery of psychedelia. Despite the outstanding quality of the 14 songs recorded in ’67 and ’68, they remained unreleased until the mid ’90s, whereupon critics justifiably flipped over their indelible melodies and emotional depth.
Reg King (vocals), Alan King (guitar, vocals—no relation), Martin Stone (lead guitar), Ian Whiteman (keyboards, flute, vocals), Michael Evans (bass, vocals), and Roger Powell (drums) were mainly influenced by the Byrds and John Coltrane (they covered the former’s “I See You” and the latter’s “India” early in their career), but ultimately subsumed those artists’ qualities into their own charismatic identity. In Reg King, the Action possessed a frontman with pipes almost as soulful as Steve Marriott’s; in fact, Small Faces‘ label, Immediate, briefly showed interest in the Action, but bafflingly passed on them. After all that hard luck, the Action changed direction again, becoming Mighty Baby and embracing a sprawling prog-psych approach. Today, Mighty Baby actually inspire more listener interest than the Action. I say you should make room on your shelves for both artists.
Anyway, let’s discuss how great Brain is; please note that it’s been reissued several times under the title Rolled Gold, with the last being in 2023 by Spanish label Guerssen. Even though these are demos, you can hear the Action’s glorious psychedelia flowering from the opener, “ Come Around,” whose courtly songsmithing bears the melodic splendor of fellow UK psych-pop wonders Kaleidoscope. “Icarus” is airy psych rock that foreshadows some early Yes melodic contours while the LP’s most jazz-oriented track, “Love Is All,” soars with Eastern-inflected, flute-powered verve, and with a very tough rhythm section. By contrast, “Things You Cannot See” is an utterly gorgeous ballad, up there with Nazz/Todd Rundgren‘s “Hello It’s Me” and the careening, anthemic rocker “Look At The View” is as great as anything the Creation did—just a roller-coaster ride of absolute joy. And seemingly for sheer giggles, the Action grind out Steppenwolf-esque biker sike on “Follow Me.”
The greatness really escalates with “Strange Roads,” one of the most sublime songs of the ’60s. Exquisite backing vocal harmonies, fried, rococo guitar riffs, Reg’s commanding vocal performance, and a bridge of radiant freakbeat swagger coalesce into a masterpiece. This song, to quote Judee Sill, is heart food. Even better somehow is “Brain,” simply one of the most heart-wrenching rock songs I’ve ever heard. Over a poignant wah-wah-guitar squawk and a deceptively complex rhythm, King sings with killing conviction, “Take your brain, it’s time to go/And you don’t have long you know/Remember me, remember me/’Cause I’m the one who made you see/Remember me.” The words don’t look that impressive on the screen, but King’s delivery sells them, and then some. Beginning with a guitar part that echoes that of “Dear Prudence,” “In My Dream” closes Brain/Rolled Gold with some exceptional, valedictorian psych—a tear-jerkingly beautiful ballad that arcs skyward like an eagle.
It’s long past time that the Action received acclaim matching that of Britain’s most important ’60s rock groups. Consider this review as a nudge toward that goal. -Buckley Mayfield
Located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, Jive Time is always looking to buy your unwanted records (provided they are in good condition) or offer credit for trade. We also buy record collections.
