Some things in life are just not meant to be. Whenever any lost recordings by a hugely influential band or artist are unearthed, the cliché of the 'lost classic' is the first thing you read. In most cases, at least in my opinion, they're not but the mystery of the unknown or better still, the unheard, leads us to these hyperbole filled early conclusions. Sadly, this is the bitter truth for the highly revered 60s mod band, The Action and their 1967 and 1968 recordings.
The "Rolled Gold" reels are the long-lost masterpiece that nobody was ever allowed to hear until the guys at Dig the Fuzz Records got their hands on them back in the mid-90s. Despite being signed to legendary Beatles producer George Martin's AIR label and enjoying strong support in clubs, the Action strangely never had a hit record. No one before or since has recreated the Tamla sound quite so brilliantly. As Steve Marriott famously said: "We all tried our hand at getting that (Motown) sound you know, all the bands in the mid ‘60s. The best ones at it were the Action... They were an amazing band!" Some things are not meant to be, indeed...
I talked previously about the changes in sound and attitudes of the 'in crowd' bands on the few freakbeat compilations I made for this space. As the mods became interested in more psychedelic drugs, their sound evolved accordingly. 'Never Ever', their self-penned pop masterpiece showcasing astonishing three-part harmonies (not unlike those of the 'other' band Mr. Martin had under his wing), was released in February 1967... Their final single, the acid pop brilliance and most adored by yours truly 'Shadows and Reflections', was recorded in early March and subsequently released two months later. Although it received rave reviews, mysteriously failed to sell enough. Again...
During this period, Pete Watson, one of their guitarists gave up. The remaining members continued as four-piece. At one point, they even asked Keith Emerson to join them on Hammond organ, but he declined. The Action were already in search of new lands. A version of John Coltrane's 'India', recorded for the BBC, has proven this clearly. The "Rolled Gold" material was started and the process was underway. Although they weren't signed to Giorgio Gomelsky, they did use his studio and Reg King was at the top of his game. He was in charge of everything, producing, singing and writing most of the songs' parts.
The 'Rolled Gold' demos, supposedly named after the tapes kept in a handmade gold sleeve, were played to George Martin. He chose 'In My Dream' as a potential single, and the band re-recorded it with him at De Lane Lea Studios. EMI (AIR's distributor) showed no interest and the tracks were shelved. The band tried to persuade another label to provide the funding to record the album properly but unfortunately and for reasons The Action members cannot remember, Polydor decided to pass also. And that was the final nail in the coffin. Reggie left the band to work on a solo album after Rod Stewart's advice (with all Action comrades playing in), while the rest of the group slowly morphed into Mighty Baby.
In the summer of 1968, the remaining Action members put on tape five final songs under that name. The absence of Reg's voice led many to refer to these recordings as Mighty Baby, but they are not. All these songs embrace a brilliant Mods-meets-Byrds approach, rather than the Baby's known occult prog material. Personally, I rate them as highly as any of the previous Action recordings. Whiteman and Bam sing like any other West Coast band of the era, and as beautifully. I would even go so far as to say that these songs would easily have made it onto any Byrds LP or Syd's Floyd. Anyway...
I'm still trying to understand why this masterpiece was never given a chance. In those demos, the band definitely went psychedelic and clearly they were still in love with Soul and R&B. Don't be intimidated by the term 'demo', the recordings are as rough and clean as they need to be and so unbelievably ahead of their time! "Rolled Gold" is more direct than Who's "Sell Out", more adventurous than Small Faces' "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" and more concise than The Byrds' "Fifth Dimension". Believe me people, these songs are as fruitful and vibrant in their raw form as any comparable finished material of the era!
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