The Action were one of those British invasion bands that, if you love the genre like I do, you just can't get enough of. Formed in 1963, the group signed to AIR Records, owned by Beatle producer George Martin who subsequently helmed their early sessions. The Action were sharp-dressed Mods - like the Who or the Small Faces - and were possessed by the requisite Mod fixation on Motown and American soul music. Less pop savvy than the Beatles, nor as blues-based as the Stones, the Action were more soulful than either of those much more celebrated groups. Songs like "I'll Keep On Holding On" and "Baby You've Got It" translated the urgent sound of Motown into the English pop idiom - something many bands tried with far less success.

The Ultimate Action (Edsel) - originally compiled in 1981 with assistance from the Jam's Paul Weller - is an excellent (though poorly annotated) overview of this undeservedly obscure band. In 2000, Edsel replaced The Ultimate Action with a very similar set, Action Packed. For all intents and purposes, the discs would seem to be interchangeable. One could assume, however, that Action Packed benefits from more up-to-date mastering techniques and, one would hope, more detail-oriented liner notes. Either way, this is must-own CD for Anglophiles.

Sadly, the Action achieved only a modicum of success in the UK, garnering a little airplay (most notably with "I'll Keep Holding On") but charting nary a single. In the US, the Action, well, got no action. Before the group broke up in 1967, they cut one last album, Rolled Gold, which was rejected by their distributor and sat unreleased until 2002. Rolled Gold is a terrific record, and it indicates the progressive direction the Action might have headed had they stuck together. It's another highly recommended CD (with liner notes by Matthew Sweet), though less essential than the early material featured on Action Packed.

Subsequently, none of the Action went on to great things. Blue-eyed soul singer nonpareil Reg King cut a solo album, and the rest of the band formed a new group, Mighty Baby, which was dubbed - unlikely as it seems - "the English Grateful Dead." The Action reformed awhile back and still play the occasional gig. A 2007 rarities collection called Uptight And Outasight includes live tracks from a 1998 London gig alongside TV and radio appearances from the 60's. [top of page]