The Action - The Complete Recordings 1964-1968 4CD coming

It's on the Guerssen label. They had released a great edition of July's psychedelic masterpiece some years ago. In my opinion it's a great label.

see: http://www.guerssen.com/catalogue.php?ide=31481

 

So regarding the last 8 tracks on Disc 4 labeled "("Edsel" mix)" , are those unique mixes done for a previous reissue on the Edsel label?

Or something else?

Mark

 

Standard mixes available for ages. All previous CD editions of Martin stuff used 80's remixes (save for first single which is the only contemporary mono mixes on those cds)

 

Same here @Daveymoore, I saw them there also but couldn't remember the name of the club 'til your post. Strangely I only have a few tracks of theirs scattered across several '60's compilations so I'm definitely in for this.

 

Looks amazing. I'm in.

 

I assume the In The Lap Of The Mods book is unlikely to see a no frills reissue anytime soon? I really wanted that one.

 

Still available from book site..

 

This website used to mention The Jigsaw Club and The Action but is being redeveloped at the moment and hopefully both of these will reappear in the future.
Home

 

Oh, yes!!

 

Note that vinyl version contains stereo remixes, not mono stuff

 

From way back

 

Funny, I don't see Sandra Barry & The Boys doing 'Really Gonna Shake' in the box set.

 

Apologies if this takes the thread off -topic but I'm so jealous of you gents. Did either of you get to see Small Faces or Fleur De Lys ?

 

No need to be jealous, it means that I am old enough to have been there. I did see the Small Faces at a venue called the New Century Hall in Manchester which was inside a modern office block owned by the Co Op. It was renowned for having a sprung dance floor and had a lot of top acts but lacked the atmosphere of the small clubs.
At the time Small Faces vs The Action as a live act - I preferred The Action.

 

New vinyl being released by Cherry Red also - The New Action

The Action: The New Action! Exclusive Vinyl Edition - Cherry Red Records

 

An old girlfriend of mine's Mum saw The Small Faces several times, they were not a great live act, in fact fairly shambolic from what I gather.

 

This is an interesting concept, attempting to present what the band's full length album might have been...but only four of the tracks are not previously released A and B sides. If this actually had been released as an album in 1967, it certainly wouldn't have done their legacy any favors.

 

Given that it already exists in two versions, it is doubtful unless they produce a paperback version of the basic version. I was disappointed that the big complete session / broadcast / gig listing was only part of the expensive £75 version and not the £35 version. Having said that the cheaper version is a pretty lavish affair with great photos etc. It does lack a proper narrative, however, and mostly uses a succession of quotations and anecdotes.

 

I don't think we can assume an Action LP would have used so many previously released tracks. There was a tradition (very strong in the UK at the time) that LPs had mostly exclusive material to contemporary singles, bar an odd song. Think of The Who's A Quick One or the Stones' Out of Our Heads (no duplication of singles at all). Having said that, the band would have been under some pressure to come with enough original material - they seemed to be slow starters in that regard.

 

I agree completely, and I don't think this is at all an accurate representation of what might have been. Cherry Red's description states "THE NEW ACTION imagines what the band’s album – which was announced at the time in the press – might have been like had it actually been released." But I think this "imagining" is far-fetched, to say the least.

 

Those singles produced by George Martin have a soulful charm, and it will be great to have them with pristine sound. But for me, it is what came after that really floats my boat. “Rolled Gold” hit me like the hammer of the gods when I first discovered it about five years ago. It was a mockery of justice that EMI turn down those demos. The fact that they were saved and eventually released is a true miracle. From the moment I first heard it I knew it was going to go on my desert disks list.

Matt Collar’s review at All Music states the case perfectly:

“Playing like the brilliant missing link between mod and psychedelic rock, Rolled Gold is experimental without being silly or twee and emotionally mature without being pompous and boring. It is the type of album that reveals its brilliance within seconds of hearing the first track and builds momentum from there. Tracks such as "Something to Say" and especially "Brain" with Reggie pleading for immortality over a hugely anthemic chord progression are as good, if not better, than anything that charted during the late '60s and sound less dated than many of the Action's contemporaries' efforts. It's as if Paul Weller time-traveled back to 1967 and wrote the best songs of his career. Every track is a fully realized melodic and lyrical statement. While there is a roughness to the demo-quality recording, it only magnifies the raw emotions the Action were able to translate into timeless music -- music that deserved much better than it got.”

 

Just got an email that my copy is getting ready to ship. Excited for this one.

Mark

 

Rolled Gold is an incredible (non) album. Just fantastic songs couples with inspired performances. AllMusic is on the money here.

I read somewhere the songs on it were demos that George Martin was supposed to produce later on. If he didn't have time, he should have seen to it that someone produced these songs and got them out. What a great record. Possibly my favorite record of '68 and it wasn't even released. "STRANGE ROADS!"

 

Just got my notice of "out for delivery" from Amazon. Hopefully will have time to do a quick review today.

 

CD box set and vinyl arrived today. Looking forward to listening to this.