Search - Action :: Rolled Gold

A masterpiece move from mod R&B to psychedelic pop

Jeffrey Jotz | Rahway, NJ USA | 10/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The earlier stuff by the Action -- who achieved notoriety through the support of Beatles' producer George Martin -- was your standard collection of guitar-driven, English mid-60s interpretations of American R&B tunes, but in 1968, the world was changing, and the Action changed along with it.Like their contemporaties the Who and the Small Faces, the Action began to move away from traditional mod melodies like "I'll Keep Holding On" to more expansive pieces like "Come Around," "Brain" and "Strange Roads."What results is not a full "mod" or "psychedelic" collection, but a fantastic collage of great British pop that can hold its own with the big stars of the era (Beatles, Kinks, etc). Each song gets better after each listen.The songs on Rolled Gold were recorded as demos for an upcoming album but never released. Thankfully, they were remastered and repackaged as a CD with liner notes from band members and modern-day popsters like Matthew Sweet and Brent Rademaker of Beechwood Sparks.In fact, listening to this disc immediately draws parallels to many indie pop icons of the present day, most notably Robert Pollard and his Guided by Voices. I don't even know if these artists intentionally drew their work from that of the Action's Rolled Gold days, but the parallels are striking.Placing this CD in my player with the Kinks "Arthur" and the Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" will complete your fun trip through edgy psychedelic pop of a time long gone."

Impressive

Todd Lucas | Southern Illinois, USA | 08/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Action were a Britsh mod band of the mid-sixties. A couple of years later, they recorded a bunch of demos for an album that never materialized. This disc contains those songs. And don't let the term "demo" scare you away. The sound quality is good to excellent and the tunes are pretty fully realized. I've seen this disc described as psychedelic, though that's only true in the very broadest of terms. Hucksters will throw around that word to sell anything. No, this is a pop rock record that, in many ways, seems to be the logical next step for the band. In fact, the drumming still sounds very mod-like to me. Matthew Sweet and Beachwood Sparks provide testemonials in the liners, if that gives you an idea of the disc's overall sound.There are a lot of winners here. "Icarus" and "Brain" seem to garner the most attention but "Something to Say", a simply wonderful song, is my personal favorite. I mean really, you should hear this stuff to appreciate it. I always love discovering lost gems that I never knew existed. This one falls squarely into that category."

Action - 'Rolled Gold' (Reaction / Parasol)

Mike Reed | USA | 02/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For you newcomers, The Action was a short-lived English pop band that existed from 1966-68. Even though the band officially released five singles and their number one fan was famed record producer George Martin, The Action never quite got off the ground. That's a shame because most of the tracks on this compilation CD are good, if not some are actually out-standing. The band's best assets are their catchy lyrics, creative guitar playing and musical surprises every now & again. Most notable tunes here are the cleverly arranged "Strange Roads", "Something To Say", "Brain", the energetic "Look At The View", "Climbing Up The Wall", the mod gem "Little Boy" and should-have-been-a-hit "Follow Me". At one time, their rival bands were (sort to speak) The Who, Creation and Q 65. A definite should-have."