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The Action - The Ultimate Action (1990 Edsel)

Track listing:
  1. I'll Keep On Holding On 3:43
  2. Harlem Shuffle 3:16
  3. Never Ever 2:23
  4. Twenty Fourth Hour 2:38
  5. Since I Lost My Baby 3:44
  6. In My Lonely Room 2:41
  7. Hey Sha-Lo-Ney 2:30
  8. Wasn't It You 2:52
  9. Come On, Come With Me 2:24
  10. Just Once In My Life 2:56
  11. Shadows And Reflections 2:53
  12. Something Has Hit Me 3:30
  13. The Place 2:35
  14. The Cissy 2:23
  15. Baby You've Got It 2:45
  16. I Love You (Yeah!) 3:20
  17. Land Of A Thousand Dances 2:51

Notes

Audio CD (30 April 1990)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Edsel

Though the Action never had a chart hit nor scaled the heights of fame like its mid-1960s British Invasion contemporaries, the group remains well-respected as one of the quintessential mod/U.K. R&B bands. THE ULTIMATE ACTION makes a good case for the justness of this assessment by collecting the best of the Action's eminently soulful singles in one convenient package. Though vocalist Reg King and crew were never as bombastic as the Who, as threatening as the Rolling Stones, or as tough-sounding as the Small Faces, the Action were groovier than all three and perhaps closest to the spirit of the American black music they so admired. Produced by George Martin, on tracks like "In My Lonely Room" and "I Love You (Yeah)" the group also had a Beatles/Miracles-esque flair for vocal harmony which softened the teenage angst and lent the music a good-time vibe.

As far as the canon of white mod music of the mid-sixties goes, this is, without doubt, one of the best examples.
On the sleeve-notes of the original vinyl release by Edsel, Paul Weller ranked them as one of his favourites and ranked The Action alongside The Small Faces as one of the great mod bands.

Listening to any single tune on this album will make clear how justified Mr Weller's comments were. Unfortunately the name of the lead-singer escapes me but his deeply soulful voice matches the resonant richness of the music perfectly.

Some of the tracks are standards (eg Land Of A 1000 Dances) but most are penned by the group and it these that make the album stand out with their spine-tingling dark texture.

It's impossible to pick out a favourite since this changes track-by-track as you listen to the album!

The only fault of the album is the omission of "Wasn't It You", the superb b-side to the original 7" of "I'll Keep Holding On".

As soon as this album becomes available, buy it!

1. I'll Keep Holding On
2. Harlem Shuffle
3. Never Ever
4. Twenty Fourth Hour
5. Since I Lost My Baby
6. My Lonely Room
7. Hey Sha Lo Ney
8. Shadows And Reflections
9. Something Has Hit Me
10. Place
11. Cissy
12. Baby You Got It
13. I Love You (Yeah)
14. Land Of 1000 Dances