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Roger Powell drummer with The Action interview

The Action were formed in north London in 1963. Reg King - vocals, Alan King - rhythm guitar, Mike Evans - bass, Roger Powell - drums and Pete Watson - lead guitar. Allied to the mod movement in the same way that The Small Faces and The Who were, The Action didn't follow the R 'n B and Rock and Roll route. They stuck with their first love which was the Tamla and burgeoning soul sound. Undoubtedly the most expert British exponents of white soul by far, they were good enough to attract The Beatles' producer George Martin and together they created some marvellous material. Popular on the club circuit, they nevertheless didn't manage to achieve chart success with any of their five singles releases and emerged from the sixties as another cult band.

With influential supporters such as Phil Collins and Paul Weller these days remarking that The Action are their favourite band of all time, it is evident that, once again, the cruel musical lottery has dealt another blow for talent. I recommend that you get yourself a copy of their material if you haven't already and see what most of us missed the first time around. Their music is breathtaking and stands up incredibly well today.

Still performing today with the original line-up and also hosting a web site and writing a book on their experiences, The Action are very much still a force to be reckoned with.

Roger Powell, the drummer with The Action, has kindly agreed to talk to us and this is that interview that he gave for Digger.

  

Roger Powell

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Digger: The band formed in 1963. Please tell us how you met the others and what the scene was like at that time. 

Roger: Well, I was at school with Reg King. Also, Mike and Alan were at the same school a year above us. Alan lived 5 minutes from my house and Reg lived in the same street. Mike lived in Euston. I suppose around that time1963 bands in pubs were just starting, 'The Shads' ( Shadows ) were kicking in, and electric guitars were all the thing. Alan and Mike were playing in a band in the pub up the road from me - the Malden Arms. Reg and myself used to get up and play a few songs and grooved a bit more than the other drummer and singer so we replaced them. That's how The Action began.

Digger: Who were your main musical inspirations?

Roger: Stax and Tamla all of them!

 

 

The Action

 

Digger: Why did The Action develop such a unique soulful style when the other bands were doing beat and r 'n b?

Roger: We were one of the first bands to play this music in London and I think we just adapted and developed a sound that we were happy with.

Digger: Reg King's vocals seem to be a huge asset to the band. How would you describe Reg's voice? And how would you describe the members of the band as individuals and musicians? And what about you?

Roger: Well, I think Reg was one of the great white soul singers. All the band seem to compliment each other on and off stage. They were all great musicians and I am really proud to have played with them all. And me? Well, as Reg would say, I just bang things. Oh well.

Digger: Your music sounds as fresh today. Are you surprised and delighted it has sustained, that the band is a cult and that you have attracted so many influential admirers ( Phil Collins, Paul Weller ) over the years?

Roger: Oh yes. Very delighted. It has inspired us to try to find and get out any more Action recordings. Pity the silly buggers at the BBC wiped all the tapes from the eighties onwards. Think what might be lurking there!

Digger: Did you mix much with The Small Faces, The Who and so on? I know that Eddie Phillips said you were on the same circuit as The Creation - did you ever see them play?

Roger: Yes we knew The Faces - used to go round their flat in Pimlico and play Herbie Mann. They were all really great guys. Saw a bit of The Who but when they had a hit record with Can't Explain they left our circuit and went on the bigger stage. We played with The Creation, Jimmy James, Riot Squad, Jess Roden. So many great bands we all mostly met up in the Blue Boar on the M1 or The Speakeasy.

 

   

 

Digger: What are you favourite Action recordings?

Roger: In My Lonely Room and 1,000 Dances.

Digger: You were produced by Sir George Martin. How did this relationship come about? Can you give us examples of his input into your work? What was his, and your reaction, when your great recordings didn't manage to make an impact on the charts? Have you kept in touch?

Roger: Well, I think we were all a bit disappointed that we did not get a hit record. George as well, but that's history and part of the story of The Action. George did become one of the group in a way and suggested many ideas and musical directions to explore. I did see George a few months ago and he is really well. There is a new CD out. Fifty years of George Martin - all the things he has worked on. We are really pleased that The Action is on that CD and take it as a great compliment to be included. 

Digger: Who chose the material that wasn't written by the band?

Roger: We all did. If we all liked it, we played it.

Digger: How were you received in Europe? You were great exponents of American material but did you ever go to America?

Roger: No only England really. America was out unless you had a hit record. The mod movement did not really get big in Europe in the early days although we did have a few good gigs in The Locomotive in Paris.

Digger: What have been the biggest thrills and biggest regrets of your career so far?

Roger: Doing a few reunion gigs last year. It was great to play again after 25 years or so. Regrets - no I have no regrets.

Digger: The band continues to flourish - how have you changed as people and performers since the sixties? 

Roger: Pass.

Digger: Can you tell us who your favourite British bands, songwriters and heroes were in the sixties?

Roger: Graham Bond, Ginger Baker, The Who. Buddy Rich.

Digger: Did you bump into The Beatles by virtue of sharing the same producer?

Roger: Yes a few times at Abbey Road and The Marquee. Good blokes. Always said hello.

 

 

  

 

 

Digger: What do you think of today's music scene?

Roger: Yeah, like it. What goes round comes round.

Digger: What do you think of the Internet?

Roger: Great. It's like having a giant brain in your living room. Want to know something, there's the brain. It also helps us to develop The Action's web site.

Digger: How do you think you would have coped with the sort of fame The Beatles had?

Roger: Not sure - could have gone either way.

Digger: What are your happiest memories of the sixties?

Roger: Seeing the Stax tour at the Speakeasy.

Digger: What were your favourite sixties haunts and what were some of the funniest or most outrageous things that the band got up to or witnessed?

Roger: Well, most of this will be in a book that we are writing now about The Action and the times and anything else we got up to. I did put a pair of false teeth in a curry and lifted them off the plate and showed them to Rod Stewart who we were giving a lift home from a gig. I said "Hey Rod, look at this", his face went white and he ran out of the curry house. lol.

Digger: What caused the creative buzz in Britain in the sixties?

Roger: The music and change in thought patterns to a more expansive view of life.
 
Digger: What are the band's current projects?

Roger: The website. Finding more material. The book.