RIP Reg King of the Action

Man, this blog is getting to be a real downer with all the great dying, but it would just be wrong not to mention this inimitable talents. My friend Will Courtney of the band Brothers and Sisters just informed me of the passing of Reginald 'Reg' King Of all the recently decease artists that we have been honoring, Reg King is perhaps the most obscure, yet the most ripe for rediscovery. Possessing what Pitchfork calls a "powerful, debonair croon", King was the lead singer of critically acclaimed yet doomed-to-failure R&B influence psychedelic pop group the Action ('freakbeat' in music critic lingo). Check this baby out; a cover of the Marvelettes' 'Keep on Holding On', this gives the Who a run for their money.
Allmusic states: "After the Beatles, the Action were the most impressive band signed to EMI by George Martin during the mid-'60s. That they never managed to chart a single in the space of two years with the label, even as lesser bands sold tens of thousands of records with seemingly no effort, is one of those great ironies of mid-'60s English rock & roll.
Now why is he so important if they never scored a hit nor made a record? Well, they played a psychedelic brand of folky power-popish R&B that could have given the Zombies, the early Who, or the Small Faces a run for their money; Reg King was a powerhouse vocalist, a true R&B force of nature like Steve Winwood; and most importantly, in 2002, their archives turned out one of the best psych albums of all time. Yup; within the archives of EMI lay an unreleased album, Rolled Gold, on par with 'The Who Sell Out' or any of the best '60's British rock- allmusic calls it "a lost masterpiece...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." Tell it like it is AMG. Oh. And Pitchfork gave it an 8.0. Check it out.

We at Phat Fellas salute you, Reg King, British master of soul.

Here are a few Rolled Gold tracks:


Here's a solo version of one of my favorite songs on 'Rolled Gold', Little Boy. Vocals DO NOT get better than that. ROCK AND ROLL, damn it.

Great Albums: The La's (Self Titled)

The only album recorded by the La's, this record was released by troubled perfectionist Lee Mavers and company in 1990. An incredibly unique album that exists in an oasis of pure guitar pop perfection, the record recalls the best elements of the Beatles, the Who, the Hollies, and the Kinks, yet is not overly indebted to the past. Punchy and alive yet not frantic, the album floats along at an unhurried pace, with no song overstaying its welcome. Totally unaffected, this sensational and highly melodic record is one of the most refreshingly accessible, rich, and above all fun records I have ever heard.

The record is forceful and lean sounding, partially thanks to Steve Lillywhite's clean and unobtrusive production, chock full of sinewy and clean electric guitars and textured layered acoustic strumming. Lee Mavers' voice is a marvel; full of attitude and distinctly British, it would be a big influence on Liam Gallagher and Oasis, Blur and the entire Brit-pop movement of the 1990's.

19 years after its release, this record hasn't aged a day and is nostalgic and timeless in a way that only a select handful of records are (i.e the Beatles' catalogue). This is a perfect pop album; 35 minutes of pure jangle-y melodic joy. The main factor that is responsible for the total brilliance of this record is Lee Mavers' heavenly melodies; this man can write a hook like no other. Take "There She Goes" for example; certainly one of the finest pop singles of the 1990's, if not all time, this simple ditty's pure melody will be stuck in your head for weeks at a time (if that guitar riff doesn't do the trick first). Why this album is so unknown and sold so poorly is a mystery to me, as there is nothing more life affirming than authentic, energetic, and supremely tuneful pop music. If you don't own this simply exquisite masterpiece, you should.

Key Tracks: Timeless Melody, I Can't Sleep, There She Goes