THE ACTION – “Complete Punk Recordings 1977-1978” CD

      The history of punk rock has become a varied and deep one in its roughly 35 years as a genre, so when discs like this come our way we get interested.  This CD captures the complete early recordings from this somewhat legendary band from Ottawa, Canada.  The songs here are hard driving rock n’ roll with an R&B feel and some slide guitar dealt with no frills and a lot of attitude, carrying on the stripped down ethos of early punk.  Sonically rough around the edges yet with aggressively tight hooks and melodies, this band threw down a sonic melee that called that drew in a range of influences from the Stooges to the Stones to the late Irish blues legend Rory Gallagher to the Velvets and the Ramones and spat out their own loud and edgy take on a fledgling genre and its reaction to the era’s excess.  Combining both EPs (including their unreleased second one [with an unreleased track]) with live tracks (including a radio broadcast recording), the Action was an example of a band taking something new and adding their own spin on it at a time when anything went musically in punk.  While some people will be pissed that this isn’t the three chords short loud fast/spirit of 77 sound that early punk is often typecast as, open minded fans will find themselves interested.  Kudos to Sudden Death for making this available and proving again that 70s punk was a lot more diverse than revisionists want to make it.  (BOONE)

(Sudden Death Records. Csacades P.O. Box# 43001. Burnaby, BC. V5G 3H0. Canada)