Easy Action

Origin: Stockholm (Sweden)

EASY ACTION

Freddie Von Gerber - Kee Marcello - Chris Lind - Tommy Nilsson

Discography:

That makes one - 1986 (with lyrics)

Notes:

- Ex-KEE & ALEX guitarist Kee Marcello (a.k.a. Kjell Hilding Lövbom) formed EASY ACTION, amongst the earliest of Swedish Glam bands, in the early 80's together with another former KEE & ALEX band member Peo 'Tyrone' Thyrén. EASY ACTION's initial line-up comprised of Marcello, Tyrone, vocalist ZINNY J. ZAN (real name Bo Stagman), ex-ROAD RATS guitarist Danny Wilde (Dan Segerstedt) and drummer Freddie Von Gerber. Although this incarnation recorded the debut album Danny Wilde departed and another version of the album was issued with new guitarist Chris Lynn (Christoffer Lind) featured on the revised sleeve.

The first album, issued in 1984, was well received throughout Europe amongst fans of the Glam genre, especially with the popularity of the single 'We Go Rockin'', which was something of a hit in Sweden. The band was forced into making a change once more with the departure of frontman Zinny, who quit to form DREAM POLICE before moving onto KINGPIN, SHOTGUN MESSIAH, GRAND SLAM and subsequently ZAN CLAN. The singer also issued a 2000 solo album 'City Boy Blues', which featured a guesting Kee Marcello. Tyrone also left EASY ACTION to join SHA-BOOM, subsequently becoming a member of B.I.G.

Regrouping, in 1985 EASY ACTION added ex-HORIZONT vocalist TOMMY NILSSON and guitarist Björn Påhlsson to the ranks, but just prior to the release of the more AOR laden second album 'That Makes One', Kee Marcello opted to join the high profile EUROPE and EASY ACTION promptly split. Making international news, the band members would take out a law-suit against American Glam troupe POISON, claiming that the Los Angeles Rockers' 'I Want Action' hit had infringed the copyright of EASY ACTION's 'We Go Rockin''. The band won an out of court settlement.

Ex-singer TOMMY NILSSON went on to achieve massive success as a solo AOR star, scoring two Swedish number 1 singles, including 1988's 'Allt Som Jag Känner' duet with TONE NORUM. Marcello enjoyed several successful years as a member of EUROPE. Later the guitarist would be reunited with Freddie Von Gerber in the early 90's in RED FUN. The drummer had been equally as busy in the intervening period having formed BAM BAM BOYS with Matti Alfonzetti (later to join JAGGED EDGE and SKINTRADE) and RAT BAT BLUE, before teaming up with Peo Tyrone in the Punk side project NOISE.

In a surprise move, EASY ACTION announced they were to reunite for a 16th December gig in Kalmar sharing a bill with HANOI ROCKS and NOCTURNAL RITES. The band line-up comprised the "classic" roster of Kee Marcello, Zinny J. Zan and Per-Olof "Tyrone" Thyrén. However, just days after this statement the proposed show was cancelled.

In late 2005 Marcello and Tyrone, accompanied by Martin Borjesson on keyboards and Johan Junstrand on drums, announced the formation of THE GLITTER TWINS. -

(http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/sweden/stockholm/easy+action)




- IT ALL STARTED OUT ....

.... with a fair amount of pre gig whiskey in a tour bus outside a venue in a small town somewhere in Sweden back in 1983.
KEE MARCELLO and ALEX TYRONE were on tour with the hugely successful punkpop/teeny act NOICE, but scheming the future of glam rock in the back of the bands transportation.
”-It’s gonna be the biggest fucking glam act ever!” they squealed as they were slamming down the cheap scotch from plastic cups.
Ten minutes later they were on stage with a mixture of bottles, eggs and female underwear whizzing by their heads. It was like a scene out of the Blues Brothers, only without the chicken wire.

”-That’s the guy!” Alex said, pointing at a bloke with long pitch black  hair and a tattoo of indian feathers, walking down the stairs into the bar with an almost royal posture. They were hanging at the RITZ, the main hangout for rockers in Stockholm in the early 80’s, in pursue of a lead singer and other members to their new band project.
Their original plan to form the band in London with English band members did not pan out well. After being refused entry, thrown in jail and sent back to Sweden due to UK immigrations suspecting them of illegal labour, they had realized that they wouldn’t be allowed into the country for quite a while.

The guy with the feather tattoo was ZINNY ZAN, former drummer of the NYMPHOMANIACS (with MIKE MONROE and ANDY McCOY, whom later went on to form HANOI ROCKS), and he was also looking for people to start a band with. Several beers later that same evening the three ended up in Alex’s house, recording Zinny’s vocals on the 4-track demos they already had recorded the basics for. In the early morning, the finished demos of NUMBER ONE, ROCK THINGS OUT and TURN ME ON saw the light of day, literally.
As they were looking for a drummer, an audition was set for GYP CASINO, but he got stuck with some Finnish chicks smoking PCP on a roof top somewhere in the projects and stood them up.

NOICE drummer FREDDIE VON GERBER was recording a solo album when the three went to the studio to ask him to join the band. When they finally were able to cut their way through the massive wall of hashish fog in the studio and located him in the haze, he happily accepted their offer.
A couple of blocks away, as they were walking away from the studio, they started wondering if he really was aware of what offer he had just accepted. A couple of more blocks later they started to wonder if they even went to the studio, or if the whole thing was some kind of collective hallucination.
Zinny’s friend DANNY WILDE completed the lineup. The audition took place in a park in central Stockholm with a couple of guitars, and couple of more beers.
He was later replaced by Chris Lynn, who had quite a reputation as the great guitar player in the band B-FILMS.

The bands manager, SANJI TANDAN, presented them to Legendary founder and president of Warner label SIRE, SEYMOUR STEIN, (who had signed Internationally acclaimed acts like the Ramones, Talking Heads, Pretenders and Madonna) and he offered them a for the time historical record deal that made Easy Action the first hard rock act from Sweden to join the roster of a major US label.

In 1984 the Swedish Television (which only hosted two channels at the time) made a one hour prime time special about the band titled HOT SUMMER NIGHT.

Later that year the band starred in the horror/splatter movie BLOOD TRACKS, later renamed SHOCKING HEAVY METAL.
EASY ACTION left a historical imprint in the Scandinavian rock scene and achieved worldwide cult status.
What happened after the split up of Easy Action?

KEE MARCELLO joined EUROPE and sold in excess of 10 million albums and toured the world several times.

In the early 90’s he recorded the SY KLOPPS album (with NEAL SCHON, ROSS VALORY and PRARIE PRINCE) and RED FUN with FREDDIE VON GERBER. He has released 2 solo albums and is presently working on a third. He has also been doing producing/songwriting for other performers: (PERCY SLEDGE, THE MOFFATS, ALANNAH MYLES, PANDORA) which collectively has sold several million units. He is running his own studio in Gothenburg, Sweden; GEM STUDIOS, and a publishing company; GEM PUBLISHING, together with acclaimed publishing A&R, ROGER ÖSTMAN. (for info about Kee, go to; www.myspace.com/keemarcello)

ALEX TYRONE (under his real name PEO THYREN) went on to form glampop combo SHA-BOOM who sold gold and platinum with two albums produced by SWEET guitar player, ANDY SCOTT. In 1989 he became a born again Christian and recorded 3 albums and has toured all over Europe with his current band BIG. (for info about Alex, go to; www.bigcom.se)

ZINNY ZAN moved to New York to pursue a music career with little luck. After coming back to Sweden he joined SHOTGUN MESSIAH and moved to Los Angeles. They got signed to RELATIVITY RECORDS and sold over 500.000 units in the US alone, where they made 2 successful tours with Zinny controlling the mike. (TIM TIM, the bands bass player, is presently in the lineup of  MARYLIN MANSON’S band.) Today Zinny is playing with his own band; ZAN CLAN, that has released one studio album and one live album and has been on tour with bands like WHITESNAKE and QUEENSRYCHE. (for info about Zinny, go to; www.myspace.com/zanclan)


FREDDIE VON GERBER went on to form BAM BAM BOYS with singer MATTI ALFONSETTI (later in JAGGED EDGE and SKINTRADE). Then RAT BAT BLUE (with CHRIS LYNN) and after EUROPE split up: RED FUN with KEE MARCELLO.
He is currently working on an album with his new project; SUNSET GRILL. (for info about Freddie, go to; www.sunsetgrill.nu)

CHRIS LYNN appeared in the early version of ELECTRIC BOYS and recorded an album with RAT BAT BLUE (with FREDDIE VON GERBER). He later left the music business and is today pursuing a career as a successful stock broker.

DANNY WILDE later joined ROAD RATS (with CONNY BLOM from the ELECTRIC BOYS) and PELLE ALMGREN & WOW, LIKSOM.

2006 RE-UNION LINEUP:

ZINNY ZAN – vocals
KEE MARCELLO – guitar
MICAEL GRIMM – bass
BJÖRN "GRIZZLY" HÖGLUND – drums
SIMON ROXX - guitar
-

(http://easyaction.se/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=80)




- Easy Action is a Swedish band from Stockholm that was first formed in 1981 by Pelle Almgren, 2 meter, Bosse Belsen and Björne Fröberg. Bosse och Björne quit and was replaced by Skox och Ubbe. Stranded Records became interested and released the single Honcho Bongo. It didn't sell well and when the second single, Om jag vore kung, also failed the band split up.
Skox and 2 meter fomed Psyhedelic Mongo and Pelle Almgren started writing songs instead.[1][2] Easy Action was reformed as a glam metal band in 1982 by Kee Marcello and Alex Tyrone (aka Peo Thyrén). The two played together in the Swedish glam act Noice when they decided to start the ultimate glam rock band, mixing their influences of 70's glam with a punk/metal attitude.
They met the original singer Bosse Belsen, now named Zinny J. Zan, at the Stockholm rock club Ritz and recorded his vocals on the first demos the very same night. Later the Noice drummer Fredrik Von Gerber and the guitar player Danny Wilde joined the band. In 1983 they got signed to the US major label Sire and became the first Swedish band ever to sign a world wide record deal.[1] After releasing two albums; "Easy Action" in 1983, and "That Makes One in 1986, the band split up when their guitarist and band leader Kee Marcello quit the band to join Europe, and went on to world wide success with the band, selling over 30 million albums. -

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_Action_(band))



- In hindsight, the lineup is a pretty respectable one at that, and well known in Swedish circles, Marcello of course went on to fame and fortune with Europe post the John Norum period. The music is a solid workout of Journey ('Raised On Radio period), and Mr Mister. There are other influences in there too, but if you listen to tracks like 'Code To Your Heart' and 'One In A Million' you'll see where I'm coming from. The bombast is no more evident on tracks like 'Talk Talk Talk', 'Partners In Crime' and 'Rosie', with Marcello pulling off some spectacular solos throughout. The two standout tracks are the slower ones: 'Only Love' and the finale, the epic 'In The Middle Of Nowhere'. The keyboard work is rather juicy and the hooks memorable. Danish vocal queen Sanne also puts in an appearance on the crass 'Teachers Do It With Class'. The lyrics here are hilarious!

Unfortunately for Easy Action, they were not able to keep the momentum going, as Marcello left not long after to join Europe while Von Gerber went on to the Bam Bam Boys and Nilsson went solo. However, Marcello did hook up with Von Gerber in 1993 to form the melodic rock/blues oriented band called Red Fun. As time went by, the EA boys decided on a reunion in 2007, and had planned to perform at June 2008's Sweden Rock Festival. Would be interesting to see if a new album results. -

(http://www.glorydazemusic.com/articles.php?article_id=1011)