Easy Action - S/T (Tanden, 1983)
Current Gemm price: $16.50-$75.32
Price I paid: $.50 in the cheapo bin at Chick's Records & Tapes, 1985 Baltimore
Worth: The price of the new Hanoi Rocks album
By: Adam T
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By 1983, Hanoi Rocks were starting to make a serious impact on UK audiences and were quickly becoming thee "buzz band" to namedrop amongst American scenesters. In Scandinavia and Japan, however, Hanoi Rocks were already major league chart business. In Finland and especially Sweden, they became a rock n' roll institution, with their songs and style still managing to influence bands into the 21st century. One of the first bands to cop Hanoi's style as well as spawn a lineage of Flash Metal Suicides were the forgotten Swedish ragamuffins EASY ACTION. Guitarist Kee Marcello and bassist Alex Tyrone had previously been playing as a duo, imaginatively monikered ALEX & KEE. The two poofters released one wimped out 12" in Sweden before roping in Zinny Zan (Bo Stagman) on vocals, Nasty Suicide lookalike Danny Wilde on guitars, and the most androgynous human being ever, Freddy Van Gerber, on drums. Borrowing their name from the Alice Cooper band's second album, Easy Action were formed in 1983, hot on the heels of the release of Hanoi Rocks' "Back To Mystery City". They proceeded to pout their way into Flash Metal history.

Having sucessfully turned themselves into women, Easy Action quickly made their intentions known in the Euro-Glam stakes, just barely denting the Swedish charts with their single "We Go Rocking". The song's chorus would eventually wind up seducing America's trailer parks and suburban mall skanks when it was nicked by Pennsylvanian posers POISON for their 1986 single "We Want Action". The song helped establish Poison as America's biggest and wankest glam supergroup and hopefully helped Alex Tyrone purchase a few more poofy pink scarves and cucumbers to stick down his leather trousers. Though I vaguely remember there being a court case regarding the theft of "We Go Rocking", I don't remember (caring about) the outcome of the case. The brief research I did into this seemingly open and shut case claims the dispute was settled in court with Poison emerging victorious. I guess Freddy Van Gerber and Zinny Zan couldn't quite rope the legal strongarm of Capitol Records and the Poison camp. But before these poor Swedes became victims of Flash Metal Plagiarism, they had plenty of lipstick tips to cop from Michael Monroe and company. After following up the "We Go Rocking" 7" with a 4 track 12", the band issued their Flash Metal hallmark, a self titled full length, the same year.

Easy Action is chock full of stellar glam anthems cut from the Hanoi cloth, even going so far as including a track called "Mental Dance" (I guess glam-theft karma is a bitch, eh bitches?). Lead off track "Rocket Ride" is a great rocker in the Velvet Tinmine tradition of '70s glitter, proving the guys also bothered studying some Sweet and Mud singles. Album highlights "Don't Cry Don't Crack" and "End Of The Line" show a New Romantic influence which is a bit more Duran,as opposed to Hanoi Rocks' affinity for Japan. The album initially stiffed and was re-released in 1984 when Danny Wilde was replaced by the even more flamboyant Chris Lynn. The album's updated issue featured a new cover, updating the band photos and replacing the dumb new wave rocker 'Turn Me On' with the equally hokey 'Rock On Rockers'. Around the same time the band appeared in the low budget slasher flick 'Blood Tracks' and contributed two new song for the movie's soundtrack.

Somehow success dodged our beloved Swedes and singer Zinny Zan and Alex Tyrone quickly jumped ship. Losing both their voice and two of three chief songwriters, Kee Marcello took charge flogging this stillborn filly and brought in Tommy Nilsson as their new frontman. Easy Action, Mach II released their second and final album, "That Makes One" in 1986. The record contained none of the swagger of their debut, replacing the sleazy euro trash anthems with forgetful AOR fodder which should be avoided like the plague (as should it's subsequent singles.) Easy Action was thankfully laid to rest in 1988 when Marcello committed a most gruesome Flash Metal Suicide ond joined Swedish poodles, Europe, in time to enjoy the fruits of their "Final Countdown" puss-rock triumph.


Meanwhile, Alex Tyrone managed to expand his glam lineage after his departure, forming Glam popsters, Sha-Boom, who were produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott. Sha-Boom enjoyed some brief chart success in Swedish charts while former Easy Action frontman Zinny Zan joined the Swedish band Shylock. The band enjoyed rave reviews in European Metal rags after a quick name change to Kingpin and releasing their only album "Welcome To Bop City". The album was only released in Europe, but caused such an underground press buzz that "...Bop City" was re-mixed and released in the States under the name Shotgun Messiah. Relativity gave the album a strong push, but it was hideous Heavy Metal in the style of the Vinnie Vincent invasion, and it bombed in the States. Zinny ate, drank, and shrieked himself out of the line-up after almost doubling in size since his trannie Easy Action days. Meanwhile Skold and Cody updated their Flash Metal stocks with the next Shotgun Messiah album "Second Coming"...which joined their debut in promo budget Hell immediately after it's release.

Keeping the Easy Action Flash Metal family tree alive, Shotgunner Tim Skold joined Marilyn Manson's band on bass in 2002 after floundering the '90s away as an Industrial musician. Zinny Zan released his 1st solo album, "City Boy Blues", in 2002 after recording with Grand Slam and Zan Clan during the '90s.  Zinny reunited with Kee Marcello in 2002 for a Swedish Tribute to 9/11 which also featured future Flash Metal Suicides The Backyard Babies and Hardcore Superstar. Throw Yngwie Malmsteen into the mix and I've got a reason to commit Flash Metal Suicide right now!  Where's the shotgun...

Further: Adam T.
More on  Easy Action
Shotgun Messiah & Zinny Zan
Kee Marcello

-Adam T

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