Action

Hey Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew just dropped the needle on a real burner for you all, spinning "Action" from Steve Stevens' Atomic Playboys album. This one is pure high-octane rock and roll energy that fits right in with the freeform spirit we keep alive here at THE ZOO. Steve Stevens took a classic from the glam era and turned it into something that hits with that late eighties hard rock punch, full of sharp guitar lines and a driving groove that makes you want to crank it up loud. The original came from The Sweet way back in 1975, written by Andy Scott, Mick Tucker, Brian Connolly and Steve Priest, and it was already a solid rocker about the music business and wanting a piece of the action. Stevens put his own stamp on it for his debut solo record, bringing in that flashy six-string style he is known for while keeping the song's anthemic core intact. Fans who dig deep cuts and artist stories know this track sits right in the middle of an album that mixed hard rock, some funkier touches and plenty of guitar fireworks.

One of the cool stories behind this cover comes straight from an interview Stevens did back in 1989 while he was out promoting Atomic Playboys. He told the writer Steve Newton that he really liked the song but had the wrong idea about where it came from at first. He thought it was a Queen track or something along those lines, so he headed to a record store looking for it on a Queen album. When he could not find it, he asked the clerk, who set him straight and said it was by The Sweet. That was all it took. Stevens figured it would make a great addition to his new project and went for it. That mix-up shows how music can travel and get rediscovered in unexpected ways, and it fits the way we dig into the histories and backstories here on the station. The album itself was released in 1989 on Warner Bros., with production help from Beau Hill and Ted Templeman, and the cover art came from the surrealist H.R. Giger, the same guy who designed the creature for the Alien films. It reached number 119 on the Billboard 200, and the band was basically a one-album deal that Stevens later described as a very expensive hobby when asked about getting them back together. He spent a long time hunting for the right singer, listening to around 150 tapes before settling on Perry McCarty, who had that blend of hard rock power with some R&B and soul influences that matched what Stevens wanted. Years afterward, Stevens admitted the record was probably his least favorite of his own, partly because it was one of the early ones done digitally and the sound came across a bit harsh to him, and he was not crazy about the vocals either. Still, tracks like this cover of "Action" show the guitar work and the energy that made people pay attention.

Steve Stevens came up the long way in the music world, starting out as a kid in New York. Born Steven Bruce Schneider on May 5, 1959, in New York City and raised in the Far Rockaway area of Queens, he got his first guitar around age seven when his dad brought home a cheap folk model. The local hero in that neighborhood was the protest singer Phil Ochs, and Ochs' sister ended up giving young Steve some lessons. He stuck with the nylon-string acoustic for years, picking up a solid foundation before he finally got an electric guitar at thirteen. Growing up he soaked in folk, then moved into progressive rock favorites like Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and King Crimson, plus a lifelong interest in flamenco that showed up later in his solo work. He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts for a while, then dropped out to make his name playing clubs and sessions around Manhattan. One early band was the Fine Malibus, and he even got a songwriting credit on Peter Criss' 1982 solo album Let Me Rock You. The big break came when Billy Idol's manager, Bill Aucoin, introduced the two of them after Idol moved to New York following the end of Generation X. They clicked right away, and Stevens became the guitarist and co-writer who helped shape those early Billy Idol hits with his distinctive style and look. From there he branched out, working with people like Michael Jackson on "Dirty Diana," winning a Grammy for the Top Gun Anthem with Harold Faltermeyer, and eventually putting out Atomic Playboys as his first full solo statement. That path from a kid banging on a cheap guitar in Queens to the stages with Idol and beyond is the kind of rock and roll journey that keeps the Zoo Freaks tuning in for the deep cuts and the stories behind them.

You can dig more into Steve Stevens' world and his ongoing work by checking out his official site at stevestevensguitar.com, where the about section even references the Atomic Playboys album among his solo outings. Catch him on Facebook at facebook.com/SteveStevensGtr, follow the Instagram at instagram.com/stevestevensgtr, and keep up on X at x.com/Stevestevens. There is also a dedicated fan Instagram page at instagram.com/stevensagogo where supporters share photos and memories, including posts about the Atomic Playboys era. The whole Atomic Playboys project captured Stevens stepping out on his own after the big Idol years, blending his guitar prowess with a band that included McCarty on vocals, Thommy Price on drums and Phil Ashley on keys. Even with the mixed feelings Stevens later expressed about the finished product, tracks like "Action" still stand as a fun, high-energy take on a classic that the Zoo Crew loves to spin for the listening audience. It is the kind of song that reminds you why rock and roll keeps rolling, full of attitude and those unforgettable guitar moments that make you hit repeat. So keep it locked here with the Zoo Crew and the Zoo Freaks, because there is always another deep cut and another story waiting on the turntable.