The Troggs

History

Reg Presley (lead vocals) and Ronnie Bond (drums) were childhood friends and in the early 1960s formed an R&B band in their home town of Andover. In 1964 they were joined by Pete Staples (bass) and Chris Britton (guitar) and became the Troggs. They were signed by Larry Page, manager of the Kinks, in February 1966. They recorded on Page's Page One Records, and Page also leased them to CBS for the debut single "Lost Girl". Their most famous hit was the single "Wild Thing" which, with the help of television exposure on Thank Your Lucky Stars, reached number 2 in the UK (Reg Presley's song "From Home" was the B-side) and number 1 in the United States in July 1966. Its combination of a simple heavy guitar riff and flirtatious lyrics helped it...

Legacy and influence

The Troggs are widely seen as a highly influential band whose sound was an inspiration for garage rock and punk rock. Influential American critic Lester Bangs "called the band the progenitors of punk", according to NPR. For example, the Troggs influenced artists such as Iggy Pop, and the early version of British pop-punk pioneers Buzzcocks featured "I Can't Control Myself" in their live repertoire. The Ramones are also among the punk bands who cited the Troggs as an influence. "I Can't Control Myself" is perhaps the most enduring favourite of critics; it continues to be championed for its originality and lasting influence by radio hosts such as "Little" Steven Van Zandt.

Give It to Me

"Give It to Me" is a song by English rock band the Troggs, released as a single in February 1967. In the UK, it peaked just outside the top ten, ending their run of consecutive top-ten hits.

Background and release

"Give It to Me" was written by lead vocalist Reg Presley and was released as the Troggs' sixth single. It was written and recorded in only three days. A specially tailored version of the song was featured in the 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni film Blowup.

I Can't Control Myself

"I Can't Control Myself" is a song by the English rock band the Troggs, released as a single in September 1966. It continued their success after "Wild Thing" and "With a Girl Like You", becoming a top-ten hit in a number of countries.

Release and controversy

"I Can't Control Myself" was written by the Troggs lead vocalist Reg Presley and after several days of rehearsing in their home town Andover, the Troggs recorded the song on 24 August 1966 at Olympic Studios in London. It then released a month later as the first single on Page One Records, which had been co-founded by the band's manager and producer Larry Page. A continuing dispute in the US over the distribution of the Troggs' releases meant that "I Can't Control Myself" was simultaneously released by Atco and Fontana in September 1966.

Reception

Reviewing for Disc and Music Echo, Penny Valentine wrote that "the Troggs have done it again. Another number one on the way. The Troggs' well-developed signature – the "ba bahs" and the solid Presley sexiness are all apparent. A more mature and hideously evil sound on this song that they've managed before". Billboard described it as a "medium paced rock-ballad from the winning British group [that] should equal the success of "Wild Thing". Pounding beat and teen-slanted lyrics add up to a hit". Cash Box described it as "a potent, hard driving, throbbing exciter in the bag that the fans expect the Troggs to be in".

Night of the Long Grass

"Night of the Long Grass" is a song by English rock band the Troggs, released as a single in May 1967. It continued their slight dip in chart performance, though still became their sixth top-twenty hit in the UK.

Background and release

Originally towards the end of April 1967, the next Troggs single was announced as "My Lady" backed with "Girl in Black". However, a week before its release, it was announced that they would be changing the A-side and instead release "Night of the Long Grass" as a single. As "My Lady" was withdrawn so soon before its expected release, around 26,000 copies of that single had already been pressed. It was given a release in South Africa as was also "Night of the Long Grass", with the latter backed with "Hi Hi Hazel". "My Lady" was later included on the Troggs album Cellophane and a cover by Jet Harris was released as a single in July 1967.

Commercial performance and reception

"Night of the Long Grass" entered the Record Retailer charts at number 39 on 7 June 1967, before peaking at number 17 on 28 June. In total, the single spent six weeks on the charts. Presley commented on the single's relative chart failure, stating that "Night of the Long Grass" did not receive the "big plugs yet", including airplay on pirate radio. The Troggs recorded a promotional film for "Night of the Long Grass" in Epping Forest during early June 1967. The film was directed by Swedish director Peter Goldmann first screened on Swedish television. Presley believed that the film would give the single a "shot in the arm" when it was aired.

Wild Thing

"Wild Thing" is a song written by American songwriter Chip Taylor and popularized by the British rock band the Troggs. It was originally recorded and released by the American rock band the Wild Ones in 1965, but it did not chart.

The following year, the Troggs' version peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in the United States. Their version of "Wild Thing" was ranked at number 257 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Background

The first studio version was recorded by the Wild Ones, a band based in New York and set up by socialite Sybil Christopher. They had contacted composer Chip Taylor to ask him to write a song for them to release as a single. Taylor composed it very quickly: within a couple of minutes, he had the chorus and a "sexual-kind-of-feeling song" emerged.

With a Girl Like You

"With a Girl Like You" is a song by English rock band the Troggs, released as a single in July 1966. On the back of the success of "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" topped the charts in the UK, and was similarly a success across Europe, but did not fare as well in the US, only peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background and release

"With a Girl Like You" was written by the Troggs' lead vocalist Reg Presley whilst he was a bricklayer. He took inspiration from the vocals in "Barbara Ann", which became a hit for the Beach Boys in early 1966. "With a Girl Like You" was recorded at Olympic Studios at the same time as their previous single "Wild Thing". Both songs were recorded in two takes because they only had a short amount of recording time; manager Larry Page got them into the studio at the end of a session for his orchestra. The hook, with Presley shouting "Ba ba ba ba ba", was initially planned to be performed on trumpets, though the band opted for vocals instead.

Reception

Reviewing for New Musical Express, Derek Johnson wrote that "With a Girl Like You" "doesn't have the novelty spoken passages and tempo breaks of "Wild Thing" but it does have another gimmick – at the end of each line. The soloist repeats the melody in a sort of scat vocal that everyone can join in. It's a catchy mid-tempo tune, fairly simple in construction, and therefore quickly assimilated". Record Mirror wrote that it "should be every bit as big as "Wild Thing"" and similarly that "the boys plunge into a steady mid-tempo, with rasping lead voice, and sturdy beat and several vocal gimmicks on a teen song if ever there was one". Cash Box described it as "a low-down, funky, blues-soaked romancer".