You make my heart sing

14/06/2010

 With their flash suits and unique sound, The Troggs were one of THE acts of the late 60s. But their story has not ended. The band is still performing – and still making its influence felt on today’s musicians. Tony Watts talks to legendary frontman Reg Presley.

 

“They don’t make them like that any more.” It’s a phrase that generations have come out with over the years. No doubt aficionados of Mozart, Bach and Beethoven complained bitterly when other upstart composers came to the fore. That said, the sound of The Troggs really does stand out – 45 years after it was first released.

 

So where do the Troggs belong in the pantheon of British pop and rock artists? Not in the Beatles, Stones, Who, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd tier, but certainly they earned a worthy place in the one below that. 

Not least because they have been cited by many musicians since as a major influence on their work.

 

What I (and doubtless many people reading this) felt when they burst onto the scene with ‘Wild Thing’ in 1965 was that this was a much rawer, pared down sound than many of the bands were pumping out at the time – especially those from Merseyside and Manchester. ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘You’ve Really Got Me’ by the Kinks were not only big shots in the arm for British music (both were big hits in the US as well as here) but also a template for the punk music that took centre stage a decade later. But it was a track that was almost consigned to the B side, as Reg explains.

 

“We got sent two songs to look at for our next single, ‘Wild Thing’ 

and a much more melodic one. The record company thought we’d put ‘Wild Thing’ on the B side, but we really loved it.” And the rest, as the say, is history.

 

The different sound that the Troggs were coming out with, and that of bands like the Stones, was in no small way influenced by the music that was on their turntables. “There were two very distinct sounds then between northern and southern groups,” says Reg. “We were going into the shops looking for R&B by singers like Lightnin’ Hopkins and Louisiana Red.”

 

While ‘Wild Thing’ was written by New York songwriter Chip Taylor, the Troggs track that has sold even more copies – ‘Love is All Around’ was penned by Reg himself, and also has the distinction of holding the number one spot for the second longest time – 15 weeks. 

 

Wet Wet Wet’s version of the track was reportedly removed from production to avoid winning that dubious distinction. It all seems a long time ago, when being number one in the charts really mattered.

 

These days, of course, it’s all about album sales, and the biggest hits that the Troggs recorded have now been brought together on one album – ‘Greatest Hits’. From a music lover’s perspective, it’s fascinating to hear hits like ‘I Can’t Control Myself’, and ‘With A Girl Like You’ interspersed with tracks they co-recorded with one of the biggest and most respected bands of the last 20 years: REM.

 

“That was all a bit strange,” recalls Reg. “We heard that they loved our early songs and we ended up going to the States to meet them – and making some new tracks with them.” But perhaps that shouldn’t be such a surprise – other huge names in music have acknowledged their debt to the Troggs, including MC5, Iggy Pop, The Ramones and The Buzzcocks. Jimi Hendrix famously made ‘Wild Thing’ his own during his legendary Monterey Pop Festival performance, where he set fire to his guitar. It all seems a long way for a bunch of lads from Hampshire to travel!

 

Reg, by the way, has lost none of his west country accent and still has his roots very much in the countryside. As we speak, several parliaments of rooks are doing their best to drown out our conversation and Reg has retained his famous fascination with crop circles. Does he still think they are caused by extra-terrestial forces? “All I’ll say is that I was speaking to a local chap recently – very level headed – and he got me to sit on this wall at dusk and watch this one field. As the birds flew overhead, they all went out of their way to avoid that field.

 

“I think it’s to do with where water flows underground – spaceships would probably use hydrogen as fuel, and water can provide that.”

 

We move onto somewhat firmer ground with an update on Reg’s current activities. He has no unfulfilled ambitions, he says, to try and create more new number ones – but he and the band are still doing what they’ve always done best by entertaining audiences up and down the land as part of a ‘Swinging Sixties’ tour. He also has hopes of bringing out an educational series of children’s books – inspired by having grandchildren.

 

The original Wild Thing sounds a little tamer these days!