The Troggs

Who can forget Wild Thing? The Troggs have always been remembered for this sixties anthem, but it is just one of their many hits.

With A Girl Like You, I Can’t Control Myself, Anyway That You Want Me, Give It To Me, Love Is All Around.

They all followed in rapid succession to give The Troggs worldwide acclaim. Dubbed by many as the “first British punk band” they have continued playing in their own uncompromising style of good basic rock music. Never strangers to controversy, many of their records were considered by, the powers that be, to be too suggestive for the masses and promptly banned them. How anybody could judge Reg Presley’s tongue in cheek delivery to be dangerous to the morals of the young is hard to believe.

The Troggs still boasts two founder members: with the perpetual Reg Presley fronting the band and Chris Britton on lead guitar.

They are now joined by Peter Lucas on bass and Dave Maggs on drums. Their popularity has never waned and they are still in great demand nationwide and in Europe, where they regularly headline in front of thousands of fans at festivals. Their appeal holds no age barriers, fans ranges from the stalwarts who have supported them throughout the years to the many new fans from the younger generation. Reg Presley still pursues his acting career in between gigs.

He has sparred with Mohammed Ali, secured a cameo role in a Bob Dylan film and appeared in an episode of Ruth Rendells Inspector Wexford TV detective series. He has also participated in two editions of Channel 4’s quiz The Music Game. The Troggs and Wild Thing have been used in many advertising campaigns in recent years: for instance “The Rowntrees Lion Bar” in the U.K. Coffee in Scandinavia, Mexican relish in the U.S.A. & Canada, Insurance in Europe and in 1993 Anyway That You Want Me was re-recorded for a Yoplait Fruit Royal commercial. Plus a re-release in Germany of With A Girl Like You for the advertising of Tetrapack, who packages milk and fruit juices, a CD which also included Wild Thing and I Can’t Control Myself helped promote the product.

Now into the nineties: The Troggs are very much a “cult band”. Polygram in the U.S.A. & U.K. released a 52 track double box set CD and Castle Music Pictures & Polygram co-operated to produce a video spanning twenty six years of great Troggs music.

1992

The Troggs collaborated with members of R.E.M., who are lifelong Troggs fans and 90’s hit recording artists. An excellent album Athens Andover, which links the home towns of the two bands. This and two subsequent singles were released to great acclaim. “Harp Lager” honoured The Troggs by presenting them with a “Harp Beat Rock Plaque”. This now adorns the wall of the Woolwich Building Society in Andover, the site of their former rehearsal rooms.

Sting, ex-Police band member married Trudie Styler. The Troggs were asked by special request from Sting, to perform at this lavish event. Guests included Peter Gabriel, Billy Connolly and Don Henley of the Eagles, to name but a few. To finish the year The Troggs recorded an alternative version of Wild Thing for the Christmas market with “Hellraiser’s” Oliver Reed and Alex “Hurricane” Higgins.

1993

London Weekend Television produced a special 60’s programme hosted by Michael Aspel with an invited celebrity audience to participate in a discussion of their memories if the era. The Troggs were requested to perform live to close the show for the ITV network. Later in the same year and The Troggs were back on the ITV network. This time on Cilla Black’s Surprise Surprise, where they performed Wild Thing with a life long fan of The Troggs. Both of these programmes were transmitted to 11.5 and 11 million viewers respectively.

London Weekend Television was also responsible for the teaming up of Gladiator “Wolf” from top TV rated show “The Gladiators” with The Troggs to record another, even wilder version of Wild Thing. This track was used in the 1993 and 1994 series, as Wolf’s theme music.

1994

More national TV. This time it was BBC 1’s Bygones broadcast, which was hosted by Danny Baker. This saw The Troggs perform “Wild Thing” live. In May 1994. British hitmakers “Wet Wet Wet” released Love Is All Around penned by Reg Presley. This was incorporated in the fantastically successful film Four Weddings And A Funeral. The song topped the U.K. charts for a massive 15 weeks and it became the biggest selling single of 1994. Polygram released another Troggs Greatest Hits album, which included tracks from their 1992 Athens Andover album. This charted in the Top 50 in July 1994.

1995

The year started with a spot on Channel 4’s new music programme The White Room. This time 2 live numbers were transmitted, Wild Thing and I Can’t Control Myself, complete with raunchy suspender clad dancers. The Troggs were also features in another Channel 4 slot, Without Walls, they appeared in the last of a trilogy of explorations into three 60’s bands. On this  in depth study, unseen vintage footage was shown, as well as interviews with the respected journalists and music personages.

March and April saw The Troggs undertake an arduous 59 performance tour of the U.K. They played to packed houses everywhere and received rave reviews from the press. Throughout the U.K. many more fans were gained, via their appearances on this tour. Reg Presley has received well deserved recognition for Love Is All Around from many quarters, including a nomination from BASCA. But in May he scooped, no less than three, prestigious “Ivor Novello” trophies. “Love Is All Around” was named International Hit of the Year, Best-Selling Song and the Performing Rights Society’s Most Performed Work. Reg beat off strong competition from the likes of Take That, Blur and East 17.

So, from the anthem of the 60’s, Wild Thing, surely Reg has written the anthem of the90’s, Love Is All Around.

As a band from the 60’s decade, The Troggs are still a force to be reckoned with in this their fourth decade of music making.