The Troggs

Reg Presley was working as a bricklayer in the summer of 1966 when he heard that Wild Thing, the Chip Taylor song he'd recorded with a bunch of mates calling themselves The Troggs, had gone to Number 1 in the UK. He put down his trowel and never picked it up again. The Troggs version of Wild Thing became a much-loved classic with an enduring influence on later bands and a particular inspiration both to garage rock and punk, with Iggy Pop and The Ramones citing them as seminal influences. It also triggered a series of major Troggs hits, including With A Girl Like You, I Can't Control Myself and Love Is All Around; all notable for Presley's distinctive howling delivery and strong Hampshire accent. When the hits dried up with the onset of psychedelia, the band split in 1969, but reformed in the 1970s. They even recorded a reggae version of Wild Thing and in 1991 they collaborated with members of R.E.M. on the album Athens, Andover, recorded in R.E.M.'s home town in Georgia. They recorded Wild Thing yet again in 1992 with actor Oliver Reed and snooker player Alex Higgins and continued to be held in affection, though original members, drummer Ronnie Bond and guitarist Dave Wright died in 1992 and 2008 respectively. Known as "The Troggs Tapes", bootleg recordings of a studio argument between them gained much notoriety, while Reg Presley expanded on his fascination with croft circles and the paranormal in his 2002 book Wild Things They Don't Tell Us.