I know we make the claim here often that these artists we post were tremendously underrated, criminally overlooked. Well, if you're looking for a felonious (monk) overlooking please refer to The Troggs.
I'm drawn to music that upon first listen confuses me and, maybe, repels me a bit. Can't put the classic finger on what it was about the Troggs that first threw me for a loop and made me suspicious. Maybe it was the variety of textures and sounds coming from a band almost exclusively known for Wild Thing. Well they had much wilder things up the Troggs sleeve. See what I mean with this box set.
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Allmusic.com: A double-CD, 52-track box set that proves there was a lot more to The Troggs than "Wild Thing" and "Love Is All Around." This archetypally primitive British Invasion quartet scored many hits in the U.K. that barely dented the charts in the U.S., like "With A Girl Like You," "Night Of The Long Grass," and the notoriously racy "I Can't Control Myself." They're all here, along with notable album cuts, B-sides, and worldwide post-1968 flops. Primitive they may have been, but The Troggs — who wrote most of their own material — did not lack a flair for hard pop hooks, and could display a surprising delicacy in their ballads. Several of their obscure singles and album tracks are equal in worth to their hits, like the gothic but pretty "Cousin Jane," and the witty light psychedelia of "Maybe the Madman" and "Purple Shades." Some of the '70s hard rockers and glammish novelties are unimpressive, and 52 songs is arguably excessive. But there are a fair number of obscure gems to be found on this well-annotated package.
2 comments:
I still have my vinyl copy of From Nowhere... bought at a shop I can't remember the name of in York sometime in the '70s... oh, the memories... thanks very much for this!
Yes indeed, a superior band who weren't afraid to stick their necks out. Channel Four did a great documentary about this group in the mid 90s as part of a series called 'My Generation' (I think): highly recommended if you can find it online somewhere.
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