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Oriphiel · 12-10-2014, 09:40 AM

I'm back, and I come bearing gifts! I've got an amazing album with me, as well as the next part of the short story that I started up there (just tell me if it starts to get boring, and I'll throw in a few dinosaurs and laser beams)! And lastly, I have the next part of Los Nuggetz, which will bring us up to the half-way mark. Let's get to it...

But first, I'd like to quickly give out a big "thank you!" to everyone on Music Banter! You've all been very nice and supportive, and I really appreciate it! Alright, now let's get to it...

In the sixties, many Garage Rock bands competed with each other to have the fastest and roughest act around. However, some bands decided to go the opposite route, and vie for a slow intensity to their tracks. This "heavy" quality, as well as a penchant for experimentation, would distinguish many Psychadelic acts as "Progressive" bands in the late sixties and early seventies (and eventually "Heavy Metal", but the history of that genre is a story that could be far better told in another journal). One of the pioneers of the "heavy" sounds, today we'll be looking at...

From Nowhere

The Troggs! Comprised of bassist Pete Staples (who has a fantastic website, Pete Staples Songwriter Musician, with loads of rare photos of the band, and was a major source of information for this entry), drummer Ronnie Bond, vocalist Reg Presley, and guitarist Chris Britton, The Troggs were a UK band formed in 1964. According to Pete's website, they have kind of a fun story of how they got together. After a band called "Ten Feet Five" began to lose members and momentum, their manager found another band called "The Troggs" that was having a similar problem. The managers of both bands decided to just combine the two, keeping the name "The Troggs", and so their classic line-up was born!

The Troggs!

After recording the single "Wild Thing", which became a chart-topping smash hit in America and the UK, they followed up on their success with the album "From Nowhere" (titled "Wild Thing" in the U.S, and featuring a different track list), which did very well for them. From there, they continued to release hit singles, however their momentum slowed down considerably by the end of the sixties, when they finally fell apart (though they've technically carried on in one form or another over the years, with multiple reunions and various line-ups). Now, let's get to the music!

1. "Wild Thing" - A Rock 'n Roll radio staple, it's very easy to see why this track became such a hit! With a driving drum beat, low distorted guitars, and rough yet smooth vocals, this is without a doubt the most popular and influential song to be created by a Garage Rock band. What more needs to be said? If you haven't heard this one before, give it a spin some time!

2. "The Kitty Cat Song" - I wasn't expecting such a light-hearted song as a follow up to the last number... Still, the loud bass and drums help to add a nice contrast to the clean sound of the track! Definitely took it's cues more from Pop music than the Garage scene.

3. "Ride Your Pony" - Vocal-wise, this one sounds very influenced by Merseybeat bands like The Beatles. However, the low distorted guitar mixes perfectly with the bass and drums to create a nice, heavy back beat that gives this one a hit of the rough Garage Rock sound! A fast and catchy song that complements the album very well.

4. "Hi Hi Hazel" - As an odd change of pace, here's a clean Vocal-Pop number with a horn section. Still, the singer and the bit of grit to his voice help to add at least a little dirtiness to the track. Though it's not my favorite track, it's good to see some experimentation with different types of music, rather than just loading the album with Garage tunes.

5. "I Just Sing" - And we go right back to the action, with the loud bass and deep drums hitting you right from the start! A melancholy rocker with compelling vocals, this one also has a fuzz-guitar solo in the middle! This is a nice track, with just a splash of Psychadelia to it.

6. "Evil" - The Troggs spice things up by trying their hands at yet another style, this time with the Blues. Apparently written by Shelby Singleton (a fairly famous song writer), this number has just a hint of a "Hoochie Coochie Man" feeling to it. All in all, a fun song with great Bluesy guitar playing! Here ends the A-side, so flip the record over and let's continue...

7. "Our Love Will Still Be There" - Kicking off the B-side, this one opens with the loud bass and fuzz-guitar drawing you in. Changing up their style again, this one has a bit of a Folk/Psychadelic feeling to it. And of course, the back beat is very loud and heavy throughout the track!

8. "Louie, Louie" - The most covered song of the sixties (seriously, how many covers have there been so far in this journal?), The Troggs coat the original in lead and let it sink into the depths of heavy Psychadelia. Very fun and heavy, with a great guitar solo, it's a worthy take on a great classic (though it's not my favorite cover of Louie, Louie that I've heard so far. That one still goes to Honey Ltd.).

9. "Jingle Jangle" - Another change of pace, The Troggs dip back into the Folk/Psychadelic sound. A simple and fairly clean song, I wouldn't be surprised if this one got radio-play in it's day.

10. "When I'm With You" - This one kind of has an old Country/Southern beat to it, it's another Vocal-Pop number with a heavy back-beat to balance things out. Sounds like something The Beatles would've played in their early days.

11. "From Home" - The heavy back-beat returns, this time in a frantic and jarring tune with occasional fuzz-guitar flairs! This one has a very Hendrix-y Hard Rock solo in the middle that leaves a good impression, though it is rather short. All together, a fun and unusual track!

12. "The Jaguar and the Thunderbird" - Finishing off the album, we get yet another change of style, this time with a Rockabilly number. A cover of Chuck Berry's hot rod rocker, The Troggs add their signature back-beat and get right to business. A nice tribute to the golden age of Rock 'n Roll, with good vocals/harmonies!

And the music comes to an end! Having only heard The Troggs before with their similar-sounding songs "I Want You" and "Wild Thing", I expected them to have that standard sound and rarely deviate from it. That's not the case at all! With forays into Psychadelia, Folk, Hard Rock, Vocal-Pop, Blues, and even Rockabilly, I was really surprised with their experimentation and variety! They seem to be one of those bands that's very good at making different sounding songs, while also having a distinctive signature sound that ties all of their songs together (you just know it's The Troggs when you hear one of their numbers). All things considered, this is a very fun album, and I highly recommend it!

Part two of today's update, in which I upload more of that short story and embarrass myself with my terrible writing, will be coming shortly! And then I'll write up the next portion of Los Nuggetz, which I'm really getting a kick out of so far!

12-10-2014, 09:40 AM	#30 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,355	I'm back, and I come bearing gifts! I've got an amazing album with me, as well as the next part of the short story that I started up there (just tell me if it starts to get boring, and I'll throw in a few dinosaurs and laser beams)! And lastly, I have the next part of Los Nuggetz, which will bring us up to the half-way mark. Let's get to it... But first, I'd like to quickly give out a big "thank you!" to everyone on Music Banter! You've all been very nice and supportive, and I really appreciate it! Alright, now let's get to it... In the sixties, many Garage Rock bands competed with each other to have the fastest and roughest act around. However, some bands decided to go the opposite route, and vie for a slow intensity to their tracks. This "heavy" quality, as well as a penchant for experimentation, would distinguish many Psychadelic acts as "Progressive" bands in the late sixties and early seventies (and eventually "Heavy Metal", but the history of that genre is a story that could be far better told in another journal). One of the pioneers of the "heavy" sounds, today we'll be looking at... From Nowhere The Troggs! Comprised of bassist Pete Staples (who has a fantastic website, Pete Staples Songwriter Musician, with loads of rare photos of the band, and was a major source of information for this entry), drummer Ronnie Bond, vocalist Reg Presley, and guitarist Chris Britton, The Troggs were a UK band formed in 1964. According to Pete's website, they have kind of a fun story of how they got together. After a band called "Ten Feet Five" began to lose members and momentum, their manager found another band called "The Troggs" that was having a similar problem. The managers of both bands decided to just combine the two, keeping the name "The Troggs", and so their classic line-up was born! The Troggs! After recording the single "Wild Thing", which became a chart-topping smash hit in America and the UK, they followed up on their success with the album "From Nowhere" (titled "Wild Thing" in the U.S, and featuring a different track list), which did very well for them. From there, they continued to release hit singles, however their momentum slowed down considerably by the end of the sixties, when they finally fell apart (though they've technically carried on in one form or another over the years, with multiple reunions and various line-ups). Now, let's get to the music! 1. "Wild Thing" - A Rock 'n Roll radio staple, it's very easy to see why this track became such a hit! With a driving drum beat, low distorted guitars, and rough yet smooth vocals, this is without a doubt the most popular and influential song to be created by a Garage Rock band. What more needs to be said? If you haven't heard this one before, give it a spin some time! 2. "The Kitty Cat Song" - I wasn't expecting such a light-hearted song as a follow up to the last number... Still, the loud bass and drums help to add a nice contrast to the clean sound of the track! Definitely took it's cues more from Pop music than the Garage scene. 3. "Ride Your Pony" - Vocal-wise, this one sounds very influenced by Merseybeat bands like The Beatles. However, the low distorted guitar mixes perfectly with the bass and drums to create a nice, heavy back beat that gives this one a hit of the rough Garage Rock sound! A fast and catchy song that complements the album very well. 4. "Hi Hi Hazel" - As an odd change of pace, here's a clean Vocal-Pop number with a horn section. Still, the singer and the bit of grit to his voice help to add at least a little dirtiness to the track. Though it's not my favorite track, it's good to see some experimentation with different types of music, rather than just loading the album with Garage tunes. 5. "I Just Sing" - And we go right back to the action, with the loud bass and deep drums hitting you right from the start! A melancholy rocker with compelling vocals, this one also has a fuzz-guitar solo in the middle! This is a nice track, with just a splash of Psychadelia to it. 6. "Evil" - The Troggs spice things up by trying their hands at yet another style, this time with the Blues. Apparently written by Shelby Singleton (a fairly famous song writer), this number has just a hint of a "Hoochie Coochie Man" feeling to it. All in all, a fun song with great Bluesy guitar playing! Here ends the A-side, so flip the record over and let's continue... 7. "Our Love Will Still Be There" - Kicking off the B-side, this one opens with the loud bass and fuzz-guitar drawing you in. Changing up their style again, this one has a bit of a Folk/Psychadelic feeling to it. And of course, the back beat is very loud and heavy throughout the track! 8. "Louie, Louie" - The most covered song of the sixties (seriously, how many covers have there been so far in this journal?), The Troggs coat the original in lead and let it sink into the depths of heavy Psychadelia. Very fun and heavy, with a great guitar solo, it's a worthy take on a great classic (though it's not my favorite cover of Louie, Louie that I've heard so far. That one still goes to Honey Ltd.). 9. "Jingle Jangle" - Another change of pace, The Troggs dip back into the Folk/Psychadelic sound. A simple and fairly clean song, I wouldn't be surprised if this one got radio-play in it's day. 10. "When I'm With You" - This one kind of has an old Country/Southern beat to it, it's another Vocal-Pop number with a heavy back-beat to balance things out. Sounds like something The Beatles would've played in their early days. 11. "From Home" - The heavy back-beat returns, this time in a frantic and jarring tune with occasional fuzz-guitar flairs! This one has a very Hendrix-y Hard Rock solo in the middle that leaves a good impression, though it is rather short. All together, a fun and unusual track! 12. "The Jaguar and the Thunderbird" - Finishing off the album, we get yet another change of style, this time with a Rockabilly number. A cover of Chuck Berry's hot rod rocker, The Troggs add their signature back-beat and get right to business. A nice tribute to the golden age of Rock 'n Roll, with good vocals/harmonies! And the music comes to an end! Having only heard The Troggs before with their similar-sounding songs "I Want You" and "Wild Thing", I expected them to have that standard sound and rarely deviate from it. That's not the case at all! With forays into Psychadelia, Folk, Hard Rock, Vocal-Pop, Blues, and even Rockabilly, I was really surprised with their experimentation and variety! They seem to be one of those bands that's very good at making different sounding songs, while also having a distinctive signature sound that ties all of their songs together (you just know it's The Troggs when you hear one of their numbers). All things considered, this is a very fun album, and I highly recommend it! Part two of today's update, in which I upload more of that short story and embarrass myself with my terrible writing, will be coming shortly! And then I'll write up the next portion of Los Nuggetz, which I'm really getting a kick out of so far! Last edited by Oriphiel; 12-10-2014 at 06:27 PM.