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website.lineone.net/~thetroggs
It has come to my attention that many young musicians have never even heard of the Troggs tapes. This is unacceptable! Listening to this legendary recording is a mandatory part of any band's musical education.
The story in brief: It's the late '60s (or maybe the early '70s; we're not sure) and the Troggs are in the studio, desperately attempting to record a follow-up to their #1 hit "Wild Thing." Unfortunately, they're missing some essential equipment — primarily between the ears.
A running tape in the control room captures every nuance of their flailing musicianship, bitter disputes, and nonstop profanity. Singer Reg Presley and his comrades alternate between earnest attempts to make music and inchoate screeching in broad Hampshire accents. It's hard to imagine how the engineer kept a straight face through the process.
The Troggs tapes are widely thought to be a key inspiration for This Is Spinal Tap. Another delightful detail: In later days, Reg Presley is rumored to have spent a considerable chunk of his Troggs profits on crop-circle research. (You can read more about this and Reg's other UFO-related theories in his 2004 book, Wild Things They Don't Tell Us.)
There are many lessons to be learned from the Troggs tapes — among them, that you should always know when you're being recorded. So gather together your guitarist, your vocalist, your bass player, and especially your drummer, and listen up, kids!
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–Elise Malmberg
Posted March 2007
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