Album Reviews # 80 The Troggs - From Nowhere

 

A few weeks ago, for reasons I won't bore you with, I went to my favourite record shop in town looking for a second hand copy of the Human League's Travelogue. They didn't have it, but as so often happens on these occasions in record shops , I left very happy with something else instead.

From Nowhere, the first album from The Troggs from 1966. Now I've long loved the Troggs. At least since my first year at university when I met a very sexy girl called Angie who was from Andover, (the band's home town), and she regaled me of tales of Reg Presley.

Even more so since reading James Taylor Marked For Death the great essay which Lester Bangs wrote about the band declaring them the absolute ultimate Garage band, even better than the legions of American bands of the same time and same stripe. He was quite right. Iggy also mentioned them, and Reg Presley specifically as a key formative influence.

Since before my lifelong musical standard bearers R.E.M. got together with the band to make Athens, Andover in 1992. Before the same band covered Love Is All Around, doing a pretty good job of it. Before Wet Wet Wet did the same thing on the soundtrack of Four Weddings and a Funeral and made a bloody awful job of it but still stayed at Number One on the UK for almost four months in 1994, providing a late nest egg of royalties for the band. Presley apparently spent most of his share on researching crop circles. Why, is some question to ask, as everyone knows they're created by drunken farm hands as an after pub jape.Well, each to their own.

I've coveted this album in its vinyl form for a while. Just for the cover really as it's an illustration of why people buy records and CDs are an utterly inferior alternative. Troggs is the short form of troglodyte of course. For the mythical cave dwellers. So here the band are, in matching cream suits inside a truly wonderful looking cheddar cave in Hampshire. Unstoppable.

And so is the record. The Troggs were destined never to be an albums band or gain much respect for what they did, but this is just terrific. Start to finish. Reg writes a few, there are a clutch of covers and of course there's Wild Thing. Written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by New York band The Wild Ones. The Troggs brought it back and rightfully made it huge.

Over the coming years they had plenty of other sizable and notable hit singles but it's no surprise that  was this song that came to define them in many respects.It was Number One in the US and New Zealand, Number 2 in the UK. Top Ten virtually everywhere else.

It defines youth, rebellion and the whole foolishness and awkwardness of youth and early adulthood.Sex, lust, teenage fumblings. The things that still couldn't be spoken about openly at this point but which Troggs delineate here every bit as well as The Stones or The Who but with a cheekier, nudge nudge, wink wink raunch and sauciness that became the band's calling card. It's Punk before Punk. It has an ocarina solo. It'a truly a thing of beauty.

Strangely, given how good it is, the rest of the record is by no means put into the shade by it. The Troggs were not one trick ponies. Of course they weren't great players by any means but you don't have to be to do this stuff well. But From Nowhere has a sweaty charm that still holds up.

Most importantly it's a record that demands to be heard in vinyl form.I tried listening to it on my computer on headphones and it simply doesn't have the same effect. It's recorded in Mono of course which is one factor but it's not just that. It's certainly a case here of format defining impact. Best of all, on the back sleeve you have profile pictures of the band where they're listed as Ronnie, Chris, Pete and Reg Trogg, eight years before The Ramones. And in the great spirit of teenage mags they're asked their favourite drink, parents names, hobbies and everything else you could possibly want to know about them. Wonderful!

From Nowhere is not the only thing you need by The Troggs but it's the best place to start. From there get yourself a Greatest Hits. Essential. You'll be surprised. Then you might like to delve into some of their seventies stuff when they stopped having hits. I was also directed to a 1969 solo album by guitarist Chris Britton called As I Am by a discerning record shop guy who knows his stuff. Whatever you do, don't diss The Troggs. They're worthy of respect. Lester knows. Iggy knows. Peter Buck knows. You should know too!