Push It Up To Me - The Troggs

We'll not soon forget "Wild Thing", the song that launched the careers of The Troggs, and for better or for worse, forever fused itself with our collective pop culture consciousness. But there's more to remember, some notable and some flat out eccentric, like lead vocalist Reg Presley's use of royalty money to fund publication of his research on extraterrestrials and paranormal activity.

What's often overlooked is that The Troggs' music inspired more than Charlie Sheen's fastball from Major League. Their grip it and rip it style is seen by many as the precursor to garage rock and a major influence on the punk sound revolutionized by Iggy Pop. The band has a litany of devotees, influential and groundbreaking in their own right, which runs from The Buzzcocks to Spiritualized.

"Push It Up To Me" is British 1960's psychedelia in full bloom. Presley is purposefully puzzling and distant and coy. One guitar chugs, another frolics, and the drums are hardly heard performing their minimal duties. None of it is all that technical or grand, but it doesn't have to be. The simplicity is what's memorable. <TM>