Reg and Chip

The sad news of the death of Reg Presley, lead singer of The Troggs, has led to much playing of Wild Thing in (well deserved) radio and TV tributes. Wild Thing was one of those hair-raising, pulse-racing singles that came thick and fast in that golden age of the mid-60s, each one sounding like nothing you'd ever heard before, like something that might change the world. Innocent times... But Wild Thing was, and is, one of the greats, and until recently I had cheerfully assumed that it was a Reg Presley song - which just goes to show that I don't do enough pub quizzes. Wild Thing was in fact written by Chip Taylor, who also penned the couldn't-be-more-different Angel of the Morning. An interesting character, Chip Taylor - brother of Jon Voight, uncle of Angelina Jolie, and successful country and pop songwriter, he threw it all up in the mid-70s to pursue a career as a professional gambler, specialising in blackjack and the geegees. Then, in the mid-90s, he returned to music, teaming up with fiddler Carrie Rodriguez and others to explore a rootsier realm of Americana and alt country. There's plenty on YouTube if you're interested - including Chip and Carrie performing Wild Thing. It's, er, different...