Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 02/05/2013 at 9:37 AM News

The Popdust Files: best ever, eulogies, reg presley, the troggs, wild thing

You’ve never heard of Reg Presley—we hadn’t either—so don’t sweat not knowing his name if you see his name in obituaries and such. But there’s a slight chance you’ve heard of his band, ’60s British Invasion group the Troggs, and a pretty decent chance you’d recognize their biggest hit, “Wild Thing,” a #1 hit and oldies radio standard that was given new life in the late ’80s when it was used prominently in the movie Major League. It’s a really cool song with just three super-repetitive chords, an awesome chorus and an ocarina solo, for some reason.

But the song’s greatest legacy—and also that of the Troggs and Presley, though the man himself might not have played it—is its opening note. A bending, piercing, distorted, out-of-nowhere clarion call that leads directly into the song’s main riff, it’s one of the most awesome sounds recorded, and is totally without peer as far as opening notes go in the history of rock music. It’s sex and danger and love and excitement all in one guitar note. Seriously, take a listen.

The rest of the song is pretty good too, and the Troggs have a couple other winners, but you could spend an entire career trying to follow up that opening note and still not ever even come close. We owe you guys for that one, Reg.