The Troggs were one of the toughest and most gloriously unpolished bands to emerge from the U.K. during the British Invasion era - the leering, monolithic pound of "Wild Thing" and "I Can't Control Myself" was about the closest thing to the Stooges that emerged on vinyl before James Osterberg reinvented himself as Iggy Pop, and lead singer Reg Presley all but defined the word "lascivious" with his guttural howls and moans on their best recordings. The Troggs had dropped off the charts by the end of the '60s, but they were the sort of band that simply didn't believe in giving up, and in 1975 they returned to the studio to cut their first album in five years. Simply called The Troggs, the album found the group updating their sound just a bit, with the results at times suggesting a cross between Status Quo-style boogie and blue collar glam in the manner of Slade, especially on the honest self-celebration of "Full Blooded Band"…

This set collects the half-dozen or so EPs that the Troggs released for Fontana Records during their peak commercial run in the mid- to late '60s, and while the group's biggest hits are here, including their signature caveman stomper "Wild Thing" (written by Chip Taylor and featuring an improbable ocarina solo), the pop gem "With a Girl Like You." and the breezy ballad "Love Is All Around," what makes this compilation interesting are the various other tracks that either show the Troggs trying to replicate their biggest successes by cloning them under the guise of a new song or truly stretching into different territory (the opening track, "Oh No," which features a distinct Byrds-like jangle, is a good example of the latter). Lead singer Reg Presley's vocals range from sneering to sweet, mellow, and flowery, depending on the song…

Remembered chiefly as proto-punkers who reached the top of the charts with the "caveman rock" of "Wild Thing" (1966), the Troggs were also adept at crafting power pop and ballads. Hearkening back to a somewhat simpler, more basic British Invasion approach as psychedelia began to explode in the late '60s, the group also reached the Top Five with their flower-power ballad "Love Is All Around" in 1968. While more popular in their native England than the U.S., the band also fashioned memorable, insistently riffing hit singles like "With a Girl Like You," "Night of the Long Grass," and the notoriously salacious "I Can't Control Myself" between 1966 and 1968. Paced by Reg Presley's lusting vocals, the group - which composed most of their own material - could crunch with the best of them, but were also capable of quite a bit more range and melodic invention than they've been given credit for.

Although the raw power of "Wild Thing" is undeniable and has held influence over countless bands, the band were more than that. From Nowhere showed a group of British guys with a keen garage-stompin' punk sensibility in '66, years before the term 'punk' even entered music's consciousness…