The Mock Turtles

The Madchester scene yielded one of its most lasting singles when The Mock Turtles unveiled "Can You Dig It?" in 1990. More than a decade afterward, a high-profile Vodafone advertising campaign for the British mobile operator restored both the track and the band to widespread attention.

Singer and guitarist Martin Googan, older brother of British television comedian and actor Steve Coogan, headed the group. Bassist Steve Green, keyboardist Krzysztof Korab, and drummer Steve Cowen rounded out the original lineup, which blended folk-rock, psychedelia, and glam influences. The Mock Turtles debuted on record with the 1987 single "Pomona." They next supplied tracks to Imaginary Records tribute albums saluting The Byrds, The Kinks, and Captain Beefheart. In early 1989 Green and Korab departed, and bassist Andrew Stewardson, guitarist Martin Glynn Murray, and keyboardist Joanne Gent joined in time to record "The Wicker Man," a single inspired by the cult horror film of the same title.

With the 1990 release "Lay Me Down," the band began folding in the club-driven rhythms that would soon characterize the Manchester sound. Their first album, Turtle Soup, arrived that June and earned considerable critical praise. Major-label Siren then signed the group, prompting a reworking of the "Lay Me Down" B-side "Can You Dig It?" for their label debut. The resulting single climbed into the Top 20 and secured an appearance on the BBC’s Top of the Pops. A glossy follow-up album, Two Sides, nevertheless drew scant notice, leading Coogan to dissolve the band in 1993 and form Ugli with Green and Korab.

After more than ten years out of the spotlight, the Mock Turtles experienced a commercial resurgence once Vodafone licensed "Can You Dig It?" to promote its wireless services. The single was promptly re-serviced to radio, and a greatest-hits compilation appeared that featured eight newly recorded tracks.