{{Short description|English band}} {{Distinguish|The Turtles}} {{About||the comic opera|Mock Turtles (opera)|the Lewis Carroll character|Mock Turtle}}

{{More citations needed|date=September 2010}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = The Mock Turtles | image = | caption = From left to right Steve 'Smiley' Barnard, Martin Glyn Murray, Martin Coogan, Joanne Gent, Andrew Stewardson | image_size = | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = [[Middleton, Greater Manchester]], England | genre = [[Madchester]], [[indie rock]], [[baggy]] | years_active = 1985–present | label = [[Imaginary Records|Imaginary]], [[Siren Records (UK)|Siren]], [[Virgin Records|Virgin]] | associated_acts = | website = }}

'''The Mock Turtles''' are an English [[indie rock]] band, formed in [[Middleton, Greater Manchester]], in 1985, who enjoyed some success in the early 1990s. Their most famous song, "[[Can You Dig It? (The Mock Turtles song)|Can You Dig It?]]", which was released in the UK in 1991, charted at no. 18. When the song was re-released in slightly remixed form in 2003, it again reached the top 20 of the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name='UK Charts'>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/26847/mock-turtles/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |title=Mock Turtles}}</ref>

==Career== {{Update|date=November 2011}} Led by former Judge Happiness singer [[Martin Coogan]], elder brother of actor/comedian [[Steve Coogan]],<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/11/05/coogans-bluff | title = Coogan's Bluff | magazine = [[The New Yorker]] | date = 5 November 2007 | access-date = 20 August 2019}}</ref> the band began to pick up attention around 1990, with debut album ''Turtle Soup'' and tracks such as "Lay Me Down" and "And Then She Smiles" on the [[Imaginary Records|Imaginary]] label.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=860}}</ref> It was "Can You Dig It?", however, which gained them wider attention. Originally a [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] to "Lay Me Down", the band's new record label, Siren, re-issued it with additional guitar work,<ref name="Larkin"/> and "Can You Dig It?" breached the [[Top 40|Top 20]] in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 373}}</ref> Their follow up single "And Then She Smiles" failed to replicate the success of the previous single,<ref name="Larkin"/> only reaching no. 44 in the chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/mock%20turtles/|title=Artist Chart History: Mock Turtles|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=15 June 2013}}</ref>

In March 1991, the British music magazine ''[[NME]]'' reported that the band were appearing at the 'Great Indie Festival – A Midsummer's Day Dream' at [[Milton Keynes Bowl]] in June that year. Also on the bill were [[808 State]], [[Gary Clail]], [[Shades of Rhythm (band)|Shades of Rhythm]], [[The Shamen]], [[Paris Angels]] and [[Flowered Up]].<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 482 | id= CN 5585}}</ref>

The Mock Turtles, however, were unable to follow up the early success and were dropped by their label, three members briefly joining up as Ugli in the mid-1990s,<ref name="Larkin"/> remaining in limbo until [[Vodafone]] used "Can You Dig It?" for an [[advertising campaign]] in late 2002 and more famously in 2003. This saw the band make a comeback with [[Fatboy Slim|Norman Cook]] doing a [[remix]] of the song,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/arts/page/0,,1074166,00.html |title=One-hit wonders &#124; &#124; guardian.co.uk Arts |website=Theguardian.com |date= |access-date=14 March 2016}}</ref> taking the track to no. 19 in the United Kingdom. Eight new tracks were included on a new ''Greatest Hits'' album, together with older songs from their early 1990s peak. Most recently, the track "And Then She Smiles" has been used as the theme song for the television programme ''Stella'' on Sky1.

''Turtle Soup'' was reissued in 2017 with additional non-album singles and B-sides and covers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/the-mock-turtles/turtle-soup-expanded-edition|title=The Mock Turtles - Turtle Soup - Expanded Edition - CDx2|website=Roughtrade.com|access-date=20 June 2021}}</ref>

==Current members== *[[Martin Coogan]] – vocals, guitar, percussion (1985–present) *[[Martin Glyn Murray]] – guitar (1985–present) *Andrew Stewardson – bass, viola, guitar (1989–present) *Joanne Gent – keyboards, cello, guitar (1989–present) *[[Steve Barnard]] – drums (1993–present)

==Former members== *Steve Cowen – drums (1985–93) *Steve Green – bass (1985–89) *Krzysztof Korab – keyboards (1985–89)

==Discography== ===Albums=== *''Turtle Soup'' (1990), [[Imaginary Records|Imaginary]] *''87–90'' (1991), Imaginary *''Two Sides'' (1991), [[Siren Records (UK)|Siren]] *''Can You Dig It – The Best of the Mock Turtles'' (2003), [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]

===Singles and EPs=== *"Pomona" (1987), [[Imaginary Records|Imaginary]] *"Wicker Man" (1989), Imaginary *"And Then She Smiles" (1989), Imaginary *"Lay Me Down" (1990), Imaginary *''Magic Boomerang EP'' (1990), Imaginary *"Are You Experienced?" (1990), Imaginary *"[[Can You Dig It? (The Mock Turtles song)|Can You Dig It?]]" (1991), [[Siren Records (UK)|Siren]] - UK no. 18<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> *''And Then She Smiles EP'' (1991), Siren - UK no. 44<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> *"Strings and Flowers" (1991), Siren *"Can You Dig It? ([[Norman Cook|Fatboy Slim]] Remix)" (2003), [[Virgin Records|Virgin]] - UK no. 19

===Compilation appearances=== *''[[Beyond the Wildwood]] – A Tribute to Syd Barrett'' – "No Good Trying" (1987), Imaginary *''[[Fast 'n' Bulbous - A Tribute to Captain Beefheart]]'' – "Big Eyed Beans from Venus" (1988), Imaginary *''Shangri-La – A Tribute to the Kinks'' – "Shangri-La" / "Big Sky" (1989), Imaginary *''Time Between – A Tribute to the Byrds'' – "Time Between" / "Why" (1989), Imaginary *''Indie Top 20 Volume X'' – "Lay Me Down" (1990), Beechwood Music *''Ouch. Relativity Sampler'' – "Mary's Garden" (1991), Relativity *''Fifteen Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground'' – "Pale Blue Eyes" (1994)

Compilations that feature "Can You Dig It?" are:{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} *''The Best Bands... Ever!'' Virgin/EMI, 2002 *''Q: The Album'' Virgin/EMI/Universal, 2003 *''I Luv Smash Hits'' Virgin/EMI, 2003 *''[[Now That's What I Call Music! 54 (UK series)|Now That's What I Call Music! 54]]'' Virgin/EMI, 2003 *''The X-List'' Virgin/EMI, 2003 *''Smash Hits Chart Summer 2003'' Virgin/EMI, 2003 * ''EPIC'' Sony Music Entertainment UK, 2010 *''101 Indie Classics'' EMI TV, 2010

==References== {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mock Turtles, The}} [[Category:Rock music groups from Greater Manchester]] [[Category:Music in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale]] [[Category:English indie rock groups]] [[Category:Baggy groups]] [[Category:Madchester groups]] [[Category:Imaginary Records artists]] [[Category:Virgin Records artists]]