Browse by Artist: GROUNDHOGS, THE

Artist:	GROUNDHOGS, THE
Title:	The Best Of
Label:	EMI (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.50
Catalog #:	EMI 555042CD

1997 release. "Though the 1960s and early-'70s U.K. blues and boogie band the Groundhogs never achieved widespread fame, this best-of shows them to be a solidly rocking outfit most at home with workmanlike interpretations of the urban blues of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. A lean three-piece who concentrated more on feel and groove than their jazzier contemporaries Cream, the Groundhogs' evolution into one of the many socially and politically aware bands of the era is documented here on cuts such as the psychedelic-sounding 'Strange Town' and the prog-rock 'Rich Man, Poor Man.' 'Earth Is Not Room Enough' is a fine example of eccentric '60s boogie, and the always-stirring 'Amazing Grace' features the band's much-lauded guitarist Tony McPhee at his most expressive."

Artist:	GROUNDHOGS, THE
Title:	Split
Label:	EMI (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	EMI 5848192CD

2003 remastered reissue, originally released in 1971. Includes four bonus tracks from BBC In Concert 1972. "On Split, more than any other Groundhogs album, they played in a shamanic whirling that shattered and scattered the beat around in several directions at once...This album of paranoid delusion and post-drug trauma was seen by its author as a straight account of a real event. Both musically and lyrically, Split speaks for a lost time, a nomad time when ideals took to the hoof and musicians stayed on the road rather than confront the fact that the '60s 'war' had been lost." --Julian Cope

Artist:	GROUNDHOGS, THE
Title:	Thank Christ For The Bomb
Label:	EMI (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.50
Catalog #:	EMI 5848202CD

2003 remastered reissue, originally released in 1970. Includes three bonus tracks. "Talk about a great album title -- sardonic, sarcastic, literal or what? Luckily, it goes any way you want it, and since the album's all clean guitar lines, time signatures played and basking in a rough'n'ready bluesy amped-up post-Altamont surge out, it's a glorious riot. The Groundhogs at this period in time were the perfect trio of Tony (T.S.) McPhee on guitar and vocals, Pete Cruickshank on bass and Ken Pustelnik's on drums. You can spin this record over and over and marvel at its completeness, integrity and singular purpose, keeping to a few themes (actually, only one--alienation), but rock out so complex yet effortless it's a miracle. All compositions and arrangements by main 'Hog Tony (T.S.) McPhee are exquisite and rock out like crazy." --Julian Cope

Artist:	GROUNDHOGS, THE
Title:	Scratching The Surface
Label:	SUNDAZED
Format:	LP
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	SC 5270LP

"The raw, rootsy Scratching The Surface ranks among the finest albums to emerge from the British blues-rock boom, matching Tony McPhee's memorable original tunes with a blistering reworking of the Muddy Waters classic 'Still A Fool.' The album features the Groundhogs' original recording lineup of McPhee, bassist Peter Cruickshank, drummer Ken Pustelnik and harp player Steve Rye. Out of print for decades and never before reissued domestically, this cult classic has been meticulously restored, using Sundazed's usual exacting standards; pressed on high-quality audiophile vinyl, and features original cover art." Originally released on World Pacific in 1968.

Artist:	GROUNDHOGS, THE
Title:	Blues Obituary
Label:	SUNDAZED
Format:	LP
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	SC 5271LP

"Originally released in 1969 on Imperial, Blues Obituary is a landmark of Britain's blues-rock movement. Blues Obituary finds the Groundhogs beginning to stretch beyond traditional blues forms, as demonstrated on the seven-minute epic 'Light Was The Day.' Beyond its memorable cover art, Blues Obituary marks the Groundhogs' first effort as a power trio, the format in which the band would do its most acclaimed and popular work. Led by master guitarist/singer/songwriter Tony McPhee, the Groundhogs formed in the mid-'60s, borrowing their name from a John Lee Hooker song. Prior to launching their recording career, the Groundhogs developed a reputation as a powerful live act, and backed such visiting American blues greats as Champion Jack Dupree and Hooker himself."

Artist:	GROUNDHOGS, THE
Title:	Solid
Label:	VINYL LOVERS (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)
Format:	LP
Price:	$24.00
Catalog #:	VL 900663LP

"In the tradition of the best bands of the era, the Groundhogs took something known, like 'the blues', and twisted it into something entirely new, so that over three decades later their sound still has a character all its own. Led by the extremely talented and inventive guitar wizard / idea-man Tony McPhee, with Clive Brooks and Peter Cruickshank as the hard-hitting rhythm section, Solid (1973) was one of a string of excellent albums by the band during this period, but on this album, the band really stretches out, boldly trying out a number of effects and instruments (mellotron, for example) mostly with great success."

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