The "Mighty" Groundhogs:The '70's
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Forum Name: Proto-Prog and Prog-Related Lounge
Forum Description: Discuss bands and albums classified as Proto-Prog and Prog-Related
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=76030
Printed Date: March 12 2025 at 03:25
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Topic: The "Mighty" Groundhogs:The '70's
Posted By: cannon
Subject: The "Mighty" Groundhogs:The '70's
Date Posted: February 18 2011 at 08:09
| The Groundhogs were part of the 2nd. wave of the British blues revival and got thier start backing up John Lee Hooker in 1965. Entering the '70's the band left behind thier "traditional" blues influences are started to fuse prog, heavy psych, and hard rock. Your fav album from the band in the '70's? |
Replies:
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: February 18 2011 at 12:00
| For me, Split. It is a perfectly done album, and thrills me to this very day. It is pretty well produced, and inventive and experimental,but also accessible. Thank Christ For The Bomb is also impressive, but none of their records surpasses Split |
Posted By: holy ghost
Date Posted: February 20 2011 at 12:32
| Split is absolutely perfect. Can't find a single thing wrong with that one, although I haven't checked out anything beyond Who Will Save The World. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: February 20 2011 at 14:22
| I've only heard the first two and out of those I really like Split, so that gets my vote. |
Posted By: Hawkwise
Date Posted: February 20 2011 at 15:31
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Always have had a soft spot for Hogwash so voted for that but i Love them ALL !! and where is Blues Obituary ?(yeah i know it was 1969 but ya know i love it) i also have a soft spot for Black Diamond its full of good tunes and Tony T.S McPhee lyrics on that album are really good in fact Tony lyric writing really is top notch as well as his brilliant Guitar Playing . Good to see the Mighty Groundhogs getting some well deserved kudos around these parts , good thread !!! ------------- 
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Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: February 20 2011 at 16:17
| Any of you folks seen the Groundhogs Live dvd recorded in 1998? |
Posted By: cannon
Date Posted: February 21 2011 at 20:50
| Thank Christ is my first pick, but just a hair above Split. Hogwash third. Blues Obituary leaves Scratching The Surface behind in both production and musical direction. Like Hawkwise I could vote for all of them. |
Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: February 21 2011 at 20:53
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I only have Blues Obituary. I find it rather boring, sadly. :(
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Posted By: cannon
Date Posted: February 21 2011 at 20:56
I'd suggest anything after Blues Obituary.
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thellama73 wrote:Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: March 02 2011 at 07:59
The Groundhogs while touring Split, apparently had McPhee using some of the early radio mikes and pick-ups. A police car message broke through onto his speakers during the stage announcements of one gig in the UK. As quick as a flash McPhee apologised to the audience explaining he was having problems with his fuzz-box.
 Yours truly with TMcP, just after his signing the album on which I first heard the Groundhogs (and Tony McPhee with the excellent Jo Anne Kelly) - McPhee on seeing that LP sleeve whilst having a leisurely pint at a DeMont Hall's bar in 2004, said "when the f*** did you get that?" - to which I replied: "Since the day it was released." (Around 1968-9) ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: March 02 2011 at 14:51
Great post Dick!
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Posted By: Hawkwise
Date Posted: March 03 2011 at 06:20
Top Bloke Tony sadly last time i saw him was in Summerton Somerset he did a solo gig but there was only 7 of us who turned up (poor gig advertising and organization) felt so sorry for the guy he is such a Legend to me just love his music, but we got to have good chat with him he signed my mates copy of Split. he played a few tunes then gave up so we all went to the bar for few beers . i also remember the Hogs playing a cracking set at a festival at some racecourse up north they played early in the morning couse they were of after to play at another festival in Yorkshire some where. Top Bloke Tony !!! -------------
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Posted By: cannon
Date Posted: March 03 2011 at 07:33
That's a great picture.
 I'm a huge Groundhogs fan but being here on the west coast of Canada I've never seen them live. I have "Me And The Devil" on vinyl which features Jo Anne Kelly amongst others.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: March 03 2011 at 07:39
| It is a shame that a legend such as McPhee is playing to small audiences. About 25 years ago I was staying with a friend in Wales and we popped down to his local social club and, much to our surprise, the band that night was The Groundhogs. At least there were more than 7 people there but not many were very interested in the band. |
Posted By: mattstevens
Date Posted: March 14 2011 at 18:04
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Thank Christ For The Bomb is amazing - lovely chordal voicing and inversions. The harmonized guitar parts are awesome. Massive inspiration for me. ------------- "Ghost is a phenomenal piece of work that has already garnered countless frothing plaudits within the online prog and post-rock firmament" Classic Rock Presents Prog http://mattstevensguitar.com |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: March 20 2011 at 19:49
There are classic period pieces and some more recent ones, and it is wonderful! |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: March 24 2011 at 14:13
Not so sure about that ... I think I read somewhere that Toni and Eric came from the same school or area ... and both are quite blues leaning ... but if I have a chance to make a call, I would take Toni any day of the week, because his music and playing is far more exciting and lively and talented than Eric's. Eric may have the biggest hit, but Toni has the better sound, and music all around for my tastes.
"Crosscut Saw" is my favorite and then some, and some cuts on "Black Diamond" are unreal! ... But if you never heard his original guitar anthem that inspired Jimi to do his own at Woodstock, you haven't lived. "Amazing Grace" is probably just as important a piece as the other ... it just didn't have all the garbage for you to check out in front of you! And you all really have to hear "Live Right" from the Black Diamond album ... absolutely awesome music, writing and creativity. ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 24 2011 at 14:30
------------- What? |
Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: March 24 2011 at 15:19
| Always had a soft spot for Hogwash but Split just beats it for me. |
Posted By: A B Negative
Date Posted: March 24 2011 at 15:59
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Split is an excellent album. Cherry Red rocks! ------------- "The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time." |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: March 24 2011 at 17:07
| lately, been "re-discovering" Thank Christ For The Bomb-fantastic album. Just below my favorite Split, but just by a hair's breath |
Posted By: cannon
Date Posted: March 25 2011 at 11:54
Tony was playing skiffle back in the early '60's and joined a band with the Cruickshanks brothers in '63 and took thier sound towards the blues and called themselves the Groundhogs after Hooker's song, "Groundhog's Blues". They played with Johnny Lee Hooker and recorded an album with him in 1965 and then they disbanded with a few line up changes and called themselves Herbal Mixture playing a mod/psych/pop and released a few singles and again after personnel changes and back to the British blues-rock formula and took on the name of the Groundhogs again.
So I guess you could say they were from the first wave(sort of), but Scratching The Surface released in '68 and was considered the second wave. I considered any release from '67 and '68 the second wave of the British Blues revival as any releases from '64 and '65 the first wave like the Stones early albums, Yardbirds, The Animals, and the Bluesbreakers. Second wave I would consider the debut releases from Fleetwood Mac, Ten Years After, Chicken Shack, and Savoy Brown.
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