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el dingo View Drop Down
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Points: 7053 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Groundhogs
    Posted: March 10 2009 at 04:15
Originally posted by Dick Heath Dick Heath wrote:

[QUOTE=Syzygy]
 
I trust Syz , you're musing there? I happened to deliberately played Stray with heavy Mellotron on Thursday's night show, definitely heavy rock not prog (i.e. the  first track on Suicide)
 
I saw Stray a couple of times in the 1970s around the time Saturday Morning Pictures was released.
 
Happy to confirm that live they were purely heavy/hard rock. And bloody good too IMO, esp. Del Bromham.
It's not that I can't find worth in anything, it's just that I can't find worth in enough.
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Points: 7559 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 07 2009 at 17:14
Originally posted by Dick Heath Dick Heath wrote:

Originally posted by Syzygy Syzygy wrote:

 
I don't think there's anything too controversial about Thank Christ..., Mighty 'hogs and Split going into prog related - some of McPhee's more straight ahead blues albums would be pushing it, but on those albums from 1970-75 they even used mellotron from time to time.
 


Why are we pissing about? I'm all for a blues rock section we have virtually everything else on board. To repeat, we early progressive music fan had blues bands (e.g.Canned Heat, John Mayall) in the genre long before Krimson turned up. I can't wait to add Groundhogs with John Lee Hooker.

I trust Syz , you're musing there? I happened to deliberately played Stray with heavy Mellotron on Thursday's night show, definitely heavy rock not prog (i.e. the  first track on Suicide)
 
And don't forget that Graham Bond's Organisation was using trons back in 1965 (or was it 1966).
 
The Hogs are a progressive Blues band in the same way that the Bluesbreakers, Cream and the Yardbirds were - there's nothing intrinsically different in the music.
 
Not Prog - but who cares anymore? LOL
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
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Points: 12816 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 27 2009 at 17:41
Originally posted by Syzygy Syzygy wrote:

 
I don't think there's anything too controversial about Thank Christ..., Mighty 'hogs and Split going into prog related - some of McPhee's more straight ahead blues albums would be pushing it, but on those albums from 1970-75 they even used mellotron from time to time.
 


Why are we pissing about? I'm all for a blues rock section we have virtually everything else on board. To repeat, we early progressive music fan had blues bands (e.g.Canned Heat, John Mayall) in the genre long before Krimson turned up. I can't wait to add Groundhogs with John Lee Hooker.

I trust Syz , you're musing there? I happened to deliberately played Stray with heavy Mellotron on Thursday's night show, definitely heavy rock not prog (i.e. the  first track on Suicide)
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Points: 91 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 27 2009 at 16:44
First heard The Groundhogs in late 1970 - to my ears, they were a revelation. I bought "Thank Christ..." ("Garden" is STLL superb) and "Split" ('nuff said) quickly. I got "Who will save.." (not quite so good) and "Hogwash" later. After hearing "Earth Shanty" on "Hogwash", I thought that McPhee actually got better the further he went from his blues roots. I saw them live in Birmingham in '73, but they did too much old non-Groundhogs stuff (e.g. an couple of old Elvis Presley numbers). I saw him again in Workington in 1989, but it was a "look how good I am" sort of gig, with little old stuff. he looked tired and haggard, almost with an "I wish I was somewhere else" kind of attitude. A sad decline.
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Points: 4119 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2009 at 22:41
Yeah good to see so many good responses . I Have been Groundhogs fan since 1975, i was around my friends house and his older  Brother was Blaring out Cheery Red,  ihave seen the band Many Many times since 1975 and have met and talked to Tony a good few Times,

And Yep Great to see Two Sides of in the Archives to. i Would review all the Groundhog albums on here
but  i am not to good at the Whole Review Thing.  and Split and Hogwash would both be 5 star albums
essential to any prog collection. 


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Points: 7003 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2009 at 16:53
Originally posted by Jared Jared wrote:

I saw them headlining the Friday night session over at Whitchurch Festival (Hants, UK) back in about 2000... thoroughly enjoyable gig...Thumbs Up
 
and incidentally, may I just say how nice is it to see a thread where everyone has been so constructive and positive about the addition of a potentially controvertial band to Prog Related?
 
you all deserve some clappies...ClapClap
 
I don't think there's anything too controversial about Thank Christ..., Mighty 'hogs and Split going into prog related - some of McPhee's more straight ahead blues albums would be pushing it, but on those albums from 1970-75 they even used mellotron from time to time.
 
A fine addition and Steve - nice avatar!
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I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
to the already rich among us...'

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Points: 19756 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2009 at 15:08
I saw them headlining the Friday night session over at Whitchurch Festival (Hants, UK) back in about 2000... thoroughly enjoyable gig...Thumbs Up
 
and incidentally, may I just say how nice is it to see a thread where everyone has been so constructive and positive about the addition of a potentially controvertial band to Prog Related?
 
you all deserve some clappies...ClapClap
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Points: 7053 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2009 at 14:55
Originally posted by Jim Garten Jim Garten wrote:

Only ever seen the guys once so far & that was back in about 1986/1987 at a pub in Finsbury Park, London; forget the name of it but it was opposite The Rainbow & the barman looked like he was part-orc.

Great gig though
 
Glad someone else remembers the Rainbow - don't believe the Hogs played there thoWink
 
I know the pub you mean but can't think of the name either. IMO barman was probably full-orc. I think his name badge said " Grishnak" or something like that.
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2009 at 07:25
I saw them a couple of times in the 70s, the last being at Aylesbury Civic Centre during the Crosscut Saw tour
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Points: 14693 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2009 at 07:21
Only ever seen the guys once so far & that was back in about 1986/1987 at a pub in Finsbury Park, London; forget the name of it but it was opposite The Rainbow & the barman looked like he was part-orc.

Great gig though

Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Points: 135 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2009 at 06:33
Saw the 'Hogs many times in the seventies including a BBC 'In Concert' gig at the Paris Theatre, Regent Street during the energy shortage era of 1972 - a power cut right in the middle of Eccentric Man - cue a Pustlenik drum solo!
 
Split will forever be one of my all-time fave albums.
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 12 2009 at 12:08
^ not complaining Steve - if we couldn't have squeezed it in I'd have been quite upset - 'The Hunt' is worthy of inclusion in its own right - I wish he'd done more like that.
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Points: 4252 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 12 2009 at 12:00
^ there were practical reasons for including  the "Two Sides" album within the Groundhogs listing, Dean, one was that  "The Groundhogs and Tony Macphee" wouldn't link up with the Ebay and Amazon online album listings within the page, and would make it difficult for the search facility (just the key search word "Groundhogs" works great),  also as only one of Tony's solo albums could be described as Prog (related) it would not make sense to have "Tony (TS) McPhee" as a seperate solo listing, which would  therefore include all his blues albums.. .. hope that makes sense! Smile
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 12 2009 at 10:02
 That's great news. Nice one Steve.Clap 
 
I'm a little surprised (but ultimately not disappointedWink) to see McPhee's magnificently prog solo album, The Two Sides Of T.S. McPhee, included - hopefully no one will feel the desire to add any of his (Blues) solo albums (such as Me And The Devil or Foolish Pride).
 
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Points: 4252 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 12 2009 at 06:14
I was very pleased to be given the job of adding The Groundhogs to PA, and i hope the reasons for their inclusion are clear.
 
I have been a fan of the band since they released "Split" back in 1971 and seen Tony McPhee's Groundhogs live on a number of occasions, and at one gig i even had the opportunity to buy Tony a pint and have a chat, and a very approachable, down to earth and easy going fellow he is too .
 
I have contacted band members Tony McPhee, Ken Pustelnik and Pete Cruikshank  and wait to receive their comments on the addition though initially they seemed happy , the author of the Groundhogs biography "Hoggin' the Page"  Martyn Hanson was complimentary and was very impressed with our website.Smile
 
 
changed my avatar to promote the new listing Cool
 
 


Edited by mystic fred - February 12 2009 at 06:29
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 11 2009 at 19:31

Excellent addition very good underrated band.




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Points: 24429 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 11 2009 at 13:43
I am so very happy to see the positive reactions to this addition. You see, I have to take some credit for moving things along... Last summer the band was suggested for addition in the Collab zone, and it was to be evaluated by the Heavy Prog team. Unfortunately, more or less at the same time I had to take a break from the site, and the matter was forgotten - until we brought it up again a few weeks ago, and this time with full successThumbs Up!
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Points: 36500 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 11 2009 at 13:07
Excellent addition! Clap
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Points: 3659 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 11 2009 at 12:46
Great to see The Groundhogs here Thumbs Up....I'll do some reviewing of their albums very soon.
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Points: 3449 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 10 2009 at 18:30

Whoa! It is those Groundhogs ya'll are talking about.  Very nice, unexpected addition.
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