THE TWO SIDES OF TONY (T.S) MCPHEE

There are two albums from 1973 with "Two Sides" in its title. One from Peter Banks, the other of Tony McPhee of Groundhogs fame. With the Peter Banks album it consists of one side of compositions and the other sides of jams with side one considered the superior side. With that album the flaws were obvious as he was being rushed to get his solo album out exactly the same time as the final Flash album Out of Our Hands. Now with Two Sides of Tony (T.S,) McPhee the two sides are even more striking. Side one consists of unaccompanied largely acoustic blues pieces with just vocal and guitar. This type isn't actually too shocking given this type of approach did find their way occasionally on Groundhogs albums. Side two consist of the side-length "The Hunt" and is simply amazing. Tony McPhee was clearly not just another white British blues guy, here's it's full-on electronic music utilizing the ARP 2600 (which isn't what you see in the insert with those awful mess of wires, it's simply an awful mess of wires attached to some other electronic equipment, the ARP 2600 interior is actually rather clean and clutter-free). Lots of spoken dialog criticizing fox hunting as practiced by the English aristocracy. His anti-establishment views was likely the big reason the Groundhogs appealed to John Peel. Anyways, it's hard to believe that a white British bluesman created such creative and innovative use of the ARP 2600 like you do here. It does sound a bit dated, but it's an amazing piece and those into progressive electronic, "The Hunt" is a must hear. Strangely the blues-influence can still be felt, especially during the sung parts. McPhee was already experimenting with the ARP 2600 on Hogwash, but was kept strictly in a band context. Without a band, he lets the ARP run loose on "The Hunt". This album all comes down to taste. If you like the acoustic blues side of the Groundhogs then you should have no trouble with side one. So even more so than Two Sides of Peter Banks, Two Sides of Tony (T.S.) McPhee shows a striking contrast between the sides. "The Hunt" is truly something that would be totally out of place on a Groundhogs album. So glad it was released and that I now own a copy.