The Groundhogs was a British blues rock outfit formed in late 1963, with Tony McPhee as the only constant member of the otherwise rotating lineup. During the 1960s, the band backed John Lee Hooker and other blues musicians. This album, Split (1971), was the fourth studio album released by The Groundhogs, which mixed blues rock, hard rock, and psychedelic rock throughout the album. I checked out a solo album by Tony McPhee a while back, and the guitar playing was pretty sweet. If that McPhee solo album is any indication of what might be in store in this album, I’m pretty stoked to give it a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Split, Pt. 1” starts out with some smooth, fuzzy electric guitar and some drums that immediately start taking a psychedelic turn reminiscent of the later work of The Doors. I’m really digging the drums in this track, which have a super dynamic feel and seem to steer the track nicely as the beats travel about the soundscape. Oh wow, the two different guitar parts nearly seem to clash and fight for particular notes, but have such a sweet resolving sound when they work together. Oh wow, the different guitar parts are super groovy, and more and more seem to be added to the soundscape, with the most recent being a wah-pedal’d guitar that seems to squish the many guitar parts together for one groovy sound. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Split, Pt. 2” picks up in a really interesting way off of the heels of the previous tune with a guitar part that almost sounds drunk. Oh wow, I don’t know if the first track even had vocals after hearing the vocals come into this track. Holy smokes, when the jamming finally breaks through the resulting sound is super groovy. Oh wow, the tune seems to be mellowing out a bit with a soft bass line and some guitar that gradually builds into the soundscape. Holy smokes, the track breaks through again to a super groovy psychedelic blues rock jam. I’m almost reminded a bit of the psychedelic prog rock outfits from the same time period in Britain like Soft Machine. Wow, great track.
“Split, Pt. 3” picks up right away with some hard rock sounds that grow to be a bit discordant within seconds. Oh wow, the heavy guitars fade out and are replaced by some ominously eerie synths. Holy smokes, those synths fade away and a building psychedelic blues rock jam comes in instead. Oh wow, the bass has a super fat tone and a really smooth line that I’m digging. Oh wow, the jamming picks up some gritty psychedelic blues rock flavors reminiscent of the Tony McPhee album I listened to recently, The Two Sides Of Tony (T.S.) McPhee (1973). Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Split, Pt. 4” has a pure blues rock groove with a super sweet beat. Wow, I’m really digging this track so far. The effects on the electric guitar playing are super groovy. Honestly, as a guitar player I’m a bit surprised that I hadn’t really listened to McPhee or any of his related works like The Groundhogs until early last month; this is super groovy. Wow, the drums and bass keep driving the tune forward while the guitars seem to steer the soundscape around in a nearly chaotic manner. Oh wow, the band really comes together as though they’re operating some far out locomotive and are steering it into the station. Great track.
“Cherry Red” starts off with some tentative cymbals alongside some some groovy blues rock guitar playing. Oh wow, the vocals come in and add more blues rock flavor to this track. Something that I’m really digging is that the pacing/tempo almost feels like a punk rock band playing some of super groovy uptempo electric blues rock. Holy smokes, the energy feels like the band has captured lightning in a bottle and they’re channeling that into their instruments. The bass line in this track is super groovy. Holy smokes, the chirping and whirring at the ending tie together the track nicely. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “A Year in the Life” has such a slow moving, mellow feel compared to the rest of the album thus far, and I’m really digging it. The band seems to lean into a darker, psychedelic, melodic sound that makes the album feel even more dynamic. Great track.
“Junkman” picks the pace back up with some quick electric blues guitar work. Holy smokes, the the track has changed up a ton into a sort of whimsical acoustic psychedelic rock movement marked by the acoustic guitar and a sturdy backbeat. Oh wow, the tune gets really spacey at about the middle of the song, as though The Groundhogs started playing a cover of a song by Gong or Hawkwind. Wow, the song devolved in a really groovy and super interesting way. Great tune.
“Groundhog” starts out with a bouncy kick drum, and is soon joined by some bluesy guitar work, as though the band is returning to reality after the spacey adventure at the end of the last track. Oh wow, I’m really digging this track. According to Wikipedia, this track is based on “Ground Hog Blues” by John Lee Hooker, which might play a part in the classic blues rock roots in this track that almost feel melded with the a sort of progressive rock sound from around the same time period. Oh wow, this track is super groovy. There seem to be a lot of the psychedelic flavors from earlier in the album that are being melded together with blues rock to tie together the listening experience of this album. Wow, great track and a super sweet way to finish the album.
Wow, I’m glad I checked out The Groundhogs tonight. The album was both psychedelic and bluesy throughout, combining those two flavors with a mixture of heavy guitar, acoustic guitar, different effects, and groovy playing from the band throughout the album. If you’re into psychedelic blues rock at all or progressive rock from the late 1960s or early 1970s, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A