The Best of the Groundhogs

Performer: The Groundhogs
Distributor: Allegro Corporation (Dist

Notes: 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.

The Groundhogs began their career as the backing band for blues legend John Lee Hooker. By the late 1960s, though, the band had shifted gears to incorporate acid rock and heady prog workouts into its repertoire. Founding member and lead guitarist Tony McPhee continued to front the Groundhogs and tour under the name well into the '90s and early 2000s. Never a commercial success, the Groundhogs remain cult heroes to fans of heavy guitar rock and psychedelic music.

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