3744 James Road

Performer: The Groundhogs
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: The Groundhogs includes: Tony McPhee (vocals, guitar). Includes liner notes by Alan Robinson. Liner Note Author: Alan Robinson. Photographer: Hulton Deutsch. The Groundhogs were an at-times better than average 1960s British blues band led by T.S. McPhee, whose Jack Bruce-like vocals and raggedly aggressive guitar style made the group sound at times like a looser version of Cream. This two-disc set, divided into studio and live recordings, makes a pretty solid introduction to the band. The studio disc shows the Groundhogs' devotion to the blues, with solid covers of Howlin' Wolf's "No Place to Go," Willie Dixon's "Down in the Bottom," and Arthur Crudup's "Mean Ole Frisco" among the highlights. The live disc features even more blues, including the group's cover of their namesake song, John Lee Hooker's "Groundhog Blues," but also features several of McPhee's originals, like the extremely caustic "Thank Christ for the Bomb." The Groundhogs remain somewhat of an enigma, since the talent was there for bigger and better things, but as a blues band, at least, they were as good as any Britain coughed up in the 1960s. ~ Steve Leggett The Groundhogs were an at-times better than average 1960s British blues band led by T.S. McPhee, whose Jack Bruce-like vocals and raggedly aggressive guitar style made the group sound at times like a looser version of Cream. This two-disc set, divided into studio and live recordings, makes a pretty solid introduction to the band. The studio disc shows the Groundhogs' devotion to the blues, with solid covers of Howlin' Wolf's "No Place to Go," Willie Dixon's "Down in the Bottom," and Arthur Crudup's "Mean Ole Frisco" among the highlights. The live disc features even more blues, including the group's cover of their namesake song, John Lee Hooker's "Groundhog Blues," but also features several of McPhee's originals, like the extremely caustic "Thank Christ for the Bomb." The Groundhogs remain somewhat of an enigma, since the talent was there for bigger and better things, but as a blues band, at least, they were as good as any Britain coughed up in the '60s. ~ Steve Leggett The Groundhogs were an at-times better than average 1960s British blues band led by T.S. McPhee, whose Jack Bruce-like vocals and raggedly aggressive guitar style made the group sound at times like a looser version of Cream. This two-disc set, divided into studio and live recordings, makes a pretty solid introduction to the band. The studio disc shows the Groundhogs' devotion to the blues, with solid covers of Howlin' Wolf's "No Place to Go," Willie Dixon's "Down in the Bottom," and Arthur Crudup's "Mean Ole Frisco" among the highlights. The live disc features even more blues, including the group's cover of their namesake song, John Lee Hooker's "Groundhog Blues," but also features several of McPhee's originals, like the extremely caustic "Thank Christ for the Bomb." The Groundhogs remain somewhat of an enigma, since the talent was there for bigger and better things, but as a blues band, at least, they were as good as any Britain coughed up in the 1960s. ~ Steve Leggett

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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