GROUNDHOGS 'SPLIT' ORIG UK HEAVY BLUES ROCK '71

£ 29

$ 38

£ 29 Sold For

Dec 20, 2015 Sold Date

Dec 13, 2015 Start Date

£ 16 Start price

4 Number Of Bids

Great Britain Country Of Seller

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Description

>Lovely Copy<

Groundhogs

'Split'

United Artists, UK, 1971

UAG 83401

IF WE may be allowed to get serious for a moment, I'd like to state for public record that the Groundhogs were possible the greatest overlooked British progressive blues act of the seventies. Sure, they had their moment in the sun and a couple of chart successes, but mostly they were a band that received sparse scant from the mainstream media. Not that surprsing really, considering the experimental nature of their music, but when acts like Capt Beefheart and Frank Zappa couldn't move for coverage in the NME and Melody Maker, the little attention given to the 'Hogs was agrevating to say the least.

'Spli' was a super inspiring slice of creative blues rock with a heavy componant that belied the bands comittement to the blues. These guys were taking the full-throttle blues power of Chicken Shack, Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown but lacing it with far-out sound effects, twisted arrangements and high-end musicality. It is clear that McPhee was not a man content to steal old blues licks and stand in the spotlight courting adoration. For him, it was about creating art, busting down the walls of confined musical spaces and writing songs that would get the best out of his his guitar technique whilst allowing the band an equal measure of wunderlust.

All the tracks here are truly wonderful. Blues inspired yes, but not cod seventies macho plod rock. He's a joker too - you can tell that by the musical twists and turns - with tracks like 'Junkman' and the entire side one title track suite 'Split'. Sure its experimental but that's the beauty of the Hogs, never allowing trad blues riffing to form a barrier between creativity and their roots. Its a sound best described as future blues and one that the rest of the world still hasn't caught up with after all these years.

This auction is part of a fantastic collection of seventies rock which I was lucky enough to acquire. Most of these records were stored with the utmost care and sparsely played. Some were possibly never played or may have been for just a handful of times.

Pressing: United Artists, UK, 1971

Vinyl: Nice and shiny condition. Can't see any spindle marks visible on labels and only light signs of any use. Grades as a very nice Ex+

Cover: Again, no signs of use. Housed in a fully laminated gatefold cover - retains original gloss. Sharp corners, no dings, no bends, no creases, no rubbing and no ring wear. Spine is square, straight and unsquashed. Grades as MINT!

Inserts: None

Matrix:

1st Pressing

Side One: LBG 83401 A - 1U

Side Two: LBG 83401 B - 1U

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This is a vinyl album NOT a CD.