Groundhogs - Split (LP Stereo LBG83401 Liberty First Press 1971 EX/EX)
£
23
$
30
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
I try to describe my Vinyl fully and any defects pointed out. If you have any queries, please contact me.
‘Split’ released in 1971 deservedly remains the Groundhogs’ best-selling and best-known album, which many rock music devotees consider to be the finest example of its genre. The album was essentially Tony McPhee’s creation, themed on his panic attacks the previous year.
Musically inventive, ‘Split’ contains plenty of raunchy rock/blues playing by this excellent 1970s trio, plus some slower-tempo pieces anchored by the capable, energetic rhythm section endow the album with light-and-shade. The ‘Split’ suite has four parts of varying tempo, with the second part the most memorable. The album’s signature piece is probably ‘Cherry Red’, a perennial high-octane concert-performance favourite with McPhee playfully adopting a falsetto voice in imitation of a petulant teenage girl, topped off with a frenzied, high-speed electric guitar solo.
A couple of the remaining songs are just OK (‘A Year in the Life’, ‘Junkman’) but are redeemed by the glorious closer ‘Groundhog’, McPhee’s unabashed tribute to John Lee Hooker. McPhee plays raunchy electric guitar and sings over a simple metronome rhythm in imitation of John Lee’s distinctive style and is virtually indistinguishable from the great Mississippi Delta bluesman.
Vinyl : Excellent (EX).
Visually the vinyl looks really clean with only a noticeable hairline mark on each side. I test played the disc twice with my Audio Concept deck, top of the range Naim amplifiers in series and KEF Reference Foundry speakers. There were no jumps, skips, sticking, mistracking or warping. There was very slight surface noise between tracks but nothing of any great note.There were no clicks, pops or hissing to be detected and it was a great crisp sound with good stereo separation, clear vocals and instruments for a 1971 release. I have heard a lot worse new pressings sometimes. The surface is nice, bright and shiny.
Disc Labels: (VG+)
The labels have slight spindle wear and have some spots in places but are clean with excellent print details. They are the black blue, yellow and white colour with the correct date and catalogue numbers. The Matrixes are LBG 83401 A-1U and LBG 83401 B-1U as expected
Sleeve : Excellent (EX) The sleeve is in an amazing condition considering it is fully laminated - there are no labels stuck on or signs of any having been removed. There are no creases to really mention and all sides and inside the gatefold are clean and bright with no signs of any fading. All of the printing is clear and legible with the EJ Day credits, the Liberty logo and the catalogue number on the rear right hand side. There are no tears or splits and little sign of edge-wear or ring-wear. The spine is fine with no crushing and the print is excellent. Inside the opening cover of the Gatefold where the LP is inserted, there is a blue stamped code which is hard to spot. Pictures show actual record for sale and are a very good indication of sleeve condition.
Cleaning and Posting: The Disc will be cleaned on my Professional Liquid/Hoover Cleaning Machine, and sent in a rigid cardboard container with cardboard reinforcers. Posting will be by Signed for delivery.
Groundhogs – Split
Label: Liberty – LBG 83401 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Gatefold, 1st Press Country: UK Released: 1971 Genre: Rock, Blues Style: Blues RockTracklist
A1 Split-Part One 4:25 A2 Split-Part Two 5:10 A3 Split-Part Three 5:25 A4 Split-Part Four 5:38 B1 Cherry Red 5:40 B2 A Year In The Life 3:07 B3 Junkman 4:52 B4 Groundhog 5:35Companies, etc.
- Record Company – Liberty/United Artists Records Ltd.
- Recorded At – De Lane Lea Studios
- Produced For – Zak Productions (2)
- Published By – United Artists Music Ltd.
- Pressed By – The Gramophone Co. Ltd.
- Printed By – E.J. Day Group
- Made By – E.J. Day Group
Credits
- Bass – Pete Cruickshank*
- Design [Sleeve Design], Photography By – Christopher Richardson*
- Drums – Ken Pustelnik
- Engineer – Martin Birch
- Vocals, Guitar – Tony McPhee
- Written-By [All Compositions Written By], Arranged By, Producer [Produced By] – Tony (T.S.) McPhee*
Notes
1st UK IssueFully laminated gatefold sleeve.
Black 'Liberty' labels
Labels:
? 1971
A Product of Liberty/UA Records Ltd. England
Sleeve:
Recorded during November 1970 at De Lane Lea Studios, London, England.
Printed and made by the E. J. Day Group, London and Bedford.
A product of Liberty -- United Artists Records Ltd. London, England. There is a similar version, Split, with label differences.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, stamped): LBG 83401 A-1U
- Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, stamped): LBG 83401 B-1U
price rating
