Track Listing

1. Split
2. Split
3. Split
4. Split
5. Cherry Red
6. Year On The Life
7. Junkman
8. Groundhog
9. Split
10. Split
11. Split
12. Split
13. Cherry Red

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16194 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
Always a bit unfashionable, Tony TS McPhee and his Groundhogs made a number of albums in the late 60's that succeeded purely on their instrumental ability. After the aptly named BLUES OBITUARY album, they moved on to guitar prog. SPLIT wasa huge success; the opus-like length and popularity at livegigs guaranteed a good sale to fans. This spread as word ofmouth went around that McPhee was an "amazing guitar". In reality he was, and is, pretty nifty: he used his wah-wah in all the right places in 1971. The reissued CD from BGO contains the fascinating hallucinatory tale behind "Split", and explains just what it is all about.

Customer Reviews

Groundhogs in Excelsis
Following the success of THANK CHRIST FOR THE BOMB and a gruelling tour with the Rolling Stones, Groundhogs leader Tony McPhee suffered a nervous breakdown. Where most rock stars would settle for an elongated period of pampered rest in an expensive clinic, McPhee decided to write a suite of songs about it.

The result was SPLIT, possibly the greatest hard rock album of all time.

What used to be side one of the vinyl edition featured SPLIT PARTS 1 to 4, a gut churning chronicle of the aforementioned breakdown. McPhee never tried to make his music pretty in any way. His guitar sounds metallic in such a way that you'd think the strings had rusted. It's furious stuff. SPLIT PT 2 especially is superb. McPhee managed to cram more ideas into one song than most of his peers put into a whole album!

Side two -track 5 on the CD - opens with CHERRY RED, which should be regarded as the all time classic guitar led rock song. The album closes with a solo version of John Lee Hooker's GROUNDHOG. THe guitar playing defies belief.

If ever music could be described as ugly, this is it. But as the logo on the golden syrup tin says, out of the strong came forth beauty. This is a work of warped and addled beauty. Your record collection is incomplete without it.

One of the Best albums of all time - Awesome!
What a delight it is to see this album out on Cd at last, digitally remastered and having lost none of its impact since it was first released in 1971. The Groundhogs were one of the most major influential bands of the 70`s and although very often overlooked by the music press in general their influence on future bands such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana etc is obvious. This is without doubt their best album, even eclipsing the greatest hits compilation, with 8 stunning tracks and the bonus of 4 live recordings from the 1972 BBC sessions. The sound clarity is perfect and whoever did the remastering is to be congratulated as it`s lost none of the original punch which made the Hogs such a superb live band. Get this album and listen to music that is as fresh and alive today as it was 30 years ago. Superb - buy it now!!

Play it loud!
I loved this Goundhogs' LP when I was a teenager. My first boyfriend lent it to me...!I bought it on CD more from curiosity than anything else. Would I still like it or would I cringe at my former self even playing such music? It was the former. Once delivered, I had to play it over and over again to make up for all those lost years of not hearing it and it's lost none of its appeal. Play it very loud when your neighbours go out! Cherry Red is an absolute must!