The Groundhogs Best 1969-72 (1974)
Who Will Save the World? The Mighty Groundhogs! Continued
If Split is The Groundhogs' best known album, Cherry Red is probably their most famous track. It has all of Tony McPhee's guitar-playing trademarks, such as tapping the top of one string, striking the start of the strings with a plectrum and playing slow notes or chords in conjunction with his incredible shredding. Never known for one particular effect, he uses sustain, fuzz and wah-wah throughout all four Split pieces; here on Cherry Red he brings them all together on a single track. Mistreated is another simple but tightly effective piece from Blues Obituary. A lengthy epic comes in the form of 3744 James Road, from Hogwash, which gives the band time and space to improvise. One of the greatest riffs of the seventies, to rank alongside Black Sabbath's NIB, is that of Soldier (alienness of a country), an anti-war tract from Thank Christ, which glides into the consciousness and explodes in a frenzy of band playing and guitar soloing.
As guitarist, frontman, songwriter and producer, Groundhogs Best 1969-72 is certainly Tony McPhee's show, but he could have achieved none of this without the Pete Cruickshank/ Ken Pustelnik, or Clive Brooks, rhythm section. Cruickshank was never better showcased than on Sad is the Hunter, to which he contributes a simple riff, but begins by playing slowly and becoming progressively faster as McPhee adds slide guitar. Again, as with The Hunt from his solo album, McPhee expounds his anti-bloodsport sentiments, "Sport is the label for this depravity, a distortion of the need to feed/ Innocents should never have to suffer with their lives for the pleasure of the few." There is more on alienation in the sophisticated Garden from Thank Christ for the Bomb, while Split Part Four shows McPhee's skill with the wah-wah. A guitar version of John Newton's Amazing Grace is a brave, but unsuccessful, experiment that gives the impression of being padding on Who Will Save the World? It is a shame that such a strong collection, spread over two vinyl albums, closes on a filler, but with the repeat option on CD/MP3 players, Amazing Grace is easy to ignore. Like Express Man, Amazing Grace is omitted from CD versions of the collection, but is far less essential.
Like Atomic Rooster's Assortment, Groundhogs Best 1969-72 is that rare object, an excellent compilation which ranks with the band's classic albums from which it draws. As an introduction to The Groundhogs it is vital, unless you buy the five United Artists albums: Blues Obituary, Thank Christ for the Bomb, Split, Who Will Save the World? and Hogwash. Solid is superb and ranks with the aforementioned albums. If you are a committed fan, The Two Sides of Tony TS McPhee, BBC Radio One Live in Concert (1994, on Windrush) and Crosscut Saw are only a notch down from the best. Black Diamond is by no means disappointing.
Lineup
Tony McPhee: Guitars, vocals
Pete Cruickshank: Bass
Ken Pustelnik: Drums
Clive Brooks: Drums