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Tony's split ends...
Greatly reveared as one of Britain’s best blues rock / hard prog rock bands, this mega-long DVD captures many moments that prove why John Lee Hooker took them on board, and why Captain Sensible wrote a glowing cover note. A retrospective that’s long overdue and jam packed solid.
Founder, vocalist, guitarist and genius Tony McPhee, who recently closed the Grounghogs chapter after 40 years, participated fully, making this an even more memorable and essential release.
The Groundhogs always were a live band, and the first 2 hours of this DVD is a full concert; a 30 minute solo acoustic set and a 90 minute electric Groundhogs set, recorded in 2003, in an intimate setting in Shrewsbury.
The nine acoustic tracks are blues standards and more, including Robert Johnson’s Me And The Devil and Willie Dixon’s Little Red Rooster which go down a storm. The man may be a British institution and he still has it.
When the full band take to the stage, even at their grand old age, the power of the music is immense and equally captivating. Only 12 tracks, as guitarist McPhee.is well known for his jams, lengthy solos and even longer blues workouts. Groundhog Blues, the epic Split and the band’s signature tune Cherry Red are all there.
Then we get to the extras, and WOW do we get some! A 30 minute interview, 40 minutes of various vintage performances and a 20 minute collection of plank spanking highlights with a few embarrassing moments included.
The menus are simple, the music excellent, and with a running time of over 3hours 30 mins and a 24 page booklet enclosed, it’s not only an excellent, well thought out package but it’s complete and high value for money.
For further details of how to obtain, go to www.thegroundhogs.co.uk
*****
Review by Joe Geesin
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