The Groundhogs are back, in a much more bluesy vein, but watch out for that second word: obituary. This album is sort of the band's farewell to their blues era and an introduction to a new sound. Although one of the purer acts of the British blues boom, even taking their name from a John Lee Hooker song, they quickly expanded out of the strictly blues sphere. Most of the songs here still fit comfortably in a blues-rock vocabulary, though signs of what was to come are apparent on the final track. The next album, Thank Christ for the Bomb, would flip the script entirely.
After 1974's Solid, the group would temporarily disband, then reform with a new lineup under the leadership of Tony McPhee. Pretty much everything released after that should be considered McPhee's quasi-solo career.
I acquired all of my Groundhogs albums from a friend a few years back, though Split has been a glaring omission in need of correction...and soon!
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