Customer Reviews

Split

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is classic- if you love classic, heavy, thought provoking, rock and roll you need this. The live tracks are the heaviest and loudest I have heard and I am a huge Black Sabbath fan. Get this now before it is no longer.

The album Split is a veritable masterpiece in the field of progressive rock. From the writing to production, each and every track deserves the well placed position on this album. Split has for many rock artists, been one of rocks benchmarks. Still today the album holds up as well as it did nigh on thirty years later. The apex of McPhee's recording career. There have been many memorable albums since this. But non quite equalling the overall presence of this volume. A definite must for all serious rock collectors. In the short interval from his first record release in 1964, the talents of McPhee have been honed down to perfection. Particularly, the production is masterful, with skilful use of multi-tracking and restrained use of some of the then new gadgetry, to achieve innovative sounds. Tony has been recording now for over 30 years with a new Album out in early 1999 The Muddy Waters Song Book, also not to be missed

Wow !! The Groundhogs were quite a band; blues based, more than slightly psychedelic hard rock is the characteristic of their classic 1969-'72 period. Along with Rory Gallagher (another favorite) they were inexplicably ignored by mainstream American radio. Both artists should have been as huge here as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Just think, this was recorded on only an eight track with probably a meager budget, yet Tony McPhee gets a timeless sound to match his awesome compositional talent. The four part title cut that makes up Side One of the original vinyl is a great extended piece that rivals early Rush and Budgie.

"The Split" is my all-time heaviest acid blues album. When I purchased the LP back in 1971 I amazed my friends with its incredible trio. Tony McPhee is nothing short of godlike in his wielding of the ax, and Cruickshank and Pustelnik stoutly back him up. The title cut is in four parts, each obtaining increasing levels of volume and dexterity. The lead into "Split-Part Two" is especially eye-opening. The four other tracks, including "Cherry Red" are loud and fast acid blues.

A special bonus in this package is a live concert of parts one, two, and four of the "Split", plus "Cherry Red". It is the same length as the studio cuts but boy does it smoke! If you have never heard the Groundhogs play--this is the CD to start with. It is my #1 rated album.

Not only this band's finest effort, but a masterpiece by any hard-rock standard!! And, as a bonus (which is why you want to buy the CD, rather than download it from Amazon), you get live performances (the band's forte) of four of the tracks.
For some reason, the two Groundhogs albums that charted best, when originally released ("Thank Christ for the Bomb" and "Who Will Save the World"), are hailed as classics by many reviewers, but don't waste your time on them. They really sound dated , and the lyrics are pedestrian, compared to the psychological wisdom displayed on all but the last two studio tracks of "Split": "Junkman" is a throwaway tune, while "Groundhog" is a marvelously-done old blues number. Speaking of which, any of their live albums that contain "Mistreated" are worth the price of the CD, just for that song.
After you give "Split" a few thorough plays, move on to their live stuff, which is the essence of the Groundhog experience: which is Tony (T.S.) McPhee, and whatever sidemen he enlists for the gig. (The best overall live performance, I've located, is "No Surrender": the one issued by Magnum of America).

I am a Hogs fan of long standing starting with "Scratching the Surface" - their first album as the Groundhogs. I bought "Split" after seeing them live at College in 1970 and have bought everything else since. To me, this is their signature recording and I still play it loud and often at home and in the car.

In answer to a previous reviewer, TS is still very active as a live performer with the current Hogs line up (TS, Dave Anderson & Mick Jones) and also with a strong solo acoustic blues set. At almost 57, he can still play the "Split" riffs live and make the hairs on your neck stand up. This album will never date !

The Groundhogs were a favorite of my crowd in college. A British power trio that really never made it in the U.S. (no touring), despite impressive popularity in the U.K. This album, along with HOGWASH and THANK CHRIST FOR THE BOMB, make up a good, definitive Groundhogs collection. If you like music loud, turn any of these way up.

Tony "T.S." McPhee weaves in lots of good guitar solos in these studio albums through excellent use of overdubbing, with a deft technique for the early 70's. The rhythm section might sound simplistic in comparison, but the music moves with lots of power (did I say that before?). I've heard some of their live renditions of this same music and the complexity they achieved in the studio could not be done on stage.

The lyrics on all of their work are unusual, intelligent and thoughtful. The whole first side of SPLIT is about schizophrenia from the sufferer's point of view.

Give them a listen. They were definitely different than most other bands of the time, and no one has come close to their sound since then. I wonder if TS is still playing/writing?

The Groundhogs were a British Blues band in the early 1970s--one of the countless bands who were very good, but just never gathered more than a cult following

Split may be their best known ablum, and it is well worth a listen every now and again. Those thundering riffs make this music gripping, and their are a lot of these in each track.

Which is what keeps Split from being a classic. The Hogs were ambitous, and comming up during the progressive era--everything had to be progressive-their yen for longer pieces was fueled. But the band did not quite have the ability to putparts together to make really good songs. The tracks sound like a bunch of pretty good ideas that are never made into coheasive pieces.

Still, the playing is great as is the singing, and while the riffs are juxtiposed in jarring ways, this makes Split interesting for period value. If not everything comes off, you have to agree the Groundhogs had their instincts in the right place.

Funny aside: when I was far less musically informed, in 1999, I heard the title track to Split and went searching through my Black Sabbath albums. The singer sounds that much like Ozzy Osborn.

This is a very creative, unique and original record. It's hard to describe, you just need to hear it for yourself. If you like stuff like Robin Trower's Bridge of Sighs and Lemmy-era Hawkwind you'll definitely dig this.

You might not dig Mighty High...In Drug City, but check it out anyway.

originally i heard this masterpiece in the early 70s-i ve played it ever since.The guitar and vocals are out of this world.Tony still performs the tracks brilliantly to this day.He played a brilliant set in a small Yorkshire town in early June 2001-just buy it you wont be dissapointed