The Groundhogs' ninth album "Black Diamond" had as a novelty within the group the change of members, something very common in the group's career.
This new album came out shortly after the previous "Crosscut Saw", here the guitar of its leader Tony McPhee is once again immeasurable, taking out of its six strings all the possibilities that said instrument can give it, in addition to using numerous effects as additions, which without However, despite the skill, he loses in the quality of the compositions that are increasingly oriented to hard rock to the detriment of blues rock.
Even so, they leave us with outstanding songs like the melodic "Live Right", the hard rock "You Love Keeps Me Alive" or the instrumental "Pastoral Future".
Acclaimed by both the critics and the public "Split" was the fourth album by the British Groundhogs, the band led by the great guitarist Tony McPhee, who with their British blues with elements of hard rock and psychedelic left an enormous mark at the beginning of the 70 and was a benchmark in many later bands.
Over the years, the Groundhogs have delved deeper into psychedelic sounds and hard rock, giving their blues style, greater packaging and strength that, by the way, reaches its creative zenith in the "Cherry Red" theme, perhaps the most famous composition of the band.
The four parts that make up the "Split" theme stand out for their great dynamism in guitar riffs and in their incendiary solos.
Inspired by the work of illustrator Neal Adams, The Groundhogs dared to challenge their rich British blues-rock past, and on their fifth album, they delved into experimentation, crafting their most avant-garde and progressive work. "Who Will Save The World? The Mighty Groundhogs", another Martin Birch-engineered masterpiece, was recorded at De Lane Lea's Studios in London and features a diverse collection of tracks brimming with allegorical themes, science fiction messages, and ecological statements. Musically, Tony McPhee's prominent guitar takes a backseat to the Mellotron. Even so, his driving riffs and guitar solos remain the hallmark of this legendary British band's sound. Songs like "Earth Is Not Enough", "Body in Mind", "Death Of The Sun" or "The Grey Maze", present a more heterogeneous musical panorama than the more recent past of this spectacular power trio formed by Tony McPhee, Pete Cruikshank and Ken Pustelnik.
