In addition to being a compact and killer live set from Brit blues rockers The
Groundhogs, this platter has a rather interesting back story as well. Live at Leeds [Promo] (1971) was documented April 13, 1971, during the band's stint as the support act for the
Rolling Stones during their Spring of '71 U.K. tour. That in and of itself makes these tracks noteworthy, as they are the only professional recording of the trio -- featuring the pile-driving talents of
Tony McPhee (guitar/vocals), Peter Cruickshank (bass), and Ken Pustelnik -- during this epic era. All the more impressive is that the tapes were engineered by master knob-tweaker Glyn Johns, who captured the
Stones' set as well. By the time of these shows, the
Groundhogs had expanded beyond the London 12-bar blues scene, augmenting their sound with the highly inventive and equally incendiary fretwork of
McPhee. The repertoire includes a pair of tunes from their fifth, and most recent release,
Split (1971). Both the revved up "Cherry Red," as well as the antagonistic ramble-tamble of "Split, Pt. 1," demonstrate the
Groundhogs undeniably heavy crunch as well as their rough and ready instrumental prowess. They also reach back to their previous album,
Thank Christ For The Bomb (1970), on "Garden," as well as a fiery, and criminally truncated "Eccentric Man...the Story of a Man Who...." Bootlegged copies mastered at the wrong speed and lifted directly from poor-grade vinyl circulated for decades prior to the official CD release Live At Leeds [Akarma] (2003), is considerably more listenable and is highly recommended for anyone wishing to hear the
Groundhogs during this creative peak. ~ Lindsay Planer