Two concerts this week as they both run a bit short, but they are both great and both from 1974.

First up - before he just went as Peter Frampton, Frampton's Camel had just come on the scene. A veteran of many bands, including The Herd and Humble Pie, Peter Frampton had established himself as one of the most respected guitarists of the early 1970's. Having just come back from the U.S. on a tour promoting their first album, the band performs here in London's Paris Theater in 1974 and just before the release of their second album. It's interesting to consider that, a little less than a year later, Peter Frampton would achieve Mega-Pop star status with his Frampton Comes Alive double album and his fortunes would change dramatically. Here he is just at the edge of that success playing to an appreciative crowd at what sounds like a relaxed radio-only gig from the BBC.

Our second concert is a rather short one. Clocking in at a little less than 15 minutes, it's too short to be a full concert and too long to be one of the nightly Roundtable picks. But The Groundhogs were one of the truly great power trios to emerge from the late 1960's and achieve critical success throughout the early 1970's. This set also comes from 1974 right around the time between "Thank Christ For The Bomb" and "Who Will Save The World?"

The Groundhogs had a reputation all through the 60's as one of the great heavy blues bands. By the time of this concert, they had become a three-piece, almost Power Trio but their bottom line was still heavy blues. They've often been mistaken for early Heavy Metal but, aside from the 3-piece lineup they don't have much in common with the Heavy Metal bands we've come to know over the years.

Here they are, also from The Paris Theater and also for a radio-only audience at The BBC in 1974.

My suggestion is to play both very loud and invite the neighbors.