GROUNDHOGS "THANK CHRIST FOR THE BOMB" Original U.S. 1970 Liberty gf LP M-/M-

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GROUNDHOGS "THANK CHRIST FOR THE BOMB" Original 1970 U.S. Liberty Records stereo gatefold LP. 9 track PROG ROCK classic from Tony (T.S.) McPhee, Pete Cruickshank & Ken Pustelnik. LST-7644. M-/M-.

Thank Christ for the Bomb was the first Groundhogs album to indicate that the group had a lifespan longer than the British blues boom of which they were part. It was also the first in the sequence of semi-conceptual masterpieces that the group cut following their decision to abandon the mellow blues of their earlier works and pursue the socially aware, prog-inflected bent that culminated with 1972's seminal Who Will Save the World? album. They were rewarded with their first ever Top Ten hit and purchasers were rewarded with an album that still packs a visceral punch in and around Tony McPhee's dark, doom-laden lyrics. With the exception of the truly magisterial title track, only one other song, the semi-acoustic "Garden," goes over the five-minute mark. Yet the overall sense of the album is almost overwhelming, and it is surely no coincidence that, engineering alongside McPhee's self-production, Martin Birch came to the Groundhogs fresh from Deep Purple in Rock. Volume and dynamics aside, there are few points of comparison between the two albums -- if the Groundhogs have any direct kin, it would have to be either the similarly three-piece Budgie or the Edgar Broughton Band. But, just as Deep Purple was advancing the cause of heavy rock by proving that you didn't need to be heavy all the time, Thank Christ for the Bomb shifts between light and dark, introspection and outspokenness. Even the acoustic guitars can make your ears bleed when they feel like it. The anti-war sentiments of "Thank Christ for the Bomb" is one of the most effective pieces on the album. Although some elements of Thank Christ for the Bomb may seem overdone today, it still has the ability to chill, thrill, and kill any doubts about the anti-war sentiments that are evoked. The truths that were evident to McPhee in 1970 aren't too far from reality today.

9 tracks- Strange Town, Darkness Is No Friend, Soldier, Thanks Christ For The Bomb, Ship On The Ocean, Garden, Status People, Rich Man Poor Man & Eccentric Man.

Gatefold cover is intact & retains its original look w/no writing or tears. There is very minor discoloring along the top & left spine. It is still sturdy & looks nearly new. Overall the cover rates a M- grading. The record itself looks & sounds great & has received very little play. Only very minor paper scuffs deter it from a MINT rating. Overall grading is M-. The black Liberty labels are MINT w/no spindle marks. This is an original U.S. pressing from 1970.