Groundhogs - Thank Christ For The Bomb 1970

The band first formed in 1963 and backed US blues artist John Lee Hooker as John Lee's Groundhogs for two years before disbanding in 1965. An album, John Lee Hooker With The Groundhogs, was recorded during this period.

The band reformed in 1968 with a new line-up, although Steve Rye left after their first album. They continued through their 'golden years' as a trio. Scratching The Surface, their debut, was a pretty mellow blues album. Blues Obituary was their final straight blues album and for the next few efforts they turned towards heavy rock with a certain degree of socio-political comment. Thank Christ For The Bomb was one of their more successful attempts and took them into the UK Album Charts for the first time.

For Hogwash, Ken Pustelnik was replaced by Clive Brooks, but after Solid the group disbanded, leader Tony McPhee having made a solo album, The Two Sides Of Tony McPhee (Worldwide Artists WWA 001) in 1973. However, in 1975 McPhee put the band back on the road with a new line-up.

The double compilation and free EP released by Psycho comprised live material from 1971 concerts in London and Leeds as part of a Rolling Stones tour, and material from a concert in Stockholm in 1976 shortly before the band split up. For diehard progressive blues fans only!

1. Strange Town (McPhee) (...alienness of community)
2. Darkness Is No Friend (Trad. Arr. McPhee) (...alienness of small room)
3. Soldier (McPhee) (...alienness of a country)
4. Thank Christ For The Bomb (McPhee) (...alienness...)

1. Ship On The Ocean (Trad. Arr. McPhee)
2. Garden (McPhee)
3. Status People (Trad. Arr. McPhee)
4. Rich Man, Poor Man (Trad. Arr. McPhee)
5. Eccentric Man (McPhee)
(...the story of a man who lived in Chelsea all his life; first in a mansion then on the benches of the embankment)

bonus:
10 - Garden (BBC radio 1 session 1970) 3:35
11 - Eccentric Man (BBC radio 1 session 1971) 5:01
12 - Soldier (BBC, In Concert 1974) 15:03


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