GROUNDHOGS Thank Christ For The Bomb A1/B1 1st PRESS Blue LIBERTY Superb AUDIO
£
78
$
103
£ 78
Sold For
Sep 28, 2025
Sold Date
Sep 18, 2025
Start Date
13
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently. Groundhogs : Thank Christ For The Bomb A-1 / B-1 1st Press 1970 Liberty
This classic first pressing plays to a very high standard with no interference, no clicks or pops and no static either. There is perhaps just a minimal amount inner groove distortion on a couple of tracks but I suspect this is more to do with how it was recorded / produced than anything else. And of course the raw Groundhogs sound. They were a superb band and McPhee certainly took Blues Rock to another level in my opinion. The clarity, depth and power here is superb and the vinyl is in great condition also with no marking etc.
The textured E.J. Day gatefold is in excellent condition with only minimal shelf wear and the original poly-lined Plastic Bags... inner (dated 0670) is in excellent shape also.
This is a first variation of the first pressing - it still has the A1/B1 matrix and blue Liberty labels but has 'A Product of Liberty....' on the labels.
LBS 83295 A ▽ 1 1 2 4
LBS 83295 B ▽ 1 1 1 5
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T4 final quiet section Near Mint- for a few seconds)
The audio on S2 is Near Mint (T1 & T4 Mint- / T5 Near Mint-)
The textured E.J. Day gatefold is Ex The original poly-lined inner sleeve is Ex
The blue Liberty labels are Ex++
Visual description
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a very strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches. Under a bright light I can see a few very faint hairlines that are purely superficial of course. There is no groove or surface wear, no 'bag rash' and the blue Liberty labels are very clean with only some very light 'smudging' on S1. There is hardly any spindle wear on S1 and just a little more on S2.
Play Grading
The intro on 'Strange Town' is strong and clear and McPhee's opening vocal section is just as impressive. The following instrumental plays with great clarity during the quieter section and real power during the louder part. It continues to play with genuine quality and there is no distortion on the more powerful sections. The final vocal / instrumental has no intrusion and the fade out has only the lightest of static at the end. A superb Mint- start to the album.
'Darkness Is No Friend' keeps up the standard and plays with impeccable quality from start to finish with no interference. McPhee's bluesy voice lends itself perfectly to this track and the instrumental sections play with such a strong, deep rich sound. Another Mint- track.
A quieter intro on 'Soldier' and it plays with great clarity. The first vocal is just as clean and it continues in the same way. There is no static / distortion and the long mid instrumental is stunning. The final vocal has no background and the quieter instrumental at the end has only a couple of very light ticks on the fade out. Mint-
The acoustic intro on the title track 'Thank Christ For The Bomb' is close to perfect with just one minor static sound near the start and the opening two verses are indeed faultless. It continues to play with exceptional clarity and depth and as descends into near silence there is literally no background! The next marching instrumental is stunning in every sense - no intrusion and superb audio definition. As the volume increases into the classic end section the playback is phenomenal! I played it loud so as to detect any 'background' and yet the power is off the scale and there is no distortion. McPhee's guitar work is incredible and the rhythm section of Cruickshank's and Pustelnik add so much to the overall sound. The quieter finale as the bomb drops has only minimal intermittent light static so I will say this section is Near Mint- but the rest easily deserves a Mint- grading.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The intro on 'Ship On The Ocean' plays perfectly with no intrusion and McPhee's opening vocal is just as strong. It continues to play with great quality - that 'raw' early Groundhogs sound is very much in evidence, I cannot fault the audio. No ticks, clicks, pops or static and even the quiet ending which is very quiet has no background. Mint-
The opening section on 'Garden' once again shows how well this vinyl has been preserved, it plays with sublime clarity and depth. The first high octane passage is loud and true with no distortion and McPhee's next vocal just has one barely audible tick, so quiet I don't know why I am putting it here! The next powerful instrumental is so strong with only a hint of distortion but again it is so so minimal and still plays so well! The next vocal section is flawless and the final high octane instrumental - just superb! No obvious distortion and the closing bass section is perfect. I'm going to say Near Mint although that might be an undergrade!
The entire intro on 'Status People' plays with great quality and the first vocal is on a par with that. The instrumental is strong and definite with such clear audio and the next section, very much incorporating Cruickshank and Pustelnik could not play any better. The final vocal is clean with only a modicum of distortion but again I'm not sure it deserves a mention because it is so minor, probably more to do with how it was recorded. From start to finish it plays with but genuine quality and Near Mint is more than fair.
'Rich Man, Poor Man' exudes the usual power and definition and there is no interference. Once again the clarity of sound is very impressive for a track with a number of louder 'moments', there is no intrusion. The closing section in particular is so strong sonically and overall Mint- is deserved even with a very light tick on the fade out.
The intro and first verse on 'Eccentric Man' is strong and clear and then the first chorus is similar but with a little inner groove distortion I would say, nothing intrusive though. The next instrumental / vocal is perfect and from then on plays extremely well with nothing to detract from the audio. Ok there is just a touch of distortion during the choruses / McPhee solo but it does seem a little harsh to downgrade it due to that. It's the final track after and it still plays so well with no actual interference. The end instrumental plays to perfection and overall I will say Near Mint- is an honest appraisal of the audio.
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
The textured E.J Day cover is in excellent condition with only only a little wear and there is certainly nothing that stands out. The edges have light rubbing and the spine is still strong and wide with only a couple of minor indents, one small 'rub' on the title and only the bare minimum of marking on the edges on the bottom half, it is very faint. The corners of the spine have some light wear and the right corners are very clean with very little wear. The opening edge is in superb condition. The front cover is the same, it has unmarked and has only a couple of minor 'rubs' on the right edge. The back cover has some very faint fingerprint type marks mainly on the right side but is otherwis every clean and the inside of the gatefold is stunning with only 2/3 minor specks. A very strong example overall.
The poly-lined Plastic Bags... inner sleeve is in excellent shape with no side splits but does have one small tear by the bottom edge and a little creasing here and there. It remains very clean with hardly any marking.
LBS 83295 A ▽ 1 1 2 4
LBS 83295 B ▽ 1 1 1 5
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT VM-95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
Recent Feedback
THIS IS WHAT A SELLER SHOULD BE LIKE ON HIGH END VINYL! Exactly as described if not better ! I could not be a happier customer .. well packed for international flight .. and shipped and received very fast .. No worries here this guy is the topsGREAT AS DESCRIBED BEST SELLR OF ALL THE UK PEOPLE AND I HAVE BOUGHT FROM ALL OF THEM
Beautiful record as described, fast safe delivery, top seller. Cheers Steve.
Another fantastic LP from this seller - condition exactly as shown and the audio as described! Fast delivery, vinyl properly and carefully packed. Very highly recommended A++++
Another stunning LP from this very reliable and helpful seller.
Very quick delivery. Album exactly as described. Excellent packaging. Once again all perfect. Thanks!!!
Great item and seller (no.1), many thanks from ITALY !!!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic! Record as Described! Excellent Packaging and Fast Overseas Shipping!
One of the best on Ebay!
Another amazing record from this exceptional seller. Absolutely delighted!
Great seller and great vinyl record, professionally packaged. I’m very satisfied with my purchase and will certainly buy again!
Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
price rating
