The ‘Hogs third, and some would say, most meaningful salvo in this run, is quite reminiscent of Thank Christ for the Bomb in many aspects. In fact, one could say the band was upping their game from a conceptual point of view – starting from the comic book style album cover, to the aural contents within. McPhee’s lyrics tackle environmental ills more than ever before, but he delivers them with a wry wink and a smile, as if to say – we contributed to this mess, and we are going down for these sins at the end of it all. The one minor quibble I have here is, unlike the previous two efforts, there really was not any particular track I connected to, and I am even counting the furious jam at the end (“The Grey Maze”). This time around, Tony didn’t come off as very angry or even emotional about saving the world – it was more like he and his mates we were viewing the thing with detached amusement and/or sarcasm for a time, then stepping in with their assessments. Technically, the up-and-down/rages of the past are generally discarded in favor of mid-tempo, thick, blues-derived laments, some of which border on the quiet side (“Music is the Food of Thought”). But I do not feel the band really let loose until the finale, “The Grey Maze”, which is ten minutes of frenzied jamming, and incidentally does give one the feel of being trapped in a dank, dark maze. I’ve read many takes trashing the treatment of “Amazing Grace”, but I go the other way – considering the theme here, I actually think the band’s cover is quite appropriate. One other thing to mention is on this album, you begin to hear the start of McPhee’s dalliances with instruments other than guitar – there is mellotron and harmonium used on a few tracks here. This would come to full fruition on the next Groundhogs record, and on Tony’s solo record as well. It gives the experience a slightly different feel. Overall, despite the differences mentioned I still think it stands proud next to the other albums from this era of the ‘Hogs. I definitely recommend it.
Comments