He was replaced with Eric 'Stumpy Joe' Childs, and this lineup released Brainhammer (1970), Nerve Damage (1971), and Blood to Let (1972).

The band's 'success' came to a halt when Pepys died in a bizarre gardening accident in 1969. After Upham was fired and replaced with Ross MacLochness, the group released Matchstick Men (1968) and Silent But Deadly (1969), their first live album. A surprise hit, the single went gold in the United Kingdom and the band toured worldwide, although their following LP, We Are All Flower People, was rather unsuccessful. With this lineup, the band recorded '(Listen to The) Flower People,' which would be released on the 1967 single Spinal Tap Sings '(Listen to The) Flower People' and Other Favorites. Pudding would leave shortly afterwards to form Pudding People, and was replaced by Derek Smalls (Shearer). After a tour in the United Kingdom, the group continuously changed its name until finally settling on Spinal Tap and hiring keyboardist Denny Upham. They released two minor hit singles, 'Gimme Some Money' and 'Cups and Cakes,' songs that established them as a unique and noticeable band. After finding out that there was already a group of that title, they would go through a series of name changes until finally joining up with bassist Ronnie Pudding and drummer John 'Stumpy' Pepys, becoming the Thamesmen. Hubbins (played by McKean) and Nigel Tufnel (played by Guest) of Great Britain joined forces in 1964 after seeing their similar musical tastes, forming the Originals. According to This Is Spinal Tap, the band's story goes as follows: In fact, the soundtrack itself described the rock & roll of the '80s so well that it made many people who hadn't seen the movie think that Spinal Tap was a real group. This Is Spinal Tap was a moderate success, and the supporting soundtrack (in which the cast members played their own instruments) was a smash hit. The film, which poked fun at groups like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, cast the comics as members of a wacky, ill-minded '70s band facing a popularity dive in the '80s.

The joke began with the release of 1984's This Is Spinal Tap, a satirical Rob Reiner film starring actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer. Although originally conceived as the fictional subject of a music documentary, Spinal Tap became a real band - a parody heavy metal band, to be exact - following the film's release.

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