Most people in the world have seen the 1984 movie “This is Spinal Tap”, which introduced the world to the fictional English heavy metal band on their tour of the United States, which trod through their extensive history as well as the disastrous events of that tour. It perfectly encapsulated the excesses and strained relationships that occur in a touring band, by creating this massively humorous and brilliantly written dialogue about a band being acted out as a serious documentary. Genius. And the songs themselves as written by the trio were brilliant. “Big Bottom”, “Stonehenge”, “Rock and Roll Creation”, “Sex Farm”, “Tonight I’m Going to Rock You Tonight”, and “Hell Hole” for which they eventually did a music video. Everything about it is brilliantly done, and I personally never get tired of watching it. But, I must admit that I never expected to have anything else come from it.
And yet, eight years later, from out of nowhere, an album by Spinal Tap was announced. What the hell? Where the hell did this come from, and did they really think that they could write songs that would make people go out and buy the album? I mean sure, I bought the soundtrack to “This is Spinal Tap” (which I will forever always call ‘Smell the Glove’ as it was named in that movie), but I’m a bit of a fanatic sometimes. But did these three – Michael McKean as David St Hubbins, Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnell, and Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls – really have what it took to BE Spinal Tap? The answer of course is an emphatic yes, and I should have been ashamed of myself to think otherwise. The fact that they then promoted it by playing live gigs, including one at Royal Albert Hall that was filmed and released as a concert video, is proof enough that they were more than talented enough to do so. That they wrote and performed all of the songs, played all of the instruments, sang all of the melodies and harmonies... it must be a terrible thing to be talented, but that they also did all of this in their personas is just the icing on the cake. But, I hear you asking, is it any good? Well, honestly, I think this song sums it up perfectly, everything that Spinal Tap stands for.
And yet, eight years later, from out of nowhere, an album by Spinal Tap was announced. What the hell? Where the hell did this come from, and did they really think that they could write songs that would make people go out and buy the album? I mean sure, I bought the soundtrack to “This is Spinal Tap” (which I will forever always call ‘Smell the Glove’ as it was named in that movie), but I’m a bit of a fanatic sometimes. But did these three – Michael McKean as David St Hubbins, Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnell, and Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls – really have what it took to BE Spinal Tap? The answer of course is an emphatic yes, and I should have been ashamed of myself to think otherwise. The fact that they then promoted it by playing live gigs, including one at Royal Albert Hall that was filmed and released as a concert video, is proof enough that they were more than talented enough to do so. That they wrote and performed all of the songs, played all of the instruments, sang all of the melodies and harmonies... it must be a terrible thing to be talented, but that they also did all of this in their personas is just the icing on the cake. But, I hear you asking, is it any good? Well, honestly, I think this song sums it up perfectly, everything that Spinal Tap stands for.
From the very first time I heard this album, I was caught. Trapped. Encapsulated. If you’ve seen the movie, then you have an idea of what is to come in regards to the songs and the way the lyrics are written and pieced together. Because the use of sexual innuendo and double entendres, as well as nonsensical phrases are all a major part of the song writing of Spinal Tap the band. Nothing sums that up better than the opening track and lead single “Bitch School”, a song essentially about sending your pet to training school to become a better dog, except of course the inference is that is not a female dog that is being spoken of. “Diva Fever” and “Cash on Delivery” have the same sort of innuendo going on in their lyrics, but so beautifully camouflaged as to have either side of the argument be considered carefully.
But then you have a song like “Just Begin Again”, one that is laughable in lyrical content. And yet, because of the duet between David St Hubbins and guest singer Cher, it becomes an amazing song. Indeed, Cher’s vocals on this song are quite amazing, the best she had done in years, and it turns the song into a real showpiece.
Along with this are songs such as “Rainy Day Sun” which could easily have been a flower-power hit such is its lyrical imagery and easy paced musical content. It sits well with the final song on the album which is “All the Way Home”, a song that was actually outlined in the original movie as being the first song that David and Nigel wrote together, and as such it is very much in that late 50’s early 60’s pop rock style. Most of you will have watched the movie and sung along with David and Nigel as they piece together the lyrics from years ago... “I’m sitting here beside the railroad tracks, and I’m waiting for that train to bring her back...” The band even has some environmentally aware songs, such as “Stinking Up the Great Outdoors”, and then Nigel Tufnell on lead vocals on “Springtime”. And not to forget their own excellent addition to modern day Christmas carols, which is played in my house every year, then excellent “Christmas with the Devil”. Many of the songs throughout the album have guest artists lending their backing vocals to tracks, such as Cher mentioned earlier, and Timothy B Schmidt of Eagles fame. But there are also plenty of big name guitarists who lend their very impressive riffing to many of the songs. Steve Lukather pops up on “Just Begin Again” as well as playing piano on “Clam Caravan”, Dweezil Zappa plays on “Diva Fever”, and on the ground breaking title track there is a plethora of guests all lending their talents, including Lukather, Jeff Beck, Slash and Joe Satriani, all of which makes it an absolutely epic track.
And still, perhaps the song that best sums up the band is “The Sun Never Sweats”. It is hard, it is unique, its lyrics use nonsense phrases that still somehow completely make sense within the context of the song. It’s a beauty, and amongst all of the great and best known songs here is perhaps unfairly overlooked in the grand scheme of things.
But then you have a song like “Just Begin Again”, one that is laughable in lyrical content. And yet, because of the duet between David St Hubbins and guest singer Cher, it becomes an amazing song. Indeed, Cher’s vocals on this song are quite amazing, the best she had done in years, and it turns the song into a real showpiece.
Along with this are songs such as “Rainy Day Sun” which could easily have been a flower-power hit such is its lyrical imagery and easy paced musical content. It sits well with the final song on the album which is “All the Way Home”, a song that was actually outlined in the original movie as being the first song that David and Nigel wrote together, and as such it is very much in that late 50’s early 60’s pop rock style. Most of you will have watched the movie and sung along with David and Nigel as they piece together the lyrics from years ago... “I’m sitting here beside the railroad tracks, and I’m waiting for that train to bring her back...” The band even has some environmentally aware songs, such as “Stinking Up the Great Outdoors”, and then Nigel Tufnell on lead vocals on “Springtime”. And not to forget their own excellent addition to modern day Christmas carols, which is played in my house every year, then excellent “Christmas with the Devil”. Many of the songs throughout the album have guest artists lending their backing vocals to tracks, such as Cher mentioned earlier, and Timothy B Schmidt of Eagles fame. But there are also plenty of big name guitarists who lend their very impressive riffing to many of the songs. Steve Lukather pops up on “Just Begin Again” as well as playing piano on “Clam Caravan”, Dweezil Zappa plays on “Diva Fever”, and on the ground breaking title track there is a plethora of guests all lending their talents, including Lukather, Jeff Beck, Slash and Joe Satriani, all of which makes it an absolutely epic track.
And still, perhaps the song that best sums up the band is “The Sun Never Sweats”. It is hard, it is unique, its lyrics use nonsense phrases that still somehow completely make sense within the context of the song. It’s a beauty, and amongst all of the great and best known songs here is perhaps unfairly overlooked in the grand scheme of things.
I still remember the first time I heard this album. The first few times actually. It was barely a couple of weeks after it was released, and the band I was in at the time travelled to western NSW to play a gig. In my car were four drummers (not all from the same band) and all tapped the hell out of the car on the way up to all the albums we listened to. When we arrived at our destination, a couple of hours before anyone else arrived, we got a case of beer from the drive through (as we had a couple of under agers with us), sat in the car park, and drank it dry. While we did so, one of our number pulled out a copy of this album. The rest of us had no idea it had been made, and so we put it on to listen. And laughed loudly all the way through. And so we put it on again and did the same thing. After two cases of beer and several listens, as I mentioned earlier, I loved it. That gig was memorable for so many things and so many stories, but this is one of my most lucid and clear memories of that day and night.
Yes, this is a terrific album. Different moods dictate which songs I enjoy the most whenever I put it on, but the four I have played here today are certainly the money shots. Both “Bitch School” and “The Majesty of Rock” charted in the UK and the US, and I still think that both “The Majesty of Rock”, and the song I am about to play, could easily be performed every night even now if a band wanted to take them on. Unlike the soundtrack to the original movie, this is actually an album that holds its own and can quite easily be put on and played all the way through without reaching for the skip button. It’s a true album, even if the band that wrote and recorded it is for all intents and purposes a fictional unreality. In many ways, that’s what makes this even more remarkable.
Yes, this is a terrific album. Different moods dictate which songs I enjoy the most whenever I put it on, but the four I have played here today are certainly the money shots. Both “Bitch School” and “The Majesty of Rock” charted in the UK and the US, and I still think that both “The Majesty of Rock”, and the song I am about to play, could easily be performed every night even now if a band wanted to take them on. Unlike the soundtrack to the original movie, this is actually an album that holds its own and can quite easily be put on and played all the way through without reaching for the skip button. It’s a true album, even if the band that wrote and recorded it is for all intents and purposes a fictional unreality. In many ways, that’s what makes this even more remarkable.
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