Spinal Tap – This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
In celebration of mock rockers Spinal Tap’s latest release Back from the Dead, here’s a post of one of my favorite film soundtracks of all time. Featuring all the greats from the classic mock-rockumentary and donning identical cover art to that of the fictional Smell the Glove album, these songs are not only witty and spot on rock and roll satire but as well enjoyable from a pure musical standpoint.
Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer or should I say David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls are surprisingly apt musicians and there isn’t a disappointing tune in the whole bunch. Written by the trio alongside This is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner, this soundtrack is raunchy, heavy and infectiously catchy. You got to love the shredding Metalesque musicianship on songs like “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You”, “Sex Farm” and the Bass dominated classic “Big Bottom” but I think it’s the lyrics that have really helped this mostly fictitious rock band live on. For they’re truly dirty, cheesy and overflowing with sexual innuendo that’s hardly subtle and always amusing.
But This Is Spinal Tap isn’t all sweaty metal mania, as we are treated to a few of Tap’s earlier compositions as well. I mean the Tap soundtrack wouldn’t be complete without such 60s classics as “Gimme Some Money” or “(Listen to the) Flower People”, which are both excellent parodies of the various sounds of the 60s. Overall this collection covers essentially everything you hear in the movie and still has that hilarious 80s charm to it. I’m not sure why Tap feels they had to rerecord most of these songs on their latest work, as they nailed it right on the head the first time round. Of course I’ll still check it out and maybe do some feature here though probably just a review, until than Tap on… Oh no I forgot to make an “Up to eleven joke!”
Favorite Tracks: “(Listen to the) Flower People”, “Big Bottom”, “Stonehenge”,