Dan's Bait & Tackle

I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking Spinal Tap’s new album Back From the Dead makes me feel old because it contains new recordings of songs from the soundtrack to their 1984 mockumentary, which led me to reflect on the fact that 25 years have passed since we were introduced to Spinal Tap.  But no, that’s not why I feel old.  I feel old because as I was struggling mightily to assemble the diorama that comes with the CD/DVD package, I thought to myself, for the first time ever, that maybe I should get bifocals.

That diorama kicked my butt.  I still don’t have it set up properly.  I kinda tore it, too.

The album, of course, is good.  Spinal Tap is, was, and always will be pure gold.  After reviewing the Jonas Brothers, it’s refreshing to listen to an album that’s intentionally funny.  There are some good new tracks, and the lads have done some interesting things with the rerecorded songs.  But really, why rerecord all the old songs?  CJ Vanston, producer for the new album, says,

“Spinal Tap is re-recording the entire first album because they thought the original album was a hatchet job, just like the movie.”

The real answer, I suspect, is money.  Note that the band is releasing the album themselves, without a label for distribution.  I question the wisdom of their strategy in today’s climate of internet file-sharing.  But hey, $9.99 for a CD, DVD, and a diorama is so cheap that maybe people won’t go the Pirate Bay route.  You can’t find a genuine torrent for the diorama anyway.

Oh, speaking of sharing, a heartfelt thanks to all the readers who shared stain-removal tips with me.  My Rush ’74 tour t-shirt is recovering nicely from the Pad Thai incident.

So yeah, if you’re down with Tap, give this a whirl.  Eleven stars.  If you don’t get the reference to eleven, than forget this record; trust me, it’s not for you.

Of course, those are British stars.  At today’s conversion rate, that’s three-and-one-third American stars.

Tags: Album Review, Back From the Dead, Spinal Tap

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 10:05 pm and is filed under Music Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.