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Ransom Riggs
Spinal Tap: Back from the Dead
by Ransom Riggs - June 1, 2009 - 11:00 AM

BFTDcover.jpgYou may wonder how a band that never really existed in the first place can have a reunion tour. But answering that would mean opening up a Pandora’s box of mind-bending postmodern dilemmas, like “can a fictional band featured in a mockumentary become “real” if the actors who portrayed the band members actually play the songs from the film in front of paying audiences?” Which is of course exactly what happened in 1992, when Spinal Tap released an album of songs not featured in This is Spinal Tap called Break Like the Wind, and toured in support of it. (You can listen to the title track here.)

261949769_f203d321ef_m.jpgAt this point, any questions of Spinal Tap’s authenticity are moot — its members, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, are all talented musicians in their own right, and their upcoming reunion tour is anything but fake: they’ve sold out the legendary Glastonbury Festival on June 25, and their new album, Back from the Dead, drops on June 16th. It includes new songs as well as a number of “reinterpretations” of Spinal Tap classics, as well as the title track from David St. Hubbins’ long-discussed but unfinished musical about Jack the Ripper, Saucy Jack, which you can download here. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the Tap hits that will be making a reappearance on the new album, albeit in reinterpreted form.

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock it Tonight

Sex Farm appears on the new album as “(Funky) Sex Farm” — this video appears to be a preview of what that’ll sound like, from a recent unplugged/unwigged live performance:

Rock and Roll Creation

Jazz Oddyssey

Gimme Some Money, from the pre-Tap incarnation “The Thamesmen.” I think that’s Ed Begley, Jr. on drums.

When you’re finished rocking, follow me on Twitter!

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Comments (7)

  1. Do a search for the promo picture for their “Unplugged and Unwigged” Tour. There is a glaring PhotoShopping error that didn’t get noticed until it was released. They’re standing together and there is a hand resting on each shoulder of the guy in the middle – one belongs to Michael McKean standing to his left, but the other comes from nowhere as everyone else’s hands are all visible.

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 6-1-2009 at 1:01 pm

  2. Perhaps they are playing at a sold out G’bury but I doubt it is sold out due to this reunion

    posted by AC on 6-1-2009 at 1:02 pm

  3. It’s a shame, but the “this goes to 11″ joke is wasted on me, all the knobs on my Fender Bassman go to 12.

    posted by Pithecanthropus on 6-1-2009 at 1:36 pm

  4. PartiallyDeflected, was that ever confirmed as an actual error? It struck me as an intentional goof, since I can not imagine what kind of photoshop manipulation would accidentally leave such an effect.

    posted by EMStoveken on 6-1-2009 at 2:51 pm

  5. I saw them in Detroit on Friday night, and it was a lot of fun. They were super funny, all the songs were still great, and you could see that they were all enjoying themselves, too.

    posted by Liz on 6-1-2009 at 4:11 pm

  6. This story makes me sad. I had tickets to their show and they were THREE rows from the stage and had to return them because I wasn’t able to make the show. ): I was so disappointed, really.

    Does anyone know if they’re going to sell their shirts/merch via an internet store? I’d sure like an Unwigged & Unplugged t-shirt or hoodie. (:

    reCaptcha- General Cronkite.

    posted by Myleti on 6-1-2009 at 5:27 pm

  7. McKean showed the photo on Leno and said that he had done the PhotoShopping and didn’t notice it. It was put together from other photos.

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 6-1-2009 at 8:15 pm

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