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This is the Spinal Tap Zine: An A to Zed Guide to
One of England's Loudest Bands
by Chip Rowe (2011, ISBN 9780983736837,
$2.99)
First published in 1995 as a paper fanzine, the fifth
update and revision of this comprehensive guide, compiled by
the creator of this site, is available for the Kindle, the
Kindle UK,
the Nook, the
iPad or iPhone
or at Kobo for
a variety of platforms. It contains more than 550 entries about
the international recording stars Spinal Tap, including favorites
such as Dubly, Stonehenge and Zucchini and obscurities such as
Butt Casts, Goat Boy and Meconium. The 2002 PDF version is available
as a free download or you can
view it online.
Back
From the Dead
(The Label Industry, 2009, includes
one-hour DVD and pop-up diorama package that
unveils three 12-inch action figures cutouts with a proportionally
sized Stonehenge)
Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight; Back From The
Dead; (Funky) Sex Farm; Rock 'n' Roll Creation; Jazz Oddyssey
I; Gimme Some Money; Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare; Heavy Duty (featuring
Keith Emerson); America; Jazz Oddyssey II; (Listen to the) Flower
People (Reggae Stylee); Hell Hole; Big Bottom; Celtic Blues;
Jazz Oddyssey III; Warmer Than Hell; Stonehenge; Short and Sweet
(featuring John Mayer, Steve Vai, Phil Collen); Cups and Cakes;
Bonus: (Listen to the) Flower People (2009). You can purchase
the album at Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK,
or download it at Amazon,
iTunes or
Amazon UK.
The bonus track appears only on the Amazon download. The
album is also available on 11-inch vinyl. iTunes also has a track
by track video commentary by the band.
Spinal
Tap: The Original Soundtrack Recording from the Motion Picture
This Is Spinal Tap
(Polydor, 1984, #POL-817846; Uni/Polydor,
remastered, 2000)
Hell Hole, Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight, Heavy
Duty, Rock 'N Roll Creation, America, Cups and Cakes, Big Bottom,
Sex Farm, Stonehenge, Gimme Some Money, (Listen To The) Flower
People. The remastered soundtrack comes with expanded liner notes
(including lyrics) and the single and "scratch" mixes
of Christmas With The Devil. You can buy the album at Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK,
or download it at Amazon,
iTunes or
Amazon UK.
Break
Like the Wind
(Dead Faith/MCA, 1992, #MCAP10514;
MCA, remastered, 2000)
Bitch School, The Majesty of Rock, Diva Fever, Just
Begin Again, Cash On Delivery, The Sun Never Sweats, Rainy Day
Sun, Break Like the Wind, Stinkin' Up the Great Outdoors, Springtime,
Clam Caravan, Christmas With the Devil, Now Leaving on Track
13, All The Way Home. You can buy the album at Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK,
or download it at Amazon,
iTunes or
Amazon UK.
This is Spinal Tap, Special Edition
(MGM, 2000; list $29.98), 5.1 Dolby
digital stereo, encoded, letterboxed, DVD, English / Spanish
/ French
This enhanced version of TIST includes fresh commentary
by the band and a new digital transfer, plus 100 minutes of features
such as more than one hour of deleted scenes taken from 30 hours
of original negative, a new interview called "Catching Up
with Marty DiBergi," the band's February 1984 appearance
on the Joe Franklin Show, the original theatrical trailer, four
music videos (Hell Hole, Listen to the Flower People, Big Bottom
and Gimme Some Money) and six TV spots. You can buy the DVD at
Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK.
Or rent it online; see DVD Rental Guide. The DVD is also available
for Blu-ray or
for download at iTunes.
This is Spinal Tap, Criterion Edition
(Criterion Collection, 1994), digital
stereo, encoded, letterboxed, DVD and laserdisc
The Criterion edition DVD and laserdisc includes 80
minutes of outtakes (the original documentary runs 82 minutes)
consisting of 32 cutting room floor tracks, as well as the original
20-minute demo reel that DiBergi used to pitch the film to Embassy
Pictures. The original film also is here, with commentary from
DiBergi, producer Karen Murphy, two film editors and the principal
band members. For more info, read an interview with the editorial
coordinator and producer. Both the laserdisc and DVD are
out of print, but you can find copies at Amazon, eBay, eBay Canada
or eBay UK.
Special Edition VHS
(MGM Home Video 2000; list $14.95),
82 minutes
This newly remastered video includes five minutes
of outtakes and the Bitch School music video banned by MTV. You
can buy the video at Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK.
Break Like the
WindThe Videos
(UNI Distribution, 1992), 15 minutes
This video includes Bitch School (censored by MTV and uncensored,
also available on the Special Edition VHS) and The Majesty of
Rock (not available anywhere else), plus an interview. You can
buy the video secondhand at Amazon. You
can also download Bitch School and The Majesty of Rock on iTunes.
The Return of Spinal Tap
(MPI Home Video, October 1992), 110
minutes
Footage
of the final performance of Tap's 1992 tour, which took place
in London on July 7, 1992. The footage is interspersed with interviews
in which celebrities discuss the influence of Tap on their lives.
There also are visits to spots in England that played a role
in the band's formation. You can buy the 2003 re-release on DVD
at Amazon, but
be forewarned that some fans have reported the songs are in mono,
some of the song titles are listed incorrectly and there is no
studio or catalog number listed. The 1992 version is also available
at Amazon and
on VHS at Amazon, Amazon Canada
and Amazon UK.
Stonehenge: 'Tis a Magical
Place
(Shorts by iTunes, 2009, seven minutes)
In this short film, offered on iTunes when Back From
the Dead was released, the boys visit the inspirational monument
in England. Unfortunately it is no longer available.
Unwigged
and Unplugged: The Concert Tour
(Courgette Records, 2009, 130 minutes)
The actors and performers Michael McKean, Christopher
Guest and Harry Shearer cover many of Tap's best songs in this
acoustic set. Available at Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK.
This is Spinal Tap: The Official Companion
by Karl French (2000, Bloomsbury, $19.95
ISBN 1582341257 or £16.99 ISBN 074754218X) This
guide contains a transcript of the film, song lyrics, the discography
and timeline you'll find here on the Tap fan site, an introduction
by someone named Michael McKean, 24 pages of color photos (including
a great one of Marty DiBergi testing the metal detector on Derek
at the airport) and an A to Zed guide that has strange entries
such as Reiner, Rob. The U.S. edition is paperback, and the Canada
and U.K. editions are hardcover. You can buy it at Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK.
Cultographies:
This Is Spinal Tap
by Ethan De Seife (2007, Wallflower
Press, £10.00 ISBN 190567449X)
Ethan De Seife, whose writings
on Tap first appeared on this site, offers a sustained critical
appraisal of the film's success as cult cinema. In the introduction
Ethan recalls how he first saw the film with his mother in Harrison,
New York in 1984, with just four other people in the theater.
"I remember a general sense of confusion when it was over,"
he writes. He recounts the production, promotion and initial
reception to the film and the audience and critical reaction
before diving into a stellar analysis of its popular appeal.
You can buy it at Amazon, Amazon Canada
or Amazon UK.
Spinal Tap Misc.
For posters, check eBay, eBay Canada
or eBay UK.
For sheet music download and "guitar guru" lesson
of Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You (Tonight), visit MusicNotes.
The Spinal Tap None More Black Collector's
Set includes the DVD, soundtrack CD and T-shirt for about
$20.
Sideshow Toy's Spinal Tap action figures can usually be found
on eBay. Amazon
sometimes has Derek or
David and
Nigel.
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