Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead Review

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 06.16.2009

The gods of comedy heavy metal return with their new album, Back From The Dead. A mix of old classics and new material, Spinal Tap has given their fan base a lot to digest. Is this just a worthless cash-in or an album on par with their earlier hits?

The Band

David St. Hubbins- Vocals, Guitar
Nigel Tufnel- Guitar, Vocals
Derek Smalls- Bass, Vocals
?-Drums (Probably several dozen musicians)


The Track Listing

1. Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight-2:42
2. Back From The Dead-4:06
3. (Funky) Sex Farm-4:30
4. Rock ‘n’ Roll Creation-5:05
5. Jazz Oddyssey I-2:19
6. Gimme Some Money-2:33
7. Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare-3:20
8. Heavy Duty-4:57
9. America-3:40
10. Jazz Oddyssey II-2:00
11. (Listen To The) Flower People (Reggae Stylee)-3:21
12. Hell Hole-3:35
13. Big Bottom-3:40
14. Celtic Blues-1:25
15. Jazz Oddyssey III-2:17
16. Warmer Than Hell-3:51
17. Stonehenge-4:31
18. Short And Sweet-6:36
19. Cups And Cakes-1:40





The Review

In 1984, the world was given Spinal Tap, the greatest heavy metal band that nobody had ever heard of. Vocalist/guitarist David St. Hubbins, guitarist/vocalist Nigel Tufnel, and bassist/backing vocalist Derek Smalls, along with a revolving door of currently-deceased drummers, made their presence well-known with the documentary, “This Is Spinal Tap.” Winning over critics and metal fans with an in-depth look at the twenty-plus year career of the British trio, the documentary is still considered the best movie ever made about a British heavy metal band touring the United States in support of a new album called Smell The Glove.

In the shadow of the 25th anniversary of the legendary documentary, Spinal Tap has returned with their first album in 17 years, Back From The Dead. A collection of re-recordings, interspersed with a few new tunes, Back From The Dead still shows that the band has a lot of life left in them, and that they have once again resurrected a staling genre. The old songs sound more powerful, with a modern production adding a major punch to all the instruments, and the new songs are both hilarious and catchy.

Spinal Tap could have easily just repackaged their early material with a glossy finish, but that wouldn’t be the metal thing to do. No, the band goes back into the studio and plays through their old favorites again, with a few changes here and there. The sands of time have seemed to pass over Spinal Tap, as the songs still sound fresh after all these years. Stand-outs like “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight” and “Stonehenge” still pack quite a punch and just like wine, age has given the band full flavor and taste.

A few of the tracks were reworked and given an extensive makeover. “Sex Farm” is now a blast from the funk past, as if George Clinton and KC and the Sunshine Band got horny and had a sexy offspring. Horns blare, the bass is loud as hell, and Hubbins gravitates towards the groove with ease, as if he was made to funk it all night long. “(Listen To The) Flower People,” a product of the late 60s, is back with a reggae-flavored twist. The song’s message of peace and love is still strong, but now it’s the perfect song for a day at the beach, sitting in front of a burning bonfire with that special someone.

Most of the songs from the band’s extensive catalog are front and center on Back From The Dead. For the first time, Spinal Tap fans finally get their hands on the full-length “Jazz Oddyssey.” A forgotten gem from the band’s latter-day catalog, the instrumental is broken up into three easy-to-digest parts. It’s too bad they couldn’t put it all together, but that would probably cause a black hole to form due to the sheer awesomeness that would emit from the combination.

The other new tracks are almost as strong as the classics. The title track has a creepy vibe, with lyrics of resurrection and skeletons rising their bony fingers towards the sky. “Short and Sweet” is a misleading title, as the song goes into a seven-minute jam that features guest guitarists John Mayer, Steve Vai, and Phil Collen. While none of them can match the technical ability of Nigel Tufnel, they each compliment Spinal Tap well. If Nigel ever left the band, any one of these guitarist would be privileged to attempt to step into those massive shoes of his.

Finding a criticism of Back From The Dead is liking finding something wrong with “Freddy Got Fingered;” it’s next to impossible. If this reviewer was to pinpoint anything negative, it would probably be that the album isn’t at least a double album. A 25th anniversary album should have 111 songs on it; no more, no less. Why not 110, you may ask? That’s not enough material; have to add that extra one for good measure. There could have also been some more new material or at least a more even balance between past and present. Of course, the big question that any Spinal Tap fan is asking right now; where is “Lick My Love Pump?” At this point, that song deserves to be released, for crying out loud!

Back From The Dead is quite an apt title, as Spinal Tap has once again restarted the lifeless heart of heavy metal with a prolonged electrical shock that probably did more damage than good. Some will see this as nothing more than a cash-in; a way for the band to take advantage of fans by just giving us the old hits and nothing substantial. What do those people know? While they are listening to the newest pop junk or the hip-hop flavor of the week, true Tapheads will be cranking up Back From The Dead and preaching the word of the Gospel of Spinal Tap.

The 411: Spinal Tap does it again with Back From The Dead. The old songs sounds fresh and pack a huge punch, while the new material shows that the trio still has a lot of kick left in them. For the price of a regular album, not only do you get 19 tracks of awesome heavy metal, but a 60-minute DVD detailing the creation of every song on the album and pop-up 12-inch action figures of each band member and Stonehenge. That's about the best deal you can get without it being against the law.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]