Origin	England
Genre(s)	Heavy metal Psychedelic rock Hard rock Pop
Years active	1964-1982 1992-present
Label(s)	Megaphone, Polymer (MCA Records)
Members
Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer)

Spinal Tap is a semi-fictional heavy metal band, the subject of the 1984 rockumentary/mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music MCA Records was an American -based record company owned by MCA Inc Nigel Tufnel (1945- is the fictional Lead guitarist of the rock band Spinal Tap featured in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. Christopher Guest (born February 5 1948 is an Emmy Award-winning writer Grammy Award-winning composer/musician director and comic actor David Ivor St Hubbins (born 1943 is a Fictional character who is the Lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the mock Rock band Spinal Tap Michael John McKean (born October 17 1947) is an American actor comedian composer and musician perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend Derek Albion Smalls (born 1941 is a Fictional character played by Harry Shearer. Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American comedic Actor, Writer, Musician, and radio host Events The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name The term rockumentary is a Neologism denoting a program on Television or movie documentary about Rock music or its Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work This Is Spın̈al Tap (officially spelled with a non-functional umlaut over the letter 'n' and dotless 'i' is a 1984 mock Rockumentary The band members are portrayed by Michael McKean (as David St. Hubbins), Christopher Guest (as Nigel Tufnel) and Harry Shearer (as Derek Smalls). Michael John McKean (born October 17 1947) is an American actor comedian composer and musician perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend David Ivor St Hubbins (born 1943 is a Fictional character who is the Lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the mock Rock band Spinal Tap Christopher Guest (born February 5 1948 is an Emmy Award-winning writer Grammy Award-winning composer/musician director and comic actor Nigel Tufnel (1945- is the fictional Lead guitarist of the rock band Spinal Tap featured in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American comedic Actor, Writer, Musician, and radio host Derek Albion Smalls (born 1941 is a Fictional character played by Harry Shearer. They first appeared in a 1978 ABC comedy special, The TV Show. The year 1978 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1978. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. The same trio of actors would be reunited as the American folk music revival band The Folksmen in the 2003 mockumentary A Mighty Wind. The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s A Mighty Wind is a 2003 pseudo-documentary about a Folk music reunion concert and the three groups that must come together to perform on national television

The film was accompanied by a soundtrack album of the same name. "Big Bottom" redirects to this page regarding a song title In the years since the film was made the actors who portrayed the band members have played concerts and released music under the Spinal Tap name, blurring the line between parody and reality.

Contents 1 Background 2 Reunited 3 Other appearances 4 Former band members 5 Discography 5.1 Bootlegs and unreleased material 5.2 Actual discography 6 Trivia 7 References 8 External links

Background

Fans of Spinal Tap have assembled the "mostly fictional" details about the band based on the film, albums, concerts and related promotional material. This includes a list of the band's former members and a discography.

Spinal Tap has had a succession of drummers, all of whom they claim have died under odd circumstances: one in a "bizarre gardening accident"; another "choked on vomit," (although it was never determined whose vomit it was, as "you can't really dust for vomit"), and a third from apparent spontaneous human combustion onstage, leaving a small green "globule" on his drum throne. A drummer is a Musician who plays a Drum or drums particularly a Drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set" Marching percussion Gardening is the practice of growing Plants for their attractive flowers or foliage and Vegetables or Fruits for consumption Vomiting (also called throwing up, emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's Stomach through the Mouth and sometimes the Spontaneous human combustion ( SHC) refers to the belief that the human body sometimes burns without an external source of ignition

Reunited

Spinal Tap "reunited" in 1992 for Break Like the Wind, an album produced in part by T-Bone Burnett, an accomplished musician and record producer. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992 Break Like the Wind is an Album by the semi-fictional band Spinal Tap. T-Bone Burnett is an American songwriter musician and producer A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing The album was accompanied by a promotional audition for a new drummer attended by Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, Gina Schock of The Go-Go's, and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, who auditioned in a fireproof suit. Stephen Andrew Perkins (born September 13, 1967) is an American Musician and Songwriter. Jane's Addiction is an American Alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles California in 1985 Gina Schock (born Regina Ann Schock, August 31 1957, Baltimore, Maryland) is best known as the Drummer in the all-girl For the 1960s band see The Go-Go's (1960s. The Go-Go’s are an all-female American Pop band formed in 1978 Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood (born on June 24, 1947 in Redruth, Cornwall, UK) is a British -born musician Fleetwood Mac are a British / American A promotional concert tour followed, which included an appearance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, where they performed "The Majesty of Rock", a song they dedicated to Mercury and released as a single. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, April 20 1992 at Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991 was a Zanzibar -born British Musician, best known as the lead The band also released the single "Bitch School. "

On July 1, 1992, Tap crossed 5 time zones for three performances in St. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) John's, Newfoundland, Barrie, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia for Much Music and Molson's Great Canadian Party. For each performance of "Stonehenge", the miniature monument prop was delivered on stage in a courier envelope.

In 2000 the band launched a web site named "Tapster" where their song "Back from the Dead" was made available for download. Tapster was a parody of Napster, a peer-to-peer file sharing network. Napster was an online music file sharing service created by Shawn Fanning while he was attending Northeastern University in Boston and operating [1] [2]

In 2001, the band "reunited" for the nine-city "Back from the Dead Tour" that began on June 1st at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The tour included a show at Carnegie Hall in New York City and ended in Montreal in mid-July at the Just for Laughs festival. Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east The City of New York Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Just for Laughs (in French Juste pour rire) is a Comedy festival held each July in The opening act for some of these shows were The Folksmen, the folk trio seen in the film A Mighty Wind, and also performed by Guest, McKean and Shearer. A Mighty Wind is a 2003 pseudo-documentary about a Folk music reunion concert and the three groups that must come together to perform on national television

In 2007, Tap reunited again, this time to help combat global warming. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the "They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming. " said Marty DeBergi. "Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing – that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler. " This reunion also included the release of a new song called "Warmer Than Hell. " The band played on the London leg of the SOS/Live Earth concert series, and Rob Reiner has directed a short film (entitled Spinal Tap) which was released on the Live Earth website on 27 April. Running order In order of appearance: SOS Allstars (with drummers Roger Taylor of Queen, Taylor Hawkins of For the addiction recovery group, SOS sometimes referred to as Save Our Selves see Secular Organizations for Sobriety Save Our Selves Live Earth is an annual event developed to to combat climate change. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated ^[1] The film reveals that Nigel Tufnel is now working as a farm hand looking after miniature horses. He plans to race them. David St Hubbins is currently working as a Hip-Hop producer and Derek Smalls is in rehab for being addicted to the Internet. Hip hop is a cultural movement which developed in New York City in the 1970s primarily among African Americans and Latinos.

Other appearances

The band appeared as the musical guests on an episode of Saturday Night Live in the Spring of 1984 Barry Bostwick was the host. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Barry Knapp Bostwick (born February 24 1945) is an American Actor and Singer. At this time producer Dick Ebersol approached Shearer, Guest and McKean to join the cast. Duncan "Dick" Ebersol (born July 28, 1947 in Torrington Connecticut) is an American radio and TV manager Shearer and Guest accepted. (Mckean would not join until ten years later, by which time original producer Lorne Michaels was back at the show's helm. ) Shearer's stint on SNL the following season--his second, the first having been the 1979-80 season--was to be short-lived, following creative disputes with the show's management. Shearer has said that when Ebersol made the offer during the Spinal Tap guest appearance "I didn't realize that guests were treated better than cast members. "

In 1985, at the invitation of Ronnie James Dio, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer took part in the heavy metal benefit project Hear 'n Aid, to raise money for Ethiopian refugees. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA is an American heavy Hear 'n Aid was a joint effort from the heavy metal scene of the 80s to raise money for famine relief in Africa. McKean and Shearer met dozens of real life metal stars, many of whom were huge fans of Spinal Tap. The musicians greatly enjoyed meeting McKean and Shearer and sharing their own stories of disastrous gigs and malfunctioning special effects.

As part of the promotion surrounding Break Like the Wind, Spinal Tap was portrayed in "The Otto Show" episode of the animated series The Simpsons, a television show in which Shearer is one of the principal voice actors. “ The Otto Show ” is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons ’ third season. “ The Otto Show ” is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons ’ third season. In The Simpsons they are as comically inept as in the film. The Simpsons follows the approach of the original film by presenting the group as if they were a real group. After a lacklustre onstage performance (during which a riot breaks out), Spinal Tap are shown apparently killed in a tour bus accident, caused by Otto's erratic driving. Otto Mann is a Fictional character on the Animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer.

In 1993 "Nigel Tufnel" appeared in the rockumentary Joe Satriani: The Satch Tapes. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) The term rockumentary is a Neologism denoting a program on Television or movie documentary about Rock music or its Joseph "Satch" Satriani (born July 15, 1956 in Westbury New York, U

In 1994, The Return of Spinal Tap was released on video; most of this was live material from a 1992 performance at the Royal Albert Hall, but it also included some interviews and follow-up on the band members. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known

In 2000, while promoting Tapster. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. com, Spinal Tap appeared and performed on the short-lived series VH1 The List and appeared on the Late Show.

A minor character in the 2004 film Sons of Provo, a mockumentary about a fictitious Mormon boy-band, is named "N. Sons of Provo is a 2004 Film written by Peter Brown and Will Swenson, and directed by Will Swenson Tufnel" in a hardly obscure tribute to Spinal Tap.

In 2006, "Nigel Tufnel" appeared in a Volkswagen TV commercial highlighting their offer of a free, exclusive First Act guitar with the purchase of qualifying automobiles. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. First Act is a Musical instrument manufacturer They are also heavily involved in creating products which support the role The guitar features knobs and inlays with the Volkswagen logo and pre-amps that allow it to be played through the car's stereo system.

Also in 2006, their song "Gimme Some Money" was used in a TV commercial for OPEN from American Express. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. American Express ( sometimes known as " AmEx " or " Amex " is a diversified global Financial services company headquartered in

Also in 2006, their song "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" appeared in Red Octane's video game Guitar Hero 2. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Also in 2006, their song "Christmas with the Devil" appeared in BBC One promo spots for the network's Christmas programmes. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

In 2007, while accepting an award from the BBC Two program The Culture Show, Christopher Guest broke into Nigel Tufnel, and considered what his wife and kids would make of the Mark Kermode shaped award. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Culture Show is a weekly BBC Two magazine programme broadcast on Tuesday nights focussing on the latest developments in the worlds of film music art fashion Mark Kermode (born Mark Fairey, 2 July 1963) is an English film critic who regularly writes for Sight and Sound This sequence of the show has been added to YouTube.

On July 7, 2007 Spinal Tap played at Wembley Stadium in London [3] along with many major bands and groups as part of Live Earth, a Climate Change awareness concert. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Wembley Stadium is a Stadium in Wembley, located in the London Borough of Brent in London, England. Live Earth is an annual event developed to to combat climate change. Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences Their set included a new song written for the occasion, "Warmer Than Hell". During their final number, the song "Big Bottom", St. Hubbins and Tufnel both picked up basses. Spinal Tap was also joined by "every bass player in the known universe", including Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters); Robert Trujillo, Kirk Hammett, and James Hetfield (Metallica); Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party); and Adam Yauch (a. Foo Fighters is an American Alternative rock and Post-grunge band formed by singer/guitarist Dave Grohl in 1995 Roberto Agustín Trujillo (ɾo'beɾto tɾu'xiʎo (born on October 23, 1964) is a Bassist who played with Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is the Lead guitarist and a songwriter in the band Metallica and has been a member of the band James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963, in Downey California) is the main Songwriter, co-founder vocalist and Rhythm guitarist Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. Gordon Peter Moakes (born 22 June 1976) is an English Bassist and Backing singer for English Indie rock band Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band composed of Kele Okereke on vocals and Rhythm guitar, Russell Lissack on Adam Nathaniel Yauch (pronounced IPA /jaʊk/ also known as MCA and Nathaniel Hörnblowér, (born August 5, 1964) is a founding k. a. MCA), of Beastie Boys. They were also joined on back-up vocals by Annette O'Toole, Michael McKean's wife. Annette O'Toole (born Annette Toole; April 1, 1952) is an American Dancer and Actress.

In May 2008, Nigel Tufnel mysteriously cropped up in five viral videos found on YouTube, expounding his nonsensical theories about Stonehenge and who was responsible for building it. International holidays May 1 - Labour Day ( Pakistan) May 1 - Labour Day ( Singapore) His claims to have invented "decoder" experiments capable of unveiling the true purpose of the monument are, as yet, unproven.

Former band members

Guitarists (with other band names)

• "Ricky from San Francisco" (1982)

Bassists

• Ronnie Pudding (1964-1967)
• Danny Jarman (1967)
• David Gilmour, Tim Renwick, Pino Palladino (Amnesty International performance in 1991)
• Cody Wheaton

Backing vocalists

• Lhasa Apso (1965-1966)
• Julie Scrubbs-Martin (1965-1966)

Harmonicists

• Little Danny Schindler (1965-1966)

Tambourine players

• Jeanine Pettibone (1982)

Horn players

• Jimmy Adams (1965-1966)
• Geoff Clovington (1965-1966)

Keyboardists

• Jan van der Kvelk (1965)
• Tony Brixton (1965-1966)
• Nick Wax (1965-1966)
• Dicky Laine (1965-1966)
• Denny Upham (1966-1968)
• Ross MacLochness (1974-1975)
• Viv Savage (1975-198?)
• "Caucasian" Jeffery Vanston (198?-Present)
• Jon Carin (Amnesty International performance in 1991)

Drummers

• John "Stumpy" Pepys (1964-1967) Died in a bizarre, unexplained gardening accident. David Jon Gilmour CBE (born 6 March 1946 is an English Musician, best known as the Lead guitarist one of the lead Singers Timothy John Pearson 'Tim' Renwick (born 7 August 1949 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England) is an English Guitarist Pino Palladino (born on 17 October 1957 in Cardiff, Wales, UK) is a rock and Rhythm and blues bass C J Vanston is a Film composer / Music producer / Songwriter / Keyboardist in Hollywood California. Jon Carin (born October 21 1964, in New York New York) is a producer, Artist and Musician best known for his association
• Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs (1967-1974) Choked on vomit of unknown origin.
• Peter "James" Bond (1974-1977) Spontaneously combusted onstage.
• Mick Shrimpton (1977-1982) Onstage explosion
• Joe "Mama" Besser (1982) Quit the band, claiming he "couldn't take this 4/4 shit"; according to an MTV interview with Spinal Tap in November 1991, he disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
• Gary Wallis, Jody Linscott (Amnesty International performance in 1991) (Wallis pretended to explode at the end of the performance. Gary Wallis (born June 10, 1964, in Westminster London) is a Drummer / Percussionist trained at the London Symphony School Of Jody Linscott is a sessions musician and percussionist who resides in England and maintains an extended discography )
• Richard "Ric" Shrimpton (1982-1999) Allegedly sold his dialysis machine for drugs, presumed dead
• Mick Fleetwood (2000) The only one to survive unscathed. Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood (born on June 24, 1947 in Redruth, Cornwall, UK) is a British -born musician
• Scott "Skippy" Scuffleton (2001-2007) Fate unknown.
• Plus 14 other drummers at various times all of whom are dead.

Discography

Main article: Spinal Tap discography

Studio albums

• Spinal Tap Sings "(Listen to the) Flower People" and Other Favourites, 1967
• Brainhammer, 1970
• Nerve Damage, 1971
• Blood to Let, 1972
• Intravenus de Milo, 1974
• The Sun Never Sweats, 1975
• Bent for the Rent, 1976
• Tap Dancing, 1976
• Rock 'N Roll Creation, 1977
• Shark Sandwich, 1980
• Smell the Glove, 1982

Live albums

• Silent But Deadly, 1969
• Jap Habit, 1975

Compilations

• Heavy Metal Memories, 1983

Singles

• Gimme Some Money, 1965
• (Listen to the) Flower People, 1967
• Breakfast of Evil, 1969
• Silent But Deadly, 1969
• Big Bottom, 1970
• Swallow My Love, 1970
• Nerve Damage, 1971
• Blood to Let, 1972
• Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight, 1974
• Stonehenge, 1975
• Nice 'N Stinky, 1975
• Heavy Duty, 1976
• Bent for the Rent, 1976
• Tap Dancing, 1976
• Rock 'N Roll Creation, 1977
• Sex Farm, 1980
• No Place Like Nowhere, 1980
• Hell Hole, 1982
• Lick My Love Pump,(Part one of an unreleased rock trilogy)
• Christmas With the Devil, 1984
• The Majesty of Rock, 1992
• Bitch School, 1992
• Back from the Dead, 2000 (available only from the now defunct tapster. The semi fictitious rock band Spinal Tap has released two albums in addition to several bootleg compilations that have been compiled by fans "Big Bottom" redirects to this page regarding a song title com)

Bootlegs and unreleased material

Actual discography

• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Break Like the Wind (1992)
• "Bitch School"/"Springtime" (single, 1992)

Trivia

• In September 2002, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary included the entry: "Up to eleven: up to maximum volume" a reference to Nigel's amplifier that had controls that went beyond the usual maximum setting of 10. Jack the Ripper is an alias given to an unidentified Serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London "Big Bottom" redirects to this page regarding a song title Break Like the Wind is an Album by the semi-fictional band Spinal Tap. " Up to eleven " or " these go to eleven " is an Idiom from Popular culture which has come to refer to anything being exploited to
• The Homestar Runner website includes a reference to "Quite Exciting This Computer Magic!", a phrase used in a tour bus scene from This Is Spinal Tap where keyboard player Viv Savage is playing a video game; also, in the new toon Weclome Back{sic}, Homestar is seen wearing a green skeleton shirt similar to the one Nigel Tufnel wore throughout the film. Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes Surreal humor with references to 1970s '80s and '90s pop culture
• The "n" with an Umlaut exists in the minor Jacaltec language of Guatemala and the Malagasy tongue, where it represents a velar nasal consonant. Diaeresis or trema See also Diaeresis History Historically the diaeresis mark or trema is far older than the umlaut mark The Jakaltek language (also called Poptí) is a Mayan language of Guatemala spoken by around 90000 Jakaltek people in the department of Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest The velar nasal is a type of Consonantal sound used in some spoken Languages The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents This mark and the dotless I that precedes it are included as a parody of the heavy metal umlaut. The heavy metal umlaut is the gratuitous or decorative use of an umlaut over letters in the name of a heavy metal band such as
• The Damned's "Black Album", Metallica's "Black Album", Utopia's "Oblivion", AC/DC's Back in Black, King Crimson's Earthbound, Jay-Z's The Black Album and Prince's The Black Album are examples of (almost) all-black album covers. The Damned are an English band formed in London in 1976 notable for being the first Punk rock band from England to release a single (" New Rose " an Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. Metallica (also known as The Black Album) is the self-titled 5th studio Album by the American heavy metal band Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Back in Black is the 7th Studio album by Australian Hard rock band AC/DC, released on 25 July 1980 King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 Earthbound is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 1972 as a budget record shortly after the line-up which recorded it had broken up Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4 1969 better known as Jay-Z, is an American Rapper and former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella The Black Album is a 2003 Hip hop album by rapper Jay-Z. It was promoted as his final studio album although Jay-Z subsequently announced a return Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician The Black Album is a Prince record that was originally planned for release in December 1987 as the follow-up to Sign o' the Times.
• A number of Spinal Tap's songs cover identical subjects to renowned songs by other bands. For example, "Gimme Some Money" is similar to the Beatles' "Money (That's What I Want)" (and its appearance in This Is Spinal Tap is a parody of the Beatles' famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show) and "Big Bottom" is similar to Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " Money (That's What I Want " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label distributed by Anna Records The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television Variety show that ran from June 20, 1948 to June 6, Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist " Fat Bottomed Girls " ( is a hit single by the English rock band Queen. " The subtext is that Spinal Tap is so unoriginal they do not just imitate other bands' sounds, but their subject matter as well. "Big Bottom" features three bass guitars.
• In an episode of Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham says to Alexis Bledel, "That's like accepting the position as the drummer in Spinal Tap," in reference to Alexis going out on the patio at her grandmother's house. Gilmore Girls was an Emmy Award -winning Golden Globe -nominated American Comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino Lauren Helen Graham (born March 16, 1967) is an American Actress best known for her starring role as Lorelai Gilmore on the long-running Kimberly Alexis Bledel (born September 16 1981 is an American actress and former fashion model
• "Electric Banana" (mentioned in the film) is a pseudonym used by The Pretty Things in the late 1960s. The Pretty Things are a Rock and roll band from London. They pioneered a raw approach to Rhythm and blues that influenced a number of key It may also be a reference to Donovan's "Mellow Yellow", which contains the lyric "electrical banana. Donovan ( Donovan Phillips Leitch, born 10 May 1946 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Singer-songwriter and guitarist " Mellow Yellow " is a song and single release by Donovan. "
• In an interview with The Observer, Noel Gallagher said his brother Liam (both of British rock band, Oasis), ". The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 . . had seen the film This Is Spinal Tap, loved it and thought they were a real band. "
• The British band Supergrass uses a line from "All The Way Home", the first song Nigel and David wrote together, in "Evening Of The Day". Supergrass are an English Alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consists of brothers Gaz ( Guitar and Lead vocals The original line is "If she's not on the five-nineteen, Then I'm gonna know what sorrow means. " while in the Supergrass song it's "If she's not on that three fifteen, Then I'm gonna know what sorrow means. " The Rialto song "Monday Morning 5:19" might also be a reference to this same song; the line there is "It's Monday Morning 5:19, and I'm still wondering where she's been. Rialto were a Britpop band of the late 1990s They released their self-titled debut album in 1998 and Night on Earth in 2002 "
• Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin was asked in an interview by Rolling Stone what scenes in Spinal Tap hit home. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published He replied: "Getting lost on the way to the stage. That was us, playing in Baltimore. It took twenty-five minutes to do the hundred yards from our Holiday Inn through the kitchen to the arena. "
• On a concert in the late 80's, the members of Kiss got lost on their way to the stage, just like Spinal Tap did in the film This Is Spinal Tap
• Spinal Tap's "none more black" quote inspired the name of the punk band of the same name. Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 This Is Spın̈al Tap (officially spelled with a non-functional umlaut over the letter 'n' and dotless 'i' is a 1984 mock Rockumentary None More Black is a New Jersey -based melodic punk outfit on Fat Wreck Chords, formed by lead singer / guitarist Jason Shevchuk after the
• The three "real" members of Spinal Tap are also the members of another mostly fake band, a folk trio called The Folksmen. A Mighty Wind is a 2003 pseudo-documentary about a Folk music reunion concert and the three groups that must come together to perform on national television The Folksmen originally appeared as the warmup band for some of Spinal Tap's live concerts, but eventually became the subject of their own mockumentary, A Mighty Wind, directed by Christopher Guest. Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work A Mighty Wind is a 2003 pseudo-documentary about a Folk music reunion concert and the three groups that must come together to perform on national television
• Nigel Tufnel is based upon Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, who were both members of The Yardbirds. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer The Yardbirds are an English rock band noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous Guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck Nigel's physical appearance resembles Beck, and his name ("Nigel Tufnel") is a reference to Clapton. [4]

• In the computer game Total Extreme Wrestling 2007, there are many references to Spinal Tap. The most notable ones are when certain workers get injured, it could be to a similar fashion as a lot of the drummers of the Spinal Tap such as a freak gardening accident. Adam Ryland, the creator of the game, has admitted this.
• Chicago-based band Umphrey's McGee has several Spinal Tap references in live shows. Umphrey's McGee is an American Progressive rock / Jam band from Chicago Illinois (now residing in the Chicago area whose music is often referred to "Jazz Odyssey", a free-form jazz improvisation seen in the mockumentary is a live staple in their shows, where it is an improvisation piece. Furthermore, while not referencing Spinal Tap directly, another song is called "Tribute to Spinal Shaft". Another song in this vein is titled "Smell the Mitten", a take-off of Spinal Tap's album "Smell the Glove", although it does not emulate Spinal Tap's style. The classical piece "Boccherini" has been incorporated as a finale to "All in Time", much as in Spinal Tap's "Heavy Duty". At the end of some shows, lead singer Brendan Bayliss quotes Viv Savage's life philosophy of "Have a good time, all of the time. Brendan Bayliss (born August 11, 1976) is an American musician the founder a lead Guitarist alongside fellow guitarist and band member Jake Cinninger "
• Harry Shearer toured with British band Saxon in 1981, and was told dozens of anecdotes about life on the road by lead guitarist Graham Oliver and bassist Steve "Dobby" Dawson. Saxon are an English heavy metal band formed in 1977 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. Graham Oliver (born 6 July 1952, Mexborough, South Yorkshire) is an English Guitarist Career He played Steven "Dobby" Dawson (1951 British bass guitarist founder of Saxon. Many of these anecdotes found their way into the film. Shearer copied Dawson's famous mannerisms in his characterization of Derek Smalls, such as playing his bass with one hand plucking the strings while the other one points to the crowd.
• In an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar states that "Most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer". Sarah Michelle Prinze, (born April 14 1977 better known by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar, is an American actress. Sunnydale California, is the fictional setting for the US television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
• Track four on the 1987 album Happy Accident, by Canadian band Doughboys, is titled "Intravenus de Milo". Doughboy is an outdated slang term for a United States Army Infantryman best known from its use in World War I, although it dates back to the Mexican-American
• A scene from This is Spinal Tap was used in the documentary series The History of Rock N' Roll.
• Black Label Society performed a "Freeform Jazz Odyssey" during their European tour, featured in the behind the scenes disc (disc 2) of the Doom Troopin' Live DVD.
• L95, a member of the Southern Resident killer whale community, has been given the adoption name "Nigel" in honour of Nigel Tufnel, thanks to persuasive staff members (and Spinal Tap fans) of the Center for Whale Research. The Orca or Killer Whale ( Orcinus orca) less commonly Blackfish or Seawolf, is the largest species of the Oceanic dolphin family
• On the Marillion video compilation release "Singles 1982-86" lead singer Fish refers to the period between drummers Mick Pointer and Ian Mosley as being a "Spinal Tap drummer situation". Marillion are a British rock group Formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England in 1979 their recorded studio output comprises Mick Pointer (born 22 July 1956) originally from Brill in Buckinghamshire England was the original Drummer and founding member of the Ian Mosley (born 16 June 1953, Paddington, London, England) is a Drummer in the Progressive rock band
• In the film, the initial pressing of the band's black-covered album is delivered to them during soundcheck at a venue that an onscreen caption refers to as "Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI. " At the time of the film, there was no such venue. However, in 1989, a Spinal Tap fan named Peter Jest opened a live music club on Milwaukee's east side, and named it "Shank Hall" as a tribute to the band. Jest had booked Spinal Tap for a college show while working for UW-Milwaukee in 1984, and promised them if he ever opened a club in Milwaukee it would be named Shank Hall. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (also known as UW-Milwaukee, UWM or Milwaukee) is a public Research university located in While the club's interior differs vastly in look and layout from the venue depicted in the film, the back wall of the stage is to this day decorated with a tiny polystyrene "Stonehenge" that measures exactly 18 by 18 inches. Ironically, Spinal Tap has never actually played at the venue. However, they did hold a press conference there in 1992.
• The 'audiopanel' program on Silicon Graphics IRIX operating system contains a '-spinaltap' Easter Egg; when used, the markings on the volume and other sliders go to 11, instead of the standard 10. Silicon Graphics Inc (commonly initialised to SGI, historically sometimes referred to as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) is a company IRIX is a computer Operating system developed by Silicon Graphics Inc A virtual Easter egg is an intentional Hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, Book
• One of the encore songs in Guitar Hero II is "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" from Spinal Tap. When you complete the song, the drummer spontaneously combusts. This is a reference to the mysterious deaths of Spinal Tap's drummers.
• The volume controls in BBC's iPlayer can be turned up to eleven, a reference to the aforementioned amps.

References

External links

• This is Spinal Tap at the Internet Movie Database
• Spinal Tap Reunites Video - Spinal Tap reunites for Live Earth concert.
• The Ultimate Spinal Tap Discography - an illustrated guide to Tap's albums (both real and imagined)
• Diary of a Spinal Tap "audition", from the website of the Royal Crown Revue drummer
• SpinalTapFan.com, compiled by Taphead Chip Rowe
• Spinal Tap Reunites - Video
• Spinal Tap Reunites for Live Earth concert - Marty DiBergi recruits Nigel, David and Derek to reunite for Live Earth

The Royal Crown Revue (RCR is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California.

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic