June 18, 2009

Album Review: Spinal Tap - 'Back From The Dead'

Sneer if you like, it's still funny

11 / 10 To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their mighty ‘rockumentary’, the titans return in glorious style with ‘Back From The Dead’, a collection of new tracks and reworkings of their standards. Although the ‘funky’ version of ‘Sex Farm’ and the new reggae-tinged ‘(Listen To The) Flower People’ breathe fresh life into what were already cast-iron classics, the real surprise is the first studio recording of the legendary ‘Jazz Odyssey’, bassist Derek Smalls’ time to shine. The new tracks are neither as rocking nor as funny as the old ones, but this is all about
re-evaluating ‘Stonehenge’ and ‘Big Bottom’. Certainly not a ‘Shit Sandwich’ by any means; so, of course, the mark has to go ‘one louder’.

Alan Woodhouse

Click here to get your copy of Spinal Tap's 'Back From The Dead' from the Rough Trade shop