| Back from the Dead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 16, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Comedy rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 66:07 | |||
| Label | Spuzzle, Polymer | |||
| Spinal Tap chronology | ||||
| ||||
Back from the Dead is an album by the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. Released on June 16, 2009, it is the first release under the Spinal Tap name since 1992's Break Like the Wind , and is Spinal Tap's most recent album to date.
The concept of Back from the Dead is that Spın̈al Tap has reunited in honor of the 25th anniversary of This Is Spinal Tap , and have launched an "unwigged and unplugged" tour. [1] [2]
Back from the Dead features re-recorded versions of songs featured in This IsSpın̈al Tap and its soundtrack album, and five songs not previously available on an album: "Warmer Than Hell", "Short and Sweet", "Celtic Blues", "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare", and "Back from the Dead". [1] [3] "Jazz Oddyssey", which appeared briefly during the film, appears in three parts within Back from the Dead. [1] [3] "Sex Farm" appears in a funk-oriented version, while "(Listen to the) Flower People" appears in a reggae-oriented version. [1]
Back from the Dead features guest appearances by Phil Collen, Keith Emerson, John Mayer and Steve Vai. [3]
The CD/DVD version of the album featured a card stock foldout from which a diorama of a "stage" could be assembled with cut outs of all three band members depicted as action figures. A representation of the famed model of Stonehenge sat in the middle, flanked by images of the upraised hands of concertgoers. The band members demonstrated the packaging during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien . [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| NME |  [5] [lower-alpha 1] |
| Planet Sound |  [6] |
Back from the Dead was released on June 16, 2009. [3] [7] The album is packaged with a DVD featuring commentary on each of the album's tracks. [8] Preceding the album's release, it was streamed for free by Entertainment Weekly and Spinner. [3] [9] An exclusive version of Back from the Dead was made available through Amazon MP3, featuring a newly recorded version of "(Listen to the) Flower People" in its original style. [10] An additional track, "Saucy Jack", was released through the official Spın̈al Tap website. [3] Fifteen of the songs have been released as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series, [11] [12] along with "Short and Sweet" appearing as a packaged song in Lego Rock Band . [13]
While Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that the straightforward approach of the re-recorded songs hurt the remakes, which "pale next to the originals", he wrote that the new songs are "top-notch, eclipsing the often forced Break Like the Wind , and striking the right balance between parody and real rock & roll. They're the reason to hear Back from the Dead, which otherwise is just a tad too satisfied with its own humor for its own good." [1] Back from the Dead was nominated for Best Comedy Album for the 52nd Grammy Awards. [14]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner | 2:42 |
| 2. | "Back from the Dead" (originally released online in 2000 [15] ) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, C. J. Vanston | 4:06 |
| 3. | "(Funky) Sex Farm" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Rock 'n' Roll Creation" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 5:05 |
| 5. | "Jazz Oddyssey I" | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Vanston, Greg Bissonette | 2:19 |
| 6. | "Gimme Some Money" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 2:33 |
| 7. | "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare" (original version from The T.V. Show [16] ) | Guest, McKean, Shearer | 3:19 |
| 8. | "Heavy Duty" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 4:57 |
| 9. | "America" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Jazz Oddyssey II" | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Vanston, Bissonette | 2:00 |
| 11. | "(Listen to the) Flower People (Reggae Stylee)" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 3:20 |
| 12. | "Hell Hole" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 3:34 |
| 13. | "Big Bottom" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 3:39 |
| 14. | "Celtic Blues" (original version from The Return of Spinal Tap ) | Guest, McKean, Shearer | 1:25 |
| 15. | "Jazz Oddyssey III" | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Vanston, Bissonette | 2:16 |
| 16. | "Warmer Than Hell" (originally released in 2007 [17] ) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Vanston | 3:51 |
| 17. | "Stonehenge" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 4:30 |
| 18. | "Short and Sweet" (Guitar [Solo] – John Mayer, Phil Collen, Steve Vai) | Music: Guest, McKean, Shearer – Lyrics: McKean, Annette O'Toole | 6:35 |
| 19. | "Cups and Cakes" (original version on This is Spinal Tap) | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 1:40 |
| Total length: | 66:00 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "(Listen to the) Flower People (2009)" | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 2:48 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Sex Farm (2009)" | Guest, McKean, Shearer, Reiner | 3:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Saucy Jack" | Guest, McKean, Shearer | 1:38 |
Spinal Tap
Additional musicians
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [18] | 76 |
| US Billboard 200 [19] | 52 |
; see the archive for the original 11/10.
This Is Spinal Tap is a 1984 American mockumentary comedy film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner. The film stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as members of the heavy metal band Spinal Tap, who are characterized as "one of England's loudest bands". Reiner plays Martin "Marty" Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker who follows them on their American tour. The film satirizes the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands and the perceived hagiographic tendencies of rock documentaries such as The Song Remains the Same (1976) and The Last Waltz (1978), and follows the similar All You Need Is Cash (1978) by the Rutles. Most of its dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed.
MTV Unplugged is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. From 2000 to 2009, it aired less frequently and was usually billed as MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. Since 2009, MTV Unplugged specials have aired occasionally, sometimes through online or subscription only. Episodes and specials have tended to showcase one artist or group, playing a combination of their hit songs and covers.
Spinal Tap are a fictional English heavy metal band created by the American comedians and musicians of The T.V. Show, who wrote and performed original songs as the band: Michael McKean, as the lead singer and guitarist David St. Hubbins; Christopher Guest, as the guitarist Nigel Tufnel; and Harry Shearer, as the bassist Derek Smalls. They are characterized as "one of England's loudest bands".
The Folksmen are a fictitious American folk music trio, conceived and performed by actors-comedians-musicians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. Originally created in 1984 for a Saturday Night Live sketch, the Folksmen have subsequently maintained an intermittent public presence for more than twenty-five years. The trio is best known for its depiction in the mockumentary film A Mighty Wind (2003), but has also made a number of meta-performances on stage and television, often in conjunction with the same creators' fictitious heavy metal band, Spinal Tap.
Gregg Bissonette is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. Bissonette is known for playing and recording many different styles of music. That experience led to him winning the 2023 Modern Drummer readers poll for best “All Around” drummer and also winning their 2015 category of best “Studio” drummer. He has played on albums by dozens of recording artists, including David Lee Roth's first three solo albums and has toured as part of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band since 2008.
Rock Band is a 2007 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the first installment in the Rock Band series. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were released in North America on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was released on December 18, 2007 and the Wii version on June 22, 2008. Harmonix previously developed the first two games in the Guitar Hero series, which popularized gameplay of rock music with guitar-shaped controllers. After development of the series was shifted to Neversoft, Harmonix conceived Rock Band as a new title that would offer multi-instrument gameplay.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
Rock Band is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero series, the main Rock Band games has players use game controllers modeled after musical instruments and microphones to perform the lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums and vocal parts of numerous licensed songs across a wide range of genres though mostly focusing on rock music by matching scrolling musical notes patterns shown on screen. Certain games support the use of "Pro" instruments that require special controllers that more closely mimic the playing of real instruments, providing a higher challenge to players. Players score points for hitting notes successfully, but may fail a song if they miss too many notes. The series has featured numerous game modes, and supports both local and online multiplayer modes where up to four players in most modes can perform together.
Lego Rock Band is a 2009 rhythm game developed by TT Fusion in partnership with Harmonix and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the fifth console installment in the Rock Band series, while it incorporates elements from Lego video games. The game was released on 3 November 2009 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii home consoles in the United States. A Nintendo DS version was also developed by Backbone Entertainment.
Rock Band Unplugged is a 2009 rhythm game developed by Harmonix in partnership with Backbone Entertainment, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third installment in the Rock Band series and the first to be exclusively developed for a handheld console. The game was released in North America and Europe in June 2009.
The Rock Band Network was a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the Rock Band series of rhythm video games, starting with Rock Band 2 (2008). It was designed to allow more music to be incorporated into Rock Band than Harmonix themselves could produce for the games, and it was seen as a way to further expand the games' music catalog into a wide variety of genres. The Network started closed beta testing in July 2009. The Rock Band Network Store was publicly available on March 4, 2010 for all Xbox 360 players in selected countries. Rock Band Network songs were exclusive to the Xbox 360 for 30 days on each song's release, after which a selection of songs would be made available on the PlayStation 3.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010, are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. All songs that are available to Rock Band 3 will be playable in Rock Band Blitz. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010, are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. All songs that are available to Rock Band 3 are playable in Rock Band Blitz. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
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| Film | |
| Miscellaneous | |
