Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap is a fictional English hard rock and heavy metal group created for the 1984 film This Is Spın̈al Tap. The act is associated with Reading and is classified as rock. Its line-up in the film is played by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer; the verified membership for the group also includes Tom Sanders.

Recording history

Although created as a film band, Spinal Tap records and releases three albums. The first, This Is Spinal Tap, is a collection of songs made for the film, and many of its tracks appear in the movie itself. The album is known for its plain black cover, which refers to the film’s “none more black” joke, although the record is called This Is Spinal Tap rather than Smell the Glove, the title used in the story. A second album, Break Like The Wind, follows many years later. A third album, Back from the Dead, appears in 2009.

Style and satire

The group is a satire of 1970s and 1980s heavy metal. Its songs use loud guitars, high-pitched vocals and absurd lyrical subjects, pushing familiar metal conventions into comedy. The material reflects the exaggerated style of the genre rather than presenting a straightforward rock identity.

Film and television appearances

The success of the film leads to the band’s wider recognition beyond the original project. Spinal Tap appears in The Simpsons, when Homer takes Bart and Milhouse to one of their performances. The band also makes a live appearance at Live Earth at Wembley in 2007 and appears on the main stage at Glastonbury in 2009.

Related work

McKean, Guest and Shearer also perform as the folk group The Folksmen in A Mighty Wind. Outside Spinal Tap, all three continue careers in film and television.