@@punkoid76 Part of the joke within the film is exemplifying that a bunch of popular bands then(and now) get fame based on making incredibly simple songs with 3 chords
@@fidgetdietz8802 it’s a fact that over complicating music only makes it less catchy. Take jazz compared to basic rock and pop, it’s almost unlistenable. Even within rock ultra virtuoso guitarists just don’t make the instantly catchy stuff more basic musicians with a good ear for a tune do.
This is a fantastic spoof of the whole genre of 60s hippie music, right down to the sitar accompaniment and the pseudo-psychedelic camera work. I lose it every time I see Schearer mouth the words "we love you."
The lyrics are ridiculous (on purpose), but the compositions, melodies, harmonies and production of the music is top notch. This is why the film did so well, managing to even convince many that Spinal Tap was a real band.
Define "real band" and consider that Spinal Tap (the 3 main actors): 1) wrote their own songs 2) played actual acoustic instruments 3) sang vocals (without auto-tune) and 4) performed their songs live on multiple occasions without lip sync or backup musicians. Spinal Tap is more "real" than most pop musicians today.
Does anyone know the exact details of Stumpys passing? I read years ago that it was in fact an infected wound inflicted by a particularly ferocious Venus fly trap. But then I've also heard that he sat on a large prickly cactus which caused heavy bleeding from his scrotum bag which led to a fainting spell and inevitable passing away after weeks of "feeling a bit giddy". RIP stumpy, we love and remember you.
Both my grandparents were born on the Isle of Lucy in the 30s just before World War 2 and they said it was a very crowded country when they were growing up. Mysteriously tho after the war ended in 45 only 10 people were left out of a population of 11 in the summer of 39. Very odd 😕
@@scottlarson1548 In the sixties, a guitar/sitar was first produced, an electric guitar with 'sympathy' strings that made it sound like a sitar when played, as you hear on this vid.
The melody and arrangement of this song is something to behold. Thats what makes this film so special. It is indeed a mockumentary but it wouldn't be remembered if it bled too much into gag/spoof territory. Such a fine line between clever and stupid. You have to remember Christopher Guest , Harry Shearer and Michael McKean wrote these songs, performed them legit, and constructed every beat and improvisation along with Reiner. If there was any justice all of these men would have an honorary Oscar.
Anyone who came of age in the late '60s know that this is exactly the kind of stuff you'd see on Sunday's on Ed Sullivan, Shindig, and others. The fact that they can perform this without laughing is testament to their talent. When Harry Shearer mouths "We Love You" I bust up. The cheesy "effects" to look psychedelic were spot on.
I love how they were always known as Spinal Tap - an ode to heavy metal band names - even when they had started off as a 60s pop/rock and then hippie band.
Well they started as the Originals, then the Thamesmen, the Love Biskwits, and the Tufnel-St. Hubbins Group (among others) according to the (real) album's liner notes. Spinal Tap is just a psychedelic name like Pink Floyd and only became metal when they did around the third (fictional) album.
The “shhh” at 1:12 makes me laugh every time. Totally reminds me of “Get Together” by The Youngbloods, except in that song you’re told to “listen” as opposed to “shhhh”. This is a great spoof on the pretensions of wisdom some of these hippy dippy bands had. There were some great psychedelic hippy songs made at the time, but there were many bad ones. These guys totally nailed the bad ones.
@@chasbodaniels1744 This is true. You made me realize I don’t know any of their other songs. Since I think it’s fun to discover music, off I go to see what else that I can find from them.
@@BGNOLA I actually kinda like “Hung Up On a Dream”. Anyway, never knew that bit of trivia and I love when people drop interesting stuff like that in the comments 👍
Wanna read something that might be even crazier? St. Anger came out in 2003. St. Anger is now as old as Master of Puppets was when St. Anger was released.
What's great about Spinal Tap is that much of what occurs is based in reality. For example, beginning as a skiffle band, the Thamesmen, before going hard rock (Jimmy Page is that you?). The titles of the songs and lyrics are so dead-on hilarious because they directly satirize music of the 60s and 70s. And the songs are delivered with such sincerity. Everyone needs to experience the genius that is Spinal Tap.
The solo began well enough, but near the end the player stumbles a bit (deliberately, I’m sure) as if he’s running out of gas. Listen again and you’ll probably notice it.
That’s half the joke Tap are actually pretty talented musicians who can produce great music - Stonehenge is a damn fine song and wouldn’t sound out of place on a good Prog album - it’s just they’re always a bit late to the party and the lyrics are, as the review says “treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry!”😂
@@chasbodaniels1744 that’s what I love about Nigel/Chris…he’s obviously a brilliant musician and can play (check out a Mighty Wind for some gold shredding)…but in Tap he’s always trying to ape the latest licks without practicing enough
For anyone who digs 60's music this is absolutely hilarious. They referenced so much in that one song, Beatles, Stones, Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and even Donovan !!
The dancers in the background kill me! If you watch old episodes of Hullabaloo or Shindig the dancers are equally as lame. Just a perfect detail to a perfect song and performance. And kudos to making your guitar sound like a sitar. Groovy baby!
Let's not forget the contribution of the Thamesmen to this rock odyssey: "...the best British pop music, performed by an electrifying live band. With sharp suits, scintillating performance and stunning production to match, The Thamesmen were a fabulous addition to any wedding or function."
Never, ever, got this one until just this for a second when I read your comment. I was thinking it was some obscure British isle I had never heard of, and now I'm 🤦🏻♀️ that I never caught the pun in all these decades.
Man, I remember catching them down at this little club in Greenwich Village called The Electric Banana. It was around 1966, the “Flower People” era. And wow, was I knocked out by their exuberance, their raw power. And especially...their punctuality.
As Elvis used to say "being on time is THE most important thing" in show business. Apart from one memorable time in Cleveland, Tap have never, ever, ever been late on stage. And you can take that to the bank. Or up to 11, take your pick.
Ah the banana as we used to call it, I remember it well. It was THE place to be back in '66. Well not ALL of '66, maybe the late summer. Well August. Well the last week of August. Well the 27th/28th of August really, the rest of the time not so much. Good days, good days.
I was lucky enough to see Spinal Tap in concert in Milwaukee in 1992. Recently I tweeted Michael McKean and told him it was an awesome time when I saw them. He said he remembered that gig and it was a fun night.
This scene was so well done, Christopher Guest basically used it as a basis for the plot of A Mighty Wind. 60's folk singers reliving their glory days.
@@moncorp1 In the sixties, a guitar/sitar was first produced, an electric guitar with 'sympathy' strings that made it sound like a sitar when played, as you hear on this vid.
It was extremely common in the 60's into early 70's for bands to mime songs on TV. If you were lucky you'd get live vocals but the studio backing track.
@@gorgolyt Yes, it's technically a quintet, although the cellos and basses play the same part, with the basses playing it an octave lower. I've played it as part of a quartet several times.
The tragic death of the then drummer Peter James Bond due to a mysterious explosion at the Jazz Festival in the Isle of Lucy, inspired Keith Moon of "The Who" to blow up his drum set at the end of a concert. Spinal Tap has influenced so many rock musicians throughout many generations.
as someone who was actually in the movie and in fact the casting director for the extras I can tell you that the band members actually sang and played all the songs themselves
They perfectly captured how bands at the time would stand perfectly still, and if they really got into it and wanted to go a little crazy they'd sort of shake their shoulder or arch their eyebrows a bit.
You know, if this song had been released in the mid to late '60s, I have no doubt it would have been on the same plane as White Rabbit. Incense and Peppermint, at the very least.
Like ten years ago I was tripping hard on mushrooms and listening to Hendrix. Then my sister came home and showed me the dvd of spinal tap and we watched the music videos.... when this one came on, there were vines growing up the walls to the ceiling... It was pretty awesome
After Spinal Tap finished. Derek Smalls played in a Christian rock band called Lambsblood. They played the Monsters of Jesus festival. Really good stuff!
A lot of these players and some other familiar faces gathered together to make a mockumentary about Folk Music called "A Mighty Wind." it is well worth a watch.
Lick my love pump is better than anything beethoven ever did man. Beethoven never even got on "Top of the Pops". Not even once. And he was deaf. And German.
@@jonsingle1614 - rumour has it, if it's played backwards it summons Satanic forces that can never be controlled. That's why DECCA tried to destroy all the copies before being released...either that or it was just a printing error...we just don't know !
@@jonsingle1614 - We all know it inspired Jagger to write Sympathy for the Devil...buy not many people realise it was responsible for Cliff Richard's even more demonic "Devil Woman".
There are so many subtleties they picked up on. Here are three of my favorite ones: 1. The sitar-solo even though nobody is playing a sitar. Back in the 60s, when bands performed "live" on TV, they usually had to overdub a studio instrumental with vocals. 2. The long time it takes before the songs starts, and the light is turned on. 3. Mixolydian mode
Today they have sitar effects, but back in the 60's there were electric sitars like the Coral Vincent Bell Electric Sitar that looked almost like a guitar. That was an extremely rare instrument and it's not what he's playing. But still.
Love this cut -- so absolutely spot on!!! "This is Spinal Tap" was a favorite of mine when it first came out. Such a classic parody -- but so good I wouldn't be shocked if kids today thought it was a real documentary of a real band.
As someone who was a kid during this period,I could believe hearing this song on the radio then and grooving to it. The sitar is the crowning glory of the song and cries out 1967/68. Genius comedians doing very good songs. The "Isle of Lucie' never fails to crack me up.
![The Folksmen - Start Me Up [live on Late Night with Conan O'Brien]](/img/1.gif)
"We toured the world, and elsewhere."
Gets me every time.
You can turn that up to eleven!
"We toured the world, and elsewhere...."
+DavidSixSixFive Yep. Their tour of Mars was said to be killer.
you could hear it caught christopher guest (i think) off guard when he slipped that in.. he did a quick chuckle lol
"To infinity, and beyond!" (Toy Story)
frank bonini 😂
It was old of this world
The most ironic thing about all of Spinal Tap's music is that it's actually well-crafted songwriting and being able to capture a genre.
Or it could be ... a lot of the 60s stuff was really, really shitty.
@@tedpeterson1156 But spinal tap doesn't a pretty good job of also representing the '50s, '70s and '80s
@@tedpeterson1156 shitty compared to what? Modern music? Music has never been in worse shape than it is now.
@@punkoid76 Part of the joke within the film is exemplifying that a bunch of popular bands then(and now) get fame based on making incredibly simple songs with 3 chords
@@fidgetdietz8802 it’s a fact that over complicating music only makes it less catchy. Take jazz compared to basic rock and pop, it’s almost unlistenable. Even within rock ultra virtuoso guitarists just don’t make the instantly catchy stuff more basic musicians with a good ear for a tune do.
That's some solid drumming. You can tell that drummer is going to be a dependable foundation for this band for a long time to come.
yes indeed
💥
Long live the drummer...
I love how the band attached itself to every changing trend LOL.
Like The Hollies.
Like the Bee Gees
Lol 100%
Like the Stones
The Forest Gump of bands
This is a fantastic spoof of the whole genre of 60s hippie music, right down to the sitar accompaniment and the pseudo-psychedelic camera work. I lose it every time I see Schearer mouth the words "we love you."
The best parodies are made by people who genuinely love the original material, which is why The Rutles is one of my favourite bands. :)
The odd Mozart reference did foreshadow that the band was headed for more, ahem, _serious stuff_, though...
stflaw And everytime he goes Sshhhhhh...
That "We Love You" bit gets me EVERYTIME LOL!!!!
It hurts so much. In a good way.
The lyrics are ridiculous (on purpose), but the compositions, melodies, harmonies and production of the music is top notch. This is why the film did so well, managing to even convince many that Spinal Tap was a real band.
I saw interviews before the movie and was a teenager at the time and it took me a while to catch on, but I immediately loved the music
Status Quo was a psychedelic band that went rock like Spinal Tap
Define "real band" and consider that Spinal Tap (the 3 main actors): 1) wrote their own songs 2) played actual acoustic instruments 3) sang vocals (without auto-tune) and 4) performed their songs live on multiple occasions without lip sync or backup musicians.
Spinal Tap is more "real" than most pop musicians today.
They weren't?????
@@thenaturalmidsouth9536 It doesn't matter. Sometimes fake groups are better than real ones.
I always found it inordinately hilarious when Derek mouths, "We love you."
For anyone not aware, this movie is rated 8.0/11 on IMDB... :)
Why don't just make it 7.27/10 instead?
Because this rating system goes to 11.
my buddies and I say that about everything! "this cheeseburger goes to 11!"
And for those not aware, LiS isn't joking, it's real homage to Spinal Tap by IMDB.
that joke went over peoples heads
RIP STUMPY!! You were the first drummer to explode on stage and that, my good sir is a legacy of which to be proud.
I believe that was Peter James Bond; Stumpy died in a bizarre gardening accident.... best left unsolved.
@@matgougeon3087 this is Peter James Bond. John “stumpy” Petes died In a gardening accident. Eric “stubby joe” chiles choked on someone else’s vomit
@@someguy42093 And you can't dust for vomit.
Does anyone know the exact details of Stumpys passing? I read years ago that it was in fact an infected wound inflicted by a particularly ferocious Venus fly trap. But then I've also heard that he sat on a large prickly cactus which caused heavy bleeding from his scrotum bag which led to a fainting spell and inevitable passing away after weeks of "feeling a bit giddy". RIP stumpy, we love and remember you.
@@Buster_Piles Always an innovator, the cactus was sadly the end of his 'experimental' phase.
I love the shitty true-to-period not-even-trying synching to the studio track.
The most authentic late 1960s track ever recorded in the early 1980s.
It's genuinely tight between this and Lyres -- Don't Give It Up Now on this front.
@@mathompson53187 and the Dukes of the Stratospear
bro yes, dirty tape edits and all
@@mathompson53187 I thought the Chesterfield Kings first album was a real 60s album when it first came out
😂
I was at that Blues Jazz festival at the Isle of Lucy when drummer Peter James Bond exploded on stage.
Or was it a Jazz Blues festival?
Isn't the Isle of Lucy where that evil wizard Merlin Brando rules? ☺
Randy Shadowalker "Peter James Bond" bahahahahaha
All that was left was a little green globule on his drum seat.
@@CelticSaint Blues Jazz really...
If this was actually released in 1967, it would’ve been a monstrous hit!
You're absolutely right!!!
It was wasn't it???
Jim Smethurst 1984
You've Got Your Troubles by the Fortunes.
I was in saigon when I first heard this...i cried in my tiger beer
The "Isle of Lucy" has to be the most overlooked joke in the whole thing.
Both my grandparents were born on the Isle of Lucy in the 30s just before World War 2 and they said it was a very crowded country when they were growing up. Mysteriously tho after the war ended in 45 only 10 people were left out of a population of 11 in the summer of 39. Very odd 😕
Can't believe that I only just figured out that the Isle of Lucy is a pun on "I Love Lucy".
Mashed in between Isle of Man and Guernsey!
I can’t believe I didn’t realize that until I read your comment. And I’m a crazy fanatic for both Spinal Tap AND I Love Lucy!
I think there's a place for you in the band. I hear they're in need of a drummer.
Oh, man. Thanks for spotting that, I never have. It makes me wonder what other tidbits like that got past me.
Isle of Wright... J.H.... 🐈
Nigel is one of the most influential guitar players ever as is clearly demonstrated here.
He made that guitar sound just like a sitar!
@@scottlarson1548 even better than the lemon pipers ...
Most influential AND most underrated. If that's even possible.
@@scottlarson1548 In the sixties, a guitar/sitar was first produced, an electric guitar with 'sympathy' strings that made it sound like a sitar when played, as you hear on this vid.
@@AriaSuperBass Actually we're hearing a sitar on this recording.
The melody and arrangement of this song is something to behold. Thats what makes this film so special. It is indeed a mockumentary but it wouldn't be remembered if it bled too much into gag/spoof territory. Such a fine line between clever and stupid.
You have to remember Christopher Guest , Harry Shearer and Michael McKean wrote these songs, performed them legit, and constructed every beat and improvisation along with Reiner. If there was any justice all of these men would have an honorary Oscar.
Indeed they should
Honorary GRAMMYS!!!
The kaleidoscope effect gets me every time 😂
It's, like, set in the future.
Not only was this is a genius movie it’s the only movie in history where the American actors actually pull off English/London accents!
Clearly never seen Mary Poppins!
@@woodentie8815 Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer does a very convincing british accent!
My uncle Tommy served an apprenticeship at the Milanda bakery during the 1960's (in the UK). He was one of the original flour children.
i think you mean the other kind of flour
Wow. That's heavy man. Far out.
Did he make a lot of bread?
@@slide4180 He could have made a lot more money if he hadn't been such a loafer.
How baked was he?
Don't let their name scare you, they're full of love.
It is getting louder every day, but it's not to 11 yet at this point.
"...it's getting truer everday." That line cracks me up. What a brilliant mockumentary. It's definitely up there with The Rutles.
Anyone who came of age in the late '60s know that this is exactly the kind of stuff you'd see on Sunday's on Ed Sullivan, Shindig, and others. The fact that they can perform this without laughing is testament to their talent. When Harry Shearer mouths "We Love You" I bust up. The cheesy "effects" to look psychedelic were spot on.
tpitman.
Probably took a few takes 😀
I love how they were always known as Spinal Tap - an ode to heavy metal band names - even when they had started off as a 60s pop/rock and then hippie band.
Well they started as the Originals, then the Thamesmen, the Love Biskwits, and the Tufnel-St. Hubbins Group (among others) according to the (real) album's liner notes. Spinal Tap is just a psychedelic name like Pink Floyd and only became metal when they did around the third (fictional) album.
@@BaccarWozat Don't forget the "New Originals"...lol
I think this is a dig at many bands, but Status Quo in particular when you consider their original look and sound.
metal has its roots in 60s psychedelia so it's not too far more
@@BaccarWozat the third album was Shark Sandwich, right?
The “shhh” at 1:12 makes me laugh every time. Totally reminds me of “Get Together” by The Youngbloods, except in that song you’re told to “listen” as opposed to “shhhh”. This is a great spoof on the pretensions of wisdom some of these hippy dippy bands had.
There were some great psychedelic hippy songs made at the time, but there were many bad ones. These guys totally nailed the bad ones.
Nice catch there. Jesse Colin Young and the Youngbloods were very decent musicians, but are known to the masses by that one song.
@@chasbodaniels1744 This is true. You made me realize I don’t know any of their other songs. Since I think it’s fun to discover music, off I go to see what else that I can find from them.
Reminds me of "Hung Up on a Dream" by the Zombies too; even one of the Zombies called it their Spinal Tap song
@@BGNOLA I actually kinda like “Hung Up On a Dream”. Anyway, never knew that bit of trivia and I love when people drop interesting stuff like that in the comments 👍
@@AJAXKID123 i like it too, but it's def. a product of that moment in time
This would be like referencing 2003 today.
Oh god no
No way...
1984 - 1967 = 17
2020 - 2003 = 17
Man... :(
Wanna read something that might be even crazier?
St. Anger came out in 2003. St. Anger is now as old as Master of Puppets was when St. Anger was released.
@@szithaanu9934 fuuuuck me.
What's great about Spinal Tap is that much of what occurs is based in reality. For example, beginning as a skiffle band, the Thamesmen, before going hard rock (Jimmy Page is that you?). The titles of the songs and lyrics are so dead-on hilarious because they directly satirize music of the 60s and 70s. And the songs are delivered with such sincerity. Everyone needs to experience the genius that is Spinal Tap.
If you want another example of this shift, listen to 1960s Status Quo (like "Pictures of Matchstick Men") versus 1970s Status Quo (like "Down Down").
A perfect parody, clothes, set, the announcer, the dancers, the lighting, and the song is actually really well done. Perfection
This is legitimately good song writing, great harmonizing and that sitar-mod guitar solo was really tasteful
and its just the entire genre thats absolutely low iq and simple
The solo began well enough, but near the end the player stumbles a bit (deliberately, I’m sure) as if he’s running out of gas. Listen again and you’ll probably notice it.
That’s half the joke
Tap are actually pretty talented musicians who can produce great music - Stonehenge is a damn fine song and wouldn’t sound out of place on a good Prog album - it’s just they’re always a bit late to the party and the lyrics are, as the review says “treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry!”😂
@@chasbodaniels1744 that’s what I love about Nigel/Chris…he’s obviously a brilliant musician and can play (check out a Mighty Wind for some gold shredding)…but in Tap he’s always trying to ape the latest licks without practicing enough
Spinal Tap and The Rutles are my favorite groups of the 60's...
I know it's a "joke song" but it's so damn catchy!
Lord Funface The Atomic Toaster Don't forget that these guys were also the Folksmen, and they composed some pretty damn good music, too. (-:
+Lord Funface The Atomic Toaster
"Noooooooooo...."
+Rick Deckard - Ahahahaha!!! I'm afraid so! (-;
The joke wouldn't work otherwise.
Hardly. If you like this there seems to be 100s of actual real bad songs from the 1960's throughout Tube.
I like the flower people period of spinal tap the best. I love their early records.
I think their flower people era was the best too... the band was at his peak
I agree. They totally sold out in their later albums. The rare ones that didn't pander to the lowest common denominator were completely derivative.
They used to write such great lyrics during that period.
Totally went down hill after the tragic death of Peter James Bond.
I wanna know what the prog era was, it sounds really interesting.
For anyone who digs 60's music this is absolutely hilarious. They referenced so much in that one song, Beatles, Stones, Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and even Donovan !!
Andy Snadden: ...and even Mozart! 😎🎹
And Justin Hayward on lead vocals?
Beach Boys near the end with that Good Vibrations “Haaaaaaaah” harmony
Everything is so packed with jokes and nuance. McKean must have a 200 IQ lol
More like the Association, Turtles and Lovin Spoonful
The dancers in the background kill me! If you watch old episodes of Hullabaloo or Shindig the dancers are equally as lame. Just a perfect detail to a perfect song and performance. And kudos to making your guitar sound like a sitar. Groovy baby!
Still one of my favourite songs from the 1960s. Thanks for posting.
Darren J Ray its not from the 60s at all
N.i.B. It was Spinal Tap's first single in the 60's, the best release of that decade!
Pfft!
It would've sounded better in Dubly.
@@TheDiamondsions Sensee of humour bypass, he was clearly joking
@@TheDiamondsions you’re the reason I hate the internet. People like you take the fun out of everything online
This is one of the greatest songs I don't remember from the 1960s. These cats truly go to eleven!
Let's not forget the contribution of the Thamesmen to this rock odyssey: "...the best British pop music, performed by an electrifying live band. With sharp suits, scintillating performance and stunning production to match, The Thamesmen were a fabulous addition to any wedding or function."
I had this 45 when I was a kid and played it over and over. It's what made me stop listening to the Beatles. True story.
Always loved that little "Isle of Lucy" joke they threw in there.
just got it. thanks.
@@hansonrhodes1 me too lol
Never, ever, got this one until just this for a second when I read your comment. I was thinking it was some obscure British isle I had never heard of, and now I'm 🤦🏻♀️ that I never caught the pun in all these decades.
How they kept a straight face I'll never know. First time I saw this movie back in the late 90s I was a teenager, and I was dying the whole time.
all thats missing is Nigel sat crossed legeed with a sitar
“It’s not too late
“Noooooooo...”
That cracks me up!
1:40
@@tetedepoulet8651 So perfectly lame, haha.
Not blues-jazz but jazz-blues. Important.
The Isle of Lucy festival was amazing that year.
That Indian-style solo is awesome
Or was it the music of western America? They sound very similar.
... Indonesian actually...
I'm not mad at it.
Man, I remember catching them down at this little club in Greenwich Village called The Electric Banana. It was around 1966, the “Flower People” era.
And wow, was I knocked out by their exuberance, their raw power. And especially...their punctuality.
😎✌🌼🍌Dude, that is so groovy you done given me goosebumps ☮🚾❤
If there's one thing that the bands of today are missing, it's punctuality.
The concert starts, at 11 AM. Those were tough morning gigs.
As Elvis used to say "being on time is THE most important thing" in show business.
Apart from one memorable time in Cleveland, Tap have never, ever, ever been late on stage. And you can take that to the bank. Or up to 11, take your pick.
Ah the banana as we used to call it, I remember it well. It was THE place to be back in '66. Well not ALL of '66, maybe the late summer. Well August. Well the last week of August. Well the 27th/28th of August really, the rest of the time not so much. Good days, good days.
I love it when principal skinner, chuck mcgill and corky st clair do drugs together
I love the other members' supporting vocals: "It's not too late!" "NOOOOooo..." And the mustachioed one looking psychotic during his "Aaaah"s, lol.
I was lucky enough to see Spinal Tap in concert in Milwaukee in 1992. Recently I tweeted Michael McKean and told him it was an awesome time when I saw them. He said he remembered that gig and it was a fun night.
I saw Spiral Tap at the Electric Banana in Greenwich Village in 1966 . I told my pal Marty about it the next day.
.....Don't try to look for it, it's no longer there
What is the best movie out there that goes meta on Spinal Tap?
At Shank Hall?
I love how they were inexplicably called Spinal Tap when they were a hippie band in the Sixties.
They started off as "The Originals"...
@@jdemarco Even though at 0:36 they're introduced as Spinal Tap.
@@jdemarcobut there was already a band called The Originals, so they had to change it.
@@TwoLeftThumbs To " The New Originals" ..lol
Well, The Originals was already taken.
Damn, even the sitar (dubbed in and they dim the lights when it plays)!!! This movie never missed a beat!
They got everything so right! Even the lip-syncing that bands had to do at that time. Brilliant
"We toured the world...and else where". This movie has so many great lines.
And almost all of them were ad libbed. Blows my mind.
@@omnipop4936 They'd been doing this act informally for years.
Love it when the Sitar solo comes in and Criss looks around like, "where the HELL is THAT coming from?"...PRICELESS😂😂😂
It's sad when a satirical band are significantly better than 99% of the music that is around today.
Or then!
I worked with Michael McKean on a tv show. He was very nice and regular. His wife was lovely too
This is frighteningly accurate to the point where the joke is not just on the band but on the audience too.
Tone perfect parodies of Moody Blues, Rolling Stones, the Who, Zep, Black Sabbath and the whole early 80s British Metal vibe. Brilliant
This scene was so well done, Christopher Guest basically used it as a basis for the plot of A Mighty Wind. 60's folk singers reliving their glory days.
Authentic, right down to the bad lip-synching.
And the guitar producing sitar sounds.
@@moncorp1 In the sixties, a guitar/sitar was first produced, an electric guitar with 'sympathy' strings that made it sound like a sitar when played, as you hear on this vid.
It was extremely common in the 60's into early 70's for bands to mime songs on TV. If you were lucky you'd get live vocals but the studio backing track.
There was no lip-synching, Tap was just always ahead of their time.
🤘😎
@@AriaSuperBass well you can't exactly play a lead with sympathy strings can ya.
"EXPLODED ON STAGE' LOL !!! Not one frame of this movie went to waste. KILLER!!!
Bowie's first album in a nutshell...
More Bee Gees.
YES
Whatever indignities Spinal Tap faced, at least they never had a duet with a gnome.
The Isle of Lucy line. So throw away. Absolute genius.
"like a Mozart symphony" _plays a string quartet_
Yeah, but "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" is probably the Mozart piece most people would be familiar with.
I love how proud of themselves they are aftering playing that 😂
Includes a double bass part so not a string quartet either.
@@gorgolyt Yes, it's technically a quintet, although the cellos and basses play the same part, with the basses playing it an octave lower. I've played it as part of a quartet several times.
@@blondeeagles - Exactly this. When you see a band playing to a television studio and they award themselves a smirk for some lyrical homily.
0:16 "We toured the world and elsewhere."
IndyDefense Surely a band that groovy had to tour space as well, The Flower People need to spread the message!
With the right, um, substances, you can too!
Because of the butt loads of acid.
I'm a drummer and I would loved to have joined Spinal Tap. But the only problem is that all of their drummers 💥
Best to leave these deaths unsolved
Just now realizing that chuck from “better call Saul” is the lead singer from spinal tap...
Also Fred from Short Circuit 2
Omg ......
Wow! it is him....ha ha ha 😆
He practiced law after the band.
@@turdferguson2982 Ha ha ha 😆
The tragic death of the then drummer Peter James Bond due to a mysterious explosion at the Jazz Festival in the Isle of Lucy, inspired Keith Moon of "The Who" to blow up his drum set at the end of a concert.
Spinal Tap has influenced so many rock musicians throughout many generations.
It was an inside job.
Blues Jazz, actually.
They were also the pioneers of Stonehenge re-creation and dancing dwarves onstage...revolutionary stuff...
Moon blew up his kit way before tap.
@@horseytownmore jazz-blues I'd say.
I play backup sitarist in a Thamesmen tribute band called Power People. This video was a huge influence.
+northoftherockies A Thamesmen tribute band? You guys must work nonstop!
@@tuttt99 They're really blowing up
I think I know them from Playstation's "Sitar Hero 2".
@@tuttt99 Yeah, we're pretty busy. Throughout the decades we've had dozens of ticket sales.
as someone who was actually in the movie and in fact the casting director for the extras I can tell you that the band members actually sang and played all the songs themselves
they literally don't have mics lol, maybe they did but definitely not for this
They toured live many times, there's no doubt they are a real fake band.
I love the various iterations of the band...folk, pop, psychedelic, raunch, heavy metal. Great send up of all the genres.
@ Michael Burke You forgot jazz/fusion LOL
@@jeffthebracketman Yeah, Mark II ruled.
They perfectly captured how bands at the time would stand perfectly still, and if they really got into it and wanted to go a little crazy they'd sort of shake their shoulder or arch their eyebrows a bit.
You know, if this song had been released in the mid to late '60s, I have no doubt it would have been on the same plane as White Rabbit. Incense and Peppermint, at the very least.
Not quite but it would have fit in
I saw Incense and Peppermint play at a '60s themed party at Danny Elfman's house a few years ago. ...I swear on ginger hair.
They could have dropped this right into an episode of the wonder years and no one would have questioned it!
"It was tragic really, he exploded on stage."
One of the most influential groups of their day. That they're not yet in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is an affront to all music.
Like ten years ago I was tripping hard on mushrooms and listening to Hendrix. Then my sister came home and showed me the dvd of spinal tap and we watched the music videos.... when this one came on, there were vines growing up the walls to the ceiling... It was pretty awesome
That's actually fucking sick damn
Like, wow man!🤣
Wow you must be pretty pathetic
After Spinal Tap finished. Derek Smalls played in a Christian rock band called Lambsblood.
They played the Monsters of Jesus festival.
Really good stuff!
As I recall, they crucified the other bands on stage, didn't they?
@@martyschriver nah…just pioneering mass baptisms in the mosh pit! 😂
Isle of Lucy is probably one of my favorite jokes of all time. Also, this song slaps!
So many great gags. Isle of Lucy just slides in with no effort.
"More blues/jazz really "
It really is a fine line between clever and stupid.
It's right up there w/ Arrested Development's "Bob Loblaw's law blog" (say it fast)
@@moekirby2613 Bob Loblaws Law blog is absolute genius.
@@Quinn37@moe Ladies and gentlemen of the jury - I concur!! 😂
A lot of these players and some other familiar faces gathered together to make a mockumentary about Folk Music called "A Mighty Wind." it is well worth a watch.
Just brilliant, brilliant comedy film. This is Spinal Tap, and Life of Brian two best comedy films ever made IMHO)))))))))))
And train spotting
2:05 Derek Smalls "We love you" when he mouths that LMAO
2:22 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is technically not a symphony, but we can certainly let it pass! Love the interaction there between Nigel and David.
Never caught that before, but spot on. Good ear, and thanks for the laugh.
The pause just a split second too long, to be sure everyone "gets it." 😂
Lick my love pump is better than anything beethoven ever did man. Beethoven never even got on "Top of the Pops". Not even once. And he was deaf. And German.
It's great! And Nigel doesn't age a day, just like his protege Jeff Beck.
I still have my original 45 of this....got it back in the 60s 😀
Is it the original DECCA with the missprinted " Flour People" label... If it is, it's worth a fortune !
@@lookandlisten5740worth at least 500k on ebay !
@@jonsingle1614 - rumour has it, if it's played backwards it summons Satanic forces that can never be controlled. That's why DECCA tried to destroy all the copies before being released...either that or it was just a printing error...we just don't know !
@@lookandlisten5740 the Rolling Stones beat them to it....see how well it worked 😉
@@jonsingle1614 - We all know it inspired Jagger to write Sympathy for the Devil...buy not many people realise it was responsible for Cliff Richard's even more demonic "Devil Woman".
"Jazz Blues festival.." - ".no Blues Jazz really."
Musician humor rocks..
It’s not too late! Love the sitar! The drummer spontaneously combusted! Priceless!
There are so many subtleties they picked up on. Here are three of my favorite ones:
1. The sitar-solo even though nobody is playing a sitar. Back in the 60s, when bands performed "live" on TV, they usually had to overdub a studio instrumental with vocals.
2. The long time it takes before the songs starts, and the light is turned on.
3. Mixolydian mode
Today they have sitar effects, but back in the 60's there were electric sitars like the Coral Vincent Bell Electric Sitar that looked almost like a guitar. That was an extremely rare instrument and it's not what he's playing. But still.
I played this at my best friend's funeral. He would have loved it, if he wasn't dead there.
Was he a drummer?
He had dementia at the end
Love this cut -- so absolutely spot on!!!
"This is Spinal Tap" was a favorite of mine when it first came out. Such a classic parody -- but so good I wouldn't be shocked if kids today thought it was a real documentary of a real band.
If I was a member of Spinal Tap and looked back on my career, I would never stop puking.
This movie is absolutely perfect.
Christopher Guest could almost pass for Jeff Beck.
Even the guy on for 10 seconds playing the 1960s TV host plays it just pitch perfect. There is not one weak link in that entire film.
I saw them back in the 60's and it was awesome
As someone who was a kid during this period,I could believe hearing this song on the radio then and grooving to it. The sitar is the crowning glory of the song and cries out 1967/68. Genius comedians doing very good songs. The "Isle of Lucie' never fails to crack me up.
Wonderful! This is like an 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' of fractured fairy tales!
Pink Floyd seems to be the band I’m most reminded of when I think of Spinal Tap.
Status Quo
Or the Moody blues...
Nigel plays his electric guitar to mimic the sound of a sitar on the original recording. This one tiny detail kills me every time.
My favorite band after the “Ruttles!”