Customer Reviews

A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While nothing, absolutely nothing, can compete with the original "This is Spinal Tap" for comedic genius, this DVD is a brilliant work in it's own right. While it is true that the majority (maybe 75 percent or so) of the film is a live show shot in the Royal Albert Hall in 1992, there are numerous interludes and links to keep the satire quotient pegged.

All in all the music is performed well, but some of the newer materiel falls a bit flat compared to the "Smell the Glove" set. Songs like "Cash on Delivery" and "Clam Caravan", while vaguely amusing are not up to the normal Tap standards (although Nigel playing the clarinet is quite a sight), and the Rap version of "Sex Farm" was just plain annoying. Having said that, there are moments of inspired brilliance here. During "Stonehenge" they have the opposite problem they had in the original...the monument is too huge to get in the theatre. During "Big Bottom" all three play basses, which is not only funny to think about, but very funny to actually hear. The guitar pyrotechnics and way over the top soloing of Nigel Tufnel continue in "Diva Fever", a forgettable song without the solo. During this particular solo (during which Derek takes a cab and gets a huge meal at a restaurant, while David has a cucumber facial and pedicure) Nigel plays his guitars by throwing horseshoes at them, juggling while playing with his feet, etc.

Interspersed with the concert footage are numerous links, most of which are utterly brilliant. We learn that Nigel has invented a folding wine glass (he still needs the rubber hinges), and has founded 'Travel for Animals', an organization that allows animals (in this case his ferret, Trevor) to travel with their own passport. We learn that Derek goes on his father's telephone sanitizing service ('Sani Phone') business calls with him to help make ends meet, and has invested in not one, but two unbuilt London apartments, the net result of which is that he has to stay in a hotel while in London. David and his wife now work part time at a summer soccer camp in California and she runs 'Potato Republic', a store specializing in itchy Irish clothing. Additionally, David and Nigel visit their boyhood home of Squatney, and reminisce. All of these bits are inspired as are the guest spots featuring things like Mel Torme singing "Big Bottom" and a member of Primus with a picture of Derek tattooed on his bicep.

My only irritant with this DVD is that some of the songs are incorrectly named in the liner notes for some reason; for instance, "Big Bottom" is called "Bum Cakes" in the credits. All in all, I think this is a wonderful DVD, and is well worth the money. If you are a true Tap fan, you must own this!

I now own three different commercially distributed versions of "The Return Of Spinal Tap" and this "Region free NTSC" version is clearly the worst.

I can tell that it is only a MONO transfer to DVD from the NTSC LaserDisc - which is crazy, because I own the LaserDisc and it's in superb digital stereo (one the best live stereo recordings I've ever heard).

When I transferred my own LaserDisc to DVD-R I had to use my brother's PAL output player which does a dodgy inbuilt conversion of NTSC for PAL TV's. Using the right setting on the DVR for that type of input gives acceptable results, but the process does noticeably compromise the video quality - making it look slightly washed out.

So the "Region free NTSC" DVD does have a more appealing look about the video - the colour and contrast are more natural. The major flaw (aside from being mono) is that the soundtrack is very slightly, but very annoyingly, out of synch all the way through - even though it is perfect on my LaserDisc.

As others have pointed out there are several blatant or wildly wrong song titles on this DVD (eight wrong titles in all), and this fact combined with "The Folksmen" being called "The Folkman", indicates that whoever authored this DVD knows as little about the English language as they do about Spinal Tap - and they didn't look for the correct titles elsewhere.

The other available version of "The Return Of Spinal Tap" is on the "bonus" DVD in the 4 disc French made (Studio Canal) boxed set, which comes in a Marshall Stack display box. That version is clearly made from the original film stock - it looks fantastic, BUT it is only the first 60 minutes (side 1) of the 110 minutes on the LaserDisc version AND it lacks some of the post production title and audio editing as well as being in mono - but with a MUCH wimpier sound than the mono audio of the "Region free NTSC" DVD.

I have given up hope of finding an officially released stereo DVD equivalent to my "Return Of Spinal Tap" LaserDisc. It took a bit of work, but I was able to use Sony Vegas video editing software to perfectly synchronise the video from this dual layer mono DVD with the stereo audio from my LaserDisc. It's been well worth the effort to have the best possible version in the DVD format. Mind you, if the producers of this particular DVD had done their job right, then everyone else would be able to own a DVD of the exact same quality.

As it stands this "Region free NTSC" DVD is at best a two star version of what could have been a five star DVD.

This Is Spinal Tap was (and still is) a hillarious and exremely entertaining cult classic directed by Rob Riener made in 1984. In The Return of Spinal Tap, a just as entertaining sequel was attempted and unfortunately didn't live up to the hype. My thoughts on this movie are that first of all that cheap "made for T.V. movie" look that made it seem very low budget (which it was...)Second, the name should've been Spinal Tap: Live considering %90 of it was concert footage. However, I wouldn't have fast frowarded through most of that footage if it contained more of vintage Tap gags and humor (which it lacks emmensly.) So if you like the music, then I suggest this movie. If not, rent it first. Though I did get a kick out of the amp capo and foldable wine glass (minous the rubber hinges....) invented by lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel. But because of the effort made to create a sequel I give it 3 out of 5 stars. Hardcore Tapheads will certainly give credit where credit is due for even the attempt to recreate one of the greatest movies ever This Is Spinal Tap!

This is clearly not an authorized DVD version of "The Return of Spinal Tap"; there are numerous typos on the cover, many songs are mistitled ("Sex Bomb Woman"? "Stonehedge"?), and, most problematic, the audio mix is horrendous. I compared it to my VHS copy, and the audio mix is decidedly different - and much, much worse. The video seems to be fine, however. Still, I find myself wondering why Amazon chooses to sell products like this; it seems it must be illegal somehow, but I really don't know. In any case, before you buy "The Return of Spinal Tap" on DVD, know that what you're getting is probably not an authorized release.

I was disappointed. Essentially, the video is a low-budget film of a Spinal Tap concert, with a few silly moments. The best parts are interviews with people like Rob Reiner and the Air Force base captain (played by Fred Willard). If the video contained more of those interviews, I would have rated it higher. Too bad that such interviews lasted only a few minutes. I liked the original movie, but I wouldn't necessarily want to sit through an entire Spinal Tap concert. Unfortunately, this video asked me to do so, and I respectfully fast-forwarded my way through 90% of it. Save your money, unless you're a die-hard collector of Spinal Tap memorabilia.

Spinal Tap had a revival of sorts back in the early 90s while grunge was rearing it's greasy head--which was a good thing, for as rock was getting "heavy" and serious and dark and depressing, the Tap showed up again with the glint in the eye to bring some irony back into rock. This DVD is 90% concert footage, held at the Royal Alber Hall in September, 1992, after their US tour, with occasional skits and pieces between the songs. If you are looking for a follow-up to the original masterpiece of a satirical film you are looking in the wrong place. But here you can see that the Tap are not only gifted comedians but decent musicians too, and they rock live...Kind of like the Monkees, though better. All the songs are presented well, my favorites being the majestic America and Stonehenge's mandolin break. Harry Shearer's double dollar sign bass is a hoot as is Nigel's Marshall stack guitar turned up to 11.
It's a good show, in Stereo on the DVD (not mono as stated in an earlier review) and well-shot. The mixed ages crowd really gets into the show, and it's fun to see the different hair styles. Remember, this was September 92. Grunge had been popular about a year. So you see long straight hair along with the remaining big permed hair with the bangs and the mullet dos. Fun stuff, kind of like the time Homo Sapiens and Neanderthal man were still sharing the same apartment. All in all a welcome addition to your Tap collection, and fun to see the band actually sticking it to your ear hole.

This movie had a tough act to follow, and it clearly didn't meet my expectations. The interviews and short clips in between songs were the highlight of the film, but I found myself fast-fowarding through the concert segments.

Better this account of the band's 1992 return than none at all. Essential a gussied-up concert video, this tape's best bits are in-between the songs, where we catch up with what Nigel, David, and Derek have been doing since the disastrous 1984 tour, not to mention other supporting players like Artie Fufkin and Marty DiBergi. Some may remember this as a two-hour TV special broadcast on NBC for New Year's Eve in 1992; it's unchanged, less the commercials. Still, since Tap so rarely tours and there's no official live album, this Royal Albert Hall performance-plus-bits deserves a place in any Taphead's collection.

This movie was actually made for TV, and is not an official sequel, according to Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls, Bass). Which explains the "made for TV" look mentioned in other reviews.

The Return of Spinal Tap has some hilarious moments, but is ultimately overshadowed by the original film. See "This is Spinal Tap" first, and enjoy the return for what it is... more of a very good thing.

Man was I ever bummed when we watched this!!! It was NOTHING like the VHS copy we rented recently. The sound mix is terrible. You cannot hear ANY of McKean's guitar. Also, there are no subtitles, so unless you have memorized the songs you miss nearly all the humor because the vocals are buried in the mix! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!