"BACK FROM THE DEAD"

2009
-by Spinal Tap
They have returned, to return again.
Derek, Nigel, and David walk among us, and the underworld is the better for it.
The songs on this well-stocked album fall into three categories: new songs, faithful re-recordings, and alternate arrangements of Tap classics. At their best, these offerings are worthy of anything the boys have ever done (and that's a standard to make mere mortals blanch).
The new songs are brilliant, none moreso than the title track...you'll be singing the title line over and over as you walk through your days, giving the word "dead" their comedically-nonpareil up-swooped vocalese.
The re-recordings (these would be the new originals, then) are alternately wonderful and forgettable. Some of them play out almost lifelessly, compared to the originals. Others are brilliant, particularly "Big Bottom" and "Stonehenge". Steve Vai and John Mayer get a few licks in, too.
The alternate mixes of the classics are the tracks you'll seek out first, and you'll never tire of them. "Sex Farm" gets a funkified treatment, and "Flower People" a reggae mix. Musical euphoria. "Jazz Odyssey" gets a couple sequels, too.
The only painfully missing element, one the semi-anthological nature of this album screamed for, is the studio version of "Lick My Love Pump" that Tap's legion of fans have been waiting generations for. Also disappointing is the accompanying dvd. They couldn't make one video? It's simply the lads in the studio talking a bit about each track, and it feels like the toss-off it is. They weren't trying too hard to really be in character, they're reaching for the jokes, and it shows. If that's a bit harsh, they long ago proved that they could re-create the magic of their characters beautifully (if you've never seen their appearance on VH1's The List, you've missed a priceless piece of rock history).