Break Like the Wind (CD - 1992)

Spinal Tap: David St. Hubins (Michael McKean) (vocals, guitar); Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) (vocals, guitar); Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) (vocals, bass).

Additional personnel includes: Caucasian Jeffrey Vanston (keyboards); Ric Shrimpton (drums); Slash, Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, Cher.

Producers: Danny Kortchmar, Dave Jerden, Steve Lukather, T-Bone Burnett, Spinal Tap.

Engineers include: Niko Bolas, Bryan Caristrom, Marc DeSisto.

Recorded at The Sound Factory, Hollywood, California; Record One, Sherman Oaks, California; West Side Studios, London, England; Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, California. Includes liner notes by Walter Becker.

Since Spinal Tap only existed for the 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap, the idea that Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer were actually going to release a studio album rather than a soundtrack brought on a tremendous amount of anticipation. The resulting product is Break Like the Wind, a record that, like the 1984 soundtrack, boasts powerful guitar and surprisingly decent vocals, along with some quite silly song themes. Unfortunately, when it comes to satirical bands, one can only hear these kind of songs a certain number of times before they become tedious. Instead of sticking to its roots, the album is also sometimes overshadowed by its celebrity appearances and heavy performances, which make it seem like the players were actually trying to make their listeners think that the album wasn't just a big joke. Break Like the Wind may have not been the comeback everyone was hoping for, but it certainly has enough amusing moments to be worth a listen. ~ Barry Weber minimize