Spinal Tap, the fabled heavy metal band celebrated for its amps that go to 11 and an 18-inch Stonehenge stage set, is proving itself at the cutting edge of rock music once again with the impending reissue of its debut album -- on black vinyl.

“This Is Spinal Tap” will return in its original format June 11 and also will feature a black cover and black inner sleeve in a gatefold package with the original liner notes (from the Rocklopedia Brittanicus) and all 11 songs featured in Rob Reiner’s 1984 “rockumentary,” “This Is Spinal Tap.”

“Imagine the greatest record ever made by man,” states a press release announcing the new edition of the album. “And then imagine that record as remastered by God himself. And then take that remaster and let Zeus and Ghandi have a freestyle rap battle over the top of it. And then take that record and wipe This Is Spinal Tap’s ….”

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Well, that’s as far as we can quote in a family publication. But we can pick up with the end of that paragraph, which suggests, “What we have here is without question the greatest record mankind has ever known remastered and reissued on vinyl for the first time since Polymer Records folded all those years ago.”

Among the Spinal Tap classic songs on the album are “Hell Hole,” “Sex Farm,” “Big Bottom” and “Tonight I’m Going to Rock You Tonight.”

Spinal Tap consisted of guitarists Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and bassist Derek Smalls -- portrayed in the film by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, respectively -- and a revolving cast of spontaneously combusting drummers.

The album can be pre-ordered on Amazon or at the website of the Control Group, which is handling the reissue.


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