Spinal Tap revisited

Sorry, we don't do sexy "singles" in this column. Just long-playing albums and music videos. Uh, some of them can get sexy, though. Especially if the talent's wearing spandex.

ALL TAPPED OUT: Yeah, those blokes in Spinal Tap have sure made the British brand of "long-haired, tight-trousered hard-rocker" seem oblivious, pompously overblown and misogynist.

Yet in their fake careers as Derek Smalls, David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel, comedian/musicians Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest offer an affectionate and knowing wink. Even die-hard fans of the styles they parody - heavy metal and prog-rock mostly - have to laugh in agreement. Yeah, the blokes sure nailed it.

What, you ain't never took in one of Spinal Tap's bloodcurdling shows, mate? Just out today on Blu-ray high-definition video disc is a newly enhanced (and we're not just talking bigger cod pieces) 25th anniversary edition of the classic, Rob Reiner-directed mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap" (20th Century Fox, A+) what first put the Tap on the map.

In truth, though, the film is tracking their tour trajectory straight to the bottom, which included a Philly show at "Fidelity Hall" where cameramen zoom in on their "Big Bottom."

More than an hour of outtakes are served as an extra and function as a parallel production offering lots more insights into, say, unctuous music publicist Bobbi Fleckman (Fran Drescher), their rock-hating chauffeur (Bruno Kirby) and a bizarro miming waiter (Billy Crystal).

A quartet of Tap music videos, the group's odd appearance on "The Joe Franklin Show" (did he know they're a fake?) and their romp through "Stonehenge" at the 2007 Live Earth mega-concert add to the merriment.

Also fresh baked is the "Back From The Dead" (Label Industry, A-) CD, which finds the 2009 edition of Spinal Tap revisiting the classics, some in gotta-stay-current fashion, like the reggae-tized "Listen to the Flower People." Also adding to the legend are a trio of Shearer/Small's intentionally bad "Jazz Oddessey" jams and five newbies.

Going along with the endless gags are special guests Keith Emerson, John Mayer and Steve Vai. And helping crank this offering to "11" is an amazing pop-up cardboard diorama package, plus a bonus DVD with an hour-plus of extemporaneous riffing by the Tapsters today.

WHASSUP, WASILLA? Sarah Palin isn't the only one trying to wiggle out of Wasilla, Alaska. On their new album "The Satanic Satanist" (Equal Vision, B-), the band called Portugal. The Man has plotted its escape with a larger-than-life name, dazzling array of dancepop/tech/rock/folk flourishes, the high-pitched (and oh-so-British-sounding) vocals of John Gourley.

EARTHEN-WARE: Fans of the Band, Neil Young and the Grateful Dead should connect well, I'm thinking, with the rootsy rock stylings of Assembly of Dust on "Some Assembly Required" (Rock Ridge, A-). This here's a two-phased concept album. Each track features a notable guest - Richie Havens, David Grisman, Mike Gordon, Keller Williams, Jerry Douglas and John Scofield, among 'em. And every song addresses, in finely honed fashion, some aspect of life's passage and the recurring notion (sorry, Kansas) that we're all just dust in the wind.

STILL THE ONE: Honest-to-G British transplant Ian Hunter keeps serving shockingly strong work on "Man Overboard" (New West, A-). Punchy, anthemic, metaphor-rich songs like "Babylon Blues" and "River of Tears" prove at once ultra-personal and universal commentaries on our time. And here's hoping Ian's upcoming reunion tour with Mott the Hoople comes to town.

POP TOPS: Our Lady Peace lives up to its name with the earnest power pop of "Burn Burn" (Coalition Entertainment, B).

Ditto, Owl City, the alter ego of perky electro popster Adam Young, dishing out the whimsical "Ocean Eyes" (Universal Republic, B).

The breezy "500 Days of Summer" (Sire, B) soundtrack could keep many romances afloat (though, like the movie, also pop some trial balloons), with tunes by Regina Spektor, Feist, Black Lips, the Smiths, Hall & Oates and costar Zooey Deschanel's duo project with M. Ward, called She & Him.

Also rarin' to punch your ticket, the Features unspool big-picture visions on "Some Kind of Salvation" (429 Records, B+). *