Spinal Tap have turned it up to 11 once again… this time with a little help from Elton John.
The fictional metal gods have unveiled a new version of their cult classic “Stonehenge”, reimagined with the “Rocket Man” himself. Out today via Interscope Records, the thunderous collaboration sees John bring his stadium-sized vocals to a now-epic, synth-laced, pan pipe-sprinkled, medieval-tinged prog-metal banger. It’s the first taste of The End Continues, the forthcoming soundtrack album for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, due September 12th to coincide with the film’s theatrical release.
The new version of “Stonehenge” arrives alongside a music video packed with archival footage from the original 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. A new trailer for the sequel, featuring a snippet of the song, premiered at Comic-Con last week during the “Directors On Directing” panel with Rob Reiner and Paul Feig.
More than four decades since their last cinematic outing, Spinal Tap — David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) — are reuniting once more. In Spinal Tap II, the estranged bandmates come together for one final concert, with returning documentarian Marty Di Bergi (played by Reiner) on hand to capture the chaos.
The sequel promises both new material and reworked classics. The End Continues will feature 13 tracks, including nine original songs and four reinventions of fan favourites. Along with Elton John, the album ropes in a mind-blowing list of collaborators, including Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and Trisha Yearwood.
Pre-orders are available now.
“Stonehenge” has long been one of Tap’s most iconic tracks, thanks in no small part to the infamous scene in the original film where a mix-up in stage directions results in an 18-inch monolith descending onto the stage instead of an 18-foot one. Since then, the song has become a staple of their live sets, with props of wildly varying sizes, and even sparked a (real-life) cameo by Tufnel in NatGeo’s Stonehenge: Decoded documentary.
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In this new recording, Tufnel reprises his eerie spoken-word intro while John delivers a gloriously over-the-top performance fit for the mythic monument itself. The band shreds through swirling synths, driving drums, and a Renaissance fair-worthy jam session that somehow still rocks.
This Is Spinal Tap was originally released in 1984 and quickly became a cult phenomenon, influencing generations of musicians and comedians. Metallica have cited it as an inspiration, “Big Bottom” has been covered by multiple artists, and “turn it up to 11” entered the cultural lexicon. The film was later recognised by the US Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”
Over the years, Spinal Tap have continued to appear at festivals, charity gigs, and TV shows like SNL and The Simpsons, releasing three albums: This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Break Like the Wind (1992), and Back from the Dead (2009), the latter of which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album.
Ahead of the new film’s release, the original This Is Spinal Tap will return to cinemas on August 7th in a newly-restored 4K version, setting the stage for the band’s gloriously ridiculous return.
Spinal Tap – The End Continues tracklist:
“Nigel’s Poem”
“Let’s Just Rock Again”
“Flower People” (with Elton John)
“Brighton Rock”
“The Devil’s Just Not Getting Old”
“Cups and Cakes” (with Paul McCartney)
“I Kissed a Girl”
“Angels”
“Big Bottom” (with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood)
“Judge and Jury”
“Rockin’ in the Urn”
“Blood to Let”
“Stonehenge” (with Elton John)
