Spinal Tap Continues to Evolve & Mature, Reuniting to Fight Global Warming

First, let me say that the above headline is not a joke, and is not yet another Onion-ish attempt to pay tribute to the satirical genius of this great parody rock band. Indeed, the three constant members of Spinal Tap (David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls) are scheduled to make an appearance July 7 during the London sequence of next month's Live Earth concerts to fight global warming. And apparently the move toward raising awareness of the global climate crisis most scientists agree is looming has inspired Spinal Tap so much that the group will debut its new theme-specific single, "Warmer Than Hell," at the London concert. Also, click here to check out Rob Reiner's 15-minute short film in which filmmaker Marty DiBergi pays a visit to Spinal Tap's far-flung members to find out what they've been up to recently.

Still, even if current events are threatening to make Spinal Tap relevant again, there are many of us for whom the band has never retreated too far into dormancy. In celebration of such enthusiasts, please check out my newly minted profile on Spinal Tap and my list of the band's half-dozen most representative hard rock tunes. I thought I'd bestow just a few memories of the band's This Is Spinal Tap heyday to tide us over until July 7. Let's just hope a circuitous path to the stage presents no problem for the band this time around.

• Spinal Tap Profile
• Top 6 Spinal Tap Songs of the '80s
• Unofficial Spinal Tap Fan Site
• Live Earth Official Website