The Best album from the last 25 years: Smell the Glove - Spinal Tap

[Caution]

Smell the Glove (Polymer, 1982): The band’s 14th album, rated B+ by Entertainment Weekly. The U.S. tour to support the album was the basis of Marty DiBergi’s documentary, "This is Spinal Tap." Also known as the Black Album after Polymer bowed to demands from retailers such as Sears and K Mart to block out the "sexist" cover. The original cover depicted, in the words of Polymer rep Bobbi Flekman, a "greased, naked woman on all fours with a dog collar around her neck, and a leash and a man’s arm extended out up to here holding on to the leash and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it." The band had considered the cover a gag, with Ian noting that their original concept included something much more provocative than a glove. David: "You know, if we were serious and we said, ‘Yes, she should be forced to smell the glove,’ then you’d have a point, but it’s all a joke." Nigel: "It is and it isn’t. She should be made to smell it, but..." David: "But not, you know, over and over." After seeing the Black Album for the first time in Milwaukee during a sound check, the responses ranged from Ian’s "simple, beautiful, classic," to Nigel’s "It’s like a black mirror" to David’s "It looks like death" to Nigel’s "How much more black could this be? and the answer is ‘None. None...more black’ " to David’s "This is something you put around your arm. You don’t put this on your fucking turntable." Ian, nevertheless, declares the album as a "turning point." The black cover has often drawn comparisons to the Beatles’ "White Album," as well as their infamous "Yesterday and Today" butcher cover.



And the orginal cover:

[phillybri]

1. "We're making fun of that sort of thing!"

"It's not like we're saying she should be forced to smell it..."

[hatrack]

2. "But, what's wrong with a sexy album cover?"

"She said sex-IST!"

"Yeah, well money talks and bullshit walks, and if the album were selling then maybe we could do something. As it stands, both Sears and K-Mart have refused to stock this cover."

[AmandaRuth]

3. i would respond to this message

but I have to go sit down in the lobby and wait for the limo.;) ;)

[demon67]

4. It's certainly better than "Shark Sandwich"

but really I go for the earlier, classic stuff, like "Gimme Some Money" and "Cups and Cakes."

[Blue-Jay]

6. Two word review: "Shit Sandwich"

Can they say that?

[Viking12]

5. It sounds best when you turn it to 11.

[Brotherjohn]

7. They accurately predicted the backlash against political correctness...

... YEARS before it happened, and responded in kind.

[quispquake]

8. This is a true story...

I was working in a record store back in NH in 1985...someone came in, and discussed for a half hour, all the classic Spinal Tap records they had...details details details...I was standing there with my mouth wide open...

I didn't have the heart to tell him I knew he was bullshitting...if impressing a record store employee was that important to him, so be it :)

[Caution]

12. maybe he was messing with you

he's probably been telling the story for years about how he had some record store employee talking about Spinal Tap for half an hour.

[Skittles]

9. THE BIGGER THE WAISTBAND, THE DEEPER THE QUICKSAND

LOL!!!

[Caution]

10. yes...this song moves me to tears every time

In fact I posted it to the Saddest song thread here - complete with lyrics:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=1537213&mesg_id=1537213

[mr blur]

11. I always thought that The Strokes...

stole the whole idea for the UK release of their album "Is This It?":

<img src="">

the music by Spinal Tap was better though.

(btw - the US release went with a pretty and uncontroversial cover)