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Break Like the Wind

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Break Like the Wind
Studio album by
Spinal Tap
ReleasedMarch 17, 1992
Genre
Length49:54
Label
ProducerSpinal Tap, T-Bone Burnett, Dave Jerden, Danny Kortchmar, Steve Lukather
Spinal Tap chronology
This Is Spinal Tap
(1984) 		Break Like the Wind
(1992) 		Back from the Dead
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Rolling Stone[1]

Break Like the Wind is a 1992 album by the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. The songs include a range of genres, from the glam metal anthem "Bitch School" down to the skiffle satire of "All the Way Home". The title, and the album's title track, is a double entendre that combines and confuses the idiom "make like the wind" (also possibly a reference to the Christopher Cross song "Ride Like the Wind", famously covered by British heavy metal band Saxon) with "break wind", a euphemism for flatulence.

Originally, the CD was packaged in an 18-inch "extra-long box", as a satire against the controversial packaging policy of longboxes which was increasingly criticized as unnecessary and wasteful. The album notes are by Steely Dan's Walter Becker, who spends the entire page highlighting the Crosley Phase Linear Ionic Induction Voice Processor System and ignoring the band and music entirely.

The album reached #44 in Canada.[3]

Backstory

[edit]

In the film This Is Spinal Tap, David St. Hubbins (portrayed by Michael McKean) and Nigel Tufnel (portrayed by Christopher Guest) claim "All the Way Home" is the first song they wrote together, and that six years after it was written, David and Nigel recorded the song in December 1961. The film recounts the two being in different bands, David in the 'Creatures' and Nigel with the 'Lovely Lads'. Similarly, "The Sun Never Sweats" is implied to be the title track from their fictitious album of the same name, whose cover is shown on the packaging of the album This Is Spinal Tap. "Clam Caravan" is apparently a "misspelling" of "Calm Caravan".[4]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks by David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bitch School" 2:50
2."The Majesty of Rock" 3:55
3."Diva Fever" 3:06
4."Just Begin Again" (duet with Cher) 4:52
5."Cash on Delivery" 3:03
6."The Sun Never Sweats" 4:23
7."Rainy Day Sun" 3:42
8."Break Like the Wind" ([note 1]) 4:35
9."Stinkin' Up the Great Outdoors" 2:50
10."Springtime" 4:02
11."Clam Caravan" 3:37
12."Christmas with the Devil" 4:33
13."Now Leaving on Track 13" (hidden track[note 2]) 2:08
14."All the Way Home"St. Hubbins, Tufnel2:07

Notes

  1. ^ "Break Like the Wind" samples the classical guitar piece Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo.[5]
  2. ^ "Now Leaving on Track 13" is unlisted on the album packaging.[6]

Personnel

[edit]
Spinal Tap
Additional personnel
  • Jeff Beck – guitar on "Break Like the Wind"
  • Cher – co-lead vocals on "Just Begin Again"
  • Walter Becker – liner notes
  • Steve Lukather – guitar on "Just Begin Again" and "Break Like the Wind", piano on "Clam Caravan"
  • Joe Satriani – guitar on "Break Like the Wind"
  • Slash – guitar on "Break Like the Wind"
  • Timothy B. Schmit – background vocals on "Christmas with the Devil" and "Cash On Delivery"
  • Tommy Funderburk – background vocals on "Christmas with the Devil" and "Cash On Delivery"
  • Waddy Wachtel – slide guitar on "Stinkin' Up the Great Outdoors"
  • Dweezil Zappa – guitar solo on "Diva Fever"
  • Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs – drums on "Rainy Day Sun"
  • Nicky Hopkins – keyboards on "Rainy Day Sun"
  • Luis Conte – percussion on "Clam Caravan"
  • David Bianco – Mix Engineer
  • Danny Alonso – Mix Assistant
  • John Kosh Art director and Cover Designer

Mixed at Can Am Studios

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Break Like the Wind
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 67
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 44
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 51
US Billboard 200[10] 61

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Archived Rolling Stone review
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - April 25, 1992" (PDF).
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3irKOU55x8&t=10s Minute 1:30
  5. ^ Spinal Tap Sits Down with Guitar World, Part 2
  6. ^ "Writers: NOW LEAVING ON TRACK 13". ACE Title Search. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 264.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2108". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "Spinal Tap Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
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