Forgotten Classic Albums/E.P's

The stars were truly aligned in 1980 for this masterpiece to take off, as a burgeoning scene, known as the NWOBHM was taking off in England. Heavy Metal/Hard Rock stalwarts, like that of the Scorpions, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, U.F.O. and Led Zeppelin were paving away for the resurgence of East London/Squatney's finest, Spinal Tap. It had been a tumultuous three year period for the band, as though who were around at the time or witnessed the event at the Lucy Blues-Jazz (alternately Jazz-Blues) Festival with Buddahead, saw Peter "James" Bond (1949 -1977), spontaneously combust, in what many audience members believed was part of the show. Sadly, it wasn't. Not too long after the events of that tragic day, Nigel Tufnel shed some light on the event. "He just was like a flash of green light, and that was it. Nothing was left. Well, there was a little green globule on his drum seat. It was a small stain, actually." Bond’s charred drumsticks were retrieved by manager Ian Faith as mementos. (EW) Nigel, who has always been close to the band’s drummers, says Bond’s death was particularly traumatic, because "he owed me money."

Which brings us to the summer of 1980 and the release of "Shark Sandwich". The reviews were generally favorable. Entertainment Weekly rated it A+ and wrote that, "You'd have to go clear back to Brueghel for an equally heady brew of hardworking Everyman earthiness and primal barnyard lust,", yet, it was a two word review that Marty DiBergi read the boys during his documentary, which simply said, "Shit Sandwich." (Reviewer Unknown). If the review wasn't stinging enough, the album, was weighted by a disastrous promotion attempt, which involved sending shark sandwiches to reviewers. Though the album was fraught with what some listeners considered filler, there's no mistaking hits like the nihilistic, "No Place Like Nowhere," the disco hit "Throb Detector" and, of course, the monster "Sex Farm."

Major contributions from this remarkable story, can be found at Spinaltapfan.com