This is Spinal Tap, Special Edition
(MGM Home Video 2000; list $14.95), 82 minutes
This remastered video version of TIST includes five minutes of outtakes and the Bitch School video banned by MTV. You can buy the video at Amazon, Amazon Canada or Amazon UK.

This Is Spinal Tap, Standard Edition
(Embassy Home Video, October 1984; New Line Home Video, April 1992), 82 minutes
The 1992 reissue (cover on right) includes Hell Hole and Bitch School videos as well as the infomercial for Heavy Metal Memories. The original release from Embassy (on left) includes an odd "Easter Bunny" message at the end of the film. Both editions are out of print but copies are sometimes available at eBay, eBay Canada or eBay UK. The box cover shown at left is the PAL version available in Europe, the Middle East and Japan. You can order this video from Amazon UK.

The Return of Spinal Tap
(MPI Home Video, 1992), 110 minutes
Footage of the final performance of Tap's 1992 tour, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on July 7, 1992. The footage is interspersed with interviews in which celebrities discuss the influence of Tap on their lives. There also are visits to spots in England that played a role in the band member's formation. The video is an expanded version of A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary Sell-Out, a television special that aired December 31, 1992, on NBC. It features live performances of Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight, Cash on Delivery, Hell Hole, America, The Majesty of Rock, Just Begin Again, Sex Farm, Stonehenge, Rock and Roll Creation, Bitch School, (Listen to the) Flower People, Rainy Day Sun, Gaelic Blues, Clam Caravan, All the Way Home, Break Like the Wind, Diva Fever, Stinkin' Up the Great Outdoors, Christmas with the Devil, Big Bottom and Now Leaving on Track 13. The box cover shown at the top of this section is the North American release; the box cover immediately above is the PAL version. You can buy it at Amazon, Amazon Canada or Amazon UK. opies also are available via eBay, eBay Canada or eBay UK.

Break Like the Wind—The Videos
(UNI Distribution, 1992), 15 minutes
Bitch School (censored by MTV and uncensored) and The Majesty of Rock, plus interview footage. You can buy the video at Amazon.

This is Spinal Tap, Director's Cut
(circa 1985, 3 tapes, 4.5 hours)
The best deleted scenes made their way into the supplemental material on the Criterion and MGM DVDs, but if you're a glutton for punishment, the entire 4.5 hours of footage is available. The tapes contain the first cut after five weeks of filming, without the interview sequences, captioning, title tracks and some audio. It's available from Video Search of Miami on three DVDs or three videos for $60. After you place your order, send an email to vsom@aol.com with your order number and mention that you saw the offer on the Spinal Tap Fan Site and you'll get free shipping. The bootleg has predictable quality problems. It's a VHS recording of a 16 mm film, so you get occasional jumps and breaks in the film. The sound is fine and the video is what you'd expect from a third-generation tape. It's not pristine but very watchable. If you're interested, I compiled a list of my favorite scenes.