Alternate versions

The movie was released in 1994 on CD-ROM by the Voyager Company, a movie distribution company specialized in converting and releasing movies on CD-ROM format. The CD-ROM edition includes the movie as well as extra features. For instance, it has two audio commentaries, one of them from the three main cast members who are not in character. This audio commentary has never been released on any other medium. The CD also includes some fun basic options such as turning the volume to 11 or typing in popular lines and phrases from the movie, which the CD then automatically locates in the movie and plays the scene with the line. The bonus material also includes music videos, ten deleted scenes, the original Spinal Tap short that was made to sell the idea of the movie to potential producers, and some notes from the crew. Another rarity is a fake trailer presented by Rob Reiner himself for "Cheese Rolling," a mockumentary about Denmark's fictional traditional cheese festival, where small villages compete in cheese throwing and similar sports activities involving cheese that can get very intense.

The two audio commentaries, noted here as originating on the Voyager Company's CD-ROM release, one of them with the three main cast members not in character, was actually also released on the Criterion Collection's Special Edition laserdisc: This Is Spinal Tap: Special Edition #238 [CC1390L].

Several versions of this film exist. A 4-hour bootleg is rumored to exist. The DVD and laserdiscs include some of this in a hour of deleted scenes, subplots, and alternate takes. Included: More with Bruno Kirby; A subplot with Spinal Tap's opening act; Derek's legal troubles with his wife and much, much more.

The Criterion DVD includes the preliminary version of the film. It's a twenty-minute short that cost $50,000 and is essentially a condensed version of the full movie. Rob Reiner and the band made it in lieu of writing a script to show to studios.

Earlier video versions include onscreen captions identifying each band member during the first song ("Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"), e.g. "Nigel Tufnel - lead guitar." These captions are missing from early copies of the MGM Special Edition DVD, which were recalled to correct the oversight and re-released.

On the DVD, there are 1 hour 25 minutes more footage, including a scene in which the band discuss the bread-eating species of ape but "they've developed no baking skills."