BY MIKEY MIGO
It's that time once again. There's always those bands that you know are out there, but just never took the time to give a full listen to. It's not always because you're close minded, but just because your ears and the band have merely never crossed paths. Over the past few months, I've been making a conscious effort to give these bands a real "first impression". I've listened to "Simon and Garfunkel", "The Stooges", "Portishead", "The Pixies", "The Smiths", and a few more in between. Some bands I've found myself loving and others I've let leak from my brain and have already forgotten. None the less, it's a fun (and time consuming) process that I've been enjoying. Even if it's old to everyone else, new music is still new music. Finding new bands to add to one's musical lexicon is a must for any real fan of music.
Primus is one of those bands. I've always heard friends, acquaintances, and just random people always talk up the awesomeness. Meanwhile, all I've heard was "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver", "My Name Is Mud", and maybe one or two other songs. Always enjoyable, a bit goofy maybe, but I can see the appeal and can hear the talent the band has.
Today I'm listening to the six LPs of Primus for the first time. I know they have other EPs and other randomness, but I'm sticking with LPs. I'm sure a diehard fan would tell me that I need to listen to (place random EP or obscure track here), but like I've said before; If a band can't win me over with their LPs then I have no desire to hear their other stuff. That and covering the ENTIRE discography would just take WAY too much time. Regardless, I'm listening with an open mind and fair expectations.
Album: Frizzle Fry
Year: 1990
Runtime: 51:25
We start off with "To Deft The Laws Of Tradition" and I'm instantly taking into a funkified journey. The great music is joined by witty lyrics about Christmas and other traditions. It's less "wacky" than what I'm accustomed to from the small handful of songs I know. "Groundhog's Day" is a fun groove-blues-rock track. It's more of a down tempo tracks. Claypool's vocals are just as slappy as the bass and it compliments each other very nicely. Two songs in and I can already see the appeal. For a song called "Too Many Puppies", the music is bad ass. So far, I can easily say that "Mr. Know It All" is my favorite track of the album. I guess the best way to describe it is "funk metal". I am going to stop putting labels on individual songs because the absence of clarity is becoming pretty clear. The title track,"Frizzle Fry", is the first track where I feel the vocals might even outdo the rocktastic musical accompaniment. The chorus is addicting and I can imagine "I don't believe in charity. I don't believe in sin…" will be stuck in my head. Now one of the few songs I know, "John The Fisherman". I've always enjoyed it, but within the album it's just that much better. Jumping to "The Toys Go Winding Down" and I find myself in a bit of a trance. "Spegetti Western" has one of the best incoherent rants about being a slacker that I've ever heard. Being one myself, I especially enjoy it. "Harold Of The Rocks" and the outro of "To Defy" finishes off an album I should of heard nineteen years ago. So what if I was seven.
Album: Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Year: 1991
Runtime: 45:50
After a creepy intro, we get to "Here Come The Bastards". It's an addicting melody with a fun set of lyrics. It makes you want to skip towards the nearest fight and fuck someone people up. "Sgt. Baker" kicks off with a good groove and goes into vocals that instantly make me think this is an "I have something REALLY important to say" song. It's about the military. While it's technically solid, it just seems a little out of place as to what I've heard so far of the two albums and before that. Probably my least favorite track of theirs thus far. "American Life" tell us of a character living in poverty. Being poor never sounded so groovy. Of course I've heard "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver". Very cool songs like this that I've heard in passing is the reason I was curious about their entire discography. The funk is so bad ass that it might be illegal in a few states. "Eleven" is a great follow up to that as it's just as solid. The swagger of "Is It Luck?" is like funk punk, but rocks hard as most metal. "Tommy The Cat" is a song that sounds very familiar, but I don't remember anything about it. Apparently it was in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" so it's got that going for it. You can't help but nod along to it and groove. The instrumental track, "Sathingon Waltz" is very soothing as it leads into the pulsating "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers". It makes the white trashiness of meth use seem almost glamorous as the groove to track takes over your ears. With headphones on it literally feels as if their pounding on your ear drums. "Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" is the second part to "John The Fisherman" and starts in a building down tempo mood setter. The over used word "Epic" comes to mind. I salivate for the third part. "Lost Bastardos" ends the album and bookends the "bastard album". Nothing else to really say other than it's a "Solid Album".
Album: Pork Soda
Year: 1993
Runtime: 57:39
Kicking off the third album is an instrumental intro "Pork Chop's Little Ditty" mind and into "My Name is Mud". It's another song I've heard before, but taking it in with open ears for the first time is pretty impactful. It's a song about murder and packs a thudding punch. It's one of their biggest hits for a reason. "Welcome To This World" is a very interesting song. The delivery and tone is much darker than the normal songs of the same bounce. I like it. The name "Bob" has many meanings to me, but in this song it's about the topic of suicide. The vocals sound a bit like a parody of Neil Young, but that doesn't really seem intentional. Either way, the tone of the song is creepy. It's not in the playful radio/MTV-friendly style of what I expected from the band. "DMV" is a well crafted piece of music, but just sorta seems "there" in comparison to the other tracks on the album thus far. "Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicles, Pt. 3)" is that third part to "John The Fisherman" that I was hoping for. The opening build into this awesome track and all the way to the lyrical approach is a nice finale to the trilogy. The breakdown in "Nature Boy" is worth listening to on its own making the song stand out amongst a pretty damn good grouping of songs. "Wounded Knee" is an awe inspiring instrumental track that holds up to any soundtrack work that Danny Elfman has ever done. If I were a wealthy man, I'd license it for a movie in a heartbeat. The title track, "Pork Soda" hits us with a drone that seems to have mindless rambles of Claypool and then to a chorus of what almost sounds like a commercial for pork flavored soda. "The Pressman" is just flat out a solid rock track. It gives a vibe of a lost scene from "The Warriors" or another iconic movie just as "culty". Nothing much to say about "Mr. Krinkle" except that it made me forget what I was doing. "The Air Is Getting Slippery" is fucking great. It makes me want to walk around punching clowns in the face. Why there'd be clowns just casually out and about? I don't know. "Hamburger Train", at over eight minutes, is one helluva instrumental jouney. The bell ringing in "Hail Santa" made me take my headphones off. I literally thought someone was ringing a bell. The ominous tones didn't help. Ending an album with paranoia is oddly remarkable. I know it might be a bit "punny" to say, but this album is definitely the "muddiest" thus far. "Pork Soda" is the band's biggest selling album and I can understand why. "My Name is Mud" was a pretty big hit back in the 90's and I still hear it on the radio semi-regularly today. I can't really say it's a better album than the two prior, but it's definitely at par with the highly risen bar this trio set for it. Les's bass is what's always talked about when brining up Primus, but this album proves to be a drumming clinic. You can't help but hear it and feel the beat that accompanies the stringed instruments.
Album: Tales from the Punchbowl
Year: 1995
Runtime: 59:35
The seven minute opener, "Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats" makes me want to square dance with strippers and then weep. It's almost the most bizarre track of Primus I've heard thus far, which says oodles about it. The bar is pretty high after hearing this one for the rest of the album. "Mrs. Baileen" is about an evil sixth grade teacher who turns away from the bad stuff going on in the classroom. We then get to the song that I have heard the most of the entire discography in "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver". The song holds up as it did back when I first saw the disturbing video on MTV as a pre-teen. "Southbound Pachyderm" is something really different and showcases a whole different side of the band. It's menacing and the melody could have been a Metallica song if they'd of taken Les into the band. It's trippy and makes me crave the phase in my life where experimenting was more reasonable times. "Space Farm" intros into "Year Of The Parrot", a very groovy rock track. The vocals and tone of "Hellbound 17 ½ (Theme From)" is intense, but it comes and goes too soon. "Glass Sandwich" is just as pulsating, but lacks that certain punch to it. "Del David Tree Farm" gets back to form. It's similar to the older stuff as it has the plucky bass, but it's much harder. "De Anza Jig" brings us back with a subtle track that sounds like it's accompanied by a tuba. "On The Tweek Again" starts with a burning drum that makes you assume that war is upon us. It takes over your senses like a bad trip that you live to proudly tell about. We then come to "Over The Electric Grapevine", which is about a road trip on LSD. This just might be the best song on the album. It's different and not like much anything else I've heard. It does sound a bit "grunge", but way funkier and less "woe is me". It's seriously a journey and a half. The album wraps with "Captain Shiner" and fizzle out instrumental. "Intense" would be a good way to describe the fourth LP from Primus. It's less "metal" fused, but more just of a classic "trippy" rock vibe. With that, I found myself spacing out a lot more. I want to listen to it again because I feel like I missed something. It's good, but it's not as good as the first three albums. I could be swayed on that, but I just wasn't as hooked as I was on those. It's still better than just about everything out there today. That's not saying all that much though.
Album: Brown Album
Year: 1997
Runtime: 56:49
"The Return of Sathington Willoughby" is the opener. It sets the tone as we get into "Fisticuffs". I really like this one. The down tempo is catchy and the music itself seems way different than the other stuff on here. If I were making a list of songs I like, it would definitely be on it. "Golden Boy" sounds similar to the normal "slap funk" style, but way more polished. The guitar work on it is worth noting as it's pimptacular. "Over The Falls" is different as well. It's a lot simpler and more rock based. It almost sounds like a different band. A good different band, but still not within the same realm. I guess what I just typed is redundant now as "Shake Hands With Beef" is in the same world. It's really stripped down and a huge departure. It continues with "Camelback Cinema" and on to "Hat's Off". "Hat's Off" is a bit better than the rest of the album. It's still down tempo, but it's still at least catchy. Things are on an up rise as "Puddin' Time" is a pretty decent track. Nine songs in and I'm finally nodding along to music thanks to "Bob's Party Time Lounge". It's got that bounce to it, but it's still on the dull side. I like the rhythm of "Dutchess And The Proverbial Mind Spread" and if I had to pick a "best song" from the album, it would be the winner thus far. "Restin' Bones" almost sounds like it's a parody of one of Rob Zombie's "spooky" songs. Granted I've been to the city once, but "Kalamazoo" does give a good vibe of how I remember it. The guitar on "The Chastising Of Renegade" is a redeemable quality. The merciful end to this album is "Arnie". Maybe because it's the last song I'm enjoying it, but it's still pretty solid. Sadly, this album isn't nearly as good as the others so far. If this were the first album then my impression would be pretty "ho-hum". This album was hard to take in. If all the Primus albums were delicious red apples, this would be a cantaloupe. Cantaloupe is good and all, but when you're taste buds are expecting an apple it's a bit of a nasty shock. I can see why Les Claypool doesn't like this one all that much. It's a let down to my ears and I'm sure an even bigger one to him.
Album: Antipop
Year: 1999
Runtime: 63:06
I'm going into this one with lowered expectations. After "The Brown Album", I'm a bit reluctant to be enthusiastic. We intro the album with the cleverly titled "Intro" and go into "Electric Uncle Sam". I take a sigh of relief as we're back on track with awesomeness. Tom Morello lends his guitar chops on it and it's the Primus that I came to love during the first four albums. "Natural Joe" has a lot of grit to it and I find myself nodding to the groove. "Lacquer Head" is awesome and is easily the best song I've heard in about two hours. The only single from this album is about children huffing inhalants. You can't be mad at that. The breakdown is ridiculously awesome. "The Antipop" is flat out a good rock song. You can hear the aggression in Claypool's voice and the music matches. I'd say it's probably the hardest song of theirs thus far. You take Jim Martin of "Faith No More" fame and James Hetfield of "Metallica" fame and put them on one eight and half minute epic track and you get "Eclectic Electric". It's a great song. Probably even my favorite track that Hetfield has ever worked on. It takes us on a voyage that's really only comparable to a "Pink Floyd" song. That's a pretty impressive "comparable to" if you ask me, or just about anyone with ears. "Greet The Sacred Cow" literally made me dance in my seat. The music is that funky and fun. "Mama Didn't Raise No Fool" is another bad ass song. The beginning of "Dirty Drowning Man" almost broke my ear lobe, but it calms down soon enough. It goes into a slow groove and it's an excellent track. "Ballad of Bodacious" is a song about a bull. I did some looking into and this bull was considered "The Worlds Most Dangerous Bull". I laughed out loud at Claypool's attempt to rapping. It's up there with Debbie Harry's attempt. It's still fun. Sadly, the bull died in 2000, but this song lives on. "Power Mad" starts off with a voice mail from someone talking about panties. The song is about corporate greed and just seems like filler. It's just not hooking me in and takes me out of the listening experience. "The Final Voyage of the Liquid Sky" is trippier than watching "The Warriors" on shrooms. I'm not speaking from experience or anything. It breaks down into what almost feels like a Korn song. I like Korn, but it's not what I wanted to hear at the moment. We end with "Coattails Of A Dead Man". It's a fine finish to a pretty decent album. Wait… or so we thought! There's a HIDDEN TRACK!!! "The Heckler" is what really finishes us off. It's a much better book end and finishes up the six LP discography on a high note. It's a bit different, but it still feels like Primus. It helped me get over the bad cantaloupe taste in my mouth from The Brown Album, and for that I like it even more. Many claim that it's harder because they were touring with bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit(BOOO!) at the time. I can see that. My only real gripe with this album is that the signature bass lines aren't really here. Instead, they're replaced it/overshadowed it with a more metal based vibe. It's not bad at all. It's harder Primus, but it also seems to be the most produced and polished album of the bunch. It hits the ears like a crazy party, but still has the decency to stay late and help clean up.
Band: Primus
Total Runtime: Apx. 5.5 Hours/6 LPs
As cliché as it sounds, I liked their older stuff better. Their first four albums are fantastic, but my enthusiasm rollercoastered up and down after that. Their last two albums weren't on par with the works they are famous for. "Antipop" is A LOT better than "The Brown Album", but that's not saying a whole lot. I was put in a bad mood with "Brown Album", but "Antipop" brought me back to enjoying it. I think I'll have to listen to it again soon to get a better opinion of it. None of this changes the fact that I really enjoyed listening to Primus for the first real time. When it's said and done, and if CDs were still relevant, I could easily make a two CD mix that I'll listen to all the time. Les's vocals are playful, intense, and varied all while maintaining the sound of "Primus". Some of the darker riffs make me think of old Metallica if they didn't take themselves so seriously. Then at times, the funk is like that of a Red Hot Chili Peppers… only better. There are little things that make some of the songs dated to the 90's. The breakdowns and funk fusion instantly make me think of Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers. That's not a bad grouping. I'd say I appreciate the music more than the Peppers, but it's still a step or three behind Faith No More respectively. Both Primus and Faith No More have a lot of musical depth to them and this is why their fan bases are still as die hard as they were in the barely pre-grunge music scene. Also, I was a really big fan of Mindless Self Indulgence until their recent mellowing and commercialization. I bring that up because what I enjoyed about MSI the most seems to have been at least somewhat inspired by Primus. It's like loving hamburgers for years and then realizing I could have been eating steak the whole time. Not saying a hamburger isn't bad, but c'mon… steak! Needless to say, categorizing and labeling a genre for Primus is ridiculously complicated. That doesn't mean their sloppily "all over the place", but more of a well oiled chaos machine. I genuinely enjoyed pretty much everything I heard(we'll pretend the Brown Album didn't happen). I kick myself for not listening to Primus sooner. I feel like I missed out on something really special. I could see the "Primus kids" still hanging out with the metal and grunge kids in the 90's, but they'd just be the ones in a better mood. I will for sure be taking advantage of any chance I can get to see these guys live. I've heard nothing but good things and I'll be now saying the same as everyone else.
|
