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Primus are just about the coolest band ever. They're every bassist's favorite band at some point (mine included) for obvious reasons: the 4-6 string stylings of one mr. Les Claypool, perhaps the strangest and funkiest face of the extremely strange and funky 90s alt rock scene. Starting out in metal bands like the prog-thrash outfit Blind Illusion, but influenced by everybody from Chris Squire to Bootsy Collins, Claypool's virtuosic playing and flair for Zappa-esque lyricism and Residents-inspired oddity created one of the most unique bands that ever existed. In the prime era of Ween and Mr. Bungle, Primus still managed to be "that weird band." They also did the South Park theme. Of course, Primus would be just another Les Claypool project if it weren't for its other members. Guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, a student of Joe Satriani's and a key member of Possessed (arguably the very first death metal band) is the perfect complement to the band's bass-lead approaches. Primus have had several drummers, three of which have appeared on studio albums: Tim "Herb" Alexander may be the most unique and skilled, and is part of the "classic" Primus line-up, playing on Frizzle Fry, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Pork Soda and Tales From the Punchbowl, as well as the first covers EP, Miscellaneous Debris, and the Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People EP . Bryan "Brain" Mantia prefers a more pounding, heavier style and can be heard on The Brown Album, Antipop and the covers album Rhinoplasty. He's also involved in several Claypool side-projects. Jay Lane, who was actually the original drummer, rejoined for the jammy 2011 comeback album Green Naugahyde. Studio LP Overview Frizzle Fry (1990)  The debut album (my personal favorite) is the biggest intersection of Primus' heavier influences with its bizarre musical goals. Claypool sticks with a conventional four-string bass here, but his playing is still out of this world on songs like "Pudding Time." The album features some of the band's most simplistic but nevertheless fantastic cuts, such as "John the Fisherman" and "Too Many Puppies." Fan favorites "To Defy the Laws of Tradition" and "Harold of the Rocks" also have a home on this album, but the best overall song may be the title track. Robert Christgau gives the album one star, describing at as "Don Knotts joins the Minutemen." The description is not entirely inaccurate, even if the rating is. "Frizzle Fry": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Va1x8cJt9U Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991)  Primus' major-label debut is slightly less metallic and slightly more instrumentally complex. This is the recommended starting point for newcomers, as it features two of the band's most famous (and best) songs: the utterly singular "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" and the hilarious "Tommy the Cat" featuring Tom Waits as the title character and perhaps the most challenging bassline Claypool ever laid down. I also recommend "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers," "Is it Luck?" and "Sgt. Baker." "Tommy the Cat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4OhIU-PmB8 Pork Soda (1993)  The band's darkest album is also somehow their most popular, debuting in the Billboard Top 10 and gaining Platinum status in 1997. Lead single "My Name is Mud" is the album's signature tune, telling the story of a redneck who beats his friend to death with a bat for stepping on his shoes. "Bob" features Claypool wailing about a friend who hung himself in his doorway. And "DMV" is about...well, waiting in line at the DMV. But it has an insane tapping bassline that will pop into your head any time you have to go into one. This album also features a couple of instrumentals, such as the percussion-heavy "Wounded Knee" and the 8-minute jam "Hamburger Train." Not a bad starting point, but not the most digestible album either. "My Name is Mud": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=953PkxFNiko Tales From the Punchbowl (1995)  Otherwise known as "the album that 'Wynona's Big Brown Beaver' is on," Tales was a certified Gold record with Primus at their proggiest and most fun. Lengthy tracks like "Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats," "Southbound Pachyderm" and "Over the Electric Grapevine" are all excellent deep cuts, but my favorite is the short, catchy and (relatively) simple "Ms. Blaileen." The obvious highlight is the big countryfied single though, especially when paired with its creepy video. "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYDfwUJzYQg The Brown Album (1997)  The first album without Herb is also a low point in Primus' discography, but that's not Brain's fault. The songwriting just isn't quite there. It's a good album that has the pervasive feeling of oddness that defines all of Primus' work, but the only tracks that really stand out in the band's pantheon, in my opinion, are "Shake Hands With Beef" and "Golden Boy," and even those aren't as good as the best tracks from their prime. "Kalamazoo," "Fisticuffs" and "Bob's Party Time Lounge" are all solid songs too. This one is for big fans only. "Shake Hands With Beef": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN-DNcqYUcY Antipop (1999)  Primus make their absolute heaviest music, with middling results. Antipop features a ton of famous guests, including RATM guitarist Tom Morello ("Electric Uncle Sam," "Mama Didn't Raise No Fool" and "Power Mad"), Metallica frontman James Hetfield (Eclectic Electric), Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin (Eclectic Electric as well), trip-hop singer Martina Topley-Bird ("Dirty Drowning Man," "Coattails of a Dead Man"), Tom Waits again ("Coattails of a Dead Man"). There are also songs produced by Police drummer Stewart Copeland ("Dirty Drowning Man") and, most surprisingly, Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst ("Lacquer Head"). Despite all of this story, there aren't any particular standouts here. It's more consistent than the Brown Album, but not a high note to go out on before the band's hiatus. The band didn't like it much either, deciding they were creatively dry and rarely playing songs from the album since then. "Lacquer Head": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY7jSesdxl0" Green Naugahyde (2011)  Twelve years after breaking up and eight years after reforming, Primus finally released a new album, the first with original drummer Jay Lane. It's their easiest album to swallow musically, but it's still satisfyingly strange and not without instrumental virtuosity. A pleasantly surprising comeback, considering Primus have gone from Claypool's main project to just one of many. Highlights include, "Moron TV," "Hennepin Crawler," "Eternal Consumption Engine" and "HOINFODAMAN." "Hennepin Crawler:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMKKXSh967U Other Les Claypool projects During Primus' run and especially during its hiatus from new material, Claypool found himself involved in many other musical projects of varying quality (and of which I have varying knowledge). These include: Solo material Les has two solo albums, 2006's Of Whales and Woe and 2009's Of Fungi and Foe. Claypool's bass is the only electric instrument present on these albums, which feature heavy use of odd percussion like marimba and vibraphone as well as wind instruments. The debut is much better than the follow-up in my opinion, particularly due to the monster jam "One Better." Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade A jam band consisting of longtime Claypool collaborators such as Jay Lane and Todd Huth as well as "eclectic musical folk" like Skerik (who plays saxophone) and Eenor (who plays lots of things, including something he calls a "Jim Bush"), The Frog Brigade have two live albums (from one show) and one studio effort, Purple Onion, which came out in 2002. The Live Frogs sets consist entirely of covers. Set 1 features interpretations of songs from various Claypool projects, as well as King Crimson's "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." Set 2 is the entirety of Pink Floyd's Animals. Purple Onion is all original material, most notably the single "Buzzards of Green Hill." South Park fans may recognize the largely instrumental "Whamola," which became the show's new theme a few seasons ago. Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains Another jam band fronted by Claypool, with an all-star lineup rounded out by Buckethead on guitar, Bryan Mantia on drums and P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, CCBoBB only released one album, 2004's The Big Eyeball in the Sky. It's solid if you like jamming, especially Buckethead's origin story that opens the album. Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel Released one album, Highball With the Devil, in 1996. I've never actually listened to them (I will get around to it eventually) beyond the Frog Brigade versions of "Running the Gauntlet" and "Hendershot," which add about 10 minutes to those songs' run times. Someone else can talk about them. Oysterhead Supergroup featuring Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and Police drummer Stewart Copeland. They have one album, The Grand Pecking Order. See above. Sausage The original Primus line-up with Todd Huth and Jay Lane. Once again, they have one album (Riddles Are Abound Tonight) and once again, I still haven't heard them other than Frog Brigade versions of a few songs. Les Claypool's Duo de Twang The most recent Claypool venture is a bizarre combination of funk and bluegrass with guitarist Bryan Kehoe. Claypool pulls out his "bassjo" for Four Foot Shack, which came out this spring. It consists mostly of countrified versions of other Claypool-related songs, with a couple of originals as well as covers of "Stayin' Alive" and "Man in the Box." It's a novel listen. Duo de Twang are finishing up a tour right now and will play a string of dates at the end of August. Primus are playing at both Riot Fest's this September as well as dates in Maplewood, MN, Fargo, ND and Clive, IA. Tour information, as well as many other things, can be found found at https://primusville.com Primus sucks!
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Jul 13, 2014 17:44
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I've been meaning to make an effort post for a while, and was inspired after "Frizzle Fry," which was at one time my favorite Primus song, came on shuffle last night. Hopefully somebody else can fill in the parts I'm missing. Primus have been my favorite band since I was 14, but there are a few things I still haven't bothered with.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:45
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Brown Album happened to be the first one I got, so it kind of holds a special place in my heart, even if it doesn't sound much like their other work. Also, don't forget the band's very first album, the live Suck on This. I think I prefer the version of Tommy the Cat from there than what ended up being on the studio album.
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Jul 13, 2014 18:34
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My first was Pork Soda, which has some of my favorites, but I would probably rank their first run of albums in chronological order. Except I like Antipop slightly more than Brown. Frizzle Fry is pretty much perfect outside of some short filler.
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Jul 13, 2014 20:00
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It took me a few years to realize that "Coattails of a Dead Man" is almost assuredly about Kurt Cobain. I mean Les changed the poison of choice to booze instead of smack, but everything else lines up.
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Jul 13, 2014 23:33
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According to Maynard James Keenan, Herb just had a heart attack and is undergoing open heart surgery this week: https://twitter.com/puscifer/status/490250566191558656
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Jul 19, 2014 16:58
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Entirely disagree about the Brown Album being a low point. Over The Falls, Kalamazoo, Fisticuffs, Golden Boy, Puddin Tain... all solid and played at the live shows. Anti-Pop is the low point in the catalogue. Another great part I like about Primus is they issue unique artwork for their shows for many years now, usually limited to 100 or so prints. A lot by Zoltron, check it out: http://zzz.zoltron.com/Primus-Poster-Series
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Jul 21, 2014 16:30
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Primus had a ton of talent packed into three people. Sausage - Riddles are Abound Tonight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWDerX2UCEs - This is a decent album overall and Girls for Single Men is hilarious. Highball with the Devil has the worst production of any Claypool related album I've heard. Decent music, terrible sound. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (Rhinoplasty) is a cute video if you've never seen it before. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9uk9IcoQ0w I might be the only person who liked Laundry's first album Blacktongue, one of Herb's projects. The vocals (Toby Hawkins) were pilloried by just about everyone but the album has some solid tracks, notably Blacktongue and Skin.
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Jul 21, 2014 22:34
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Apparently I like all the lovely Primus. Antipop and Brown album and John the Fisherman are my favorite Primus works. Then again, I also hate all their prog-rock weird poo poo. I guess I am an edge case. I also think Brain is a much better drummer than Herb. I saw them live in 2012 maybe and it was an hour long jam session with 'too many puppies' somewhere in the middle. I will never go to see Primus live again.
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Jul 22, 2014 07:04
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Maybe this thread will really get going: classic line-up releasing a new album and touring. It's a tribute to Willy Wonka. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/classic-primus-lineup-reunites-for-wild-willy-wonka-album-tour-candy-20140729
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Jul 29, 2014 15:27
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Henchman of Santa posted:Maybe this thread will really get going: classic line-up releasing a new album and touring. It's a tribute to Willy Wonka. This sounds incredible. I gotta find out when tickets go on sale, I haven't seen Primus live in over 10 years. Hopefully Herb has a speedy recovery .
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Jul 30, 2014 01:19
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Pre-sale for this tour is on now. No Canada dates. 
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Jul 30, 2014 04:24
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Holy poo poo a good band is coming to Biloxi. I'm pretty excited for this. Primus used to be one of my absolute favorite bands and I still rate them highly. If nothing else I expect a memorable show. Also, no love for "American Life"? It and "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers" are my favorites from Sailing the Seas of Cheese.
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Jul 31, 2014 08:29
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I was never huge on American Life but TDBCT is a favorite of mine.
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Jul 31, 2014 14:00
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I really enjoyed Oysterhead at the time (2004) but it's been a while since I've gone back and revisited it. However my stand out track for that album is probably "The Army's On Ecstacy": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO2SDulPfJU
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Jul 31, 2014 19:58
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Seen Primus live many times 3 x Pork Soda tour 2 x Tales from the Punchbowl tour 1 x when they returned before the Green Naugahyde album They turned to poo poo on the Brown Album and never recovered. Now they are doing a loving willy wonka album?? Frizzle Fry is the best album they have done I agree with the OP but they have so many great songs on their earlier albums. Having just a bass, guitar and drums is about as pure as you can get. Just listening to the different parts weave in an out of each other, taking turns with the solo and rhythm portions. Can literately get lost on each instrument. Perfect example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNGpNP6qud0 Probably their most sickest song is this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXm507UtZTo
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Aug 8, 2014 03:21
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Anybody going to Riot Fest will get Danny Carey on drums, which is actually pretty awesome.
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Aug 15, 2014 13:13
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The NY Times is streaming the Willy Wonka tribute. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?artist=Primus&album=Primus%20amp%20The%20Chocolate%20Factory It's weird and I like it. It makes me think that Primus could have contributed music to the current season of American Horror Story. I never thought I would hear Les Claypool singing the Oompa Loompa songs.
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Oct 14, 2014 18:48
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Fun Times! posted:The NY Times is streaming the Willy Wonka tribute. I had no idea that the New York Times ever did album streams, but I'm gonna check it out later. After initially being excited about this upcoming tour it turns out I'm moving to Chicago before it hits Detroit, and it's a rare tour that hits the latter but not the former.
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Oct 14, 2014 19:30
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