This experience was very early on in my musical adventures, I admit that I was a late bloomer in this regard and had, and still have, a lot of ground to cover. I was also in my "I want to play a guitar" phase, which failed miserably. During this period I had a friend who played bass (and I hope she still does, she was pretty good) who was a Primus fan, she lent me a well worn tape of Frizzle Fry. From that moment forward there was no turning back, I could be counted among the Primus faithful.
As I take a tour through Primus of years past I cannot help but wonder how they were ever signed to a major label in the first place, much less lasted long enough to generate enough songs for a greatest hits compilation. This has nothing to do with me not liking them, I adore them and what they brought to music. It is just that Les Claypool and his compatriots are just plain weird. They do not follow trends, they march to the beat of a different drummer. They take a different perspective on things like melody, rhythm, song structure, and they stretch the boundaries of music as art. They are not a pop commodity, yet they found a niche in the market where they have thrived, giving them a place to ply their practice.
Kicking off the second trilogy of full length albums are three from Tales from the Punchbowl, featuring the funky, jazzy, progressive epic "Over the Electric Grapevine." An overlooked track here is "Mrs. Blaileen," but there isn't enough room for all of our favorites. Next is a pair from my least favorite album from the Primus Catalog, The Brown Album, although it does have the quite good "Shake Hands with Beef." Closing out the final major release is "Coattails of a Dead Man" from Antipop, a fictionalized take of the Courtney Love/Kurt Cobain story, and an amazing listen. To chime in with another overlooked favorite, I love 'Lacquer Head." Perhaps I should put together my own Best of Primus?
Zingers finishes its lengthy run with "Mary the Ice Cube" from the DVD/CD EP Animals Should Not try to Act Like People. Not really one of my favorites, but still an interesting song with plenty to like. While I don't love everything that Primus has done, there is a lot to like about just about everything they have released.
If you like Primus, I have to recommend that you check out some of Les Claypool's other projects like The Holy Mackerel, The Frog Brigade, and Oysterhead (with Phish's Trey Anastasio and The Police's Stewart Copeland). Even better, try to see him live, I did so earlier this year and it was quite an experience.
Before closing, I must comment on the packaging. It is a clever plastic wrap designed to look like a package of individually packaged cheese slices, right down to the way the label is shown. I like it, but I also don't like it. They did a similar thing on The Brown Album, the songs are on the wrapper, so when you rip it off, you are left with a jewel case that looks like cheese with no information or tracklisting. I would at least like to have the tracklisting on the back.
Bottomline. This is a great summary of Primus' illustrious band, and which Claypool says "was never supposed to accomplish the kind of things we accomplished." They have definitely left a mark, and continue to leave one on the music world. A collection like this usually marks the end of band, but something tells me we have not heard the last of Primus. Get this album, whether you are an old fan, or one of the curious, it is well worth the money and the time to listen.
Highly Recommended.
1 comments:
Noticed your passing comment about Warren Zevon. You might be interested to know that there's a campaign to get Warren into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the effort to keep his music alive (yeah, I know, but it's the only RnR HoF we've got!). You can link to a petition that you sign with your mouse at www.warrenzevon.com. Also, next May Warren's ex-wife, Crystal Zevon, will have a bio, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon," published by HarperCollins/ECCO. Warren asked her to write it when he was diagnosed, and it will have EVERYTHING in it.
Post a Comment