Primus - Tales From the Punchbowl

The task: to explain to the uninitiated as well as those in the know what the new Primus record sounds like. Mission impossible. A discourse on quantum physics would probably make more sense. Weird, obviously, is a given. Reading Les Claypool's lyrics and listening to his Elmer Fudd vocals and indescribable slap-and-slash bass, one gets the sense that he's completely immersed in his own strange world. Though the album doesn't exclude the average listener (everyone is welcome!), those without an open mind will certainly feel as if they're missing the punch line of a particularly hilarious in-joke. Lovable and bizarre, Tales from the Punchbowl is a much fuller record than the band's previous release, Pork Soda. Guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander provide some of their finest work, and together this whack-assed trio deconstructs funk, prog rock, and metal into a neat little pile of junk that it reassembles into a variety of nutty musical caricatures. --Adem Tepedelen Amazon.com

Primus truely does suck

From the slap-bass to ear piercing drum beats, this a awesome record. I think I first heard this when I was 9. And ever since then I have been a hardcore fan of Les Claypool and anything he has done or will do. This album is a lot quirkier than other, but with songs such "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" and "Professor Nutbutter's House Of Treats" to the melodic "Southbound Pachyderm" and thumping "on The Tweek Again". October 9, 2007

For fans only

By this point the formula was set in stone. Not that Primus necessarily has a formula (how can one make an equation out of madness?), but their style was fixed and they seemed unwilling to bend or evolve from it. As a result, Primus began to become predictable around this point. Expect dissonant and buried guitar exercises hidden beneath whacked-out fretless bass playing and some nimble drumming carrying oddball rants and musings as delivered by that Elmer Fudd of vocalists known as Les Claypool.

Starts out very strong, with four very inspired numbers in the row, including the epic "Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats," the Chili Peppers-ish "Mrs. Blaileen," the moody and often low key "Southbound Pachyderm," and the groovy minor hit, "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver." Then they get lost. The expected interludes continue to bore and the jams they produce on the likes of "Year of the Parrot" and "Glass Sandwich" are too long and unfocused. And as for "On the Tweek Again," talk about lousy vocalizing spoiling an otherwise strong bass line. The early stuff makes it a definite buy for fans, but a highly uneven second half spoils this effort, making it passable at best for anyone else.

Best cuts: "Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats," "Mrs. Blaileen," "Southbound Pachyderm," "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver," "Hellbound," "Over the Electric Grapevine" September 11, 2007

CAREFUL! THERE ARE 2 VERSIONS!!!

Yes, it's true. This album is unfortunately not nearly as good as the previous 3 Primus albums due to its inconsistency, but it still has some pretty damn good songs. I'm not sure exactly what was happening with Primus during the recording of this album, but it would lead to Tim "Herb" Alexander leaving the band. The bass is heavy, the guitar is mind blowing and the drumming is always great. So what went wrong? There are many times on the album when the instruments just don't match up very well with each other, resulting in a few songs that seems to be missing some structure. The other problem is that on certain songs, Les Claypool's singing is sub par and brings the song down to the point where you say to yourself "if he had only decided to sing it a little differently, we'd have a Primus classic".

The first four songs are amazing (I especially stress the word amazing on the opening song, Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats). After that, something goes horribly wrong. The next 3 songs are duds (which includes the trademark Primus interlude) and after Hellbound (Them From) (Theme from what?) it's hit or miss from then on. The problem is that this album starts out great but then looses its initial spark pretty fast. However, if you a Primus fan, this album is worth getting for the few gems that can be found on it.

Now to go back to the title of this review, there are two versions of this album. The standard 1995 edition, and the 1996 re-release which is the enhanced version with videos when you stick it in your computer. I imagine that they re-released the album due to the success of Wynona's Big Brown Beaver. If you're going to get this album, get the 1996 re-release. Hoped this helped. January 5, 2007

flied up funk

I didn't take to this album at 1st hearing & the CD gathered dust for years. Then I loaded all my CDs onto my CPU & heard Tales again. Dang...Wow.... This is the best musicianship in existance outside of my Classical collection & it is better than quite a few ensembles.
I feel like I am a Southbound Pachyderm, when I jump into the sound.I travel in many directions,but since
pachyderms are thick-skinned and do not chew cud,
the title is apt.
How can you possibly choose a genre or classification for this conglomeration of complex music blending?
America is supposed to be the " mixing pot" of the world [except anyone wanting to mix is now a felon].
Primus is the "mixing pot" of American musical styles.
The hillbilly, backwoods jugband blends with sophisticated New York jazz and a nice splash of Funk and Soul. The sounds of R & B and New Orleans, country rock, thrash, punk, San Fran jazz.
All they need is a rapper and horns to cover it all.
[Man, would that be weird....]

Hellbound 17 1/2 & Del Davis Tree Farm move wonderfully.
I know everyone wants to know what the songs are about and they read the lyrics and question the sanity of that incredible bass holding Claypool. But,why?
Music is a journey. Let the sound take you somewhere & decide if you liked being in that place.
If you are in the right mood you can See Space Farm inside the groove. The music defines & constructs a place in your mind describing it with no words.
Sometimes I wish I could gag the boy, since some of the lyrics get in the way of the music.
But I still love him & I'll see him in a few weeks!

Do you like hardcore?
Thrash?
Punkabilly? [I think this is a definate category, so I made it up.]
Weirdness?
Bass-led grooves?
Funky jazz?

If yes, get this. If no, get this and start liking the above.

Music is life.

November 27, 2006

Primus at their most unconventional (3.5 stars)

Primus released Tales from the Punchbowl in 1995. The album would arguably be their most successful, reaching #4 on the Billboard charts and spawning their most famous track in "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver." The band was becoming more experimental with each release and Tales from The Punchbowl would show the band at their most unconventional. However, while previous albums such as Sailing the Seas of Cheese were very cohesive efforts, Tales from the Punchbowl feels like 3 EP's put together. The first four tracks are classic Primus. The opening "Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats" is killer as it builds into uncontrolled aggression before suddenly becoming a mellow jazz track and then returning to its original theme. "Mrs. Blaileen", a wicked tale about an outcast who commits murder, is the best song here and the music is just as hard hitting. "Southbound Pachyderm" is very moody with Les Claypool balancing his soft spoken vocals with rapid fire bass lines while Tim Alexander lays down a trancelike groove. The aforementioned "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" is the most straight forward track and is also very good. After this, it turns into an album of unfocused jams such as "Year of the Parrot", "Del Davis Tree Farm", and "Hellbound 17 ½." Then the album gets back on track with the twisted country ditty "De Anza Jig", the moody "On the Tweek Again", and "Over the Electric Grapevine", a great jam where guitarist Larry Lalonde provides a wide variety of sounds and textures over Alexander's kinetic march beat. All told, Tales from the Punch Bowl works about two-thirds of the time with the first four songs, especially "Mrs. Blaileen", being among their best work. July 24, 2006

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