Primus studio albums poll

brief previous thread on the subject: Where should i start with Primus?

Really tough for me, tbh.

Pork Soda is about half the best songs they ever wrote and half total filler. Frizzle Fry has all their best ideas and the best energy. Sailing The Seas Of Cheese is probably their most cohesive using the album format.

I haven't revisited these in a loooong time, as I've found they don't hold up as well as a lot of the other bands I adored back then but still play all the time like comfort food (Melvins, Faith No More, Helmet, etc)

also, their greatest hits album is called "they can't all be zingers" which is awesome

Haven't listened to Primus in so long. I feel like there's something missing from these options?
I guess not. I used to really like Frizzle Fry.
But if I was going to revisit this vibe, I'd probably listen to the Sausage record.

i haven't heard any of these in ages because all the CDs were my brother's, but i have kind of equally warm feelings towards all of them except Antipop. am leaning towards Punchbowl because i liked the kind of relaxed jammy feel of it and it seems like when people rep for a later record it's usually The Brown Album.

had a funny moment a few weeks ago hanging out a hip DIY loft type space in Baltimore waiting for some artsy fartsy might-have-been-chillwave-if-i-knew-what-that-was bands to start playing and someone in one of the back bedrooms was blasting Seas of Cheese.

might-have-been-chillwave-if-i-wasn't-engaged-in-the-art-of-pretend-uncool

jeez man sorry it's just the kind of thing where nobody how much i hear about it i don't really understand what it is to the degree that i can identify it

nobody = no matter

My brother, who is 16 years old right now, just got into these guys. He called me to tell me, "I think 'Wynona's Big Brown Beaver' is about female genitalia." This is the same kid who called me to tell me when he got his first ball hairs. Important updates.

They are responsible for me getting into the Residents & XTC, so that's great.

the consensus is right: Frizzle Fry without hesitation.

i think Deerhoof owns them something.

They are responsible for me getting into the Residents & XTC, so that's great.

― Walter Melon (Abbott), Sunday, April 25, 2010 3:00 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Same here! And Tom Waits too!

my old college roommate/bandmate/bro played bass and was a huge Primus nerd, i feel like i should call him up and ask him what to vote for in this

i pretty much learned to play drums to primus records, so you can actually listen to the p4rts and l4bor albums and hear the Tim Alexander influence even in my old age

I remember when The Brown Album got like a zero in Metal Hammer or whatever and I was like 'You dudes don't know what you're talkin' about.'

wtf were you doing reading metal hammer?

When I worked at Taco Bell in high school, we closed every night listening to either "Frizzle Fry" or Rob Zombie's "Hellbilly Deluxe," which I think were the only two albums the manager owned. Consequently both of these albums give me mad flashbacks to pulling pieces of chalupa shell out of the fat fryer.

Seas of Cheese....

wtf were you doing reading metal hammer?

I was 17! We all do stupid things at that age. Buying The Brown Album was one of the few that wasn't.

I also discovered the Minutemen that year - opened up a lot of new doors, let me tell you.

Minutemen, the Primus it's OK to like ;)

I never even listened to the Brown album or Antipop, and Punchbowl wasn't exactly stellar. There's much to love on the first three (and the covers EP), though. "My Name is Mud" still pops through my head on a regular basis, and when I'm drinking I sometimes try to reenact Tom Waits' parts of "Tommy the Cat."

I remember being really into "Frizzle Fry," and I was psyched when Primus toured with Fishbone in '91 or '92 or so. But I remember being really disappointed by "Pork Soda" (though Beavis and Butthead approved), and I never heard anything the band did after that (mostly because Brain was no sub. for Herb). Saw them live once or twice at festivals post "Soda" and it just didn't click. Maybe I'll revisit the first two tomorrow.

Why did Primus stop being a "cool" band. I remember Spin would put them in the year-end best-of lists and CMJ/college radio gave them mad props; and then at some point they just became a band that dorks like

"cool" meaning "approved by critics and tastemakers" not "popular"

probably when KoRn and the Bizkit became the torch bearers for the more funk and metal-tinged side of modern rock. but let's be real they were always pretty dorky.

Probably because they were never meant to be popular. Like Rush (writ small, and a whole lot weirder), Primus (like many of its points of reference, Rush being one of them) excelled as the underdog ("Primus sucks!") but was unwilling or unable to make the compromises needed to stay on the mainstream radar. Makes me wonder what would have happened to Metallica had the band not followed " ... And Justice for All" with the black album and instead went the other direction.

trying to think of what other bands i'd routinely see on 120 Minutes AND Headbanger's Ball besides Primus -- Alice In Chains, Faith No More, maybe Soundgarden

trying to think of what other bands i'd routinely see on 120 Minutes AND Headbanger's Ball

these are all my fave bands of the time, imho

also, Nirvana, Helmet, Tool, Clutch, Prong, etc

I remember when Headbangers and 120 were playing "Counterfeit," the first single by a new band called Limp Bizkit and that's right where I got off that train. I really felt pressured to like them!

i think 120 would also occassionally play Sepultura's Roots album when they got all weird Brazilian nu-metal. Shit was cash

Also, some dude, all my fave bands right now are kind of the ones that would be walking that 120/Headbangers line if it still existed and if they were more famous--Torche, Made Out Of Babies, Pissed Jeans, Big Business, Helms Alee, Isis, etc...

so some things never change i guess?

oh yeah Tool and Prong definitely

i remember only seeing Candlebox's first video on the Ball, and then their label kinda realized "oh shit they're from Seattle" and the next video got the big 120 Mins/Alternative Nation push

yeah i know what you mean. it's sad that rocking the fuck out became so uncool.

hah, I really don't know why I never really clicked with Helmet considering the varying degrees of how well I groove with Tool, Faith No More, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and really everyone you guys initially listed except Clutch (of whom I've never heard) (sorry I just did a flyer for a college alumni thing and am feeling grammar-conscious)

I just started playing Frizzle Fry in the car last week; first time I'd played the album in about 14 years. It's so awesome.

There actually was a show that walked this line from 1994-1996 called SUPEROCK on MTV that pretty much figured out exactly what me and my best friend Tim were into and just played a steady stream of Faith No More, Primus and Cypress Hill.

wonder how many people will vote Antipop to be contrarian....

haha did you guys get SUPEROCK too? The euro version was presented by a german model who had no idea about alternative/metal.

that sounds vaguely familiar but i don't have any firm memories of it (the one time in the '90s that i didn't have cable at all for a year or two was around 94/95, so i have all these blind spots of things that were popular then that i didn't really hear til later).

Like Rush (writ small, and a whole lot weirder), Primus (like many of its points of reference, Rush being one of them) excelled as the underdog ("Primus sucks!") but was unwilling or unable to make the compromises needed to stay on the mainstream radar.

Coincidentally, the only time I ever saw Primus was as an opener for Rush in 1992. I was in NERD HEAVEN. (I saw the Pixies open for U2 the following night. I was in COOL HEAVEN.)

Ok, I'm pulling Frizzle Fry off my pile of CDs to get rid of for a nostalgic spin.

voted frizzle fry, but would have voted for anything other than Brown Album (which i FUCKING HATE) and antipop (which i have never really listened to).

i do not have any idea why these dudes have become all whipping post embarraso-rock over the last however many years. i fucking love the early shit, and the live shows were all O_O. pitch perfect thieves cover at first avenue the day after sailing the seas of cheese got released where the entire ground floor turned into a pit is one of my favorite concert memories ever.

also HI DERE, i can make you a helmet mp3 mix if you want to reconsider

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'm gonna vote Frizzle Fry, though I first saw these guys live supporting Seas of Cheese (and with Tad as their opener; fucking awesome show). Saw 'em again a year or so later with Fishbone, then kinda tuned out 'cause I liked the covers EP but hated Pork Soda. Interviewed Claypool (for Metal Hammer!) when Antipop came out, and met him in person years later when he visited the Relix offices. Swell guy.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Can't really argue with the top three, but Tales from the Punchbowl definitely deserved more votes than The Brown Album. Come to think of it, so did Antipop.

Listening to Frizzle Fry at the moment and damn is it good. Has aged rather better than I expected. Not paying attention to the lyrics as anything but sound helps a great deal.

The drummer used to come in to my work. Cool guy, not too vocal.

always wanted to like these guys more than i did. i remember frizzle fry and seas of cheese fondly. kind of quit paying attn around "winona's big brown beaver" (pork soda).

(pork soda?)

"Winona" was on Tales From The Punchbowl iirc.

i was really bummed that Whiney got banned while this poll was going, i wanted him to post here more. maybe i'll do a Primus singles poll?

I really like this, esp the cello player guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ANqA2-KzZQ

i remember liking frizzle fry in college, and I think there was one before that too. the playing on that disc was great, but les claypool, even for a budding prog nerd, became a bit much to take.

anyone else listen to Green Naugahyde? i like it more than i ever expected to enjoy a non-Herb/non-Brain album but still have very mixed feelings about it.

I liked it more than I expected too, even if its not great. Its a Primus album for the most part, pretty much par for the course I'd say, even with the new guys. Its funny though, how color-by-number their albums can be, even this far into their career, - epic song about fishing? Check. Social commentary with questionable pun lyrics? Check. Song about someone being on drugs? Check.

i was actually kind of impressed me how much it had its own tenor and production style distinct from their older albums, didn't feel like as much of a rehash of usual Claypool tics as i feared

True, I was speaking more in terms of the formula for their songs. Claypool's bass sounds quite a bit different this time around and I think that is what makes it sound a little fresh.

It sounds like Antipop with a drummer who plays too much fucking hi-hat. Yall are tripping balls.

its like they got Lex Luger to produce Jay Lane's hats

tripping balls in what sense? it's not like either of us are raving about how great it is

PRIMUS, GREEN NAUGAHYDE

i like it... i was actually kind of impressed
— ILX poster some dude

I liked it... a little fresh
— ILX poster jon/via/chi

you know, you could just say "I don't like it as much as you guys and here's why" instead of coming in here with all the "YOU'RE SO WRONG" bluster. just a thought.

stop being so wrong all the time and i won't have to

because i had low expectations and decided to focus on what i found surprising about it instead of just grousing about it not being as good as Sailing The Seas? i mean jeez i'm going off one listen and trying to make conversation, sorry i wasn't as offended by the hi-hats as you.

I mean, i had to review this so i already thought too much about it, but since you asked

A) the basslines ara all wack, macho nu-metal aping Antipop blappy blap blap blap
B) Larry is barely on the fucking album beyond doing those Andy Summers downbeats, so it has none of the Zappa/Residents noise than made Seas Of Cheese and Pork Soda great
C) Les mentions Octomom and there's like TWO songs about reality tv, give me a fuckin break
D) Jay Lane is riding that hi-hat like it owes him money

it's been a long time since i subjected myself to Antipop but it definitely didn't remind me of that in any particular way.

the current events lyrics are definitely super embarrassing

Basically it sounds like Les and Jay wrote some Bootsycore stomp-grooves and then Larry showed up for an hour to record.

Basically it sounds like Les and Jay wrote some Bootsycore stomp-grooves and then Larry showed up for an hour to record.

i hope my explanations are satisfactory to be admitted into the some dude university of critical thought and society of practical internet posting

yeah, good point, you weren't being unnecessary adversarial at all, you're obviously totally laid back

although tbf i don't think i've ever heard a record and thought "too much hi-hat" so that might be my blind spot

I tried to listen to Antipop as little as possible, so I'm not sure how much I'd trust myself to compare any Primus record to it.

yeah, exactly. i like that the feel of this is a little muddy and rough around the edges, though, if i had to compare it to anything it'd be the Brown Album (although that comparison is too generous).

I listened to Antipop A LOT when I was 19, so I think I'm p qualified to make the distinction

then you're also not qualified to tell people who are giving an inferior later Primus album a chance that they're tripping balls!

This band is essentially for guys who secretly didn't want to stop watching Nickelodeon when they got to middle school, so by all means keep arguing but you're both nerds.

"both sides of the argument are nerds" is not some kind of shattering truth bomb around here, asiago cheese bagel

fair point, regular guy.

Don't know why this band never came up when people were recommending things similar to Butthole Surfers because I got Pork Soda and there's a few things on here quite a lot like them, loving the lyrics