I’ve loved Primus since I found out they were going to be the support band to a Rush gig I went to back in 1992. As I did back then, I decided to investigate the band before the gig as I prefer to try and enjoy the support band, rather than frequenting the bar, whilst they play. They were touring in support of their classic “Sailing The Seas of Cheese” album and although they were an artist who had to “grow on you” I found that they did and that they were also the musical equivalent of marmite. Fans of the band were almost rabid in their devotion whilst the non-believers felt this was the worst noise that you’d ever heard.īeing honest, if you forced me to sell Primus to you, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Their singer is - at best – poor you can’t really say that they have written many great songs and they’re prone to the odd bit of wackiness that confounds even us fans (Hail Santa from their “Pork Soda” album being a great case in point). Despite this, to me, they’re an eminently listenable mix of rock, funk, pop, metal, jazz and a myriad of other styles into the bargain. This trio are all very accomplished players and I think the quality of their playing is the major attraction for me. It also helps that they have a very strange sense of humour and make me laugh a bit too. One of my claims to fame was that their drummer “Tim “Herb” Alexander recording the first three Primus albums using the same model of drum kit that I owned some years later. Guitarist Larry “Ler” Lalonde is criminally under-rated and the line-up is completed by bass player and aforementioned poor singer Les Claypool.
As is a habit of mine, I’m going to nick a line from someone else – a live reviewer once said of Claypool: he doesn’t so much as play bass as reinvent its possibilities.
He failed an audition for Metallica because he was too good…… Les is a unique talent both in creating different sounds as well as in technique. To finish the quick history of Primus: Alexander left after their 4th album and was replaced by one time Guns ‘n’ Roses drummer Brian “Brain” Mantia who lasted two albums before the band split.
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