PRIMUS BAND PAGE
 PRIMUS
|
CURRENT NAME
|
Primus |
|
FORMER NAMES
|
- |
|
ORIGIN
|
USA |
|
STATUS
|
Active |
|
FORMED IN
|
- |
|
LABEL
|
Interscope Records |
|
GENRE
|
Metal |
|
STYLE
|
- |
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LYRICAL THEME
|
- |
|
BAND ADDED
|
2004-03-31, 00:00 |
|
LAST UPDATE
|
2004-03-31, 00:00 |
Primus is all about Les Claypool; there isn't a moment on
any of their records where his bass isn't the main focal point of the
music, with his vocals acting as a bizarre side-show. Which isn't to deny
guitarist Larry LaLonde or drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander any credit; no
drummer could weave in and around Claypool's convoluted patterns as
effortlessly as Alexander, and few guitarists would willingly push the
spotlight away, like LaLonde does, just to can produce a never-ending
spiral of avant-noise. All of this means that they are miles away from
being another punk-funk combo like the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Claypool may
slap and pop his bass, but there is little funk in the rhythm he and
Alexander lay down. Instead, they're a post-punk Rush spiked with the
sensibility and humor of Frank Zappa. Primus' songs are secondary to
showcasing their instrumental prowess. Their music is willfully weird and
experimental, yet it's not alienating; the band was able to turn the!
ir goofy weirdness into pop stardom. At first, the band was strictly an
underground phenomenon, but in the years between their third and fourth
albums, their cult grew rapidly. 1991's Sailing the Seas of Cheese went
gold shortly before the release of Pork Soda. By the time of the
album's 1993 release, Primus had enough devoted fans to make Pork Soda debut
in the Top Ten. After touring for a year — including a headlining spot
on Lollapalooza 1993 — Claypool revived his Prawn Song record label in
1994 and released a reunion record by Primus' original lineup under the
name Sausage. In the summer of 1995, Primus released their fifth album,
Tales From the Punch Bowl. It was another success, going gold before
the end of the year. In the summer of 1996, Primus announced they were
parting ways with their drummer, Tim Alexander. He was replaced by Brian
"Brain" Mantia, who made his debut on The Brown Album, which was
released in the summer of 1997. The covers EP Rhinoplasty followed !
in 1998, and a year later, Primus returned with Antipop. Antipop was a
departure from previous Primus albums, as different producers were used
on almost each track (including such notables as Rage Against the
Machine's Tom Morello, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Tom Waits, South Park
creator Matt Stone, and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland) and it
featured such guest artists as Metallica's James Hetfield and former Faith
No More guitarist Jim Martin. After a supporting tour wrapped up in
2000, Mantia left the band to join Guns N' Roses. Claypool talked about
reuniting with former drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander in the press, but
shortly afterward announced that Primus was going on indefinite hiatus.
During the ensuing break, Claypool focused on recording the debut album by
his side project, Oyster Head (who also included Copeland and Phish
guitarist Trey Anastasio), as well as releasing his two-part solo outing,
Live Frogs: Set 1 and Set 2.
| Session musicians Add - Fetch |
| Unknown / none |
