The vast majority of reviewers can generally agree on one word to describe Primus - weird. Formed in San Francisco, California, USA in 1984 by Les Claypool (born 29 September 1963), ex-member of Blind Illusion, seven drummers passed through before Tim "Herb" Alexander settled in shortly before the band recorded their debut.
Musically, they are highly talented and original, mixing funk, punk, thrash, metal and rock in their own intense manner, once described by Claypool as "psychedelic polka". Claypool and Alexander produce quirky, sometimes hypnotic rhythms, accentuating each other's playing, while former Joe Satriani pupil Lalonde creates and colours within the framework, although his playing owes more to Frank Zappa than to that of his old teacher.
Claypool's vocals lean towards cartoonish narrative, with lyrics of a suitably abstract and humorous nature, drawing from both life and his film and literary influences. A common theme to all their albums is marine life, reflecting the band's passion for sea-fishing (they have played with fish-shaped covers on their vocal microphones).
The band's 1989 debut, Suck On This, was a self-financed live set successfully released on their own Prawn Song label, and much of the material was to feature on Frizzle Fry, an independent studio release that won them a Bay Area Music Award and, helped by touring with Faith No More, Jane's Addiction, 24-7 Spyz and Living Colour, a major recording contract with Intersc.....
