Primus (band)

:For other uses, see Primus.

Band Biography

Primus began as Primate in the mid 1980s with Claypool, Todd Huth, and Jay Lane. They formed in El Sobrante, California. After rising to local music scene stardom with their brand of funk/metal fusion, Huth and Lane left in 1989 to pursue other projects. Claypool recruited metal guitarist LaLonde and eclectic drummer Alexander, and Primus soon gained even greater popularity by dint of their live concerts. To counter this popularity the group released their first album, the live recorded Suck on This, on Claypool's independent Prawn Song label.

Related Topics:
1980s - Todd Huth - Jay Lane - El Sobrante, California - 1989 - Suck on This - Prawn Song

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A year later the band relased their first studio album, Frizzle Fry also on Prawn Song. They also made their first music video for "John The Fisherman", which managed to appear on MTV, "Too Many Puppies" became somehwat popular as well. With a music video and a studio album, Primus's popularity grew, to the point where they attracted attention from Interscope Records, who signed them in 1990.

Related Topics:
Frizzle Fry - Prawn Song - MTV - Interscope Records - 1990

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Primus's major label debut was Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, which was a sensation. The band gained many new fans, due much to the release of the band's first single "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver", which stormed the airwaves and MTV. A second single and video was released later for "Tommy The Cat" (recycled from Suck On This, with a guest vocal by Tom Waits) which furthered the bands ever growing popularity. The band also appeared in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and made music for Beavis & Butthead. With a major label behind them, Sailing The Seas Of Cheese went gold.

Related Topics:
Sailing The Seas Of Cheese - MTV - Suck On This - Tom Waits - Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey - Beavis & Butthead

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After the release of Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, in 1992 Primus released a cover song EP Miscellaneous Debris, with their version of XTC's "Making Plans For Nigel" managing to break airwaves.

Related Topics:
Sailing The Seas Of Cheese - 1992 - Cover song - EP - Miscellaneous Debris - XTC

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Then in 1993, Primus released their all time best selling album Pork Soda, the album was highly anticipated, and debuted on the Billboard Top 10, with singles like "My Name Is Mud", "DMV", and "Mr. Krinkle" backing it, it was critically acclaimed and made their audience grow even more. The album itself was somewhat darker than previous Primus efforts, especially with "Bob" a song about suicide. And "My Name Is Mud" involved murder, and "Nature Boy" stressed threats to the enviornment.

Related Topics:
1993 - Pork Soda - Billboard Top 10

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In 1994 Primus headlined Lollapolooza, an alternative rock festival they still reguarly perform in. They even made an appearance at 1994's Woodstock Music Festival where they performed their hit "My Name is Mud" and were pelted with mud. It was clear that Primus-mania was everywhere, and the band was churning out material. In the previous four years they had released three albums, an EP, five music videos, and a home video.

Related Topics:
1994 - Lollapolooza - Alternative rock - Woodstock Music Festival

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During a lull in 1994, the original Primus lineup of Claypool, Huth, and Lane reunited to record Riddles Are Abound Tonight under the band name Sausage. Among the pre-Primus Primus songs they recorded were "Temporary Phase", "The Toys Go Winding Down", and "Prelude to Fear". The video to the eponymous song "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" - featuring the band in blue full body leotards performing on a gilded, tiered platform on stationary bicycles -was the impetus for Beavis's Cornholio character when it appeared on Beavis and Butt-head.

Related Topics:
1994 - Riddles Are Abound Tonight - Sausage - Beavis

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Primus' nonstop schedule of shows had an ill effect on the band. This was obvious in the content of their previous album Pork Soda, which as was mentioned earlier, was darker than previous efforts. In 1995 Primus relesed their fifth album, Tales from the Punchbowl, which is considered to be the band's most bizarre effort, with a style that bordered on that of jam bands. They even recorded a song about road trips on LSD.

Related Topics:
Pork Soda - 1995 - Tales from the Punchbowl - Jam band - LSD

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This album also contained Primus's most popular song and most sucesful single, "Wyonna's Big Brown Beaver", which managed to break into popular radio, and featured a video with the band members dressed up as cowboys. The song was preformed on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien's shows. It was supported by the less successful single "Southbound Pachyderm."

Related Topics:
David Letterman - Conan O'Brien

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Alexander left the band in 1996 due to creative differences and was replaced by Brian "Brain" Mantia of Limbomaniacs and Praxis. Mantia was one of the many original drummers Claypool auditioned for Primus before settling with Alexander - Mantia bowed out before because of a foot injury.

Related Topics:
1996 - Brian "Brain" Mantia - Limbomaniacs - Praxis

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With Mantia aboard, Primus was asked in 1997 to compose the thirty second theme song to South Park after the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone professed to be big fans. By this time, bands that were influenced by Primus' bottom-heavy rock - such as Tool, Ko?n, and Limp Bizkit - were having their heydey, and despite the ubiquity of "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver", Tales From the Punchbowl was otherwise their most esoteric album and in later years Claypool expressed dissatisfaction with it.

Related Topics:
South Park - Trey Parker - Matt Stone - Tool - Ko?n - Limp Bizkit

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1997's disappointing Brown Album was a departure from previous Primus material because of its crude production values and more straightforward song structure. Tom Waits names it as his favorite Primus album, though most true fans openly hated it. Commercially it did not do as well as previous efforts, singles "Shake Hands With Beef" and "Over The Falls" flopped.

Related Topics:
1997 - Brown Album - Tom Waits

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Antipop was released in 1999, and was the first album to feature heavy imput from outside musicians and producers. The band toured with Ozzfest and released a video for "Lacquerhead" that was banned from MTV because of its drug content, even though it was an anti-drug song. The album met with limited success and in the year 2000, Primus went on indefinite hiatus.

Related Topics:
Antipop - 1999 - 2000

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In the interim, Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry and performed with Blue Man Group, A Perfect Circle, and Born Naked, among others. Claypool explored the jam band scene with Oysterhead and his own Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. He also collaborated with Mantia in Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. LaLonde joined Mantia to produce two experimental No Forcefield records, and tried unsuccessfully to start a recording studio.

Related Topics:
Laundry - Blue Man Group - A Perfect Circle - Born Naked - Jam band - Oysterhead - Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade - Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains - No Forcefield

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In late 2003 Claypool reunited with original Primus drummer Tim Alexander and guitarist Larry LaLonde to record a DVD/EP called Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, which Claypool described as the first DVD with supplementary music, as opposed to the contrary. The band staged a two month tour in which they performed two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety. 2004 saw them continue touring, and even performing their 1990 release Frizzle Fry in its entirety. For these two tours, the band sold recordings directly recorded from the sound-board online, following an example of other bands such as Phish. The performance in Chicago was video taped as well, and was released on the 'Hallucino-Genetics' Live DVD.

Related Topics:
2003 - Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People - Phish

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On July 19, 2005, it was announced that Primus was going to release a new full-length album by spring of 2006 with an international tour in the works as well. This marks the first full-length Primus album since 1999's Antipop, and the first full-length album with Alexander on the drums since 1995's Tales From the Punchbowl.

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