Primus or Radiohead?

I can't stand Primus... funky, slappin' bass lines don't make music.... Odd rhythms don't make music.... A weird singer doesn't make music.... MUSIC makes music....Radiohead has much more of that.... Primus is the showing-off band of the alternative crowd....

i love them both

Radiohead

Radiohead is amazing, and albums from OK Computer to Amnesiac are as prog as you can get.

Primus... good musicians but it's all samey, and silly not in a good way... doesn't grab me, and certainly not as prog as Radiohead.

Simple... Radiohead is my favorite prog band, Primus is not (neither my favorite nor prog). There's really no comparison between the two. As far as progressiveness, Radiohead has it hands down.

radiohead.  Primus lost their touch after Tales from the Punchbowl

The T wrote: Sorry if this offends anyone but to me Primus is like a technical, "progressive" version of WeirdAlYancovic-meets-ThePresidentsofTheUnitedStates...

To think that Weird Al did a parody version of The Presidents "Lump" called "Gump."  More than The Presidents, Primus is reminiscent of The Residents (no parody required).

I happen to like the band's absurd sense of humour and enjoy the music (rather like I enjoy Zappa, though Zappa is much better).  I far prefer that to Radiohead's depressing attitude/ outlook.  Primus is fun.

But this isn't about favourite, it's about more progressive, so I won't vote based on which I like.  I will say that when I first heard Primus back in 1991 I recognised a proggishness about the band.  I can't say the same for when I first heard Radiohead (but that was during it's less Proggy days).  I've heard Radiohead's more proggy songs, and yet it still doesn't sound particularly Prog to my ear -- missing elements. 

I'd rather both be in Prog-Related (I think I'd still rather the band's categorical places be switched around than how it stands now).  I won't vote for my Primus preference (though I haven't listened to Primus' albums in many years).

Primus was strongly influenced by Prog artists, and it comes through right out of the starting gate (initial albums).  Radiohead is progressive and became more experimental, but to my ear it still has less of the adventurous spirit of Prog about it (to be really vague).  Primus wackiness actually scores points for me (but I'm not making an argument here, really).

Primus' founder Les Claypool has considerably more instrumental ability than any Radiohead artist too to my knowledge (and I think we generally expect a high level of musicianship in Prog).  I'll have to see some live-footage of both to judge from this angle as Radiohead's albums are so heavily produced.

I'm not about to take Radiohead seriously ( ! ) until the band does the theme song for South Park.

Edited by Logan - May 24 2007 at 13:28

Bj-1 wrote: Matt Dickens wrote: Primus sucks     So you like'em, eh?

Primus does indeed suck

The T wrote: I can't stand Primus... funky, slappin' bass lines don't make music.... Odd rhythms don't make music.... A weird singer doesn't make music.... MUSIC makes music....Radiohead has much more of that.... Primus is the showing-off band of the alternative crowd....

Actually all the things you listed make music.  Music doesn't make music, it is music and can not be created by its own self.  Radiohead had just as much music in them as Primus does.  Also Radiohead is the centerpiece of the alternative crowd incase you weren't aware.


You should have thought about these few things...

Thom Yorke is VERY weird.

Radiohead uses odd rhythms.

And Colin Greenwood has made plenty of funky basslines although he does not employ as much slapping and tapping as Les Claypool. 

Primus makes music they feel good about and comfortable with.  If they feel that making odd rhythms or soloing adds their creation thats fine! Its not like they're go off on 3 minutes solos that go nowhere.