MISCELLANEOUS DEBRIS

You wouldn't know it, but Primus has an eclectic range of influences and this album (and Rhinoplasty from 1998) is a dedication and a veneration to the artists that made Primus who they are. Although it is ridiculously short (not even reaching twenty minutes) there are some really cool renditions of some really great pieces by some really great bands here. It's not the best album, mind you, it's not even close to a masterpiece, but some of the pieces here really are fantastic renditions.

Opening with the superb Peter Gabriel track Intruder (off of his third solo album), from the get go I was captivated. It's really a nice rendition, although Claypool's vocals aren't as superb as Gabriel's and the sound isn't as full as the original (or even the live versions) version recorded by Peter Gabriel all those years ago. Making Plans for Nigel is a song from XTC, and while it's not a great song to begin with, they try their best to make it work. Sinister Exaggerator is an old Residents song (they would also have two Residents songs as a bonus on their reissue of Frizzle Fry). It's a zany piece and it's pretty good, but I'm not so sure about this one. Tippi Toes is a song from the group The Meters. . The EP ends with Pink Floyd's Have a Cigar, Claypool and co. doing their best to do justice on the original, and although there are some altered lyrics and LeLonde's solo is a bit underwhelming at points (especially towards the end where it seems to fade off into nowhere), it's a pretty solid cover with a terrific bass performance from Claypool.

In the end, Miscellaneous Debris is not a bad album, but it's not great, it's too short, and most of the songs are ok at best. Thankfully the opener and closer were fantastic songs to begin with so I liked those right from the get go. If you like Peter Gabriel and want to hear interesting renditions of his pieces, you may like this album (along with Rhinoplasty, which has The Family and The Fishing Net on it), same goes with Pink Floyd fans. Me? I wasn't terribly impressed but at least two of the songs really captivated me. 2.5/5.

Covers, with the Primus style!

When I was younger I used to listen a lot to Primus, I considered them as one of the most original bands I've ever listened, I still think they are original, they have their own sound and style. Back in 1992 they released an EP named "Miscellaneous Debris" which consists in only five tracks, five covers of some of the bands that influenced them and maybe helped them having that mentioned original sound.

So Claypool, LaLonde and Alexander took these five songs and converted them to Primus' songs, I mean it is evident that there are covers, but Primus managed to leave their own style there, so you will not listen to plain copies of those tracks.

This album opens with a Peter Gabriel song, "Intruder" was the selected piece among his repertoire. The sound is pretty cool, it is raw and strong, the vocals of course have nothing to do with Gabriel, but covers are not made to compare, but to enjoy the different band's versions. I liked it since the first time I listened to it, the bass sound is not that memorable as other Primus songs, but it is great anyway.

Next is "Making Plans for Nigel", an XTC cover. This is another cool track that wanted to represent both sides, the XTC and Primus ones, I believe they succeeded again with this tribute, however after a couple of minutes you may get bored because of its constant repetition.

"Sinister Exaggeration" is original by The Residents, but well covered and elaborated by Primus, I love the bass sound and the capacity they had to create that sinister atmosphere, the vocals this time also help a lot.

"Tippi-Toes" is a short song original by Meters, despite it is only one minute and a half of length, you can enjoy this gentle track, that bass is pretty cool. And the album closes with a Pink Floyd song, "Have a Cigar" was a great selection because first of all this is a wonderful song, and secondly, the version Primus did is actually great, here I have to mention that I love the drums work, after praising Claypool's bass, I believe it is necessary to recognize the other member's work, because the created nice tributes here.

Now, I will tell you that I enjoy listening to this EP, I enjoy Primus covering some interesting songs, however, these 18 minutes left me asking for more, I would have loved to listen to a couple of tracks more. And despite musically I would rate it with three stars, I honestly think that this album should be only for those who already know, and like the band, mostly for fans, so my final grade will be two stars. If you want to know Primus, then get some of their studio albums.

Enjoy it!