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Primus - Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People CD (album) cover

ANIMALS SHOULD NOT TRY TO ACT LIKE PEOPLE

Primus

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combuddy@dsle
5 stars finally, justice is served as primus are now in the prog archives, but anyway... this dvd is a must own for any primus fan. it contains every video of theirs and is an awesome thing to watch. primus are not only a band that should be listened to, but also seen, and this dvd does great justice to the band. all the videos are unique in their own way and thats what makes them great. from the morbid humor in "lauqerhead" to the downright insanity in "mr. krinkle", this dvd shows a whole new side to primus. the EP with the same name is included when you buy this dvd (or rather, when you buy the EP this dvd is included). most of the videos included are rare (too many puppies, john the fisherman) or banned (lacquerhead, for its "violent content"). plus you can see the music video for their cover of "the devil went down to georgia" which is a great video and shows how they can cover a song and have it reflect the original song while primus' bizzare sense of humor is evident throughout the track.

what's great about this dvd is that you can whatch all the music videos in chronological order OR you can select what album you want from the main menu and see the videos released from the album PLUS live footage and home videos from that era! this dvd is a must for either the most seasoned primus fan or for the beggining primus-head. either way you'll love this.

Report this review (#43154)
Posted Wednesday, August 17, 2005 | Review Permalink
Cygnus X-2
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Along with the short EP consisting of five brand new songs, Primus added a DVD along with it. This DVD consists of all the Primus music videos from John the Fisherman all the way to The Devil Went Down to Georgia (included for the first time on this set). Now, if you're a fan of Primus then you'll definitely like this along with the cd set that came with it. If you're new to Primus, this album and DVD will introduce you to both the new and the old Primus (and some of the best songs from all of their albums up to this one). If you're not a fan of music videos, though, you'll probably be hard pressed to find any enjoyment out of this, though.

But there's more to this than music videos, too. On top of the videos, there is commentary for all the music videos as well as concert footage spanning all eras of Primus' career, a nice photo gallery and some great rare footage of pre-Suck on This Primus (with Todd Huth and Jay Lane and Tim Wright, who were both drummers and Lane replaced Wright). Also present are interviews with the band about their evolution and their entire history. Quite nice for those just getting into the group getting essentially a history lesson on the group.

In the end, when coupled with the cd portion of the EP, this DVD is rather nice, but it doesn't really stand well on its own in my opinion. I'd recommend this set (which includes the cd if you didn't get that by now) to those just getting into Primus mainly for the DVD because you'll get a nice crash course into the group. But for me, the seasoned fan, this was a more satisfying collection than the cd part. 4/5.

Report this review (#85807)
Posted Friday, August 4, 2006 | Review Permalink
Slartibartfast
COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
4 stars I used to know Primus as just this band that did weird videos on MTV that Beavis and Butthead made fun of and of course the band that did the South Park opening theme. Then I had the good fortune to catch Les Claypool's Frog Brigade on AOL radio's Progressive "station". This was my first venture into Primus territory and it hooked me. Claypool's vocals are an acquired taste, but the musicianship is solid. The CD stuff is a reunion of the original drummer, Tim Alexander, with Les and Larry LaLonde after Tim took a break from the band. Brain aka Brian Mantia.

It's got one short CD and one DVD. The DVD is packed with all their videos and some "bootleg" quality live stuff. If you don't get cracked up by Winona's Big Brown Beaver, you have no twisted sense of humor at all. Kind of like psychedelic/psychotic cowboy music. Really cool claymation work in Southbound Pachyderm. DMV, is the Department of Motor Vehicles only as bad as it is in the United States? I can certainly identify with the lyrics there. Also includes a Primus version of The Devil Went Down To Georgia. I don't think that one's shown up on any Primus CD. Let's face it Les vocal style is a little hickish, which is why it turns off so many of y'all. Look I grew up in the U.S. southeast and still live in Georgia. TDWDTG is a progressive country music piece, if there is such a thing. All the collected videos here are a great way to introduce yourself to this band. The best stuff however is the music which didn't make it to video. The opening track, The Carpenter and the Dainty Bride, bears a little resemblance musically to the South Park theme. "The grass is always greener on the other side."

Pilcher's Squad is an excellent RIO song. It's about an English police sergeant who went around busting musicians for drug use in 1968.

Mary the Ice Cube. How many odes to an ice cube to you have in your collection anyway? Great basswork from Les. "Doesn't nothing ever last forever?" "Pretty little ice cube, where have you gone?"

The Las Superpower aka Rapscallion, shows Les' political side. The lyrics are about the U.S. in light of the current weasels controlling our government here. Has kind of a heavy King Crimson flavor to it. I can't help thinking that La Londe/Claypool/Alexander must be big fans of Fripp/King Crimson.

The CD wraps up with My Friend Fats. It's hard to really count all the Claypool songs about weird people. Fats apparently really loves to get wasted. Another song that I think illustrates this band belongs in the RIO category. It's musically complex and very weird at the same time. Great heavy instrumental jamming at the end.

Report this review (#108247)
Posted Sunday, January 21, 2007 | Review Permalink
5 stars This is the best band i have on DVD. "Animals shouldnt act like people" is a DVD showing off the music videos and backstage antics of Primus. The tracks on here are the favorites; the ones that made them become the popular band they are today. The interactive DVD includes the extras, such as "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and home videos of the band touring, fishing, and just being Primus. This is a must have for any Primus fan, or any Les fan, or any fan of good music ;) its all in taste. If you like Primus, you´ll love this.
Report this review (#127822)
Posted Saturday, July 7, 2007 | Review Permalink
4 stars There are already extensive articles around that expertly document the DVD portion of this title so I shall leave the issue in their capable hands. My primary interest is the 5 song EP of brand new Primus goodness. This is actually the album that introduced me to Primus-land via my taste in anything that at- all sounds like King Crimson. It should be no surprise then that such glorious prog gods are an excellent touch point to the dark, murky, and narcotic places that this band is going to.

For the fans of the band (Primus): First and foremost this mini-album is a reunion of the classic Claypool/LaLonde/Tim Herb Alexander line-up which have been apart since Brown Album. As much as I dig Brain I don't think he would carry the music into the mouth of the underworld as skillfully as Herb does here.

Secondly, just because it is Herb on board doesn't mean that you should be looking for Too Many Puppies mk 2. Have these trippy cats ever repeated themself on later albums? Ever? This is the band in their most prog oriented mood yet. Three of the five songs melt part way through and descend into a hazzy distorted jam-soups, while the shorter two alternate from quirky and urgent (Pilcher's Squad) to tortured and loony (Mary the Ice Cube).

It would be remiss of me if I didn't mention that 2 of these songs are re-built in brilliant fashion on the live Hallucino-Genetics Live 2004 DVD (get it now kids, seriously). No matter how you dissect these songs they stand as some of the trio's best musical performances and displays of technical excess. Do not expect anything as playfully iconic as Jerry Was A Racecar Driver or My Name Is Mud and the two of you will get along just fine. This album is more Southbound Pachyderm than John the Fisherman and as a long-haired prog-loving fella I think that is just swell.

For prog fans in general: Short but mighty set of 5 brand new tracks. As everyone who reviews Primus says, if you are unfamiliar with Primus the vocals may turn you off. But then again they may not. These 3 guys play some very dark, woozy, and sneering rock that borrows both from the twisted end of 70s progressive rock (King Crimson - Red) as well as from more contemporary distorted guitar styles (Tool shredded howls come to mind).

Not essential for non-fans but it could be your gateway into a brilliantly silly land called Primus. It was for me.

Report this review (#205830)
Posted Monday, March 9, 2009 | Review Permalink

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