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Primus - Suck on This CD (album) cover

SUCK ON THIS

Primus

 

Prog Related

3.52 | 57 ratings

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UMUR
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Suck on This is the first release from funky art rockers ( for lack of a better name) Primus. Suck on This is a live recording mainly with songs which would be on their debut album Frizzle Fry but some would re-surface on later albums too. The only song that only appears on this album is Jellikit. The album was released in 1989.

I had a couple of friends back in high school, whom I also played in a band with ( a drummer and a bassist), who was dedicated fans of Primus and of course they always put it on when we drank and smoked our teenage brains to oblivion so I´ve listened to my share of Primus back in the day. I remember that Pork Soda was the new album at the time. Suck on This was my drummer friend´s favorite album and Tim Herb Alexander was his favorite drummer.

My relationship with Primus was always a bit strained. I can hear that what they are doing is incredible ( Especially Drums and bass) but I never really liked their general style much. So it was always enjoying the technical finesse more than enjoying the actual songs for me. The music is very influenced by eighties King Crimson ( The dissonant guitars) and Rush ( Without the overblown keyboards and mostly due to the prominant bass). There are lots of funky rythms, slapbass and heavy metal tendencies to complete the sound though. Les Claypool ( Bass, Vocals) has a similar voice to that of Adrian Belew which means that he speaks more than he actually sings. Some fans of Adrian Belew era King Crimson should be able to find great enjoyment in Primus. The general mood in the music is humoruos and titles like John the Fishman, Tommy the Cat and Harold of the Rocks tells their own tale.

It´s noteworthy to us prog heads that the concert starts with the first minute of Yyz by Rush played very impressively indeed. The rest of the album is extremely tight and well played but the compositions don´t stand out much from each other. Tommy the Cat and Frizzle Fry are the only standouts for me, the rest is more or less the same. Talking/ singing over a muted bassline ( sometimes tapped) and the chorus is almost always a loud funky slapbass dominated part with dissonant guitar. The structure in the songs is very ordinary which means vers/ chorus radio friendly. The music is not that radio friendly though and it´s kind of weird that Primus sold as many albums as they did in the nineties.

The musicianship is excellent on this release. Primus was a great live band. There is a good spirit in their show and both band and audience seem to have fun. Les Claypool´s virtuosic bass playing is always a great feature in Primus music but I have to agree with my old buddy that Tim Alexander´s drum playing is world class. I´m not that fond of Larry LaLonde´s ( Ex- Possessed) noisy and dissonant guitar style and never have been. With another guitar style I ´m sure I would have enjoyed Primus more.

The production is excellent. One of the better live sounds I have heard. The drums have such a powerful sound.

Suck on This is a good album and I wouldn´t dream of giving it below 3 stars even though this is not really my cup of tea. A 4 star rating would be too much from me though so I think a 3 star rating is deserved. I hope that my above description of Primus music made sense and that their music will reach the right audience. To put Primus in the prog-related catagory is by the way exactly right.

UMUR | 3/5 |

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