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Let the music play on
AMERICA ROCK BAND- PRIMUS
In 1984, the American rock group Primus was founded in El Sobrante, California. Currently, the group consists of drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and bassist/vocalist Les Claypool. The band Primus was founded in 1984 by Claypool, guitarist Todd Huth, and drummer Jay Lane. However, towards the beginning of 1989, these three musicians quit the group and were replaced by LaLonde and Alexander, respectively.
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Music Career
A post-punk Rush with a dash of Frank Zappa's sense and comedy, Primus' songs frequently serve as a vehicle to highlight their instrumental prowess. Les Claypool, the band's legendary bassist and lone consistent member, is in charge of its experimental and purposefully bizarre music, which does not alienate listeners because the group was able to parlay its silliness into pop popularity. Primus started out as a purely underground phenomenon, but their cult grew over the interval between their third and fourth albums.
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Sailing the Seas of Cheese, an album that was released in 1991 and enjoyed commercial success, gave rise to the alt-rock song "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver." Tales from the Punchbowl (1995) and Pork Soda (1993) both achieved gold and platinum certifications. After the release of 1999's Antipop, the group disbanded but later reformed as a touring group in 2010. They gave the reason for dissolution as creative stagnation. Since then, Primus has continued to put out oddball works with the core trio of Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander, including Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble (2014), The Desaturating Seven (2017), and the EP Conspiranoia (2022).
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Les Claypool is the center of attention throughout the entire Primus discography; his vocals serve as an odd sideshow to the music at all other times. That's not to take away credit from guitarist Larry LaLonde or drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander; neither musician could drum as deftly around Claypool's intricate patterns as Alexander or guitarist LaLonde does, all in the name of creating a never-ending spiral of avant-garde noise.
This means that while Claypool may slap and pop his bass, there is minimal funk in the rhythm he and Alexander set down. They are far from being another punk-funk band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Before releasing their 1989 live LP, Suck on This, and 1990 debut studio album, Frizzle Fry, the band, which was founded in El Sobrante, California, underwent a number of lineup changes. With the publication of the platinum-selling Sailing the Seas of Cheese the following year, their avant-garde fusion of heavy metal, funk, and art rock won over the general public. Pork Soda, the band's third album, did even better, garnering them their first platinum award.
The TOUR JOURNEY
After a year of touring, which included a headlining performance at Lollapalooza in 1993, Claypool resurrected his Prawn Song record company in 1994 and issued a reunion album by Primus' original lineup under the moniker Sausage. Tales from the Punchbowl, Primus' fifth album, was released in the summer of 1995. Before the year was up, it became a gold record, which was another achievement. Tim Alexander, the drummer for Primus, announced his departure from the band in the summer of 1996. Brian "Brain" Mantia, who made his debut on the 1997 summer album The Brown Album, took his spot.
In 1998, the covers EP Rhinoplasty came next. A year later, Primus released Antipop. Compared to previous Primus albums, Antipop featured guest musicians like James Hetfield of Metallica and Jim Martin of Faith No More, as well as a variety of producers, including Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Tom Waits, Matt Stone of South Park, and Stewart Copeland of the former Police.
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Mantia departed the group in 2000 after the conclusion of a supporting tour in order to join Guns N' Roses. Prior to announcing that Primus was taking an indefinite break, Claypool had spoken to the media about working with Tim Alexander again. Following the break, Claypool concentrated on recording the debut album for his side project, Oysterhead, which also featured Trey Anastasio of Phish and Copeland. He also released his two-part solo album, Live Frogs: Set 1 and Set 2.
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After Alexander left the band once more in 2010, the group concentrated on touring. Former drummer Jay Lane was enlisted by Claypool and LaLonde, and the group returned to the recording studio to begin production on a new full-length. Green Naugahyde, Primus' seventh album, was released in 2011. Three years later, the group released Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble, their follow-up record. For this album, the group reunited with drummer Alexander and covered the well-known score from the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
The Desaturating Seven, an album they released in 2017 and which was motivated by the children's book The Rainbow Goblins by Italian author Ul berto Rico, marked their comeback. The single "The Seven" was included on the album.
The band released the politically heated three-song EP Conspiranoia in 2022, which included the 11-minute title track, as their first new music in five years.
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