Primus

About Primus

The band started as Primate in El Sobrante with Claypool and Todd Huth, cycling through drummers before settling on Tim Alexander and recruiting guitarist Larry LaLonde in 1989. Their early association with thrash metal acts like Testament and Exodus gave them credibility in the metal underground, though Claypool's funky bass approach set them apart from their peers. A notable bit of rock trivia: Metallica considered Claypool to replace Cliff Burton but ultimately rejected him as too funky for their sound. After self-releasing Frizzle Fry in 1990 on Claypool's Prawn Song Records (a parody label named after Led Zeppelin's Swan Song), Interscope signed them and released Sailing the Seas of Cheese, which reached gold status with singles like 'Jerry Was a Race Car Driver' and 'Tommy the Cat' featuring Tom Waits.

Primus peaked commercially in the early-to-mid 1990s with increasingly ambitious releases. Pork Soda debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Top 10 in 1993, showcasing a darker palette with tracks like 'My Name Is Mud' and 'Mr. Krinkle,' the latter accompanied by a distinctly eccentric video. The band's irreverent culture was evident in everything from their catchphrase 'Primus Sucks!' to their genre-defying sound that prompted Winamp to create a dedicated ID3 tag just for them. Les Claypool himself described their music as 'psychedelic polka,' a fitting summary of their refusal to fit neatly into any single category.

The Groove Hunter currently tracks 12 editions of Primus releases, including key titles like Pork Soda, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, Suck On This, and Tales From The Punchbowl, making it easy to compare pressings and variants across their catalog.