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Rating: It seems that the title is a tribute to a series of legendary parties that took place in a dormitory at Berkley's university, where punch laced with LSD was served. This premise was necessary to convey the vibe you get while listening to these “tales from the punchbowl.”
Who knows what kind of stories were told during these parties; undoubtedly strange stories, populated by crazy and grotesque characters. Maybe Primus heard some of them, which inspired this beautiful album, probably the best of their career. It was 1995 when it was released, two years after the acclaimed "Pork Soda," offering an evolution of the band in a more melodic and psychedelic direction.
The famous/infamous voice of Les Claypool (the virtuoso bassist, the group’s genius mind) often follows the leading melody of the song, perfectly adapting to the sonic context. Tim “Herb” Alexander (drums) and Larry Lalonde (guitar), much more than mere sidekicks to Les, prove in the recording to be great musicians (the first a drum wizard, the other a feedback artist).
The trip begins gloriously with “Professor Nuttbutter’s House Of Treats,” a long opener (more than 7 minutes) powerful and aggressive, almost a jam session, with Les's 6-string bass accompanied by much heavier guitar riffs than usual. The dark “Mrs. Blaileen” is a splendid example of Primus style, with Claypool’s almost whispering voice telling us the story of a boy humiliated by his teacher and classmates, leading to a tragic end; practically a 3-minute movie in the form of a song. “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver” is one of the group’s historic hits, perhaps also thanks to an insanely funny video that dominated TV at the time, where the band members were dressed as plastic cowboys (!). In this frenetic track, with country influences, the three demonstrate their superb technical skills, serving one of the album's catchiest songs. A classic. Then we reach one of the gems, “Southbound Pachyderm,” introduced by a hypnotic bass arpeggio that accompanies the entire piece, with a slow and dreamlike progression.
“Space Farm” is a strange instrumental interlude full of pig grunts, reminiscent of the soundtrack of an old-school video game. “Year Of The Parrot” is more similar to their early works, hard and rhythmic: decent but nothing exceptional. “Hellbound 17 ½” is an almost instrumental piece, dominated this time by Lalonde’s “crazy” guitar; probably the right soundtrack for a car crash (see the final smash). In “Glass Sandwich,” slower, Alexander's powerful and precise initial drumming enchants, while Les plays the double bass using a bow.
Next is “Del Davis Tree Farm,” also very “old school,” followed by one of the masterpieces, “De Anza Jig,” one of the album’s best tracks; it’s a country/folk-style ballad where Claypool’s quirky little voice (playing a banjo bass for the occasion) flawlessly matches this music, which smells of cow dung, cowboys, and redneck farmers. Crowning it all is a hilarious text, where the singer indulges in the description of the absurd characters that inhabited his childhood town, El Sorbante.
“On The Tweek Again” is slow, paranoid and distorted, adorned with sharp guitar feedback and sung with a perfectly fitting falsetto. The last song is “Over The Electric Grapevine,” a concentrate of pure Claypoolian genius. It begins with a nod to Indian music (the bass almost seems like a sitar) and continues in a crescendo of lucid madness, permeated by a psychedelic atmosphere (not surprisingly, it tells of a car trip on LSD). The closing “Captain Shiner” is a brief reprise of the “De Anza Jig” melody, accompanied by seagulls and other sounds evoking a sea harbor.
For completeness, it is necessary to emphasize how the CD is in “Enhanced” format, unfortunately usable only with Windows 3.1/95 (I don't know if it’s sold in a version compatible with XP today; I bought it in '96). Once installed, it puts us at the controls of a toy boat, which we can steer across 13 islands (one for each track on the album), each corresponding to a (crazy) video. Well made and fun (though the 3D graphics now seem a bit dated): an alternative way to unleash the boundless creativity of a band whose history is now firmly written in the most eclectic pages of rock history, alongside names like Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and Residents.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Mrs. Blaileen (03:20)
Mrs. Blaileen - she was a sixth grade teacher
And she controlled the children
By using humiliation.
The target always seemed to be Donny.
He was a bit slower than the others.
When he was quite young
His mother died at the kitchen table
While choking on some food.
The fashion of the day
Was bleach and tied Levi's.
Donny decided to make some,
But he didn't know to rinse them.
So he came to school a reekin'.
Bleach stenched filled the classroom.
Mrs. Blaileen began to chastize.
She made him feel like an asshole
two feet small.
Oh what a lonely boy.
Don and Ronald
They always stuck together
For they were a bit different than the others
And they were as tight as brothers
Then Ronald moved away.
Now Steven
He was year or two younger
And he really thought he was something.
He liked to harass other children
Or anyone he found outnumbered.
Alone Don walks from fishing.
Steven and his friend they stop him.
They took his hat and they taunt him,
Pimp-slap him with a newspaper.
Don lunged forward with his fish knife
Then ran all the way home weeping.
He gave his knife to his father and
Said "I think I hurt Steve."
Oh what a lonely boy.
04 Southbound Pachyderm (06:22)
Quite a surprise
What an ingenious device
Boredom encompasses my time
I don't know what I should do
Indulging a moment of your time
Seldom the breeder of lies
But you won't believe that it's true
They take to the sky
Southbound Pachyderm
Pinholes through cardboard
At the Sun
Passing the bucks by one by one
Leaving nothing in return
Watching the majest blow past
Speculating which will be the last
Savoring my piece of pie
And there is no reprise
They're filling the sky
Southbound Pachyderm
06 Year of the Parrot (05:45)
In the year of our Lord
Call it 1994
A fine vintage of mimicry
There are those that take their sound
From someone else's Toil
Liking to parrots you see
I've seen the likes of Kate Bush
And Van Morrison
Teaching the parrots to sing
Take a Zepplin riff
And you alter it a bit
And make lots of money
It's called plagiarism
You want some of that cheese
Just take a big ol' bite
Careful not to choke on it please
Now here we go
It's called plagiarism
08 Glass Sandwich (04:05)
He stood in line with the rest
And waited got his chance
To take his place behind the glass
And watch the ladies dance
It's the nature of things
He stepped into the darkened space
The air was thick and warm
He drops the coins in one by one
The scene unfolds before him
He stands looking eye to thigh
As she looks down from above
Only to be recognized
As his former love
It's the nature of things
09 Del Davis Tree Farm (03:23)
Del Davis sold a Christmas tree
Stood up to 8 feet tall
Season was lookin' mighty thin
He'd hoped to sell 'em all
Here he comes with a dollar in his hand
Represents the epitomized man
The boy liked rock 'n' roll
Seemed that's the way he paid his way
With the help of Del and them "Doogs"
There's a bit more joy this holiday
Here he comes...
11 On the Tweek Again (04:41)
Used to come around here
To peddle his wares
A lot more takers now
The turkey "J"
You can taste the air
Around your face
His name was Barrest Jeffries
They picked him up twice
For cooking up amphetamine
Now he's on the tweek again
Drinking county prune
He doesn't mind so much
So we'd sit around the fire
Singing "Kumbaya"
"Kumbaya", I said
12 Over the Electric Grapevine (06:25)
They headed southward from San Francisco,
To be with Chuckles and the others.
With electric in the air and peroxide in their hair,
They looked like golden brothers.
They drove a Datsun, an automatic,
The radio blaring static,
He made a face into the light
and burst out laughing at the sight.
The hysteria ensuing would dominate the night.
From all the candy, the seats were sticky,
As they were drawn into the grapevine.
Then "Introduce Yourself" came on
as they barreled through the gog.
The demon puffing madly on a mentholated log.
They were tired, they were sleepy,
So they parked behind the Roxy.
Adam left to use the phone, so he sat there all alone,
When Adam's voice come beaming through on the radio,
He started laughing...
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