Primus
Tales From The Punchbowl

THE REVIEW

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.