FRIZZLE FRY

Original, sparkling, humorous, catchy and firing on all cylinders ... Primus took the cross-over scene by storm back in the 90's. It all revolves around Les Claypool, band leader, eccentric vocalist and virtuoso bass player.

The music can't really be compared to much else. The bass-heavy songwriting with fast and furious funky slapping is well known from Red Hot Chili Peppers but Primus makes more dramatic compositions. Tracks like Frizzle Fry are frantic and adventurous, driven by raging bass guitar and pounding drums. The punk fury at the end even reminds me of NoMeansNo. Primus reached quite an audience back in the days and they sure have had an influence on Rage Against The Machine. At least, that's what I conclude from tracks like John The Fisherman.

Contrary to mentioned bands, Primus has something proggy, it's hard to lay a finger on but I guess it could be due to the quirkiness of the music, the weird time-signatures or the imaginative playfulness of it. Either that or it's just because of the short YYZ quote at the start of the album. I try to be a well behaved and docile PA member but it really doesn't sit well with me to have this band in prog related. This is at least Crossover Prog.

Even with the basic sounds of unpolished bass, drums and a bit of guitar, Primus manages to keep the album very interesting and versatile. The rhythms and songs are very dynamic and the number of ways that Claypool invents to assault his bass guitar is sheer endless. Still, by the time Spegetti Western comes along, we're a good 40 minutes into the album and I've kind of got the message. It's a minor complaint but the album would have been stronger had it been 10 minutes shorter.

For some reason Frizzle Fry hasn't been a regular feature in my CD-player, but it was a pleasant reunion when spinning it a couple of times for this review. Made me feel like 19 again! 4 stars.