BOB COCK AND THE YELLOW SOCK (LIVE 1993)

I am happy with this release that recently saw the light, because it rescues a performance from Primus (Claypool, LaLonde, Alexander) made back in 1993, in times when they had already gained some popularity in the United States, thanks to their quirky and original music which, matter of fact, has never been the easiest to dig nor enjoy.

This short performance has a different taste because in the first minutes, Les Claypool tells to the audience that "Primus is not performing tonight, we are a band called 'Bob Cock and the Yellow Sock', and this was said mainly due to the band's natural sense of humor, but also because in that moment they invited a man named Adam Gates, whose moniker is Bob Cock, However, he does not appear, in fact Claypool speaks again and says "we are Bob Cock and the Yellow Sock, minus one, Bob Cock himself" so besides the musical creativity, they have always delivered a cool sense of humor.

The songs played here are different, maybe jazzy versions of 'Jerry Was a Racecar Driver', 'John the Fisherman' and 'Groundhog's Day', performances with inherent creativity, improvisation and freedom of speech, made for people who want to chill a little bit and have some fun. Don't expect flawless musical performance, by the way.

But the extra sauce comes with the last track which was called 'Disco Jam', which is an 11-minute party where finally, Gates joins the band as the master of ceremonies and all together create a kind of medley with hints of some popular tunes not created by Primus. This jam includes saxophone so the jazzy side of the project prevails, as well as a funky essence, so I am sure the audience even danced.

Don't really know the context of this project nor the relationship between Adam Gates and Primus, but if you are a fan of the band, I am sure you will find this release entertaining and worth it, however, if you are not into Primus, this won't work for you, no matter this is a different version of the band.