lambchops's Full Review: Sailing the Seas of Cheese by Primus
Consider me confused as hell.
Just like most of the rest of American teens I first became acquainted with Primus sometime in the mid-1990’s. The brainchild of truly bizarre California native Les Claypool, Primus was formed in about 1986. From the very start, Claypool’s music wasn’t exactly consumer friendly. It is avant-garde, adventurous, and expands every boundary of normalcy. At the center of each song sits Claypool’s bass guitar. Certainly Tim Alexander’s drums and Larry LaLonde’s guitar come into play, but I challenge anybody who has really sat down and listened to Primus for any time to honestly say that anybody else in the band is even half as important as Claypool.
Anyway, the band first started unleashing their crazed funk-metal insanity unto the world in 1990 with a pair of LP’s. The first of these two Caroline releases was a live disc—Suck on This while the second was Primus’ first studio disc Frizzle Fry. Both were admittedly weird and neither managed to gain Claypool a huge audience. But he did land a major label deal with Interscope and just a year later gave listeners Sailing the Seas of Cheese—an album that somehow managed to land on the Billboard 200. It eventually went gold based on the success of a song or two thus making way for 1993’s Pork Soda and beyond.
Pork Soda is of course where I entered the picture. My Name is Mud was a relative hit. Other albums followed, including 1995’s Tales From The Punchbowl that I remember fondly and permanently affixed to my best friend’s car and usually tuned to Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver. Claypool has been incredibly prolific over the past thirteen years with a total of seven studio albums. Some are purportedly good while others area supposed to be great.
But in all honesty, he just leaves me perplexed.
I suppose the first time I really experienced Primus was some time in the early 1990’s with the song Jerry Was A Racecar Driver from Sailing the Seas of Cheese. At that point in time, I surely thought that Primus was a one-hit-wonder sort of act gone terribly awry. Claypool’s songs are appealing on one level, but on another they are truly impossible to digest. I really, really, really want to like Sailing the Seas of Cheese but something about the disc rubs me the wrong way. Whether it is Claypool’s nasally-abrasive vocal style or the chaotic feel of the songs—who’s to say. But in any case it just isn’t my ball o’ wax.
Stripping away the layers of music, a discovery can be made. Primus is a hard rock/heavy metal band. But the difference between Primus and their more straight-laced contemporaries is that Claypool clearly ingested one too many doses of Frank Zappa. His freewheeling lack of sensibility is more that of an artist than a musician, so as such the music on Sailing the Seas of Cheese of the love ‘em or leave ‘em variety. I personally lean (for better or for worse) toward the latter category probably because the sound is so very abrasive that I can’t quite decipher the band much less appreciate them.
Sailing the Seas of Cheese gets old after a few songs. Regardless of how talented you think Claypool is, there is no question that he is indeed a novelty act. But the freshness and newness of his unique shtick do not last forever. As negative as my assessment of Sailing the Seas of Cheese may seem, I am forced to admit that there are a few songs I do enjoy. The brief, opening title track is a lovely start to the album. It creaks as Claypool sings a verse in the voice of the typical pirate. But the appeal of the album is soon tossed aside as Here Come the Bastards thumps, rattles, and marches across the stereo. The bass riff is definitely intended to mimic a marching cadence, but it soon becomes old and dry and Claypool’s excruciating voice proves piercing throughout.
The better songs here are the ones that are less systematic and less planned out. Sgt. Baker is rich, focused, and fun. Claypool’s slap bass (similar to that played by RHCP’s Flea) is brilliant, and his voice is less forced and more bearable. It is without question one of the better offerings. In addition, it is important to note that the lyrics are ironic and funny. But with the songs focusing more on the bass lines than anything else I find myself not paying any attention to what is said. Therefore, regardless of intent the lyrical content is a moot point.
A few other songs are definitely worth hearing. The aforementioned Jerry Was a Race Car Driver is the only song I specifically recall off of Sailing the Seas of Cheese. With keen sound effects and a great bass line, the song is also a major standout—and probably the album’s biggest hit (if memory serves, and it may not). Also, for reference, skip to other songs Tommy The Cat (I love LaLonde’s guitar here) and Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers to get the most out of this troubling release.
Overall, I’m not impressed by Sailing the Seas of Cheese. For whatever reason, Pork Soda is more my style—even Tales from the Punchbowl. I guess maybe my lack of appreciation could be blamed on my lack of a funny bone. But in any case, all that matters is that I don’t like the album. So there.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Seas of Cheese
02. Here Come the Bastards
03. Sgt. Baker
04. American Life
05. Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
06. Eleven
07. Is It Luck?
08. Grandad's Little Ditty
09. Tommy the Cat
10. Sathington Waltz
11. Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
12. Fish on (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)
13. Los Bastardos
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