OK, I like my weird music as much as the next guy - Faith No More, King Crimson, Steve Vai and the like - but Primus are just one taste I have been unable to acquire so far. Maybe someday. Primus are basically a vehicle for Les Claypool's extraordinary bass gymnastics, which just so happen to be backed by some killer drumming, and some pretty decent guitar. It is all too common for the lead guitarist to be the dominant focal point in a band, especially in a trio, but rarely is the bassist the frontman. There are/were plenty of other famous bass players who you could almost call lead bassists, John Entwistle, Billy Sheehan, and Stanley Clarke come to mind, but this style is more common in the jazz/fusion realm - then again, you probably could lump Primus into the fusion category.
I am, admittedly, not a huge fan of Primus's music. Claypool's nasally, cartoonish, vocals are just way too grating on my ears. As with Rush's Geddy Lee, opinions of his vocals elicit feelings of violent repulsion to fanatical love. While I usually enjoy Lee's singing, although the mid-70's stuff was a bit piercing, Claypool's I can't stand. So why the hell did I spend my hard earned money on this DVD? Well, I was taking my payday stroll through Tower Records a few months back, browsing the bargain CD bins and music DVD isle, when there sitting in the new release section was Hallucino-Genetics (Live 2004) staring me in the face - and selling for a ridiculous $9.99! I could have scrounge up that much coin from under the seats in my car. So of course I shelled out the $10.49 ( F'ing taxes!) to give this one a shot, and to make the decision even easier, Primus' performance goes on for over two and one-half hours. Now that is a frigging bargain, whether you like the band or not. You almost have to buy it just for the deal.
Article comments
1 - Anthony Farr
You know how some bands have a great sounding studio album and then you go to see them live and they suck? Well, Primus is the exact opposite, at least the live part. All three of these guys are top notch musicians, and if you can't see that, you need to stop your blogging. I thought it was funny when you said "Ler", Larry Lalonde, was just a "decent guitar player". You probably should have done some research before saying that because when he started out he took guitar lessons from guitar legend, Joe Satriani, after seeing an ad in a record store not knowing it was Satriani. He is an excellent guitar player and compliments Les fantastically. The other thing you should do is instead of reviewing a live concert on dvd, go to the actual show and then decide. These guys are excellent performers and I've gotten my money's worth six times, including that 2004 tour at the Greek in Berkeley, CA.