This is the first album without long time Primus drummer, Tim "Herb" Alexander. This was also Les Claypools first (and last) foray into the idea of a "concept album". The whole Brown Album goes for that big room sound, with fat drums and reverb all over the place. This is probably my 2nd favorite Primus album, but lots of long time Primus heads loathe it.
As I've said, the production - at first - sounds sloppy. The difference between the snare and bass drums is sometimes hard to make out and the amount of reverb in some spots make you wonder if this was recorded in a missile silo. Trust me though, that's the sound Les was going for. He wanted to do something old, almost classic rock sounding. Unfortuantly many Primus fans weren't amused.
This album is filled with solid, warm, and fuzzy songs from beginning to end. Thick bass fills up the midrange like split-pea soup, and the guitar work (still done by Larry LaLonde) provides a smattering of high end. Believe me when I say this, there's not much treble on this album. It almost sounds like worn vinyl.
If you're a fan of Les Claypool and his odd lyrical content and vocal styling, as well as great song writing, you will need to own this album. But as I read on a Primus ad for Tales from the Punch Bowl, "If you didn't like Primus before, you probably still won't".
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