The first
Primus
album to achieve much widespread airplay (thanks to its release on a major), and the one that broke them on
MTV
,
Sailing the Seas of Cheese
completely redefined the possibilities of the electric bass in
rock
music for those who'd never heard the group before. Slapping like a
funk
player, but strumming power chords and finger-tapping like a
metal
guitar hero,
Les Claypool
coaxed sounds from his instrument that had rarely if ever been made the focus of a
band.
Claypool
's riffs were so full and dominant that they hardly needed to be doubled by guitarist
Larry LaLonde
(and wouldn't have had the same effect anyway), which freed him up on most songs to launch into dissonant, atonal solos that essentially functioned as texture, complementing
's oddly whimsical sense of melody. The combination results in a weird atmosphere that could be transformed into something dark or eerie, but
's thin, nasal voice and demented blue-collar persona place the record firmly in the realm of the cheerfully bizarre. The compositions are mostly riff-driven, fleshing out their
heavy metal
roots with
prog rock
tricks from
Rush
and
Frank Zappa
, as well as the
novelty
side of
Zappa
's sense of humor. The willful goofiness may alienate some listeners, but it can also obscure some genuinely dark humor, and it never detracts from the band's frequently stunning musicianship. Somewhat analogous to
jazz
trumpeter
Dizzy Gillespie
hasn't inspired many direct imitators because of his tremendous feats of dexterity. But his stature as a virtuoso able to take his instrument into previously undreamed-of realms is without question. Though
tones down
' penchant for jamming, it's the tightest, most song-oriented representation of their jaw-dropping, one-of-a-kind style. ~ Steve Huey