Primus is an American rock band composed of singer and bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde, and drummer Jay Lane. They are characterized by their irreverent approach to music. Primus has released some of their records on Claypool’s Prawn Song Records label, the title of which is a parody of Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label.
Primus began as Primate in El Sobrante, California during the mid-1980s with singer and bassist Les Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth. Claypool rounded out the band with a drum machine which they named Perm Parker.The band would go through many drummers throughout their early history, eventually settling on Jay Lane. When another band called “Primate” threatened legal action, the group decided to change their name. They settled on the name “Primus.” The word is Latin, meaning “chief” or “first”.
After rising to local music scene stardom with their brand of funk metal fusion, Huth and Lane left in 1989 to pursue other endeavors. Claypool then recruited former Blind Illusion bandmate and one time Joe Satriani student Larry “Ler” LaLonde, and electric drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander. Claypool and LaLonde recorded and toured with the early thrash band Blind Illusion. Larry LaLonde was previously a member of the seminal Death/Thrash Metal band Possessed. Primus received praise from Testament’s Alex Skolnick very early into their career. Tim Alexander is originally from Jerome, Arizona and was the drummer in Major Lingo.
Primus continued to gain popularity and in 1989 released their first album, Suck on This, a live recording culled from two of their Berkeley concerts. The album was financed by Claypool’s father.
In 1990 the band released their first studio album, Frizzle Fry, and released singles for “John the Fisherman” and “Too Many Puppies”. With a music video featuring Kirk Hammett, a studio album and a tour with Jane’s Addiction, Primus’ popularity grew to the point where they attracted attention from Interscope Records, who signed them in 1990.
Primus’ major label debut was the album Sailing the Seas of Cheese. The album was supported by the singles “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” and “Tommy the Cat”, both of which appeared on MTV. A third single, “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers”, was also released but did not feature a video. The band appeared as contestants for the Battle of the Bands in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey and made music for a Beavis & Butthead tribute album with a song entitled Poetry and Prose. With a major label behind them, Sailing the Seas of Cheese went gold. The band then toured in support of Rush, U2, Anthrax, and Public Enemy.
After the release of Sailing the Seas of Cheese, in 1992 Primus released a cover song EP Miscellaneous Debris, with their version of XTC’s “Making Plans for Nigel” receiving enough airplay to reach #30 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.
In 1993, Primus released Pork Soda, which managed to debut at #7 on the Billboard Top 10. The album was darker than previous Primus efforts, dealing with murder, suicide, and alienation. The band has commented that prior to recording, they had been touring for nearly two solid years and were thus in a sombre mood. “My Name Is Mud”, “DMV”, and “Mr. Krinkle” were singles, the latter made into a video featuring Claypool in a pig suit and tuxedo playing upright bass in an abandoned warehouse as a carnival of oddities parades behind him, including Claypool’s wife and her twin sister. Claypool said he put his “heart and soul into” the video, but it received next to no airtime on MTV. In an interview with Guitar World magazine, Claypool disparaged the channel’s unwillingness to air the video, saying “it got played like six times.”
Pork Soda was the first full length album recorded at Claypool’s house. The band would subsequently record all of their albums in his home studio.
Jilly’s on Smack
San Francisco rockers Primus remember the missing in the new video for “Jilly’s on Smack,” a song from this year’s Green Naugahyde inspired by a friend of the band’s who “disappeared into the world of heroin,” singer Les Claypool says. Directed by Jordan Copeland (son of Police drummer Stewart Copeland), the clip sports a fittingly eerie vibe as it siwtches between shots of the band playing live and grainy found footage of family life, with a holiday theme. “Oftentimes it is the parents grandparents, siblings, etc., that feel the brunt of the heartache as they look at that empty dinner chair or Christmas stocking,” Claypool says.
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Jilly’s on smack, and she won’t be comin’ back
No she won’t be comin’ back, for the holidays
Jilly’s on smack, and she won’t be comin’ back
No she won’t be comin’ back, for the holidaysJilly left home
Went to pick her own bone
She made her own
In the marketplaceNow Jilly’s on smack, and she won’t be comin’ back
No she won’t be comin’ back
For these holidaysNow Jilly’s on smack, and she won’t be comin’ back
No she won’t be comin’ back
For the holidays
Jilly had a smile
That spanned over a mile
She left him standing in the aisles
Of the big paradeJilly always phoned her mother
Emailed daily to her brother
Til she took a junkie lover
And began to fadeNow Jilly’s on smack, and she won’t be comin’ back
No she won’t be comin’ back
For the holidaysJilly’s on smack and she won’t be comin’ back
No she won’t be comin’ back
For the holidaysJilly’s on smack and she won’t be comin’ back
No she won’t be comin’ back
For them holidays
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- Audio from the 2011 album, Green Naugahyde:
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Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990. Since their inception, the band’s line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band’s bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D’Amour. Tool is known to have rigorous touring schedules in support of their albums, they have performed well on charts worldwide, and have sold an estimated 9.25 million records in the United States alone.
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards) and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands. However, the band’s individualistic style draws from many sources and transcends any one genre. Their rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres also incorporated rockabilly, reggae, soul, funk, classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, pop, Latin and country. The band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in the UK, as they preferred to develop the concept of album-oriented rock.
The photo is of the first performance ever by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham in a small club outside of Copenhagen, the Gladsaxe Teen Club, had booked The Yardbirds a few months before but the Yardbirds broke up and Peter Grant and Jimmy Page came with other musicians to fulfil those commitments. They signed a contract for a small tour in Scandinavia. Jimmy recruited 3 other guys and they played all the clubs where The Yardbirds were supposed to play. The first of these clubs was the Gladsaxe Teen Club.