Sailing The Seas Of Cheese Primus

• 1 Seas Of Cheese 00:42
• 2 Here Come The Bastards 02:55
• 3 Sgt. Baker 04:16
• 4 American Life 04:33
• 5 Jerry Was A Racecar Driver 03:11
• 6 Eleven 04:23
• 7 Is It Luck? 03:28
• 8 Grandad's Little Ditty 00:36
• 9 Tommy The Cat 04:14
• 10 Sathington Waltz 01:43
• 11 Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers 05:19
• 12 Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II) 07:44
• 13 Los Bastardos 02:41
• Total Runtime 45:45

Info for Sailing The Seas Of Cheese

In a restoration personally overseen by Les Claypool, Primus’ acclaimed "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" has been newly remastered in high resolution 24bit, 96kHz for the first time since its 1991 debut.

Regarding the album’s new stereo mixes, Claypool says, "Musically, it holds up incredibly well. Sonically, it holds up fairly well. There’s some old-style reverbs that are a little bit syrupy. With modern technology, we can fix some of that stuff. But we don’t want to mess with it too much, because it is what it is. We want to fatten it up a little bit."

"The way that people listen to music now – as far as stereos and headphones – you can hear so much more, so the idea of remixing it is really going to suit the way people listen to music now," adds guitarist Larry LaLonde.

Released in May 1991 by then-fledgling Interscope Records, "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" was Primus’ second studio album and major label debut, featuring the singles "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver," "Tommy The Cat" (with Tom Waits voicing "Tommy The Cat"), and "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers." The music videos for “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver” and "Tommy The Cat" received heavy play on MTV and the album hit #2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, peaking at #116 on the Billboard 200.

Comprised of bassist/vocalist Claypool, guitarist LaLonde, and drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander, Primus toured extensively in 1991 and 1992, including dates with Public Enemy, Anthrax, Fishbone, Rush, and U2. ‘Sailing The Seas Of Cheese’ was certified Gold within two years, eventually climbing to Platinum in 2001.

"Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" is one of a handful of vital albums that ushered in the 1990s’ alternative revolution, answering slick ‘80s productions with a more irreverent – less glammy – approach to rock. “Mainstream rock was pretty cheesy,” says Claypool. “We were going to either sink or swim, hence ‘Sailing The Seas Of Cheese’."

"...waves of wackiness...awesome bass slapping...these tunes are definitely big fun..." (Spin - Highly Recommended)

"...catches their tight, cartoon funk at its best. When it works....it's a little like the late Jane's Addiction, with fewer histrionics. The lyrical mix of shaggy dog stories and mock protest are from the silly but cool school..." (Q - 4 Stars - Excellent)

Les Claypool, bass, vocals
Larry LaLonde, guitar
Tim "Herb" Alexander, drums

Recorded at Fantasy "D" Studio, Berkeley, CA, January 1991
Mixed at Different Fur, SF, and The Plant, Sausalito, CA.
Mastered at Bernie Grundman Studios, Hollywood, CA.
Produced by Primus

Primus
is all about Les Claypool; there isn't a moment on any of their records where his bass isn't the main focal point of the music, with his vocals acting as a bizarre side-show. Which isn't to deny guitarist Larry LaLonde or drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander any credit; no drummer could weave in and around Claypool's convoluted patterns as effortlessly as Alexander, and few guitarists would willingly push the spotlight away, like LaLonde does, just to can produce a never-ending spiral of avant-noise.

All of this means that they are miles away from being another punk-funk combo like the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Claypool may slap and pop his bass, but there is little funk in the rhythm he and Alexander lay down. Instead, they're a post-punk Rush spiked with the sensibility and humor of Frank Zappa. Primus' songs are secondary to showcasing their instrumental prowess. Their music is willfully weird and experimental, yet it's not alienating; the band was able to turn their goofy weirdness into pop stardom. At first, the band was strictly an underground phenomenon, but in the years between their third and fourth albums, their cult grew rapidly. 1991's Sailing the Seas of Cheese went gold shortly before the release of Pork Soda. By the time of the album's 1993 release, Primus had enough devoted fans to make Pork Soda debut in the Top Ten.

After touring for a year -- including a headlining spot on Lollapalooza 1993 -- Claypool revived his Prawn Song record label in 1994 and released a reunion record by Primus' original lineup under the name Sausage. In the summer of 1995, Primus released their fifth album, Tales From the Punch Bowl. It was another success, going gold before the end of the year. In the summer of 1996, Primus announced they were parting ways with their drummer, Tim Alexander. He was replaced by Brian "Brain" Mantia, who made his debut on The Brown Album, which was released in the summer of 1997.

The covers EP Rhinoplasty followed in 1998, and a year later, Primus returned with Antipop. Antipop was a departure from previous Primus albums, as different producers were used on almost each track (including such notables as Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Tom Waits, South Park creator Matt Stone, and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland) and it featured such guest artists as Metallica's James Hetfield and former Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin. After a supporting tour wrapped up in 2000, Mantia left the band to join Guns N' Roses.

Claypool talked about reuniting with former drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander in the press, but shortly afterward announced that Primus was going on indefinite hiatus. During the ensuing break, Claypool focused on recording the debut album by his side project, Oyster Head (who also included Copeland and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio), as well as releasing his two-part solo outing, Live Frogs: Set 1 and Set 2. Primus reunited in 2003 with a lineup containing Herb Alexander to release an EP's worth of new material as a part of the Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People DVD set. The band focused on touring until 2010 when Alexander once again left the band.

Claypool and LaLonde turned to former drummer Jay Lane, and the band went back into the studio to work on a new full-length. In 2011, Primus released their seventh album, Green Naugahyde. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic)

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