Primus, and their main man Les Claypool in particular, are notable for their distinctive and singular sound. They may cover a lot of genres, but Claypool's drawling vocals and ridiculously virtuosic slap-bass style mean that there's no mistaking a Primus song for anyone else. Fortunately, that sound is so singular and so odd that Primus merit their place among the greatest bands in rock history. At their core, Primus effectively play funk rock. It's impossible to get away from the style that inspired that slap-bass sound, as much as the band may deny it. But unlike more predictable takes on the style, as such as Red Hot Chili Peppers or Sublime, Primus' sound is utterly weird and refuses to sit still. There's the dark, dark cello-led Mr. Krinkle, the rapid Tom Waits-featuring Tommy The Cat, the hilarious tango of The Air Is Getting Slippery and the catchy-as-hell John The Fisherman. All of these tracks, despite their core Primus sound, cover a lot of ground. There is also, of course, the funky hayseed blues of their huge hit Wynona's Big Brown Beaver (which is just as hilarious as it sounds). What is totally enjoyable about Primus is the fact that they sum up just how strange alt-rock was in the 1990s. There's little in the band that could be considered "mainstream", and yet they've succeeded in retaining a huge audience throughout their existence. If you like Primus, check out a couple of Claypool's other projects - especially Colonel Claypool's Bucket Of Bernie Brains, which is a collaboration with Bryan "Brain" Mantia, Buckethead and Bernie Worrell of Praxis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOdo7dhvSwg
