Like many aspects of music itself, what qualifies as “weird” is subjective. With that said, I believe the majority of listeners would call Primus some shade of weird. They were one of the first truly weird and experimental artists I showed interest in. When I first listened to their 1993 album, Pork Soda, it was on a whim and it was my first Primus album. It took me years to love it as much as I do now. At this point, the album not only has opened up my world to the likes of Frank Zappa, Tom Waits and so many more groundbreaking experimental artists I love, but has also solidified Primus as one of my favorite bands of all time. Through the evolution of Primus’ already uniquely appealing sound, a more dark atmosphere, and generally exciting unpredictability, Pork Soda is easily a modern classic in weird music and one of my favorite albums of all time.
A silly banjo intro getting interrupted by one of the sickest bass lines I have ever heard is what the openers, Pork Chop’s Little Dirty and My Name Is Mud, greet the listener with. I love how the album starts peaceful and then immediately goes into the heaviness it deploys consistently. The drums and bass have some incredible interplay and create a muddy atmosphere. The drum leads bounce off the bass in such a way that the listener can’t help but dance. This is the basis for the funky rhythm of My Name Is Mud. Whether it be on its own as it is in the verses, or accompanied by heavy guitars like on the chorus, the rhythm is kept consistent and it is addictive. The lyrics describe a man named Mud, who is a nasty, troubled man who causes trouble. He hits people “upside the cranium” with “aluminum baseball bats”, despite him describing himself as “the most boring sonsabitch you’ve ever seen”, which is merely a ruse for his wild nature. It is weird, abstract, unpredictable, and a perfect opener to represent what the listener is going to hear on Pork Soda.
Welcome To This World is somehow even more unhinged than My Name Is Mud. It has satisfyingly rhythmic interplay between more southern tinged guitar and bass with Claypool borderline scatting over it. It almost reminds me of the South Park theme which, fittingly, was also a Primus song. On the track itself, he discusses “pink champagne and swimming pools” and asks the listener to “take a bite of life”, before heavy, similarly rhythmic guitars kick in for the chorus. The way this track progresses is so satisfying. The verses and choruses get longer and more chaotic before the first verse is repeated towards the end of the track. The goofiness is thorough in many ways, such with some of the noises Les makes on the track. The “AH HA HA HA HA HA” in the bridge comes to mind. I would argue another early album highlight would be DMV. It takes the rightfully common concept of hating visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles and turns it into a funk metal banger. It has a funky and deep bassline that works well with the harsher guitar licks on it. There are slide licks across the song that keep the momentum up. It represents the ridiculous and sometimes chaotic nature of going to the DMV quite well. It exudes the feeling in a tongue and cheek way while still having enough grit to fit the darker tone of the album.
There are plenty of highlights in the first half but arguably the most insane of them all is Nature Boy. It might as well be the centerpiece for the album given how chaotic, funky and energetic it is. It starts with a pounding bass drum that leads into a borderline western sounding guitar given the twang, with a chord structure that keeps up the rhythm. The concept is so simple; a person dancing around the house in his underwear “like nature boy”, and they are confident in doing so because “no one can see me”. When Les yells that line it almost sounds like a freight train over the slap bass. It is also accompanied by heavy guitars of course, something of a trend across this album. The chord structure in that chorus is just so satisfying, I get more and more excitement from each listen. The protagonist of the song has a “kitty” that he pets or as he puts it “strokes”. The line “stroke him” is repeated faster and faster as it leads into the chorus where the instrumentation ramps up. This is well implemented and is always satisfying to listen to. Yet it is somehow not as satisfying as the chorus falling back in after the bridge. It is such an amazing fill and makes this track, like many others on the album, addictive.
Pork Soda’s second half has just as many surprises as the first half, like the title track which starts with a heavy back and forth progression with a double bass. Another unique moment in an album of unique moments. After Claypool scats like a madman across the first verse, we get a chorus where the stripped back instrumental makes way for him yelling “GRAB YOURSELF A CAN OF PORK SODA” and it is so goofy, memorable, and anything but conventional. The song is barely over two minutes and almost feels like an interlude, but works anyway, given the memorability. Mr. Krinkle is another highlight that also makes great use of double bass, this time less weird and waltzy, and more rhythmically. There are also these noisy, light guitars that pop in, and completely add to the dark atmosphere of the track. The whole track manages to be engaging despite it being about something as mundane as casually talking with Faith No More’s drummer, Mike Bordin. The whole album is just as engaging, no matter the subject matter.
I truly am surprised I am not more critical of how mundane much of the song ideas are.I believe it adds to the experience as these song ideas contrast so well with the intricate playing. It creates a feeling like no other. One that humanizes the band while also just making the whole album impressive with how it manages to make these concepts fun or engaging every time. Also surprising to me was how incredible the album’s pacing was. The Ol’ Diamondback Sturgeon and Wounded Knee are more stripped back but serve as excellent palate cleansers for some of the more chaotic moments towards the end of the album. Wounded Knee in particular has some cool chime action. They almost feel like a rest stop before the rest of the album, ones that I appreciate more on full listens but still enjoy overall.
All good things must come to an end, and the last full song on Pork Soda has the album go out with a bang. Hamburger Train is an 8 minute funk metal jam session where Les flexes his bass playing so well. It’s that very same bass playing that has helped make Pork Soda so enjoyable to begin with. There are train sounds and crazy guitar licks thrown into the main bassline and drum pattern that accompany it. There are moments where the train slows down, and where it speeds up, like any functional train. The whole thing brings me into a Hendrix-like haze with the technical jamming and how the track progresses. It is simplistic in how it works but the playing is anything but. There are other ingredients thrown in on Hamburger Train that make it all the more enjoyable. It almost feels wrong to discuss a track like this without being able to dive deeper into the technical intricacies of the band’s playing, but it is truly just one of the most fun and satisfying jam tracks I have ever heard. The album ends after a reprise of the album intro, along with Hail Santa, which is just an out of tune bass being played with various sound effects thrown in like a See and Say toy (pointing out a pig, fittingly) and a bicycle bell. A weird way to end a weird album and I respect it.
Primus were unique and experimental from the start, with their first studio album, Frizzle Fry, showing their manic goofiness and technical prowess from track one. As much as I enjoy Frizzle Fry and its (slightly more accessible) follow up, Sailing The Seas of Cheese, I believe they did not reach their creative peak until Pork Soda. The aforementioned manic goofiness returns but with an even more technical and abstract direction than the last two projects. This more avant-garde approach is a highly welcome change and allows Primus to reach their apex. This album is mind blowing, endlessly replayable, yet almost accessible. It has taken three years, but I finally can see Pork Soda for the wholly unique masterpiece of an album that it is. One that has not only provided me with hours of enjoyment with every track, but also served as a huge help in motivating me to expand my horizons with more weird music, with a love that grows everyday. Thank you Primus, you suck!
10/10
