There are several great tracks here and the ones that work best such as "Shake Hands With Beef", "Fisticuffs", "Restin' Bones", and "Bob's Party Time Lounge" are dominated by simple heavy riffs that are in your face. Whereas on previous albums, Larry Lalonde's guitar work was pretty restrained, he seems to be given free rein on tracks like "Golden Boy", "Kalamazoo", and "Coddingtown" which are carried by his aggressive riffing. While Claypool's bass work is kept in check somewhat here, his quirky vocals and unique brand of humor are still present on "The Chastising Of Renegade", "Puddin' Taine", and "The Return of Sathington Willoughby." Other strong tracks include "Over The Falls", "Hats Off", and "Arnie." There are no weak tracks here and "Shake Hands With Beef", "Fisticuffs", and "Restin' Bones" are among their best work. A very strong album, albeit not quite on the same level as Sailing The Seas Of Cheese and Pork Soda.


Primus almost drops the ball   April 2, 2003
 8 out of 17 found this review helpful

The next time someone tries to tell you that a drummer doesn't make any difference in a rock ensemble, play him or her the Brown Album.

The departure of Tim Alexander from Primus left a huge hole in their sound. Since Primus was a band of musicians primarily playing to a musician crowd (like Rush), I was very surprised that they found a replacement so swiftly. The only problem is, they didn't give this new lad any time to settle in.

Brain is his name (or nickname, I believe) and his drumming skills fit with Primus' jamming the way that a round peg fits in a square hole. All throughout the album, you keep waiting for a song where such awkward drumming will not beat you over the head. But it never really comes. The drum mix is just way too messy and brittle to give each song a crisp edge to it.

And as for the songs themselves, Primus temporarily removed their spines. There are just not enough elements of surprise and challenge to many of these songs (something I thought I'd never say about a Primus CD). That may be a pleasant thought for another artists' CD, but it's so strange that it happened to Primus. This is a band that built its reputation on playing everything you weren't expecting to hear. And in comparison, most of the Brown Album sounds lazy.

Fortunately, this dry spell would not last long for the band. Rhinoplasty, a little album of covers, finds Brain in almost perfect sync with the band. And when the Antipop album came around, they were able to just let the songs rock. But when I scan over all of the Primus albums, the Brown Album has got to be the least striking of them all.


Evolution Works Wonders   February 11, 2005
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

So, you're sittin here readin reviews that say, "OH MY GOD, WHAT IS WITH THE DRUMS???? WHY ARE THESE SONGS SO 'SIMPLE'??? WHY DON'T THEY MIRROR THEIR FIRST THREE ALBUMS??? Well, children, here's the deal the The Brown Album.
For one, if every album sounded like Frizzle Fry or Seas of Cheese we would all be bored out of our skulls. Brown album goes back to fundamentals and perfects the art of riffing like a mad-man. It almost reminds me of the countless array of Jimmy Page licks from the days of Zep... though, of course, its Claypool on a bass. Claypool and LaLonde are FANTASTIC on this album, really keeping themselves together and tight, which is not 'simple' by any means (speaking as a musician of 12+ years)
Secondly... the drums... are perfect. People have to understand that the album was created with everyone sounding dirty. The drums sound flat because that was the sound Primus WANTED!! The entire album was recorded in a single large room, with little to no overdubbing. This gives it a crisp, raw sound that helps with the overall tone of the album - down and dirty rock. Besides, speaking as a drummer, Brain is amazing. Him and Alexander have two completely different styles - Tim always goes for much more complicated rythms using a lot more finesse, while Brain likes accenting the upbeat, as opposed to the down beat, and hits a helluv-a-lot harder then Tim.
And finally... here's the deal, people. The band is exploring new grounds, and with exploration in music comes new sounds, and ANYTHING Claypool puts out will have a purpose and a distinct flare, you can be rest assured about that.
Oh, and one last thing... only talk about things you understand. Some of the other reviewers clearly have no idea how to play any instrument, so can you really take what they have to say seriously?

Peace



The new Primus - unfortunately   June 8, 2000
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This album shatters the myth that the sole creative force behind Primus is, or rather was, bassist and singer Les Claypool - the departure of longtime drummer Tim "Herb" Alexandar is painfully obvious. Herb's style was complex and engaging, and was the perfect counterpart to Les's maniac bass playing and Ler's otherwordly guitar. His replacement drummer, Brain, is good for keeping the beat but not much else; at first I thought the man was really a drum machine. Now without a solid drummer, Primus's songs wander aimlessly about the landscape, annoying everybody within earshot like a drunk cousin at a wedding. Some decent moments exist on the album, like "Shake Hands With Beef", but really only serve to remind the listner how good Primus once was, and what they could have been again had they only kept that ad in the paper for a new drummer open a week longer. For anyone expecting something on par with "Frizzle Fry" or "Tales From the Punchbowl", you will be sorely disappointed.


A rundown of the songs   July 28, 1999
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

Here is my thoughts on each of the songs:

1.The Return of Sathington Willouby: I like this one. Ler plays a great funky guitar on this one and les' bass is excellent as always.

2.Fisticuffs: A dark song with a smooth bass line and once again great guitar. And the drums rock

3.Golden Boy: This song is good and Les's lyrics are good.

4.Over the Falls: This is my least favorite song on the album, I still like it though.

5.Shake hands with Beef:Crunchy, poppy bass with Les singing strangely(stranger than normal). It's good.

6.Camelback Cinema:Nice drum intro, and nice guitar and bass and Les singing weord again, a great song.

7.Hats Off:This is one catchy song. Everything about it is great.

8.Puddin' Tain:Here is one of the "Country Falvored" songs and it's funny.

9.Bob's Party Time Lounge:I don't realy care for the sound effects in the beginning but I love this funky song.

10.Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread:Another song with a smooth bass line. I also love the way Les sings this one.

11.Restin' Bones:Great drums and I love the haunting guitar(haunting to me).

12.Coddington:This is one messed up song it's has drving guitars and what I think is a cello.

13.Kalamzo:The drums, the bass, the guitars, the singing, I love this one!

14.The Chastising of Renegade:This is a good one also. I love Les's drone,"Renegade Come here boy."

15.Arnie:uh... what can I say about this one this is a messed up song and lyrics are messed up to.