Fellow colleagues, distinguished members of the press, ladies and gentlemen...
The Brown Album was released on July 8, 1997 by Primus, those classification-defiant guys you might know from such songs as "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver", "My Name Is Mud", and "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver". None of those songs are on this album.
He was the hero of the Bowery, a prince of lawless times...
In fact, if your familiarity with Primus is limited to their earlier works, such as Pork Soda or Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, you'll find The Brown Album to be a bit of a departure from their usual sound. Tim "Herb" Alexander had just left the band at this stage, to be replaced with Bryan "Brain" Mantia. Mantia's looser drumming style, combined with the band's dismay over their extraordinarily swift rise to fame, lends this album a much heavier feel.
She likes Burt in White Lightning...
Only two singles were released from this album: "
Shake Hands With Beef" and "
Over The Falls", neither of which is actually about
masturbation. Both of them were not successful. In fact, this album would be their first since
Sailing The Seas Of Cheese to not reach Gold certification, or one million sales.
You may have difficulty catchin' breath, when you hear my weighty name...
You know what, though? I say
fuck that.
The Brown Album is my favorite Primus album ever made,
full stop,
end of story,
do not pass Go,
et cetera. They sound less like three dudes screwing around with instruments (who still sound fantastic) and more like three dudes who want to play some
goddamn music and still enjoy themselves along the way. This is the album they were
supposed to put out. I didn't even really care much for Primus beyond the usual
radio play tracks until I listened to this album.
The Brown Album is singlehandedly responsible for me enjoying Primus.
Just wrap my wound in a porterhouse steak...
If you didn't care much for Primus before, The Brown Album has the potential to change your mind about them. Granted, it is a different sound from their previous works, but if their early stuff didn't make you get up and shout "THIS IS FANTASTIC" then you probably want a different sound in the first place. Les's bass work is, as always, a shining example of what one man can do with a simple bass guitar; here, it's much more composed. Their sprawling sound is still there, I mean, this is Primus we're talking about, but it's a sort of artful sprawl, like attractive party people draped carefully over your living room furniture.
You can get it all down there...
Track Listing:
- The Return Of Sathington Willoughby
- Fisticuffs
- Golden Boy
- Over the Falls
- Shake Hands With Beef
- Camelback Cinema
- Hats Off
- Puddin' Taine
- Bob's Party Time Lounge
- Duchess And The Proverbial Mind Spread
- Restin' Bones
- Coddingtown
- Kalamazoo
- The Chastising Of Renegade
- Arnie
The he took a can of Ronson lighter fluid and he squirted it over the top of his head
And proceeded to light himself on fire
As he stood there glowing and said, "Remember this day"