Pork Soda

Untitled

Pork Soda is the third album by Primus. Released in 1993. It is considerably darker than the band's earlier efforts, dealing with murder (My Name Is Mud), dissatisfaction with the human race (Nature Boy), insanity (DMV), and suicide (Bob). It was a certified Gold record shortly after its release and is currently certified Platinum, and is Primus' largest seller to date.

The music on Pork Soda also drifts further from the "thrash funk" style that dominated the band's previous two albums into a more obscure heavier sound. The bass takes on a more dominant role with a dirgier abstract sound, while the guitar plays random "heavy metal" leads in unpredictable places and the drums keep the music anchored while also managing to make it sound more abstract still through rhythm changes and unconventional drumming methods. The songs are all like limericks of decadence sounding as if they were shouted by a carnival barker, mostly consisting of old melodies from nursery songs and children's rhymes, while the lyrics tell odd stories about characters in depressing situations.

This album also showed more work from Ler LaLonde and Tim Alexander, while Les Claypool had been the star of their previous albums, LaLonde and Alexander stepped up to the plate more on this record, LaLonde (on banjo, none the less) with the "Pork Chop's Little Ditty" tracks (not to mention the 8 minute jam "Hamburger Train", where, on guitar again, he showcases his advanced technical skills and unique styles). Alexander, playing percussion rather than actual drums, contributed "Wounded Knee", an all percussion intrumental showing off his African music influences.

Despite being lyrically darker and somewhat more obscure than previous releases, it was well received by fans and critics alike. While in the future the band would shift even further into other genres and almost reinvent themselves with each album (psychedelic on Tales from the Punchbowl, 70's rock on Brown Album, and metal on Antipop), Pork Soda for the most part was very similar to the band's previous two releases.

Track listing

1. "Pork Chop's Little Ditty" (0:21) (LaLonde)
2. "My Name Is Mud" (4:47) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
3. "Welcome to This World" (3:40) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
4. "Bob" (4:40) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
5. "DMV" (4:58) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
6. "The Ol' Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicles, Pt. 3)" (4:39) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
7. "Nature Boy" (5:33) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
8. "Wounded Knee" (2:25) (Alexander)
9. "Pork Soda" (2:20) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
10. "The Pressman" (5:11) (Claypool)
11. "Mr. Krinkle" (5:27) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
12. "The Air Is Getting Slippery" (2:31) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
13. "Hamburger Train" (8:11) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
14. "Pork Chop's Little Ditty (Full Version)" (1:03) (LaLonde)
15. "Hail Santa" (1:50) (Claypool)

Album credits

Tim "Herb" Alexander: Drums
Larry LaLonde: Guitar, 6-String Banjo
Les Claypool: Basses, Mandolin, Vocals

Produced by PRIMUS
Engineered by Ron Rigler, Derek Featherstone
Second Engineers: Manny LaCarrubba, Neil King, Kent Matchke
Mastering by: John Golden, K-Disk
Recorded at: Ultrasound
Mixed at: The Plant, Sausolito

The Air Is Getting Slippery + Hail Santa recorded at The Corn, Berkeley
Wounded Knee recorded at Log Cabin, Oakland

Cover layout: Paul "Bosco" Haggard
Front Cover + Background Photography: J. Blakesburg
Sculpture by: Lance "Link" Montoya
Airbrush by: SNAP

Management:
David Leftkowitz Management;
Assistant: Stephanie Watts
3470 Nineteenth St.
San Francisco, CA 94110

For Fan Club/Mail order information, send SASE to:
Prawn Song
3470 Nineteenth St.
San Francisco, CA 94110

A&R Direction: Tom Whalley
Project Co-ordinator: Leslie Gerard-Smith

All songs written and arranged by PRIMUS
Lyrics by Claypool

All songs published by Sturgeon (BMI)
except
Pork Chop's Little Ditty + Hail Santa: published by Long Corn Publishing (BMI)
Wounded Knee: published by Wounded Knee Publishing (BMI)

The Pressman was originally released live on the album Suck On This,
Caroline Records Cat. # Carol 1620

Popularity

Pork Soda was Primus's most successful release to date, it debuted on the Billboard Top 10 and featured 3 singles, "My Name Is Mud", "DMV" and "Mr. Krinkle"