Tales from the Punchbowl

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Tales from the Punchbowl
Studio album by Primus
Released	May 23, 1995
Recorded	November 1994 to March 1995
Genre	Alternative rock Funk metal Alternative Metal
Length	59:34
Label	Interscope Records
Producer(s)	Primus
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Primus chronology
Pork Soda (1993)	Tales from the Punchbowl (1995)	Brown Album (1997)

Tales from the Punchbowl is the fourth studio album by Primus, released on May 23, 1995.

Stylistically, this album chronicles the band breaking away from the thrash metal roots that had been prevalent on their first three full length albums, in favour of a sound very close to psychedelic music (which they had experimented with on their previous album Pork Soda), dominated by lengthy, jam oriented songs. The record featured some of guitarist Larry LaLonde's most prolific guitar work.

Though some fans were turned off by the new style, the album was overall well received by fans and critics, and debuted in the Billboard top 10. Wynona's Big Brown Beaver became the band's most popular song to date. Also breaking airwaves was the African poaching protest song Southbound Pachyderm.

A good portion of the songs, fitting the psycedelic mood of the album, are about drugs. "Over The Electric Grapevine", for an example, is about a roadtrip on LSD. The album's title is inspired by the infamous Barrington Hall, a Berkeley dorm where LSD was put into the drinks during parties (the band used the dormitory as an inspiration for the title track off their 1990 studio debut Frizzle Fry as well). Claypool also wrote a song about Barrington Hall for the Frog Brigade album "Purple Onion".

This would be the bands last album with Tim Alexander before he rejoined 7 years later. Alexander is said to have grown tired of the direction the song's lyrics were taking. He left shortly after the 1996 tour in which he and Claypool apparently were speaking very little to one another throughout.

Punchbowl was certified Gold shortly after its release.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Professor Nutbutter's House Of Treats" – 7:13 (Claypool/LaLonde)
2. "Mrs. Blaileen" – 3:19 (Claypoo/LaLonde/Alexander)
3. "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" – 4:23 (Claypool/LaLonde)
4. "Southbound Pachyderm" – 6:22 (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
5. "Space Farm" – 1:45 (Claypool)
6. "Year Of The Parrot" – 5:45 (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
7. "Hellbound 17 1/2 (Theme From)" – 2:59 (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
8. "Glass Sandwich" – 4:05 (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
9. "Del Davis Tree Farm" – 3:23 (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
10. "De Anza Jig" – 2:26 (Claypool/LaLonde)
11. "On The Tweek Again" – 4:41 (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
12. "Over The Electric Grapevine" – 6:25 (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
13. "Captain Shiner" – 1:17 (Claypool)
    • "Captain Shiner" is a reprise version of "De Anza Jig", featuring the bass solo of the song.

Primus
Les Claypool | Larry LaLonde | Tim Alexander
Bryan Mantia | Todd Huth | Jay Lane | Bob Cock | Robbie Bean | Tim Wright
Discography
Albums/EPs: Suck on This | Frizzle Fry | Sailing the Seas of Cheese | Miscellaneous Debris | Pork Soda | Tales from the Punchbowl | Brown Album | Rhinoplasty | Antipop | Promo de Fromage | Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People | Hallucino-Genetics, Live 2004 | Blame It on The Fish (DVD) | They Can't All Be Zingers: The Best of Primus
Songs: "John the Fisherman" | "Too Many Puppies" | "Mr. Knowitall" | "Making Plans For Nigel" | "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" | "Tommy the Cat" | "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers" | "My Name Is Mud" | "DMV" | "Mr. Krinkle" | "Hamburger Train" | "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" | "Mrs. Blaileen" | "Southbound Pachyderm" | "Shake Hands With Beef" | "Over the Falls" | "Lacquer Head"
Related articles
Primus discography | Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains | Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade | Prawn Song Records Blind Illusion | Guns N' Roses | No Forcefield | Oysterhead | Possessed