Pork Soda

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Pork Soda
Studio album by Primus
Released	April 20, 1993
Genre	Alternative rock, Funk metal
Length	57:36
Label	Interscope Records
Producer(s)	Primus
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Primus chronology
Miscellaneous Debris (1992)	Pork Soda (1993)	Tales from the Punchbowl (1995)

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; it is Primus' largest seller to date.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Popularity 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 4.1 Production 5 Charts 6 Dedication

[edit] Overview

The music on Pork Soda also drifts further from the "thrash funk" style that dominated the band's previous two albums into more of a sludgy, murky sound. 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 Larry LaLonde and Tim Alexander; while Les Claypool had been the star of their previous albums, LaLonde and Alexander were featured more on this record. On the 8 minute jam "Hamburger Train", LaLonde showcases his advanced technical skills and unique styles; on "The Air is Getting Slippery", he plays a banjo. Alexander, playing percussion rather than actual drums, contributed "Wounded Knee", an all percussion intrumental showing off his African music influences. Claypool himself grew beyond the four-string bass stylings of the previous two studio albums. Having acquired a fretted six-string bass shortly before recording the album, it would be featured heavily, as would his fretless (the "Rainbow bass"). Claypool is also heard on upright bass ("Mr. Krinkle", "The Air is Getting Slippery"), as well as on mandolin (both "Pork Chop's Little Ditty" segues).

"Hail Santa" is a pun on the phrase "Hail Satan."

[edit] Popularity

Pork Soda was Primus's most successful release to date, debuting in the Billboard Top 10. It featured 3 singles: "My Name Is Mud", "DMV" and "Mr. Krinkle." Despite being lyrically darker and somewhat more obscure than previous releases, it was well-received by fans and critics alike. On the strength of Pork Soda, Primus were chosen as headliners of the 1993 Lollapalooza festival. Later in 1993, they headlined their own tour, bringing opening acts such as the Meat Puppets and The Melvins.

[edit] 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)

[edit] Personnel

• Les Claypool - Electric bass, Upright bass, Mandolin, Vocals
• Larry LaLonde - Guitar, 6-String Banjo
• Tim "Herb" Alexander - Drums/Percussion

[edit] Production

• Ron Rigler, Derek Featherstone - Engineers
• Manny LaCarrubba, Neil King, Kent Matchke - Second Engineers
• John Golden, K-Disk - Mastering
• Tom Whalley - A&R Direction
• Leslie Gerard-Smith - Project Co-ordinator
• Paul "Bosco" Haggard - Cover layout
• Jay Blakesburg - Front Cover and Background Photography
• Lance "Link" Montoya - Clay sculpture on front cover
• SNAP - Airbrushing

• Recorded at: Ultrasound
• Mixed at: The Plant, Sausolito
• "The Air Is Getting Slippery" and "Hail Santa" recorded at The Corn, Berkeley
• "Wounded Knee" recorded at Log Cabin, Oakland
• Management: David Leftkowitz Management
  

• All songs published by Sturgeon (BMI) except:

"Pork Chop's Little Ditty" and "Hail Santa": published by Long Corn Publishing (BMI)
Wounded Knee: published by Wounded Knee Publishing (BMI)

[edit] Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1993	The Billboard 200	#7

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1993	"My Name is Mud"	Modern Rock Tracks	#9

[edit] Dedication

In the album credits, underneath the credit for lyrics, there is a dedication to Buck Naked, a musician friend of the band. Buck Naked was the lead singer of Buck Naked and the Bare Bottom Boys, an up-and-coming band with Primus in the 1980s. Shortly before the release of this album, he was killed while walking his dog in the panhandle of Golden Gate Park. This is one of many dedications Primus would make to him - one in the video for "Mr. Krinkle," a song off of this album (a painting of the vocalist), and another in the video for "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver," off of the succeeding album, Tales from the Punchbowl (drummer Tim Alexander's bass drum head).

Primus
Les Claypool | Larry LaLonde | Tim Alexander
Bryan Mantia | Todd Huth | Jay Lane | Bob Cock
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 | 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"
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Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade | Oysterhead | Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains | Prawn Song Records Blind Illusion | Possessed | Guns N' Roses | No Forcefield
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