Track Listing

1. Seas of Cheese
2. Here Come the Bastards
3. Sgt. Baker
4. American Life
5. Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
6. Eleven
7. Is It Luck?
8. Grandad's Little Ditty
9. Tommy the Cat
10. Sathington Waltz
11. Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
12. Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)
13. Bastardos

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12379 in Music
• Released on: 1991-05-14
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Opening with the creaky sounds of a ship at sea, Sailing charts the funk-punk waters the San Francisco Bay area band returns to again and again. It's all here: the acerbic humor, Les Claypool's gurgling fretless bass lines, Larry LaLonde's seasick metal guitar, and Tim Alexander's Bill Bruford-inspired syncopation. The narrator of "Sgt. Baker" aims to "rape your personality," while the reapers of the "American Life" live out their dreams "residing in a cardboard box." Tom Waits makes a cameo on the funky back-alley tale "Tommy the Cat," and the protagonist of "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" has "too many cold beers one night" and "wraps himself around a telephone pole." Primus concert fave "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers" helps round out this bizarre prog-punk masterpiece. --James Rotondi

Customer Reviews

Welcome, if you dare..
Primus's albums have always had the feel of an adolescent's guilty pleasure in a way. Sure you can take it seriously - the musicianship is outstanding and their melodies masterfully twist among pop, funk and grunge. But that's only part of their style; there's a silly side that's part musical humor, part Saturday morning cartoon, and a sense that there could be more quirks around any corner. I imagine that if Phish had a heavy King Crimson influence they'd sound a little like this. There's incredible bass work, subtle nuances in the guitar playing that you don't notice right away, and lyrics that suggest a strange mix of Roger Waters and Frank Zappa.

If the title and cover of this album alone don't seem cartoonish enough, take a listen to the lumbering bassoon introducing the first track. Les Claypool talks and screams through "Is It Luck?" like a hopped-up WB cartoon. "Tommy the Cat" is crazy funk with Tom Waits, of all people, lending a distorted voice to the narrative. As with any Primus album there are times when they go a little too far off the edge ("Granddad's Little Ditty" comes to mind), although I probably shouldn't complain when it's compared to such later offerings as "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver." Regardless: for most Primus fans this album still stands as their strongest. For those merely curious it's the ideal one to start with. If you don't like Seas of Cheese, chances are you won't like the others.

here they come
This is one of my favorite albums.

Not because it's weird, not because the bass-playing is good, and not because it has clay models swimming in a bowl of cheese dip on the cover... though that last one does contribute...

Nay, it is simply because the album makes me smile. Who can hold back a grin when the lyrics to Jerry Was a Race Car Driver are sung in flawless redneck dialect? And the journey you are taken on into the life of a macho cat (Tommy the Cat) is epic and unforgettable. You may even feel inspired to hike up to a lake of our own Northwest and fish when you hear Fish On.

If you are suffering the symptoms of clinical depression, please call and order Sailing the Seas of Cheese today. Seriously.

Not a trendy new atrocity...
This CD is one of Primus's best. The album is packed from beginning to end with quirky but excellent music. The opening, Seas of Cheese, is a nice introduction, it leads you into the rest of the album. The next two tracks, "Here Come the Bastards" and "Sgt. Baker," put a real pow into the CD- both great songs that I could listen to over and over. After that comes "American Life," which adds another dimension to the album; it strays from the mood of the previous tracks, and, of course, is another outstanding song. Next comes one of the most recognizable and popular Primus songs, "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver." It's a perfect blend of music- starts out with a relatively soft bass, then builds up until they go into full-rocking out mode with heavy guitar. "Eleven," "Is It Luck?" and "Grandad's Little Diddy" are wonderful Primus songs, but I'm skipping them to save space. "Tommy the Cat" features, who else, but Tom Waits. This song takes a few listens, as do most Primus songs, but once you get into it, it becomes one of the highlights of the album. "Sathington Waltz" is like the song "Wounded Knee" from the album Pork Soda. Just seems to be randomly thrown in there just for fun. It's not bad, but I tend to skip it. Ah, "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers." One of the favorites of Primus fans. It's one of the best tracks on the album, featuring a guitar solo and bass guitar solo. This one never seems to get old, you can listen to it over and over. "Fish On" is another classic on the album. And finally, "Los Bastardos" is basically just a continuation of "Here Come the Bastards" with a few extras.
With Les Claypool's quirky bass licks and nasal voice, Larry Lalonde's complex and flawless guitar riffs, and Tim Alexander's thundering and almost effortless drumming, you make up an album that never gets boring. This CD is much more than its money's worth- you'll get hours and hours of enjoyment from it. This is in no way a let down. Reccommended highly.