After bursting out of the gate with Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, Primus decided to take a detour before the next record. Recording a very short, five song EP of covers by their favorite artists, they took the songs down their own twisted path and helped make them even more memorable than they already were.
Kicking things off with Peter Gabriel’s “Intruder,” the band really shows off their musical prowess. Les, Ler, and Herb are really on top of their game here and proved that they could outplay many of their musical peers. Claypool’s vocals aren’t all over the place but keep the song on an even keel. The band even dips their toes into the avant garde with a quick jaunt through The Meters’ “Tippi Toes” and The Residents’ “Sinister Exaggerator.” The former really allows Les and Herb to showcase the tight unit they’ve always been, while the latter allows Les to show off his weird side. Both songs really help to add to the EP’s charm, even all these years later.
The two strongest tracks here, XTC’s “Making Plans For Nigel” and Floyd’s “Have A Cigar” –stand as two of the best tracks Primus have released. With the XTC track, they helped to introduce the band to a newer generation (such as myself) and succeeded in bringing the track to life. With “Have A Cigar,” their version has become so indelible to people who have heard it that whenever the original comes on, one starts to think of this cover and the two intertwine.
Though the EP is only five songs long, it really stands as one of the definitive parts of Primus’ catalogue. The band released another covers EP with 1998’s Rhinoplasty, but aside from another XTC cover and a take on Metallica’s “The Thing That Should Not Be,” it falls flat and should be avoided. This is really the EP to go with and the one to take with you.