Primus Anthology - A thru N : for Guitar and Bass

Rating:
Summary: Great! Now why didn't they do this about 10 years ago?
Review: Cherry Lane has now released transcriptions of the "Progressive Freak-Out Music" band Primus, divided alphabetically by song title into two volumes. (For those who didn't know, Cherry Lane published many other transcription books and instructional videos during the late 80's shred-guitar era.) Each song transcription includes the guitar lines and bass parts in both standard notation and tablature, as well as the lyrics and vocal melody. A time line of the band's history is included each book. Everything, note-for-note, is taken straight from the original albums. Though being a bass player, I mainly bought these books for the bass parts.

I was very, very pleased to see them feature many songs from the first two albums. Songs like "John The Fisherman", "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver", and "Tommy The Cat" were the ones that introduced me to Primus, and really intrigued me to sit down and learn how to play Claypool's parts. Though maybe some of the newer fans will be disappointed that the books do not include the South Park theme, or songs from the last couple of albums. Nevertheless, the thumb-slapping technique became extremely popular again for bassists around the early 90s, and Les Claypool (along with Flea, Robert Trujilio, etc.) had a lot to do with that. This brings me to the title of this review: why the heck they didn't print a Primus bass transcription book back then, when such a thing would be in its highest demand?

Les also used a variety of basses, including a 4-string with a whammy bar, 6-string basses, uprights, and fretlesses. He also used a variety of techniques other than slapping, such as left and right hand tapping, strumming, and three finger picking. But all the transcriptions seemed to have been faithfully done. (Though I did find tablature to be an odd inclusion for songs like Mr. Krinkle, which features a bowed upright bass! Where is this "third fret" he's supposedly hitting?) The only other thing I find odd is the lack of drum transcriptions. I like Larry Lalonde's guitar style, but let's face it: Primus is mostly known amongst musicians as a "bassist's and drummer's" band. Though maybe drummers aren't that big into transcriptions; I don't know.

I buy transcription books very rarely, but this is one that I've really been waiting for. That's probably what pushes me to give it 5 stars instead of 4. Sitting down with these books and my bass has been fun, a bit nostalgic, and challenging.

Rating:
Summary: Great! Now why didn't they do this about 10 years ago?
Review: Cherry Lane has now released transcriptions of the "Progressive Freak-Out Music" band Primus, divided alphabetically by song title into two volumes. (For those who didn't know, Cherry Lane published many other transcription books and instructional videos during the late 80's shred-guitar era.) Each song transcription includes the guitar lines and bass parts in both standard notation and tablature, as well as the lyrics and vocal melody. A time line of the band's history is included each book. Everything, note-for-note, is taken straight from the original albums. Though being a bass player, I mainly bought these books for the bass parts.

I was very, very pleased to see them feature many songs from the first two albums. Songs like "John The Fisherman", "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver", and "Tommy The Cat" were the ones that introduced me to Primus, and really intrigued me to sit down and learn how to play Claypool's parts. Though maybe some of the newer fans will be disappointed that the books do not include the South Park theme, or songs from the last couple of albums. Nevertheless, the thumb-slapping technique became extremely popular again for bassists around the early 90s, and Les Claypool (along with Flea, Robert Trujilio, etc.) had a lot to do with that. This brings me to the title of this review: why the heck they didn't print a Primus bass transcription book back then, when such a thing would be in its highest demand?

Les also used a variety of basses, including a 4-string with a whammy bar, 6-string basses, uprights, and fretlesses. He also used a variety of techniques other than slapping, such as left and right hand tapping, strumming, and three finger picking. But all the transcriptions seemed to have been faithfully done. (Though I did find tablature to be an odd inclusion for songs like Mr. Krinkle, which features a bowed upright bass! Where is this "third fret" he's supposedly hitting?) The only other thing I find odd is the lack of drum transcriptions. I like Larry Lalonde's guitar style, but let's face it: Primus is mostly known amongst musicians as a "bassist's and drummer's" band. Though maybe drummers aren't that big into transcriptions; I don't know.

I buy transcription books very rarely, but this is one that I've really been waiting for. That's probably what pushes me to give it 5 stars instead of 4. Sitting down with these books and my bass has been fun, a bit nostalgic, and challenging.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, a look into the world of les claypool
Review: This book is a much needed explination of the insanity of Les Claypool's bass style. His slap bass style with bits of tapping, usually on a 5 string bass, occasionally fretless. I have been trying for years to decifer les's music, and now it's finally possible. worth every penny and every second of practice. This is perfect for any primus fan who is instrumental, but be warned, Les' music "is!" as hard to play as it sounds. Have fun.