Sailing the Seas of Cheese
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Sailing the Seas of Cheese is the second album by Primus, released on May 14, 1991.
Sailing the Seas of Cheese was considered by many to be Primus' breakthrough album, spawning singles "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" and "Tommy the Cat", and fan favorites such as "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers", "Sgt. Baker", "American Life", among others.
Stylistically, the album itself is mostly thrash-oriented in terms of its basic style, like their previous release, Frizzle Fry, but displays more funk influence than its predecessor and is considerably more dissonant. The album features some of Les Claypool's most memorable bass riffs, as well as guitar riffs and drum parts.
It is widely considered to be the band's most "fun" album. It has a high amount of up-beat songs. At the same time, in terms of lyrical content, it is considered to be their angriest. The album stresses a few world and political issues, such as a negative depiction of military life (Sgt. Baker), awareness of people living in poverty (American Life), being an outcast (Eleven), and bad working conditions (Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers, although some argue the song is actually about the first Bush administration). The album is mostly upbeat with silly lyrics though, and the band had yet to release a genuinely dark record (their next full length album, Pork Soda)
Sailing the Seas of Cheese reached Gold status as of the end of 1991, and sales have since increased, as the album is now certified platinum. After the band's later more successful albums, their popularity continued to grow and more people bought earlier albums. Today, SSoC is considered to be an alt-rock classic. Many critics mark it as the best Primus album, and it is a common favorite among fans as well.
"Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" appeared in the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game.
Track listing
- "Seas Of Cheese" (0:42) (Claypool)
- "Here Come The Bastards" (2:54) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Sgt. Baker" (4:16) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander/Huth)
- "American Life" (4:32) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" (3:11) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Eleven" (4:19) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Is It Luck" (3:27) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Grandad's Little Ditty" (0:37) (Claypool)
- "Tommy the Cat" (4:15) (Claypool/Huth/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Sathington Waltz" (1:42) (Claypool)
- "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" (5:19) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" (7:45) (Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander)
- "Los Bastardos" (2:40) (Claypool)
Personnel
- Les Claypool - Electric Bass, String Bass, Six-String Fretless Bass, Clarinet, Vocals
- Larry "Ler" LaLonde - Electric guitar, Six-String Banjo
- Tim "Herb" Alexander - Drums, Water Jug
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Heatseekers | 2 |
| 1991 | The Billboard 200 | 116 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" | Modern Rock Tracks | 23 |
| Primus |
| Les Claypool | Larry LaLonde | Tim Alexander |
| Brian 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 | | Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People | Hallucino-Genetics, Live 2004 |
| Songs: "John the Fisherman" | "Too Many Puppies" | "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" | "Tommy the Cat" | "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" | "My Name Is Mud" | "DMV" | "Mr. Krinkle" | "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" | "Southbound Pachyderm" | "Mrs. Blaileen" | "Shake Hands With Beef" | "Over the Falls" | "Lacquerhead" |
| Related articles |
| Blind Illusion | Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains | Guns N' Roses | Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade | No Forcefield | Oysterhead | Possessed | Prawn Song Records |
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