Tales from the Punchbowl
Studio album by
Primus
ReleasedJune 6, 1995
RecordedNovember 1994 - March 1995
StudioRancho Relaxo, Sebastopol, California
Genre
Length54:05
LabelInterscope, Prawn Song
ProducerPrimus
Primus chronology
Pork Soda
(1993)		 Tales from the Punchbowl
(1995)		 Brown Album
(1997)
Singles from Tales from the Punchbowl
  1. "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver"
    Released: 1995
  2. "Mrs. Blaileen"
    Released: 1995
  3. "Southbound Pachyderm"
    Released: 1995
Alternative cover
2018 vinyl re-release artwork
Alternative cover
1995 Vinyl Cover

Tales from the Punchbowl is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Primus, released on June 6, 1995.[3] It was the band's last album with Tim Alexander before he rejoined Primus seven years later, and again in September 2013.[4] It was certified Gold on July 20, 1995.[5]

Enhanced CD reissue

In 1996 the album was re-released as an Enhanced CD for Macintosh and Windows. As printed on the back inlay for this version, "Combining high end production values, 3-D graphics, spectacular effects and loads of insanely cool stuff, the 'Tales From The Punchbowl' Enhanced CD, played on a CD-ROM drive, sends the viewer through a surreal virtual experience that features the complete album in CD sound quality (which you can hear on a stereo CD player as well)." Players must "navigate from the helm of Captain Shiner's ferryboat through an enchanted liquid atmosphere to many strange and mysterious islands. Many experiences are to be had, all in a rose-colored waterworld filled with visuals reminiscent of Dalí and Bosch." Printed on the actual CD is a ship helm instead of the large image of Captain Shiner's face that appeared on the original, more common pressing.

The vinyl cover shows a picture of the band members dressed up as penguins standing on an iceberg. The same picture comes with the CD version, on the first page of the booklet at the front.

Reception and awards

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[6]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Spin5/10[11]

In his review for AllMusic, Daniel Gioffre describes the album as "unabashed prog rock ... which even the thick dollops of irony that the band seeks to impart to its compositions are unable to mask completely." He also says that "the high-energy angular rhythms that Primus is known and loved for are as present as ever; they are just pulled off with greater zest and looser precision (if there is such a thing) than they have in the past", concluding that "Tales From the Punchbowl is one of Primus' finer discs."[2] Robert Christgau describes the album simply as "modern teen horrors simplified—and funkified."[7] Chuck Eddy of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B and said, "Hearing Les Claypool thwap oppressive bass lines while rapping like a congested auctioneer isn't nearly as entertaining as watching this trio fish for bass on MTV."[8]

Tales from the Punchbowl was nearly as successful as Pork Soda, and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200, making it Primus' second-highest chart position.[12] It is also the band's last studio album to be certified gold by the RIAA.[5]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Les Claypool; all music is composed by Primus

No.TitleLength
1."Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats"7:12
2."Mrs. Blaileen"3:19
3."Wynona's Big Brown Beaver"4:24
4."Southbound Pachyderm"6:21
5."Space Farm"1:45
6."Year of the Parrot"5:45
7."Hellbound 17½ (Theme From)"2:59
8."Glass Sandwich"4:05
9."Del Davis Tree Farm"3:23
10."De Anza Jig"2:26
11."On the Tweek Again"4:41
12."Over the Electric Grapevine"6:24
13."Captain Shiner"1:15
Total length:54:05

Personnel

Charts

Singles

Single Chart Position
"Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" Modern Rock Tracks 12
Mainstream Rock Tracks 23

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[18] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Morse, Steve. "Primus' 'Punchbowl' of many tastes". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  2. 1 2 3 Gioffre, Daniel. "Tales from the Punchbowl – Primus". AllMusic. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  3. ↑ "New stuff added to The Cheesy Homepage". ram.org. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ Greg Prato (25 September 2013). "Q&A: Les Claypool on Primus' Future and His TV Show With Dean Ween". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. 1 2 "RIAA - Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  6. ↑ Hollingsworth, Chauncey (June 15, 1995). "Primus: Tales From the Punchbowl (Interscope)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (2000). "Primus: Tales From the Punchbowl". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Eddy, Chuck (June 9, 1995). "Tales From the Punchbowl". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ Masuo, Sandy (June 10, 1995). "Primus, 'Tales From the Punchbowl,' Interscope". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ Kot, Greg (2004). "Primus". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 654. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ↑ Gehr, Richard (July 1995). "Primus: Tales from the Punchbowl". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 4. pp. 72–73. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Primus - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Primus – Tales from the Punchbowl". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Primus: Tales from the Punchbowl" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Primus Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Primus – Tales from the Punchbowl". Music Canada. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  18. ↑ "American album certifications – Primus – Tales from the Punchbowl". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
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