Review Summary: XI: I really can’t think of a better way to introduce yourself to Primus than They Can’t All Be Zingers.
I’m a pretty anti-greatest hits kind of person. Perhaps it’s because I find them to be poor entry points to a band’s sound, diluting the essence with radio popularity. Perhaps it’s because I find them to be cash-ins that are outright worthless to long-time fans. Perhaps it’s because there’s just too many of them, released year after year without any fresh material to show (looking at you,
The Cure). But there are some good ones, greatest hits albums that manage to perfectly encapsulate a band’s career, without neutering the sound or underdelivering on the quality. Primus’
They Can’t All Be Zingers is one of those rare occurrences that possesses both substance and accessibility. It’s a remarkably comprehensive and high-quality entry point for anyone who is curious about the 90’s oddest band to hit the radio.
Primus’ recurring theme of changing up their already amorphous sound is perfectly apparent on
They Can’t All Be Zingers. Over the course of nearly fifteen years, Primus were dissatisfied with the music climate around them. The tracklist is mostly singles, many of which got heavy airplay on radio and MTV, but Primus’ music never felt drained in a radio-friendly format. The classics from
Sailing the Seas of Cheese like “Jerry Was a Racecar Driver” and “Tommy the Cat” sound just as potent and bizarre as any prog headtrip, while the more jam-oriented tracks like “Over the Electric Grapevine” (a non-single from
Tales From the Punchbowl) still have a place. Other mainstays like “My Name Is Mud” from
Pork Soda and “John the Fisherman” from
Frizzle Fry make appearances, along with some slightly more obscure tracks like “To Defy the Laws of Tradition” and “Mr. Krinkle.” All of the hits are here, and best of all, the radio format doesn’t drain them of Primus’ creativity.
In a very smart move,
They Can’t All Be Zingers sticks to Primus’ best years. Drawing from their more classic LP’s like
Frizzle Fry,
Sailing the Seas of Cheese, and
Pork Soda, the lackluster later years are not the focus. Only two tracks from
The Brown Album and one track from
Antipop make appearances, and the selections chosen are the best ones from each. “Over the Falls” and a brand new extended version of “Shake Hands With Beef” represent the few good moments on
The Brown Album, while “Coattails of a Dead Man” from
Antipop lays off the loud nu-metal and keeps the carnival twists alive. The album even offers the great “Mary the Ice Cube” from
Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People. As a collective of Primus’ twisting and turning career,
They Can’t All Be Zingers sticks to the best moments and intelligently ignores the lackluster ones. Sure, there is practically no new material, but if you’re fresh to the Prawn show, this will quell the awkward introductory tension.
Primus is one of the few bands I’ve seen that can actually make a good greatest hits album, and that’s for one reason: their most commercially successful tracks are also some of their best. Though many of these tracks were on the radio constantly, the compositions aren’t neutered simply for palatability’s sake. They’re rich and complex, filled to the brim with creativity, even when trying to hook the fickle MTV crowd. While it won’t replace an entire discography of weirdness,
They Can’t All Be Zingers is a fine entry point for anyone new to Primus’ style, while not diluting their formula. I really can’t think of a better way to introduce yourself to Primus than
They Can’t All Be Zingers.
