Taking a welcome break from
Primus, this
Les Claypool side project finds him reunited with
Sausage bandmates and original
Primus members
Todd Huth (guitars) and
Jay Lane (drums), but this time they've brought a few friends along for the ride. Keyboardist
Jeff Chimenti, who's also in
Ratdog with
Lane, has played with jazz legends like
Pharoah Sanders and
James Moody; saxophonist
Skerik has played with New Orleans funksters
Galactic and world music experimentalists
Tuatara; and guitarist Eenor was chosen by
Claypool from submissions he received from musicians around the Bay Area after placing an ad in the paper. Together, they tackle an hour-long, seven-song set that's long on prog rock-style jamming and short on "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver"-like accessibility. As if to reinforce the prog connection, the group's live debut opens with a 14-minute cover of
King Crimson's "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and closes with a 12-minute version of
Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond." The five songs sandwiched in between are expanded versions of
Sausage and
Holy Mackerel tunes, but with the additional instrumentation and extended noodling, only "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" sounds much like the original version. Even if your wankery tolerance is low,
Claypool fans will enjoy hearing the ol' boy obviously having the time of his life jamming with some mighty fine musicians. It may not make you forget the brilliance of
Sailing the Seas of Cheese, but
Live Frogs should help you forget the blandness of
The Brown Album.
–
Bret Love, Rovi