Antipop is the sixth studio album by the rock band Primus. It was released on October 19, 1999, through Prawn Song Records and Interscope Records. Produced by the band, Tom Morello, Stewart Copeland, Tom Waits, Matt Stone, and Fred Durst,
it was the final release by the band before their hiatus from 2000 to 2003. It was also their last album with drummer Brain. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics. Musically, Antipop has been described as nu metal, alternative metal, funk metal, funk rock, and experimental rock.
The album features several well-known guest musicians and producers, including James Hetfield (of Metallica), Jim Martin (former member of Faith No More), Fred Durst (of Limp Bizkit) and Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine).
The band has regarded the album’s production as tense and uncomfortable, with the members of the band not getting along well with each other during recording. Claypool has stated:
“Antipop was the most difficult record we ever made, because there was a lot of tension between the three of us, and there was some doubt at the label as to whether we knew what the hell we were doing anymore. But there was some great things to come out of it, like the tune we did with Tom Waits, ‘Coattails of a Dead Man’. I love that song.”
In the song, a woman’s husband suffers from substance abuse and when he tries to find comfort from his wife, he commits suicide when receiving none. Instead of grieving, his wife finds fame and fortune from his death. It is said that the song is about Courtney Love, although none of the members from Primus have confirmed nor denied this.
After the release of the album the band went on a three-year hiatus from 2000 to 2003. Claypool said:
“We went on a hiatus, which is a fancy way of saying we just didn’t like being around each other and we wanted to break up but we didn’t have the balls to actually break up. I think we stopped before we totally shit our pants, but I think the closest we came was doing the Antipop record”.
While producing the song “Lacquer Head”, Durst encouraged Primus to return to the more aggressive metal sound of their earlier albums Sailing the Seas of Cheese and Frizzle Fry for Antipop.
Tracklist:
- Intro (Tom Waits)
- Electric Uncle Sam (Tom Morello)
- Natural Joe (Matt Stone)
- Lacquer Head (Fred Durst)
- The Antipop (Primus)
- Eclectic Electric (Primus)
- Greet the Sacred Cow (Primus)
- Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool (Tom Morello)
- Dirty Drowning Man (Stewart Copeland)
- Ballad of Bodacious (Primus)
- Power Mad (Tom Morello)
- The Final Voyage of the Liquid Sky (Primus)
- Coattails of a Dead Man (This track ends at 5:17. After a minute of silence a studio version of “The Heckler” plays.)
Primus
Les Claypool: vocals, bass
Larry LaLonde: guitar, synthesizer (on “Eclectic Electric”)
Brain: drums, percussion
Guest musicians
Tom Morello: lead guitar and production (on tracks 2, 8 and 11)
James Hetfield: rhythm guitar (on “Eclectic Electric”)
Jim Martin: additional guitar (on “Eclectic Electric”)
Martina Topley-Bird: backing vocals (on tracks 9 and 13)
Tom Waits: vocals, Chamberlin and production (on tracks 1 and 13)
Guest producers
Matt Stone: “Natural Joe”
Fred Durst: “Lacquer Head”
Stewart Copeland: “Dirty Drowning Man”
