"It is nice to hear Mr. Claypool let his real genius unwind, without the pressures of keeping Primus poppily accessible. He must have realized no one would buy this album (so few reviews! Why is this under Misc.! ), so he could perhaps tone it down just a notch for grateful listeners as myself. The perks of Primus are here, plus some delightful instrumentals to give a much-needed rest from his...unique...vocal style. Hats off to you, Mr. Claypool, and please fish on."
Les is more than most have to offer
David M. Busch | Stevens Point, Wisconsin United States | 02/27/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"les does almost all of of the important playing on this album including, often, guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. he also plays arco quite often. henry rollins also appears on track 8 with his usual interesting spoken word type poetry. this album has pnenomenal funky bass solos as well as thoughtfully composed bass pieces. if you like primus, you will probably like this; if you like bass-dominated music, you will probably like this; hell, if you like good music...."
Les has DEVIL'S Balls
quiveringthigh | the Idiot Left, CA | 10/20/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Aother fine product from Frisco's Nature Boy. There is no question on why he can be a Bass Player magazine Hero. Phenominal playing on the disc. From what I understand he wrote it in his home studio (which is a spectacular site). He chose musicians that fit his songs personalities. He is definitely a genius."
True Les
Travis R. Williams | Anchorage, AK | 11/21/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I admit that I am probably a very biased Claypool fan. He could put out an album of himself using the toilet and I would write about how great it is. That being said, I don't think I am relying on that bias to call this album his masterpiece. Primus is incredible and likely the reason we all know who Les is, but this album digs into the psyche of Les Claypool. The tunes here are far more raw and rough than Primus, but I think that is the point of this album as a solo project....to give us some insight into who Les really is. It's odd that some reviewers claim that "the Awakening" is the only tune of value here. I found Awakening to be my least favorite recording. When I saw Les live in Seattle on July, 3rd, 2007 they opened the show with "Highball With the Devil" and it was so obvious that he had retreated into some very safe, happy place while performing, much more so than the two times I have seen Primus live. Highlights of this album for me include "Highball With the Devil"," El Sobrante Fortnight" and "Carolina Rig". The bass line on Carolina rig digs into your gut and the vocal overlay makes you feel as if you have been hangin' with Les all day on some remote lake."
CRAZY LES AND THE GOODS!
wally gator | USA | 09/28/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"
This stuff is crazy good. CRAZY! I like more than PRIMUS. Its got the funky drive you'd expect from LES and just all kinds of all out insanity on this peice. HIGHBALL WITH THE DEVIL is in itself a great track, I DIG the repetition at the end and I think it should be about ten minutes longer. HENDERSHOT too is very cool; but thats just the beggining. GET CRAZY! Some of LES' BEST."