Pork Soda
| Pork Soda | ||||
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| Studio album by Primus | ||||
| Released | April 20, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | Winter 1992 in San Rafael, California | |||
| Genre | Alternative metal | |||
| Length | 57:40 | |||
| Label | Interscope, Prawn Song | |||
| Producer | Primus | |||
| Primus chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pork Soda | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Robert Christgau |  |
| Rolling Stone |  |
Pork Soda is the third studio album by the American rock band Primus, released April 20, 1993, certified Gold in September 1993 and certified Platinum in May 1997. The album comes in a digipak and contains a booklet with lyrics printed to nine songs, omitting "Pork Soda" which consists of a series of unintelligible rants. This is also the first of three Primus releases to feature explicit lyrics printed for any of their songs. Pop culture references abound on the album, including Hank Williams Jr., Cher, Pink Floyd, the Residents, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Macbeth, Costco, Dr. Martens, Bottom and Ren & Stimpy.
The album was performed in its entirety for the first time at The Fox Theater in Oakland, California, on New Year's Eve 2015.
The album is darker than previous Primus efforts, featuring lyrics dealing with murder, suicide, and alienation. The band has commented that prior to recording, they had been touring for nearly two solid years and were thus in a sombre mood.
Regarding the song "Wounded Knee" drummer Tim Alexander said "I needed a name. I was reading this book called "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". It was something I never really thought about before... I mean how this country came to be. We are taught to be so proud. But a lot of what we have is based on lies and deceit. They only teach you what they want you to know. I hope people will see the title and check it out. Next time you listen to `Wounded Knee', try and put the story and the music together. The rhythm and the pulse, there is an element of it that is angry then peaceful."
In his review for Allmusic, Steve Huey contends that Pork Soda is "one of the strangest records ever to debut in the Top Ten." He notes that the album "showcases the band's ever-increasing level of musicianship" and that "[their] ensemble interplay continues to grow in complexity and musicality", although "[the] material isn't quite as consistent as Seas of Cheese". He concludes that "the band keeps finding novel variations on their signature sound, even if they never step out of it." Reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly, Deborah Frost notes that "the band is starting to gel". She describes Pork Soda as "goofy" and "Zappa-esque", predicting that the "alternative-metal-fusion will appeal mostly to folks who like a little fizz with their lard." In his review for the album, Robert Christgau calls Primus "quite possibly the strangest top-10 band ever, and good for them." Tom Sinclair, for Rolling Stone, describes the album as "an amalgam of elements that have no reason to be joined together in a sane universe", noting that "the band invokes the circa '69 Mothers of Invention and Trout Mask Replica-era Captain Beefheart as often as it does George Clinton or Bootsy Collins." He concludes that "hard-core funk-metal freaks may find it all a bit diffuse, but if you think its high time surrealism entered the mosh pits of America, Pork Soda just may be your cup of meat."
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