John the Fisherman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "John the Fisherman" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Primus | ||
| from the album Frizzle Fry | ||
| Released | 1990 | |
| Genre | Alternative rock Funk metal Alternative Metal |
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| Length | 3:37 | |
| Label | Caroline Records (1990), Prawn Song Records (2002) | |
| Writer(s) | Claypool/Huth | |
| Producer(s) | Primus and "Exxon" Matt Winegar | |
| Primus singles chronology | ||
| John the Fisherman 1990 |
Too Many Puppies 1990 |
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"John the Fisherman" is the first single by the alternative rock band Primus,released first live in 1989 on Suck on This, then re-released a year later, this time studio recorded, on Frizzle Fry. It is part of a three-part story called the Fisherman's Chronicles.
The song alludes to the prophet John in the New Testament. The song revolves around the guitar, and the bassline does play a major part in the instrumentation. Some of the "guitar" distortion sounds are actually Les Claypool's bass using distortion.
Although the band did release the song as a single and filmed a video for it (featuring the band members performing the song on a boat, with a cameo appearance by Kirk Hammett of Metallica), the single had very limited success due to its being released on an indie label, and the band did not receive mainstream attention until their next, "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver", from their 1991 major label debut Sailing the Seas of Cheese. Because of this, many overlook "John the Fisherman" and claim "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" was Primus's first single. "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" is also part of the PlayStation game "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" soundtrack.
When Frizzle Fry was re-released in 2002, many fans who caught on during the major label days of the band bought the album, becoming a fan favorite, there was a new interest in this song, and it received some radio and MTV airplay.
This song is part one of the Fisherman Chronicles, which continued on in Primus' later albums. Its immediate sequel was "Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" on 1991's Sailing the Seas of Cheese, followed by "The Old Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicles, Pt. 3)" on 1993's Pork Soda.
The song is a playable song in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 game, Guitar Hero II. Unlike other songs from established artists that appear in the Guitar Hero games, "John the Fisherman" is Primus' master track instead of a cover version.
