Prawn Song Records
Encyclopedia

Prawn Song Records is the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 owned by Les Claypool
Les Claypool
Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...

 of Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...

. The name and logo are a parody of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

's famous label Swan Song Records
Swan Song Records
Swan Song Records was a record label launched by the English rock band Led Zeppelin on 10 May 1974. It was overseen by Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant and was a vehicle for the band to promote its own products as well as sign artists who found it difficult to win contracts with other major labels...

.

The label was created in 1989
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...

 for the initial limited release of the Primus live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...

 Suck On This
Suck on This
-Personnel:Primus*Les Claypool – bass guitar, vocals*Larry "Ler" LaLonde – guitars*Tim "Herb" Alexander – drumsProduction*Bob Cock – producer*Howard Johnston – editing*Tim "Soya" Leroy – stage*Lauren Miller – sound...

. To fund the release, the band borrowed three thousand dollars from Claypool's father and pressed one thousand vinyl copies of the record. The album was later licensed to independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 Caroline Records in 1990 for its second pressing, the same label that released the Frizzle Fry
Frizzle Fry
-Personnel:Primus*Les Claypool – electric bass, electric fiddle bass, string bass, vocals*Larry LaLonde – electric guitar, acoustic guitar*Tim "Herb" Alexander – drumsProduction*Todd Huth – second acoustic guitar on "Toys"...

album the same year. Primus signed to Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...

 before their third album Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Sailing the Seas of Cheese
-Personnel:Primus*Les Claypool – electric bass, string bass, six-string fretless bass, clarinet, vocals*Larry LaLonde – electric guitar, six-string banjo*Tim "Herb" Alexander – drums, water jugProduction*Chris Bellman – mastering...

in 1991, who have released all of their subsequent albums to date.

Prawn Song was resurrected in 1993 as a subsidiary of Interscope (at the time 50% owned by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

, the parent company of the original Swan Song label) for the use of Claypool's side projects: Sausage
Sausage (band)
-Critical reception:In his review for Allmusic, Bret Love compared the album to Primus' output favourably in some respects, describing Sausage as "a tighter, more focused groove machine" with a "more accessible sound", but also noted that the lack of "instrumental virtuosity, strange time...

 and The Holy Mackerel
Highball with the Devil
Highball with the Devil is a studio album by Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel, released in 1996. "Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel" is Claypool's first solo effort; many of the instruments on the album are played by Claypool himself including guitar, most of the drums and vocals as well as all...

. At this point, Prawn Song was also made a sister label to the Atlantic imprint Mammoth Records
Mammoth Records
Founded by Jay Faires in 1989 in Carrboro, North Carolina, Mammoth Records was one of the premiere independent record labels of the 1990s. Its roster featured such diverse talent as Antenna, Blake Babies, Chainsaw Kittens, Dash Rip Rock, Dillon Fence, Far Too Jones, Frente!, Fun-Da-Mental, Fu...

, working together with them to launch the musical projects of many of Claypool's friends and former bandmates, including M.I.R.V.
M.I.R.V.
M.I.R.V. is a band based in the San Francisco, California, Bay Area. Founded in 1994, it initially consisted of the band's namesake guitarist and singer Marc "Mirv" Haggard, bassist Craig McFarland, drummer Jeff Gomes, and guitarist Bryan Kehoe, who also contributed vocals and keyboards...

 (featuring Mark "Mirv" Haggard), the Charlie Hunter Trio
Charlie Hunter
for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....

 (featuring Jay Lane
Jay Lane
Jay Lane is an American drummer from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently a member of Primus, as well as Bob Weir's RatDog, Scaring the Children with Weir and Rob Wasserman, and the hip hop/jazz fusion group Alphabet Soup. In 2002, Lane was named "drummer of the year" by the California...

), Alphabet Soup (also featuring Lane), Porch (featuring Todd Huth
Todd Huth
Todd Richard Huth is an American guitarist. He is best known as an original member of the band Primus, along with bassist/lyricist Les Claypool....

) and Laundry (featuring Tim Alexander
Tim Alexander
Tim "Herb" Alexander is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the rock band Primus. Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People...

).

During this time, Primus' albums continued to be released solely by Interscope. In 1998 & 1999, however, Primus also started utilising the Prawn Song imprint to release the albums Rhinoplasty and Antipop
Antipop
Antipop is the sixth studio album by alternative rock band Primus, released on October 19, 1999 before their hiatus in 2000-2003. It is also the last album with drummer Bryan Mantia....

. By 2001, Prawn Song had dropped its association with Mammoth and branched out from Interscope to become a fully independent label, whilst also remaining as Primus' liaison to Interscope for the release of their EP/DVD Animals Should Not Try to Act like People
Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People
Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People is a career-spanning retrospective DVD plus bonus EP by Primus, released on October 7, 2003. The title was inspired by a crayon-made story book written by guitarist Larry LaLonde's son, and the cover depicts a sculpture made by long-time Primus collaborator...

in 2003. The 2006 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

 They Can't All Be Zingers was released only by Interscope, separate from Prawn Song.

As an independent label, so far it has been used to release Claypool's most recent side projects and to reissue the early, out-of-print, pre-Interscope Primus albums. It has also been used to launch the artist Gabby La La's
Gabby La La
Gabby La La, is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist , signed to Prawn Song Records. Her music is self described as "fun, unique, crazy kooky". La La's eccentric debut album, Be Careful What You Wish For..., is a collaboration with Les Claypool that though "peculiar.....

 debut album Be Careful What You Wish For...
Be Careful What You Wish For...
-Personnel:* Gabby La La – sitar, ukulele, accordion, theremin, lead vocals* Les Claypool – bass, drums, percussion-Production:* Les Claypool – producer, arranger, engineer* Stephen Marcussen – mastering* Jesse Rice – project supervisor...

, on which Claypool produces
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 and provides the rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...

. The Oysterhead
Oysterhead
Oysterhead is an alternative rock supergroup featuring bassist Les Claypool of Primus, guitarist Trey Anastasio of Phish and drummer Stewart Copeland of The Police, with all three providing vocals...

 album The Grand Pecking Order
The Grand Pecking Order
-Personnel:*Trey Anastasio - guitar, vocals*Les Claypool - bass, vocals*Stewart Copeland - drums, vocals-Credits:*Mixed by Toby Wright*Recorded by Oz Fritz *Cover Painting and Illustrations: Tim Slowinski...

, however, was released by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....

. The 2011 Primus album Green Naugahyde
Green Naugahyde
Green Naugahyde is the seventh studio album by alternative rock group Primus, released by ATO Records and Prawn Song on September 12, 2011 in Europe, and on September 13, 2011 in the United States...

will be a joint release by Prawn Song and ATO Records
ATO Records
According to Our Records was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews , Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli, and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA Records...

.

When operating independently of Interscope, the Prawn Song label is based in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, and distribution is handled by RED Distribution
RED Distribution
RED - An Artist Development Company is a Sony Music Entertainment-owned sales and marketing division that handles releases for over sixty independent record labels....

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and Essential Music & Marketing in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

As an Interscope Records subsidiary

  • INTD-92361 - Sausage
    Sausage (band)
    -Critical reception:In his review for Allmusic, Bret Love compared the album to Primus' output favourably in some respects, describing Sausage as "a tighter, more focused groove machine" with a "more accessible sound", but also noted that the lack of "instrumental virtuosity, strange time...

     - Riddles Are Abound Tonight (1994)
  • INTD-90085 - Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel - Highball with the Devil
    Highball with the Devil
    Highball with the Devil is a studio album by Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel, released in 1996. "Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel" is Claypool's first solo effort; many of the instruments on the album are played by Claypool himself including guitar, most of the drums and vocals as well as all...

    (1996)
  • 490214-2 - Primus
    Primus (band)
    Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...

     - Rhinoplasty (1998)
  • INTV-90302 - Primus - Videoplasty
    Videoplasty
    Videoplasty is the third home video by Primus, following 1993's Cheesy Home Video and the fan club exclusive Horrible Swill. Videoplasty was released at the end of 1998 to compliment to the band's recent covers EP Rhinoplasty, and is composed mostly of highlights from a live show performed on...

    (1998)
  • 490414-2 - Primus - Antipop
    Antipop
    Antipop is the sixth studio album by alternative rock band Primus, released on October 19, 1999 before their hiatus in 2000-2003. It is also the last album with drummer Bryan Mantia....

    (1999)
  • 0602498613603 - Primus - Animals Should Not Try to Act like People
    Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People
    Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People is a career-spanning retrospective DVD plus bonus EP by Primus, released on October 7, 2003. The title was inspired by a crayon-made story book written by guitarist Larry LaLonde's son, and the cover depicts a sculpture made by long-time Primus collaborator...

    (2003)

As a Mammoth Records associate

  • MR0065-2 - M.I.R.V.
    M.I.R.V.
    M.I.R.V. is a band based in the San Francisco, California, Bay Area. Founded in 1994, it initially consisted of the band's namesake guitarist and singer Marc "Mirv" Haggard, bassist Craig McFarland, drummer Jeff Gomes, and guitarist Bryan Kehoe, who also contributed vocals and keyboards...

     - Cosmodrome (1994)
  • MR0066-2 - Charlie Hunter Trio
    Charlie Hunter
    for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....

     - Charlie Hunter Trio
    Charlie Hunter Trio (album)
    Charlie Hunter Trio is a 1993 album by jazz musician Charlie Hunter.This self-titled debut album was recorded on Les Claypool's Prawn Song record label.-Track listing:#"Fred's Life" – 4:30...

    (1993)
  • MR0082-2 - Alphabet Soup - Layin' Low in the Cut (1995)
  • MR0094-2 - Porch - Porch (1994)
  • MR0098-2 - Laundry - Blacktongue (1994)
  • MR0102-2 - Eskimo - The Further Adventures of Der Shrimpkin (1995)

As an independent label

  • PSR-0001-2 - Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade
    Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade
    Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is one of many musical projects involving Primus bassist Les Claypool. The original band was formed in summer 2000 and consisted of: Les Claypool , Todd Huth , Jay Lane , Jeff Chimenti , Skerik , and Eenor...

     - Live Frogs Set 1
    Live Frogs Set 1
    Live Frogs Set 1 is a live album by Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, released by Prawn Song Records on 10 April 2001. It chronicles the first part of the 8 October 2000 show the Frog Brigade played at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, the second part released as...

    (2001)
  • PSR-0002-2 - Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade - Live Frogs Set 2
    Live Frogs Set 2
    Live Frogs Set 2 is the second set of live recordings by Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, released on July 24, 2001. The album is a complete performance of the Pink Floyd studio album Animals...

    (2001)
  • PSR-0003-2 - Primus - Suck On This (reissue, 2002)
  • PSR-0004-2 - Primus - Frizzle Fry
    Frizzle Fry
    -Personnel:Primus*Les Claypool – electric bass, electric fiddle bass, string bass, vocals*Larry LaLonde – electric guitar, acoustic guitar*Tim "Herb" Alexander – drumsProduction*Todd Huth – second acoustic guitar on "Toys"...

    (reissue, standard release, 2002)
  • PSR-0005-2 - The Les Claypool Frog Brigade
    Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade
    Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is one of many musical projects involving Primus bassist Les Claypool. The original band was formed in summer 2000 and consisted of: Les Claypool , Todd Huth , Jay Lane , Jeff Chimenti , Skerik , and Eenor...

     - Purple Onion
    Purple Onion
    -Credits:Musicians*Les Claypool - bass , vocals, percussion , guitar , whamola , drums *Jay Lane - drums *Mike Dillon - vibraphone , metal drum , percussion , tabla baya , pandiero , electric bow & arrow , metal sounds , cuica , marimba , metal , tabla *Skerik - saxophone , "fancy" sax...

    (standard release, 2002)
  • PSR-0006-2 - Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains
    Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains
    Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains was an experimental supergroup featuring bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Buckethead, keyboardist Bernie Worrell and drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia.-History:...

     - The Big Eyeball in the Sky
    The Big Eyeball in the Sky
    The Big Eyeball in the Sky is the 2004 album by Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, known by fans as "C2B3", released on Les Claypool's own Prawn Song label.- Reception :Hal Horowitz of Allmusic gave the album an above average review, writing:...

    (2004)
  • PSR-0007-2 - Primus - Hallucino-Genetics: Live 2004
    Hallucino-Genetics
    -Personnel:Primus*Les Claypool – bass, vocals*Larry LaLonde – guitar*Tim Alexander – drumsProduction*Zoltron – producer*David Lefkowitz – management*Jesse Rice – project coordinatorMedia...

    (limited release, 2004)
  • PSR-0008-2 - Primus - Hallucino-Genetics: Live 2004 (standard release, 2004)
  • PSR-0009-2 - Gabby La La
    Gabby La La
    Gabby La La, is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist , signed to Prawn Song Records. Her music is self described as "fun, unique, crazy kooky". La La's eccentric debut album, Be Careful What You Wish For..., is a collaboration with Les Claypool that though "peculiar.....

     - Be Careful What You Wish For...
    Be Careful What You Wish For...
    -Personnel:* Gabby La La – sitar, ukulele, accordion, theremin, lead vocals* Les Claypool – bass, drums, percussion-Production:* Les Claypool – producer, arranger, engineer* Stephen Marcussen – mastering* Jesse Rice – project supervisor...

    (2005)
  • PSR-0010-2 - Les Claypool
    Les Claypool
    Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...

     - 5 Gallons Of Diesel
    5 Gallons Of Diesel
    -Extras:-External links:* at the...

    (2005)
  • PSR-0011-2 - Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe
    Of Whales and Woe
    Of Whales And Woe is a solo album by Les Claypool, the bassist of Primus. The album was released on the May 30, 2006. The album features Skerik , Mike Dillon , and Gabby La La . "Back off Turkey" also features Les' children, Cage and Lena...

    (standard release, 2006)
  • PSR-0012-9 - Primus - Blame It on the Fish: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour de Fromage (2006)
  • PSR-0013-9 - Les Claypool - Fancy
    Fancy (DVD)
    Fancy is a DVD of live concert footage compiled from the Les Claypool's Fancy Band 2006 tour. Filmed by Jim "Jimbo" Charna, Jeremy "staunchy" Sewell and Crew, it was released by Prawn Song Records on May 29, 2007...

    (2007)
  • PSR-0014-2 - Les Claypool - Of Fungi and Foe
    Of Fungi and Foe
    Of Fungi and Foe is the second solo album by Les Claypool. The album was released on the 17th of March, 2009. The album features Eugene Hütz, Paulo Baldi, Mike Dillon, Lapland Miclovik, Sam Bass, Cage Claypool, and Bryonn Bain.Claypool states:...

    (standard release, 2009)
  • PSR-0015-1 - Les Claypool - Of Fungi and Foe (limited vinyl release, 2009)
  • PSR-0016-1 - Primus - Frizzle Fry (reissue, limited vinyl release, 2009)
  • PSR-0017-1 - The Les Claypool Frog Brigade - Purple Onion (limited vinyl release, 2009)
  • PSR-0018-1 - Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe (limited vinyl release, 2009)
  • PSR-0019-2 - Primus - Green Naugahyde
    Green Naugahyde
    Green Naugahyde is the seventh studio album by alternative rock group Primus, released by ATO Records and Prawn Song on September 12, 2011 in Europe, and on September 13, 2011 in the United States...

    (2011)
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