Les Claypool Big Eyeball In The Sky CD

Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains: Les Claypool (bass guitar); Brain (drums); Buckethead, Bernie Worrell.
Personnel: Les Claypool (vocals); Buckethead (guitar); Bernie Worrell (keyboards); Brian (drums); Gabby La La (background vocals).
Recording information: Rancho Relaxo, CA.
Illustrator: Maurice Caldwell.
Photographers: Jay Blakesberg; Danny Clinch.
With all members of this quartet represented in the band's rather clunky name (Primus mainstays Les Claypool and drummer Brain, P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and post-rock/occasional Guns N' Roses guitar madman Buckethead), this would seem to be more than another Les Claypool side project. Ultimately it's not, as the Primus leader's inimitable carnival-styled music and fun-house vocals drive the sound more than the other contributors. The jam element is highlighted, especially in the four instrumentals, two of which push the six-minute mark. Not surprisingly, the funk factor is also upped considerably, with Worrell and Claypool pushing that aspect, as Brain and Buckethead gamely follow along. The songs are little more than frameworks for Claypool's quirky vocals; offbeat, occasionally offensive lyrics; and distinctive, if at this point predictable, version of post-punk funky avant-garde rock fusion. In other words, established Claypool fans should lap this up, while those who haven't bought into his shtick before now won't hop on board with this entry into his ever-expanding non-Primus catalog. All four members lay out with blinding proficiency as the tunes twist, turn, twirl, and somersault through more changes than Claypool has basses, barely pausing for breath. It's a head-spinning, generally interesting, and usually frantic collaboration, with a few tracks underwritten but nothing underplayed. The eyeball-dominated graphics seem like an homage to the Residents and the music similarly aims for an experimental collision between that legendary far-out band's non-commercial approach and a Zappa-styled jazz-rock blend. It never quite succeeds over the long haul, but there are enough impressive moments for any fan of Primus or even Buckethead to revel in the musical insanity of what might end up as a moderately successful but consistently intriguing one-off project. ~ Hal Horowitz
Even hardcore Primus fans often wondered what vocalist/virtuoso bassist Les Claypool would sound like outside the confines of that band. Claypool first answered the question with all-star band Oysterhead, and then with this album, which pairs him with enigmatic guitarist Buckethead, P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and former Primus drummer Brain. (These three have also been involved in the avant-garde supergroup Praxis.)
Of course, with musicians of this diversity and caliber, THE BIG EYEBALL IN THE SKY draws liberally from funk, speed metal, jazz fusion, hip-hop, dance, reggae, and punk without regard for boundaries or categories. Surprisingly, considering that Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains began as an impromptu jam session at the Bonnaroo festival, the disc is one of the more accessible and hooky efforts in Claypool's vast catalog. Sure, the lyrics of "Tyranny of the Hunt," are perversely weird, and "Elephant Ghost" sounds like a dub version of some forgotten 1970s porn soundtrack, but the music never ceases to be intriguing, showcasing jaw-dropping technical skills but never descending into pointlessly noodly territory.

..Bernie Brains".L.Claypool,B. Worrell,Buckethead,Brains

CMJ (p.5) - "Instrumental acrobatics abound....Claypool's jam legions will be more than satisfied."