Primus and the Chocolate Factory
Christopher Locke
Once upon a time, I was a little weirdo. I know, it's hard to believe. It's also hard to believe that MTV used to play music videos. But there I was, sitting at home, eating Bagel Bites pizza fresh from the microwave, flipping back and forth between the Comedy Network and MTV. And suddenly, I found myself watching a man dressed like a giant pig, playing standup bass while circus performers juggled and flipped and posed in the background. It was so different, so strange, so unlike anything else on TV... And it felt like home.
When I was old enough to buy concert tickets myself, and go to shows at the 930 Club in DC, Primus was my first. A boy at my school wanted to fight me because I listened to Primus. I tried (unsuccessfully) to convince my art teacher to let me play a Primus song for the class while we painted. So my love affair with Primus runs deep.
So, imagine my excitement when I found out Primus had covered the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (Or was it Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?) Whatever. Can you think of a better band than Primus to play the Oompa Loompa song? I can't.
This version of the soundtrack is really dark. They've done a great job of taking a jaunty set of bouncy songs into a really deep place. It's fitting, considering the underlying tone of the story. Kids going into a factory staffed by dwarves, and getting sucked into the equipment? Gloomy! When I played the album in my classroom, the kids said it was a little too spooky, and I should change it. One kid asked a week later if we could listen to "that music that was like space cows."
This isn't a record I will listen to on a daily basis. But this album will scratch an itch that no other can reach. But wait, there's more! The record came on chocolate colored vinyl. What more do you want? If you're not convinced, listen to "Cheer Up Charlie." You can thank me later.