Colonel Claypool's Bucket Of Bernie Brains
Here we go on a wild ride once again with Mr. Claypool and his gang again, but hold on, every minute of the album is absolutely awsome. In this Claypool side-poject, Les grabs Buckethead, an amazing solo guitarist, who interestingly enough wears a bucket on his head. He also picks up Brian "Brain" Mantia one of his close friends and famous keyboardist Bernie Worrell, who has played with such greats like Parliament and Funkadelic, and The Talking Heads. This album is really well-doce and shows the talented musicianship by four very talented artists. The song length is also very good and it is nice to see a 10-minute song these days. But before you go and get this album, you must be warned that this is a Claypool album. If you do not like trippy music and Les's vocals, you will probably be turned off very quickly. Lets Get It On!
The Band ~
Les "The Colonel" Claypool ~ Bass, Vocals
Brian "Brain" Mantia ~ Drums
Buckethead ~ Guitar
Bernie Worrell ~ Keyboards
The Tracks ~
1) Buckethead ~ Ok, first off, great way to start the album. This song is a solid 5:56 in length and is probably my favorite song on this album. It is basically an anthem to the guitarist, Buckethead. It starts of nice with the keyboard riff. Im not usually not to fond of keyboard's in bands. But I absolutely love what Bernie has done with the keyboard work on this album. After the intro part a really cool guitar part comes in with the classic Claypool lyrics with an eerie background voice. Then it builds up, then, WOW!, what a freakin sick chorus part, turn up the volume folks. After this you get some of the rest of the story. Later on in the song there is an insane guitar solo and keyboard solo. I love this song. The bass riff during the chorus is sick, the drumming is wonderful and the keyboard and guitar parts are one of a kind. 5/5
2) Thai Noodles ~ Nice song name, its actually about a guy who loves them thai noodles. Cool way to come of Buckethead. This drum and bass driven song is pretty nice. The keyboard scales thingy's are interesting and Les's lyrics are quite funny as well. "Slick he's got him a new ride. He's shiftin' with astroglide. Rolling his Sherman tank upholstered buffalo hide. He'll steal your heart away. He'll turn a homophobe gay. He'll communicate thoughts no one ever had the balls to say." Nice guitar-work as well. 4/5
3) Tyranny Of The Hunt ~ Not my favorite song but this is very trippy with the over-effected guitar part. After the vocals are over with there is a nice instrumental part, but nothing too extreme. Very kinda funky and psychedelic. 3.5/5
4) Elephant Ghost ~ An instrumental track, but this is also one of my favorites. The 10-minute song is very calming compared to the other songs, not saying much. It almost sounds like a surf-type song or a cheap porno. I really like it though. It showcases the power of Buckethead's guitar capabilities. His echo effects sound really interesting and I love what it sounds like over the organ. Although the bass riff is not apparent through most of the song to be amazing it is still nice. After the guitar solo comes a little keyboard solo and then a cool little drum solo. At about 5:30 the song really begins to get full blast and it is and awsome buildup with simply amazing guitar licks. Then a little bass solo starts and so on. Great track. 5/5
5) Hip Shot From The Slab ~ What an odd rhythm. What friggen time signature is this crazy sh!t in? Haha. This is a very out-there song, trippy, along with really wierd back voices that scare me a little. Claypool's lyrics are also very wierd. He sounds like a hick or some kind of southern creep that all us americans have seen at least once in our life. Nice instrumentals but a little too trippy for my likings. 3/5
6) Junior ~ Nice guitar riff to start of song with a cool bass riff as well. Another intesting song lyric wise. If you haven't realized already that the axe-work on this album is really well, you will now get some time to listen to some short but sweet little riffs by Buckethead. Nice basswork by Claypool as well, "The King" or should I say "The Colonel" of the bass. 3.5/5
7) Scott Taylor ~ A very melodic intro by the keyboard starts another really jamming song. This song is really cool and is the second instrumental off the album. Nice easy listening song for lovers of music. I really enjoy this tune. 4.5/5
8) The Big Eyeball In The Sky ~ Cool basswork in the start of the song. This song is kinda a futuristic song to me. Its very wierd and crazy. The vocals are with a group reciting a statement about the title of the album where it came from. Kinda repetitive but at about two minutes there is a sweet solo which really is the highlight of this song. Funny lyrics though. 4/5
9) Jackalope ~ This song is also an instrumental. The third instrumental, which is what I love most about the album. The talented musicianship is unmatched andI could listen to these songs at any time, whether I am having a good time or not. This is also a rhythmically driven song and has some really cool licks for every instrument. 3.5/5
10) 48 Hours To Go ~ Were almost approaching the end of the album now. For me this song is kind of dragging along. I dont know, maybe its just me. Its a fun song and even funnier lyrics but I just dont appreciate it and I think it is not a great as the other songs. 2.5/5
11) Ignorance Is Bliss ~ Heres the last song of a very cool album. The cool echo/bow guitar stuff at the front of the song are really cool especially with the drum rolls. When the keyboards come in it starts to have a really cool buildup. Then the song kicks into full gear and here we go. I like this song alot and I think it is very unique and well constructed. It is focused around a very popular saying that you usually hear your grandparent's say or something. Cool solo too. Give it a listen. Have Fun! 5/5
This is a very psychedelic album. Although most of the songs are basically jams with some wierd lyrics added, I think it is incredible. I really love it and I think it is the best of the Claypool side-projects and is very interesting for anyone to give a listen to. Download or borrow it to see how you like it. Then buy this. Its a really interesting collaboration.
Average Score ~ 4
My Score ~ 4
