Happy 20th Birthday Pork Soda!

If the celebration of Tool's Undertow taught us anything a couple weeks back, it's that the early 90's saw some unexpected smash hits. Perhaps none were more unexpected than that of Pork Soda, Primus' third and (in a landslide) most popular album.

Take a moment and attempt to process the fact that Pork Soda was certified platinum. It sold a million copies. Really, though, think about it. How did this happen? How did their frenetic, impossible basslines and gonzo subject matter become so acceptable that a million people bought this record?

Make no mistake, Pork Soda is a great album (otherwise I wouldn't be writing about it); it just still kind of baffles me that it caught on with so many listeners, even in a time when listeners were seemingly desperate to colour their musical palettes outside the lines of mainstream acceptance. When you listen to it twenty years later, nothing screams "hit song", not even Mr. Krinkle with its immediately recognizable riff or My Name Is Mud with its bubbly bass pops. And yet, they were hits. Especially Mr. Krinkle, the video for which is undoubtedly one of the best one-take videos of all time. Seriously, in an age where people are easily impressed by things like five people gathered around one guitar, people should be taking one look at Mr. Krinkle and shitting their pants.

In my personal opinion, Pork Soda isn't Primus' best album (that distinction is often a slugfest in my brain between Sailing The Seas Of Cheese or The Brown Album), but it's certainly their landmark album in that it got them deserved attention. After all, as goofy as they may be perceived, Primus is a band of impeccable musicians. Any time a band of impeccable musicians goes platinum is a victory for rock n' roll.