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John The Fisherman




  Artist Primus
  From Album Frizzle Fry
  Released 1990
  Genre Alternative Rock <br /> Funk Metal <br/> Alternative Metal
  Length 3:37
  Label Caroline Records (1990), Prawn Song Records (2002)
  Writer Claypool/Huth
  Producer Primus and "Exxon" Matt Winegar
  This Single John the Fisherman<br />1990
  Next Single Too Many Puppies <br />1990


"John the Fisherman" is the first single by the Alternative rock band Primus , released first live in 1989 on '' Suck On This '', then re-released a year later, this time studio recorded, on '' Frizzle Fry ''. It is part of a three-part story called the Fisherman's Chronicles .

The song revolves around the guitar, but the bassline does play a major part in the instrumentation.The bassist preferred to use a Carl Thompson Custom 4-string fretted. Some of the "guitar" distortion sounds are actually Les Claypool's bass using distortion.

Although the band did release the song as a single and filmed a video for it (featuring the band members performing the song on a boat, with a cameo appearance by Kirk Hammett of Metallica ), the single had very limited success due to its being released on an indie label, and the band did not receive mainstream attention until their next, " Jerry Was A Race Car Driver ", from their 1991 major label debut '' Sailing The Seas Of Cheese ''. Because of this, many overlook "John the Fisherman" and claim "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" was Primus's first single.

When '' Frizzle Fry '' was re-released in 2002 , many fans who caught on during the major label days of the band bought the album, becoming a fan favorite, there was a new interest in this song, and it received some radio and MTV airplay.

This song is part one of the Fisherman Chronicles, which continued on in Primus' later albums. Its immediate sequel was "Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" on 1991's '' Sailing The Seas Of Cheese '', followed by "The Old Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicles, Pt. 3)" on 1993's '' Pork Soda ''.

The live version that appears on '' Suck On This '' contains an intro of the '' Rush '' song YYZ .

The song is a playable song in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 game, '' Guitar Hero II ''. Unlike most of the other songs from established artists that appear in the ''Guitar Hero'' games, "John the Fisherman" is Primus' master track instead of a cover version.