Contrary to another reviewer's comments, this is not a "boaring" piece of work. It's not boring either. It's actually really good.

THE DVD:

The DVD throws all of the Primus videos up through 'Antipop' at you with the option of hearing commentary by the band. There's also a bunch of live stuff and old clips of the Primus guys screwing around. The entertainment value is inestimable.

THE CD:

This EP has some of the best songs the band has ever concocted on it. "Pilcher's Squad" is pure classic Primus: Bizarro bass up front, squeaking-crunching-flailing guitar, precise drumming holding it all together and Claypool's unmistakable "tweaking carnie barker on the verge of a nervous breakdown" vocal stylings. "The Last Super Power aka Rapscallion" and "My Friend Fats" are the others that stand out to me. But they're all good.

This is great for old tried-and-true fans of Primus as well as people who have never heard them before.

But as is written in the liner notes:

"Careful though, you may end up wearing a 30-pound rubber pig mask, stoned for twelve hours while a circus of human monsters circle around you."

In case you don't know, Primus is a three piece band that sounds like a cross between King Crimson, Phish, Weird Al Yankovic and Frank Zappa. In other words, this is not music for the masses. It's strange, eccentric music imbued with an infectious groove that never lets go. Sure, it's weird. But it's also lyrically hilarious.

Even the name of their own record label cracks me up: Prawn Song. (If you don't get it, pick up one of the later Led Zeppelin albums to check out the name of Zep's label.)

To be honest, Primus albums almost always make me smile...laugh...and shake my head in amazement at the complexity and virtuosity of the three musicians.

Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People is a return to the good old days with drummer Tim Alexander (who shares recording credits with Brain on this disc). These five songs only total some 29 minutes, but they're all deliciously tongue in cheek with grooves that hooked me from the first listen.

In short, prime Primus.

Although the music on the CD is stellar, what's even cooler about Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People is the DVD included with it. All thirteen of their music videos are present, along with a smorgasbord of special features like live performances, backstage footage, etc.

All told, this 2-disc set may be one of the best values in music today. It's certainly the mother load for any Primus fan.

Speaking of which, if you're into Primus you probably already own Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People. If you're not currently a Primus fan, you might want to buy this because it provides a superb overview of the band's creative history.

Then go see Primus on tour this fall. They're playing two sets, one of which is performing "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" in its entirety. (Prawn Song is also reportedly going to release every concert on CD just as Pearl Jam did with their last two world tours. So this tour is historic times two.)

Trust me, I'll be in Detroit at the State Theatre November 9th -- with a big smile on my face!

The way I see it, is that this is a great deal, with awesome content. And it is all from a group that sucks, and is one of my personal favorites. However this is a dvd/cd set, and both of them are entirely different "animals," so I plan to review them seperately(but in the same review)

CD:4 2/5, stars

Actually, the dvd is the big feature here, and the cd is actually just an added ep. But it is pretty cool just the same. Overall I would say that it reaches toward the darker side of primus(Bob, southbound pachyderm,ect;), except for "Pilcher's Squad, which is a trademark primus goof(goof describes the sound, not the quality of the song). Here it is track-by-track.

The last superpower A.K.A. rapscallion: For me this was the harset to get into. It is actually a lot like "Nature boy(Pork soda)." It starts with a catchy number, which is very enjoyable,and is pretty funky for primus, and then drops off into a three-minute exiremental run before a catchy ending. 5/5 stars

My friend fats: This one is my least favorite song off the cd. It is prettymuch a cheesy-metal-horror-ballad, about a guy who is about to meet his chemical obliviation. 3/5

DVD: 5 stars

I really love this dvd. It contains the videos for "JOHN THE FISHERMAN,""TOO MANY PUPPIES,""JERRY WAS A RACECAR DRIVER,""TOMMY THE CAT,""MY NAME IS MUD,""MR. KRINKLE,""DMV,""WYNONNA'S BIG BROWN BEVER,""SOUTHBOUND PACHYDERM,""SHAKE HANDS WITH BEEF,""OVER THE FALLS,""LAQUERHEAD,"and"THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GORGIA," and if they had left it at that, then it would still be more than the price would suggest. But no. You can also get the live performances of"THOSE D@MN-BLUE COLLARED TWEEKERS,""KALAMAZOO,""LAQUERHEAD,""GROUNDHOG'S DAY,""MR. KRINKLE," and there are a ton of bootlegs too(including those with Les, Tod Huth, and Tim Wright). Not to mention all of the other "tidbits, and tadbits," like the "cheesy home video,"and various makings of. All-in-all, this is an excelent package.

PS: the low price rounds it up to an even 5-stars.

Unbelievable! Primus never ceases to amaze me with their musicianship. Original line-up after years of development and growth . . . this disk stretches the mind and ear in all the right ways. Awesome!

Whoever produced this just got ripped-off. (...). You get all the music videos, 5 new tracks that prove the band hasn't broken up, their just on a long vacation. Lots of extras, some of which are funny. This is 3 times better than than any Primus album. For just a few dollars more, well worth the price.