You have to wonder why it took so long for a good Primus retrospective to come along, especially because we live in a world where every two-bit postgrunge act that released two real albums is deemed by the biz to be eligible for a so-called greatest hits collection. Consider this Primus compilation to be a useful career-spanning summary for longtime cheeseheads, and also a pretty good introduction for newbies. But like any collection from a wide-ranging and challenging artist, that's really all it's good for, so just judge this collection for what it really is, rather than expecting a representative sample of the "best" songs. I for one am a bit dissatisfied with the poor representation from the underrated Antipop album (which was low on humor but high on chops), but I could always just go back and listen to the original albums, as could anyone who has issues with the track selection here. But rest assured that this is still a solid overview of the bizarre mutant jazzfunkmetal of Primus, and it gives a very good impression of what the band accomplished over the long term, and how they developed their weirdly unique (and uniquely weird) sound and vision. So tickle its chin and give it a pinch already! [~doomsdayer520~]

I never claimed to be someone who "got" or even understood what Primus was all about, but despite this the level of technical prowess and musical drive was all too apparent to me even as a quasi-fan. This strange little combo of musicians formed by Les Claypool were a band that was given a chance by Interscope Records' Tom Whalley and his creative vision allowed the band to create their style as they were pretty much let loose to do as they would on an unsuspecting music buying public. It was a group that was up against the likes of Guns `N Roses and all the Seattle stuff that was a brewing at the time and with releases like "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" and "Pork Soda" you could tell that Claypool was doing it with tongue firmly in cheek. Lyrically, they were quite absurd but musically it was sheer brilliance as Claypool laid down riffs on the bass that the most seasoned of Progressive and Experimental players would only hope to do night after night. "They Cant All Be Zingers" is a perfect way to enjoy some of their best material if you were an existing fan and it is also a great manner to find yourself educated on this very unique brand of music if you are among the unaware. The CD features music from across all the bands releases and features the talented technical wizardry of Claypool, Larry LaLonde (guitar) and Tim Alexander (drums). The tracks are all remastered for sonic clarity and there is bound to be more than a few tunes that intrigue you as the CD plays. Some additional drum parts of performed by Brian "Brain" Mantia as well and while no lyrics are included there are some great background notes on the group by Brian Fox. If you enjoy this the band has also released a DVD and has a collection of their videos on the release "Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People" which is worth looking into since the bands films are so out there. "To Defy The Laws Of Tradition"? That is indeed an understatement and I look forward to their continuing to do so.

I've been a fan of these guys since 91' when I first heard "Jerry was a racecar driver", and I have had the hugest respect for these guys as musicians. They are a band that you can "get" only if you are a musician as well. Most people find them "weird" or "annoying", but they aren't LISTENING to Primus, they just hear them. I think its about time that this band got a greatest hits album. Once thing, I think they should have included "Sgt. Baker" from Seas of Cheese.

I am a big fan of primus, I have most of their albums but i do not have this one. This album contains most of my favorites by Primus, But 16 songs is not enough for Primus. This is a great cd, but I might suggest checking the other ones out, too.

There is no other band like Primus and that is a good thing. The Primus sound is very unique and heavy on bass and brilliant with the spoken word. A Primus song is like a short story with a hard hitting sound.

Like most people who purchased the cd, I have the entire Primus collection. This CD was purchased for a road trip as it was easier to bring one cd along than an entire collection. All of the songs are fun and easy to sing along to. With that being said I would recommend They Can't All Be Zingers to anyone who is starting out with Primus. The true fan will be left wanting more as there are several great songs that were left out.

I give this cd a 9 out of 10 as a Primus Collection

and a 10 out of 10 for the likelyhood of repeat playing.