[gamefreak]

I've got an album or two of theirs from my friend but I'm having a bit of trouble "getting" them. Something is not just not quite clicking. I am hearing how everyone is saying they are amazing but I don't really think I'm in the right frame of mind to understand what "its all about".

Can someone help me out?

 

[Dhw]

My friend gave me a bunch of Tool albums (I'm pretty sure the entire catalogue) out of the blue because he thought they were the best thing ever. I still can't say I'm totally converted, but last year, when I was taking my first law school exams, I got extremely stressed out, and decided to blast some Tool. Great music for getting some steam out...plus they have an incredibly unique vocalist and quite a bit of musical talent to boot. So much radio-rock is horribly unoriginal and the band member's don't seem much more skilled or innovative than the local teenager sitting on a stool at your local Guitar Center.

On the same note, I still don't think that they're be-all-end-all of music, which is an opinion that quite a few head-fi members don't seem to share. If I went through life listening to Tool that much, I honestly think I'd feel pretty miserable, but that's just me...

 

[bg4533]

What albums did you get?

I dont think there really is a "what its all about". The albums tend to cover somewhat spiritual yet still very human topics but are only loosely related in my opinion. Many of the songs tell small stories that form sort of a theme for the album. A lot of the songs take parts from the humanistic sciences (psychology, philosophy, etc) as well as the bands personal experience so it can help to have a little background with these.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dhw If I went through life listening to Tool that much, I honestly think I'd feel pretty miserable, but that's just me...

Well listen to this, the friend that introduced me to Tool is an amateur drummer, he listens to Tool and many other raw and energetic bands: Radiohead, Metallica, NIN, etc. etc. This same guy can't stand classical music of any kind. Not because he thinks it's boring or old, he says he gets stressed out and uncomfortable when listening to any classical music. So there goes another example of your mileage may vary, we all listen differently, we all have different tastes, etc., you get the idea.

Tool's best albums are their last two: Aenima, and Lateralus. Did you get any of those? I've heard some samples of Opiate and Undertow and those really didn't impress me that much. I should eventually get them anyway though.

 

[TommyTheCat]

It does take a certain understanding of the song, the singer, and yourself. But the albums all have certain feelings within them and I think it's important to keep these things in mind.

Opiate and Undertow are very raw and angry, yet "Cold and Ugly" and "Flood" are some of my favorite songs.

Aenima is different. Not to spoil it, but if you cant see how much Maynard's kid affected him, you dont understand where the lyrics came from. See: H, jimmy, Push!t. The live Salival version of Push!t is certainly noteworthy and informative.

Then Lateralus. Very personal stuff about relationships. I'm not saying any of Tool is extremely deep - its just that the lyrics, singing, and music are so well put together that it really shines against the radio today.

And if you think Tool is depressing, I'm not sure if you've ever read the lyrics.
Reflection:


I have come curiously close to the end, down
Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole,
Defeated, I concede and
Move closer
I may find comfort here
I may find peace within the emptiness
How pitiful

It's calling me...

And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping
The moon tells me a secret - my confidant
As full and bright as I am
This light is not my own and
A million light reflections pass over me

Its source is bright and endless
She resuscitates the hopeless
Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting

And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt
Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism.
I must crucify the ego before it's far too late
I pray the light lifts me out
Before I pine away.

So crucify the ego, before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable
Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
And let them pass right through
Bringing out our hope and reason ...
before we pine away.

 

[Dhw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dhw but that's just me...

Just not really my cup of tea, so if someone doesn't "get" it, I don't think anything is wrong with that. As a Radiohead fan (note the avatar), I'm pretty used to people not finding what there is to like in the music I appreciate...in fact I'm pretty skeptical of people who say they can appreciate everything

 

[RockFan]

I own four of the five Tool albums. Lateralus, Aenima, Undertow, and Opiate. I would also agree that Lateralus and Aenima are the best overall albums, but Undertow and Opiate have some good songs in them. There is nothing to "get" from Tool, you are just supposed to listen to excellent progressive rock/metal. The raw talent of this band, put together to form a cohesiveness rarely heard elsewhere is what makes them so good. I personally like to listen to how the different pieces of the song meld together to create the song. They are almost completely different, but form a unique sound that works. They are not a band where the drummer plays straight 4/4 beats, or the bassist plays the root note of the guitar's chords. The sheer talent and pure energy that comes from this band and their music is what makes them so great. I hope I answered your question.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockFan I own all four of Tool's albums. Lateralus, Aenima, Undertow, and Opiate.

It's five actually, they have another album called Salival.

 

[RockFan]

Woops, I forgot about Salival, sorry, I own 4 of the 5 albums, excuse me for my mistake.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Well, how angsty are you?

Most of my non-angsty friends don't get them either, fyi.

-Matt

 

[canloader]

A unique sound.. Let it grow on you.

 

[Cyclone]

I've always found that Tool is actually very soothing. Bands like Red hot chilli peppers are much more aggresive listening to me because it has such a high tempo throughout along with a generally high pitch. One tip for listening to Tool, dont go in expecting a Metallica like sound or feel, try to imagine it as more of a Pink floyd/Zeppelin sound.

 

[Bobby B.]

I own all five albums of Tool and altough they might get a little dusty, I still consider them one of the most impressive and unique-sounding Bands I've ever listened to.
It took me a whole year to get used to the sound (I began with Lateralus in 2001). If you really want to get into them, I recommend to give them a LOT of time and intense listening. This really isn't the kind of music you play in Winamp while surfing the internet.
I would just like to see them live. BTW they are currently recording a new album (Click this link to see some first pictures of them recording). A tour is scheduled for next summer

.

 

[wakeride74]

So I guess that Tapeworm project with Maynard and Trent was trashed huh???

Here's a good way to get into to TOOL... try and follow Danny Carey, focus on the drums. Also give Undertow a chance it's a bit less abstract

 

[eyeteeth]

I'm not sure "how to get" a feeling. I'm also not sure of my reaction or how to go about listening if I only just started listening to TOOL.

I purchased 'Undertow' when it was released and it was a hit with me. It was very much removed from the other albums of the time, which if angst was part, stank of marketing. Don't get me wrong, the other albums by Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana or Pearl Jam (to name a few) were great albums and sincere works by the artists which I love. But TOOL's 'Undertow' had a rare atmosphere. It was much more authentic, personal, psychological, claustrophobic, where there was anger it seemed born of the pain of personal trauma rather than fashion or politics. For me it's very American, very Tennessee Williams. The vocals often have vulnerability which raises the tension.
The whole album is a bit one note-ish in the way a nightmare has a single theme.
When I would come home from a night on the town back then, I nearly always woke on the sofa at 4:00am to 'Undertow' on repeat playing loudly. It just fit with my condition better than anything else (strange endorsement!). I have the fondest feelings about this singularly flavoured album.

Maybe the too well adjusted will never get it?

ænima is much different with a more colourful palette than the two toned, two dimensional Undertow. More extroverted than the introverted Undertow. Expanded musically and with a wider view that is less personal but still very psychological with more personal affirmations. A masterpiece IMHO.

Lateralus was a disappointment for me for quite a while. I thought "Metallica meets Pink Floyd". I'm not into progressive rock partly due to the lack of emotion and Lateralus was much more of an architectural construct than the more soulful Undertow and ænima. But it grew on me as a grandly constructed composition and ended up enjoying it a lot. An intellectual, quirky-quasi-philosophical masterpiece.

Along with Radiohead, I'd put TOOL at the very top, amogst the very few, the royalty, the Crème de la Crème of rock/pop groups active today. The present closest to a Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin type band with that big sound, big guitar riffs, awesome drumming, integrity, mystery and majesty. Due to a lack of groove and high value of perspective factor, TOOL are more Floyd than Zep.