I play the bass, and just ask my friends how much I used to go on about how any bass player who uses a pick could never compare to finger style...

Justin proved me wrong, he proved me wrong indeed. Yet he is the ONLY bass player I respect who uses a pick, because I think hes actually smart with it unlike some players who use it because they played guitar all their life and realised it wasn't going to get them anywhere so they switched to bass and brought the pick with them...

sorry my rant on picks for the day. Justin is second only to flea for top spot on my fav bass players list though.

Hey, I'd like that Carey solo...I might have it but if so I'll just delete the copy :D

[email]johnbutt@gmail.com[/email]

I play the bass to, but my real love of tool came almost jsut before i bpoguht my bass. I think it might be becasue of tool that i got my bass, either way, when i listen to their songs now its not jsut me fore the lyrics its for EVERYTIHNG ALL TOGTHER

[QUOTE=CoopALoop]either way, when i listen to their songs now its not jsut me fore the lyrics its for EVERYTIHNG ALL TOGTHER[/QUOTE]

that is what amazes me. it is unbelivable for a band to be so talented in every aspect of their craft. adam composes the pieces, justin is a solid bass player with catchy lines, danny is an amazing drummer, and maynard's voice is just amazing. i don't think there is one flaw in this band.

[QUOTE=PowerStamp]Hey, I'd like that Carey solo...I might have it but if so I'll just delete the copy :D

[email]johnbutt@gmail.com[/email][/QUOTE]

Sent :thumb:

I would like the durm solo too. Mine is [email]spiralout11235@gmail.com[/email] . thanks!

Sent, enjoy :thumb:


EDIT: Or not, did you give the right address? It wont send, keep getting failed notifications

Oo Sorry bout that. I gave you the wrong adress. Its [email]spiralout1123@gmail.com[/email] . sorry bout that. thanks.

Take two..and sent.

Got it. The solo was awesome! Thanks.

how big is the solo? could you send it to me also, haha hate to be a bother so many people asking and all :)

EDIT: haha forgot to put my email
SMopez [@] gmail [.] com

i hate risking spam :) :D

:) i noticed people talking about what there guitar was a couple of pages back...
so i figured i want to show the world mine :D

its a epiphone Les paul 50th anniversary
cool little doodad on the back...

i think its sexy :naughty:

pics = attachted

[url]http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11763&stc=1[/url]
[url]http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11764&stc=1[/url]

sorry if this is too off topic

Lateralus
 

I did an interpretation of Lateralus. I know my interpretation will be taken as wrong as to some people, and some people will probably ask themselves "what the heck is he talking about?". But I don't care, 'cause an interpretation is an opinion. This is my opinion, and opinions can't be wrong. Anyways, here.

[I]Black then white are, all I see, in my infancy.
Red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me.
Lets me see.[/I]

I believe that this, in a way, could be referring to racism and the derrogatory slangs that humanity uses. Black and white are well known, but the term Red could be perceived as a native american or what could be considered "redskins", such as Yellow could be an asian person. When Maynard says, [/I] "in my infancy"[/I], I believe he is referring to that time in life when one is gullible. They're willing to believe just about anything, and they're taught to hate (as what this world mostly teaches is hatred and seperation) those that are different. The first thing that they see is the obvious which is Blacks are different than Whites in their eyes, and because humanity is constantly searching for a new degradation of those seperate from us, the terms of calling a native american Redskin (which here is just Red) and an asian Yellow were formed. But these should reach out to an individual and cause them to question what makes these two so different from whites or blacks. It's another form of Eyes of The Beholder. These terms open up an individual's eyes and lets them see all that racism and anger they've been so blinded to.

[I]As below, so above and beyond, I imagine
drawn beyond the lines of reason.
Push the envelope. Watch it bend.[/I]

A look on humanity in its raw form. Notice here that he says below, above, and beyond but nowhere does he say Behind. I feel that he is referring to the evolution of humanity in a whole, as in something that surrounds him. As a society, most of what is believed in is beyond logical thinking, and therefore beyond the lines of reason. Religion, emotion, and paranormal activity are a few of these beliefs (I say emotion with Love strongly in mind), and we keep pushing the limits on what is acceptable in a society. Take for instance, one could view religion in this term that Christianity is accepted by every religion out there, yet they don't accept all the other religions. A quote on that could be found once said by our own President Bush before he was President as [U]"I don't think that witchcraft is a religion. I wish the military would rethink this decision." [/U] If this isn't beyond the lines of reason, I'm not sure what is. And we could fight that, we could help prevent opinions such as this from controlling us. But the majority just sit and watch what happens next, watching everything bend.

[I]Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I must
Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines.[/I]

Ever hear that too much knowledge could be a bad thing. It seems that the more one knows, the less common sense they have. Intuition isn't exactly common sense, but it's within the same vein. If you try to analyze and find a logical answer for everything, you will over complicate things. However the verse "[I]Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines[/I]" is somewhat confusing, as to where it sounds as if he has a desire to push the limits as well. Almost as if he's trying to bend the lines himself.

[I]there is so much more and beckons me
to look thru to these infinite possibilities.[/I]

This could be referring to once again bending the limits of what is acceptable in society. It could be saying that the possibilities to humanity beyond the lines of reason are infinite, some good, some bad.

[I]Feed my will to feel this moment, urging me to cross the line.
Reaching out to embrace the random.
Reaching out to embrace whatever may come.[/I]

He's fulfilling his desire to push the limits, to bend the line of reason. Yet there's something pushing him to break those limits and cross past the lines of reason. He knows not the results of this action, so he prepares himself for whatever may randomly come.

[I]I embrace my desire to
feel the rhythm, to
feel connected,
enough to step aside and,
weep like a widow, to
feel inspired, to
fathom the power, to
witness the beauty, to
bathe in the fountain, to
swing on the spiral, to
swing on the spiral, to [/I]

[I]swing on the spiral of
our divinity and
still be a human[/I]

This verse right here could be the most powerful verse in the song (although some would argue it's the verse following it, my opinion is it's this one) because he's listing things that make us human such as awe, emotions, curiosity, a need to feel wanted, and he's saying that he embraces those wants and needs.

[I]With my feet upon the ground I move myself between the sounds and open wide to suck it in.
I feel it move across my skin.
I'm reaching up and reaching out. I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me.
what ever will bewilder me.
And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been.
We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been.[/I]

This is the part of the song where everyone seems to think there is some hidden message of some type. I don't believe there is, just phenomenal songwriting. The verse "[I]I move myself between the sounds and open wide to suck it in, I feel it move across my skin[/I] " is saying that music is more than something you hear, It's something you feel. Not physically (possibly with enough bass), but emotionally and mentally. By "moving between the sounds" you're surrounding yourself with music. If we as humans were to follow our will and break the limits of things holding us down such as religion and legality, who knows where we would go. Some say without a legal system in place, it would be anarchy. But look at our world now, It's anarchy as it is. In my opinion, this song could be perceived as a song about humanity constantly wanting more of something that we can't have, so we take the next best thing. By constantly pushing the limits, and bending the lines of reason, logical thinking will either die out, or be overrun by those who couldn't spell logical. And we as a society will listen to them, because we constantly need someone to control us, and tell us what to do. An individual can think for themselves, but a group needs someone to lead.

[QUOTE=NyhtShade]I did an interpretation of Lateralus. I know my interpretation will be taken as wrong as to some people, and some people will probably ask themselves "what the heck is he talking about?". But I don't care, 'cause an interpretation is an opinion. This is my opinion, and opinions can't be wrong. [/QUOTE]

Nice to see another interpretation in this thread, Lateralus is a beast of a song in every sense, be it lyrical, or instrumental. I definitely see where you are coming from in all areas of the song, its one that has confused me for a while, and its also one of the more open to interpretation pieces of work that Maynard has made lyrically.

And for all those who wanted the solo and left their gmail, its bee sent to all. I recommend editing your posts and removing your address now, to prevent spammers.

Thanks for the interpretation, Nyhtshade...
I feel differently about some sections, but thats what interpretation's all about!

[I]Black then white are all I see in my infancy.
red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me.
lets me see.
[/I]

I've always thought of this to be less literal than you mentioned. I thought of it as being seeing all issues polarised, as in only 'seeing in black and white' - Like George W saying that anyone who doesn't completely support his war is against him...

That doesn't leave interpretation of red and yellow...even though, as you say, it does fit the skin colour theory, that just doesn't feel right to me...
Red and yellow? perhaps to do with colour receptors in the eyes? thats very literal though.
the 'lets me see' is surely about understanding rather than physical sight.
[I]
As below, so above and beyond, I imagine
drawn beyond the lines of reason.
Push the envelope. Watch it bend[/I]
He seems to be saying that he's seen 'below', and imagines 'above and beyond' are the same...I differ to the earlier interpretation here, i think MJK is asking himself, humanity or the listener to [I]try[/I] and push the envelope, to get beyond the logical and conventionally 'reasonable.'

[I]Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I must
Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines.[/I]

Intuition is like a 6th snese, i think; we can use it and know things that we have no reasonable way of knowing...some people call it coincidence, i certainly don't, but each to their own. When we try to analyse this intuition, we can break its flow and miss the opportunities this extra knowledge presents to us. So we must 'feed our wills' without overthinking...
(and yes, I have grasped the irony of analysing a song the berates overanalysing, but I don't think its meant that way:P )
[I]Feed my will to feel this moment urging me to cross the line.
Reaching out to embrace the random.
Reaching out to embrace whatever may come.
[/I]
This seems straightforward - like many eastern religions, MJK wants to stop himself craving control and cross the line into embracing existance as it is.

[I]I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm,
to feel connected enough to step aside and weep like a widow
to feel inspired,
to fathom the power,
to witness the beauty,
to bathe in the fountain,
to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human.[/I]
(i decided to phrase it as it would be written, rather than sung, in order to appreciate the text)
As has been mentioned, a beautiful list of all the things MJK wants to achieve - to be divine and still human...
[I]
With my feet upon the ground I lose myself
between the sounds and open wide to suck it in,
I feel it move across my skin.[/I]

I agree that this is about feeling music, and possibly even more feeling life itself...another expression of being intensely spiritual, yet keeping your feet on the ground..
[I]
I'm reaching up and reaching out,
I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me.
And following our will and whim we may just go where no one's been.
We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been.
[/I]

This about the constant search for evolution, letting life happen and not trying control every event (the world's politicians take note) 'riding the spiral to the end' is following these things to their conclusion, to see where this evolution can take us.

My interpretation is an internal one, so the anarchy theme isn't relevant there. Although sometimes I feel like there's anarchy inside my head... :)

this isn't meant to be the opposite of the earlier interpretation, merely an alternative veiwpoint, another leg of the 'trousers of time.'

and another thing:
I was wondering if anyone has any reading recommendations?
whilst writing that analysis, I was wishing everyone reading had read [I]A Seperate Reality[/I] by Carlos Castaneda, because a lot of the ideas I put inarticulately are explained much better in that book...
so i thoroughly recommend it, sorry if its off topic, but i'm interested in what other tool fans are reading!

[QUOTE=an_underused_memory]and another thing:
I was wondering if anyone has any reading recommendations?
whilst writing that analysis, I was wishing everyone reading had read [I]A Seperate Reality[/I] by Carlos Castaneda, because a lot of the ideas I put inarticulately are explained much better in that book...
so i thoroughly recommend it, sorry if its off topic, but i'm interested in what other tool fans are reading![/QUOTE]

I just finished reading 'love all the people', its a collection of Bill Hick's best pieces of work and live performances. Its a great read to see where maynard founded most of his lyrical influences, and its also a funny read as well. Though I really need to startt reading more of the educational/spiritual books that are a part of Tool

(hey, i popped in off the bass forum)
^ Ive got 'Love all the people' as well, a real eye opener..well ,to me. It just proves the point that a certain Mr Hicks is another dead hero

Honestly Medopalis, it depends really on what type of sounds you like. I've always felt that Mer De Noms is a bit more on the heavy side when compared to Thirteenth Step. But they both have their benefits. Although by you asking in a Tool thread, I'm assuming that you wish for one that sounds more similiar to Tool. I'm not the person to ask on that part, since I will admit I just got into tool a little less than a month ago (and it was mainly this board that got me into it as well). But I would safely go with Mer De Noms since that was my first MJK album of any type, and it was easier for me to understand what he was saying in that sense. But ask around here, I'm sure someone could help you more than I. And underused_memory, Thank you for posting your interpretation as well. That was something I liked about this board, reading what people would think about a song and it was good to see that people in here are still willing to post their thoughts instead of praise members of Tool. (That was not said to start a war, flame, or meant in anything negative what-so-ever. Just viewing the last few pages).

I think mer de noms is better

Ya Mer de Noms has that dark heavy feel, but Thirteenth Step will send shivers down your spine because it really creates a mood. Personally I got Thirteenth Step first and I would recomend it. Then if you like it go with Mer de Noms.

I have a question to ask you all on the lyrics of Ticks and Leeches. When Maynard says "takin all you can take takin all we can take" or something like that is on the band's site. But sometimes the lyrics on the site are a little different than what he actualy says. And when I listen to Ticks and Leeches I hear him say "taken all i can take taken all you can f.uckin take". I've looked at different Tool fan sites, and some say what the band's site says, and some say what I keep hearing. So I'm interested to know what you guys hear. Am I hearing wrong?

i think your hearing right they might of wrote the lyrics like wut you've seen but maynard might fo wanted to do his own thing so u know how it is

Re: Ticks n Leeches
There's a note somewhere on a Tool site (toolshed? or toolband?)
that states maynards veiw on the written versions of lyrics: basically he comes up with melodies with the band, then goes away and writes or finds lyrics to suit the song. The 'official' lyrics come from these lyric sheets, rather than being transcribed from the cd.
Therefore what's sung is sometimes different to what's written.
Also interesting is that MJK is quite happy to post lyrics (i always assumed he wouldn't) but only after people have had a chance to digest the album as a whole - he posts the lyrics usually 2 or 3 months after the album release.
Some may say two months is nowhere near enough time to digest a tool album...

Its been a little too long since I last posted but i just thought of giving a big round of applause to the people who worked on "[U][B]A String Tribute to Tool: Third Eye Open[/U][/B]" A very underappreciated work that deserves some attention. Right now I'm listening to the version of pu**** on the cd and it really lets you hear and understand the song through the music with no lyrics. I was very willing to pay the 30 bucks for it (Canadian dollars, so like 25 US). A very good cd to check out, if you can. Took me very long time to find.

[QUOTE]Its been a little too long since I last posted but i just thought of giving a big round of applause to the people who worked on "A String Tribute to Tool: Third Eye Open" A very underappreciated work that deserves some attention. Right now I'm listening to the version of pu**** on the cd and it really lets you hear and understand the song through the music with no lyrics. I was very willing to pay the 30 bucks for it (Canadian dollars, so like 25 US). A very good cd to check out, if you can. Took me very long time to find.[/QUOTE]

just to let you guys know, its all string orchestra. So if you aren't into tool on the viola,cello,and violin, then...

I agree about the string tribute, I love it and it gives another veiwpoint on the songs...

in case you didn't realise, there's now a 2nd volume, and i think its much better recorded and played...Vitamin records does a gazillion of these string tributes, and there's 2 arrangers assigned to the Tool one. I can't remember their names, but one of them is better than the other, if you look through the track listing and see who did what, the good guy's just a bit more consisent.
its less polished than Apocalyptica (cello quartet that plays metal covers) but they've never covered tool....
Nevertheless, both great buys, unlike some of the industrial tributes which maul the songs.
Volume 2 'Metamorphasis' also features an original song by the string quartet, which I quite like....

the string tribute cds are grrrrrrrrrrrreat. and then i bought one just called "a tribute to tool", and just butchered every song on the cd. it was sooooooo bad.

for all you female Tool fans...or all us guys who know female tool fans.....
Is MJK sexy because he's sexy, or because he'd probably hate the fact that he's a sex symbol?
i find it interesting my female friends into tool are polarised: the one's who see Maynard the love-god
and the ones who get offended that they'd ever discuss anything other than tool as a whole.
Personally, I don't give a ****, if you're a crazy stalker, thats your perogative

Well, to me what makes Maynard sexy is his voice...i really REALLY love his voice....and yes, of course his mysterious ways makes him sexy as well...but i don't see him as any love-god or any sex symbol, or anything like that.