Cannot get into Tool

tubey wrote: Ok, I am not sure why I am posting to this thread but I have debated on it for some time and the only thing that I can come up with in my somewhat small mind is this:  the reason why we're all here is because we're all BIG fans of prog and prog is like a HUGE buffet line with all kinds of tasty stuff for us to fill our plates and our bellys.  Prog is SOOOO huge that I must rely on the kind folks here who post in and suggest things to try.  I must admit, I've heard one song by Tool and to tell you the truth, I can't begin to say which one, so by asking me that question, I would stare dumbfoundly at you.  It was a morsel I thought I wouldn't put on my plate but it went down pretty good.  Are they my favorite band?  Honestly, no because I must hear some more 'afore I go placing my 'yea' or 'nay' on the group.  That is why I hang out here at the Prog buffet because it has been my good fortune that there has been some kind soul to tell me, 'if you like this, try a bit of that.'  And sometimes the taste isn't what I expected.  But, that's okay because I made an effort to try it. Different strokes for different folks.  If you don't like Tool, great.  Find another band to try.  If you do, great.  Continue to support them by attending their shows and buying their CDs.  I can honestly say that I am blessed that there are bands like Tool writing, recording and playing the music they believe in.  Even though I may not have heard any of their music or maybe just one song, I am blessed to know there are souls out there digging 'em.     2Shred

Sure, I'll have another Lolly.



Edited by Shakespeare - August 23 2007 at 20:35

schizoid_man77 wrote: ^Hmmm...   they're videos on youtube suck, I guess you just have to be there.

They have turned into videos?!?!?!

Any band who dedicates an album to Bill Hicks has got to be worth the extra effort needed to get into them

^Hmmm...

Can't get into Tool? Too bad, but you can check out the 123254264364574535424234 bands that you still haven't listened to. 

Tool to me are OK, but they are merely a small planet in an endless universe of music 

So basically what I'm saying is if you don't like them, simply check out other stuff instead.  Even if you DO like them, check out other stuff as well.  Progressive music is about progressing music taste as well (at least it is to me)


Edited by Bluesaga - August 22 2007 at 14:13

It's all about context. If you sit around listening to Yes and King Crimson and Van der Graaf and you hear Tool, I don't blame you for not being impressed. But in the context of alternative rock (which is what I have always defined Tool as), that's where they shine. I heard them on an alt-rock radio station in Boston, WFNX, and I heard Schism lodged between an Alice in Chains song and a Smashing Pumpkins song 5 years ago. Needless to say I was shocked at how different they sounded and how much I liked it. I feel like there's a lot to like about their music. It's not the most melodic thing you'll ever hear, but hey, we're not all Jethro Tull over here. They're a very passionate band who care about the experience. They are a band where you have to turn it up loud and pay attention, and then the "filler" tracks make sense in the album's context. You can hear the love they put in their music and the care they put into making it an experience for the listener, something that 99% of bands that receive heavy radio airplay do not do. I hate to sound like a fanboy because I'm not, but I think Tool's positives far outweigh their negatives.

explodingjosh wrote: "Third Eye" is a great track, but is not at all mellow, its pretty much a powerhouse track ending in a polyrithmic crash and bang. I would recommend "Disposition", "Reflection" and "The Patient" from Lateralus. The Patient is very ... patient, slow and mellow but it crescendos about halfway through into their heavier sound.... it might actually be a good track to get you more comfortable with their heavyness, since it's tastefully used. I would also recommend "Intension" and "Right in Two" from 10k days, but Right in Two behaves like The Patient. IMO all very enjoyable.

Edited by t d wombat - August 21 2007 at 23:17

From what I've heard thus far, and that is limited, bands like Tool and The Mars Volta are a bit to thashy bass and drums for my  tastes. By that I simply mean I find the dominance of the bass and drums obscures anything else. That is said from the perspective of an old fart who readily acknowledges that as he's aged his taste in music has mellowed somewhat.