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Comfortably Numb's Top 50 Tool songs #2 Jambi...and #1 H (1 Viewer)

Also, some Puscifer songs that I like, I feel like Puscifer is significantly more Tool like than APC. A lot of their songs are kind of jokey and they have a lot of different versions (more re-imagining the song than a typical remix), I have not heard their latest stuff or re-listened to everything, but this is what I have on my playlist:

  1. Polar Bear
  2. Rev 20-22 (Dry Martini Mix)
  3. The Humbling River (either normal or duet mix)
  4. Conditions of my Parole
  5. Man Overboard
  6. The Mission (M for Milla Mix)
  7. Sour Grapes (and Legend of the Mix, Where is the Line Mix)
  8. Country Boner (Evil Joe Barresi Mix)
Also, thanks @comfortably numb for the thought exercise, I have listened to more Tool in the past week than I have for a long time.

 
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Nigel said:
Have you shared this story?

FYI, I've never gone very deep into Tool's catalogue but this thread has me doing so. Thanks for giving me something to do! :thumbup:
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Awesome!

Have fun!

I've brought the story up a few times in random threads. Its not an exciting story where I escaped a life of torture, sex and deceit probably more boring than interesting. 

 
MAC_32 said:
The should be ranked higher tier

25 - Prison Sex. Maynard's best effort on this album, but where I veer from most with this track is I think the rest of the band is just there. It's simplicity rivals Sober, but Maynard carries it this much higher.

24 - Stinkfist. I'll never forget when I first heard this song. Unlike its predecessors it was just interesting enough for me to actually purchase this album during one of my weekly daily trips to the record store. The first 15 seconds wasn't like anything 'd heard before. A 'metal voice' like that of Maynard in that opening verse wasn't either. The range he displayed throughout kept me around just long enough to get to where this song hits its peak. Chancellor and Jones take this song to another level starting at about 2:30. And that minute plus of music into its finale is ultimately what led me to purchasing. Like that opening, it wasn't anything like I'd heard before. I needed to know more. But I don't think this song is a complete song. At least when stacked up against the rest of the catalog. It has several high points, but I see it as more of a stage setter than anything. And 'stage setter' is going to be a common theme at the bottom of this tier.

23 - The Grudge. I embrace the criticism that's about to come my way. I wear it like a crown of negativity. I had this song ranked similarly as high as most of you back when Lateralus was new. But since Tool re-entered my world over the last few years...this song's just not stuck like it did before. It's a stage setter. The opening...Carey's lead into the chorus...and especially the outro...but the rest? It's...okay. Perhaps I'm overly critical of the middle of this song. Perhaps it's being done with a purpose. To maximize the power of the last 90 seconds of the track. I just think (now) that more could have been done with this song. But it's here instead of the gonna get hell tier because of that final 90 seconds.

22 - Right In Two. Musically and lyrically a beautiful, thought provoking epic. If I'm being objective this is a top 5 Tool track. But this list isn't about objectivity. And the problem with this song is that while I never turn it off when it comes on...I recall times giving others the Seinfeld/Desperado treatment when I'm lost in it (especially the instrumental)...I just never seek it out on my own. And this catalog is so strong that allure is the difference between top 5 and outside the top 20.

21 - H. Is this really a unanimous favorite among Tool fans? For me this was a natural fit directly by Right In Two on my list. I've gone back-and-forth since my first rough draft about which to rank first because my assessment is exactly the same - musically and lyrically a beautiful, thought provoking epic that I just never seek out on my own. The difference? That chill that comes over my spine at that 4:46 I DON'T MIIIIIIIIIIIIND every. single. time.

20 - Ticks & Leashes. If the peanut gallery doesn't have my head in a noose already they will now. This may be a Danny Carey track, but above all else the one thing I still can't wrap my head around with this song is how Maynard is able to not only sustain those screams - but still have enough juice for...well, the entire 7th minute. If those last 2 minutes don't get you to want to run through a brick wall then nothing will.
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Killing my top five lol 

 
1. 10,000 Days - Such a hauntingly beautiful song (lumping in Wings with it)

2. Pu#### - I have a tough time ranking the next 4 songs on a given day they flip

3. Eulogy

4. Vicarious

5. Schism 

6. Stinkfist - This song is what got me into Tool.  Easily my most listened to song

7. Prison Sex 

8. Descending - Favorite song off FI just love the build up

9. Right In Two - Not sure why this song just strikes a cord in me

10. 46&2

11. Parabola

12. Rosetta Stoned - To me easily their most underrated song.  It absolutely rocks

13. Invincible -Initially my favorite FI track. Such a great tune.

14. Lateralus

15. Pneuma - Just ok for me until I saw it live.  Such a great performance

16. Jambi - This, Aenima and H are lower than most not a knock just like others better

17. Aenima

18. 7empest -  A tad long otherwise may be a bit higher cant wait to see it live

19. H

20. Intolerence

21. Flood

22. The Grudge

23. Jimmy

24. Hooker with a penis

25. Fear Inoculum

So I listen to my top 15 all the time and on any given day any one of those songs could jump into my top 5.  The next tier through 25 are somewhat regular to occassional

listens.  Hits like The Pot and Sober are missing.  They'd be in the next tier just not as big fan of those songs.  So based on my rankings I'd rank the albums…

AEnima>10,000 Days>>>FI=Lateralus>>>>>>>>>>>Undertow>Opiate

I can't decide if I like FI or Lateralus better.  They are both fantastic albums.  Aenima is easily my favorite album of all time and 10,000 is close.  While I like some of 

Undertow and Opiate I just don't dig them nearly as much. 

 
Tool is all about your own personal journey. And that’s the motivation behind this tier – it’s personal. These songs elicit some sort of emotional response. They are a personal draw. Musically they may not belong being ranked over hits like Stinkfist and Prison Sex or anthems like The Grudge and Jambi or epics like Right in Two and Wings of Marie/10,000 Days or spine tingling tracks like H and Ticks & Leeches. But for me, personally – they do.

Tool's top 20 - when it gets personal (part one)

19 – Crawl Away. I criticized Sober and Prison Sex for its simplicity, but I’m ranking Crawl Away #19? Hypocritical, you betcha. Because this may be the only straight forward hard rock/metal track in the catalog. Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge/instrumental-chorus/outro. A tried and true formula for decades that this band never rarely conforms to. But in the rare instance they went to it they did it better than the rest. From the moment Danny Carey takes over the song at 3:27…through…

Get you in a stranglehold, baby...get up, get up, get up, AAAHHH

What you're trying to say
Is you don't wanna play
But what you want and what you need
Don't mean a #### to me
I can see your
Back is turning
If I could I’d
Stick a knife in

…until that final primal scream. This song just brings out a level of tension-release in me that most in their catalog doesn’t. And that’s saying something.

18 – Rosetta Stoned. As I said when Comfortably Numb ranked this in throwaway land, it’s a bizarre song. Musically, structurally, and especially lyrically.

And after calming me down
With some orange slices
And some fetal spooning
E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose
He said, "You are the chosen one
The one who will deliver the message
A message of hope for those who choose to hear it
And a warning for those who do not"
Me, the chosen one
They chose me
And I didn't even graduate from ####in' high school

I mean, seriously – what the #### is ^^^that! Drugs have never been my thing, so how does this thing personally influence me? The first 6 minutes of this journey has a purpose, but it’s the song’s 7th minute that really takes it to another level. Building…and building…and building…until that sudden change at 7:02. Carey and Chancellor take over then my jaw starts progressing towards the floor when Jones comes in at 7:19. And it stays there through the entire 70 second instrumental before they all slowly build together for a ferocious final 3 minutes. That tension-release I mentioned in Crawl Away? G.D. #### the bed.

 
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Pipes said:
AEnima>10,000 Days>>>FI=Lateralus>>>>>>>>>>>Undertow>Opiate

I can't decide if I like FI or Lateralus better.  They are both fantastic albums.  Aenima is easily my favorite album of all time and 10,000 is close.  While I like some of 

Undertow and Opiate I just don't dig them nearly as much. 
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This subject came up in a zoom last week as I have been digging back through the catalog. Initially with the exception of 10K I had my rankings similar to yours. But now that I'm going back through each multiple times I'm remembering just how great of an album Lateralus was beginning-to-end. So 2 weeks ago I had it AEnima>>>>>Fear>Lateralus>>>>10K>>>Undertow>>>>>Opiate. And now it's more like AEnima>Lateralus>>>>>Fear>10K>>>>>Undertow>Opiate.

Kinda like Fear, it's the sum-of-the-parts. The sum of those parts were just another level.

 
MAC_32 said:
Tool's top 20 - when it gets personal (part one)

19 – Crawl Away. I criticized Sober and Prison Sex for its simplicity, but I’m ranking Crawl Away #19? Hypocritical, you betcha. Because this may be the only straight forward hard rock/metal track in the catalog. Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge/instrumental-chorus/outro. A tried and true formula for decades that this band never rarely conforms to. But in the rare instance they went to it they did it better than the rest. From the moment Danny Carey takes over the song at 3:27…through…

Get you in a stranglehold, baby

Get up, get up, get up, AAAHHH

What you're trying to say
Is you don't wanna play
But what you want and what you need
Don't mean a #### to me
I can see your
Back is turning
If I could I’d
Stick a knife in
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Just reading this gave me a flashback of Tool covering Stranglehold by Ted Nugent when I saw them live. Now I feel like that cover should be in the middle of my list somewhere, I recall trying to find a good MP3 of it and giving up.

 
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Pipes said:
Another reason why I love this thread is it's making me go back and re listen to some stuff I haven't listened to in a long while.  I barely remember Crawl Away for example so need to give songs like that another shot.
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:goodposting:

Some of those I wrongfully ignored I found on my own digging over the last couple of weeks, but there were at least a few I paid special attention to because of what others have written. While Wings/10K isn't in my top 30 that was certainly one of them. I hadn't listened to that in more than a decade. Ticks & Leeches was another one. I don't remember the last time I listened to it before quarantine, but I was very quickly reminded why this was a staple back when CD's and itunes were a thing. The moment it was mentioned my first thought was - why haven't I been listening to this. But definitely Right In Two. I wonder if I did this a year from now if it would be substantially higher than it is today.

 
Tool's top 20 - when it gets personal (part deux)

17. Intolerance. Tension-release was the theme of songs 18 and 19. But what about just tension? It really begins on this track in verse #2

Veil of virtue hung to hide your method
While I smile and laugh and dance and
Sing your praise and glory
Shroud of virtue hung to mask your stigma
As I smile and laugh and dance and
Sing your glory while...

And that one note tension is a delicate line because only it often feels...incomplete, but when done deliberately it can work. It doesn't always work by itself - I think this is the net result of songs like Fear, Jambi, and Jimmy. It's why this is in the top 20 and those aren't. Because the song ends and that tension that's been built up throughout...

You LIIIE, cheat, steal

I cannot TOLERAAAAATE....

...is still there, but it's not left wondering what's next. It's deliberately still wound up in a ball. Just like that awkward posture Maynard takes before his most intense moments. You don't know when the release is coming. You just know that it is. This is the theme of the opening tracks to Undertow, but Intolerance just does it on another level that the others don't.

 
10. Schism - Loved CN's write up about this song.

Makes me think of the ebb and flow of relationships. Doomed to crumble unless we grow, and strengthen our communication. Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense  of compassion between supposed lovers. 

9. Jambi - One of my favorite baselines from Chancellor and Jones' geetar work is phenomenal imo. The pace of this song is intense too, when it comes on the volume always goes up a bit more.

8. Pneuma - I thought for sure this was going to be my favorite off of FI. We are spirit, bound to this flesh....We are born of one breath, one word...we are all one spark, sun becoming. Extremely spiritual song that I could get pretty deep about....maybe another time. 

7. Eulogy - This is TOOL encapsulated imo. Anger, soothing, rage and loving rolled into one.  Calling out all the fake leaders or people we're supposed to look up to who constantly fail us. Get off your cross, we need this space for the next fool martyr. 

6. Parabol/Parabola - imo, these are inseparable. I can't hear the former without the payoff of the latter and can't hear Parabola without the build up from Parabol. I actually have Parabol/Parabola leading into Pneuma on my TOOL playlist. They're sister songs imo. Recognize this as a holy gift, and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing....This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality....Embrace this moment, remember, we are eternal...All this pain is an illusion.         Our pneuma lives forever, this body is just temporary. 

 
Tool's top 20 - when it gets personal (#3)

My rough draft initially had these two in the top 10 - and there wasn't any way you could convince me to remove them. Here we are two weeks later and they're not even close. This is what happens when you re-introduce yourself to the whole catalog - and for that I say thank you @comfortably numb.

16. The Pot - it isn't often elder Tool gets right into it, so looking back I think that was the appeal to this song. How often does the sequencing go Maynard-Chancellor-Carey-Jones? It's always just naturally stuck with me, even in the years post CD's/itunes when Tool fell by the wayside in my listening routine. Who are you to wave the finger...it's such an infectious line. But as I listened to it more and more over the last few weeks it (finally?) occurred to me how shallow this song is, musically anyway. In a way it kinda reminds me of a catchier Prison Sex or Swamp Song in that this is Maynard's show. So why did this stick in the top 20 and they didn't?

Who are you to wave your finger? So full of it
Eye balls deep in muddy waters, ####in' hypocrite
Liar, lawyer, mirror, show me what's the difference?
Kangaroo done hung the guilty with the innocent
Now you're weepin' shades of cozened indigo
Got lemon juice up in your eye, eye
When you pissed all over my black kettle
You must've been...

Okay, that's why it's up here. Well done, Maynard.

15. Opiate - I'll never forget the first time that chilling choices always were a problem for you...what you need is someone strong to guide you penetrated my ears. I was in my buddy's pickup truck - summer of 97. By now I couldn't turn off AEnima and had introduced myself to Undertow. We were on our way to round up a bunch of people and head to a nearby quarry. It never really occurred to me as Sweat buzzed in the background, but during one of the screams during Hush I crooked my neck and questioningly pondered - ...that Maynard? "You haven't heard Opiate, have you? You're gonna enjoy the next 20 minutes (turns volume up to 11).

It wasn't what I expected. It was metal, but it wasn't Tool. I liked it more on future listens because I knew what to expect, but the first time through was unusual. Then that line hummed through my ears. This was Tool! Now, don't get me wrong - I now get this band was always the sum-of-the-parts between Undertow and Opiate, but it would be years before I'd realize that. In my mind, that afternoon, hearing this track - this is when they figured themselves out. My buddy could see how much more into that track i was than the rest of them. And then...

My God's will
Becomes me
When he speaks
He speaks through me
He has needs
Like I do
We both want
TO RAPE YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU

:jawdrop:

Legends.

 
Opiate has definitely come back into play, for me,  with TOOL taking their catalog online. I had lost all my cds of their old stuff and just never looked for it in the past 10 years. 

[twss]

I had actually forgotten how long it was.

[/twss]

 
Back in the 90's the eject button on the CD player in my car died and Opiate was stuck in it, so for about a 6 month span, anytime I was driving I was listening to Opiate. Maybe why Cold and Ugly is my #1.

 
Tool's top 20 - when it gets personal (Round 4)

Musically, neither of these songs belong anywhere near this level. And now, I've got some advice for you little buddy. Before you point the finger, you should know that I'm then man. And if I'm the ####in' man then you're the ####in' man as well so you can point that ####in' finger up your ###.

14. Hooker With A Penis

13. Jerk-Off

I was full of unfounded against throughout my teenage years. And good luck finding two songs that could resonate with me stronger than these two. Of the two I think Hooker has aged much better. I came to appreciate the actual meaning behind the track some years later. I don't remember when they actually let the lyrics to the album out, but I know it wasn't at the time of release and it was months before I got my hands on them. Reading along to it for the first time, the band having the self awareness that what they're creating is in effect selling out...and it's not like this was unique to this particular group - I just can't recall anyone else delivering it in such an overt manner. 

All you

read and

wear or

see and

hear on

TV

IS A

PRODUCT 

BEGGING

FOR YOUR

FAT ###

DIRTY

DOLLAR

so shut up and

BUY

BUY

BUY...myyyy new record

Well done

---

As for Jerk-Off? Well, just start at 2:50. If that last minute doesn't get you to an 8 on the richter scale then you're dead inside (teaser). I intentionally stuff this one at the end of many of my workouts. That's why. And that's why it's here.

 
Tool's top 20 - when it gets personal (The Final Cut)

It seems only appropriate to finish the top 10 with two songs that weren't anywhere near it when I began this exercise 2 weeks ago. @Pipes made a comment yesterday about loving this thread because it caused him to go back and look up some songs he hadn't considered in some time. I mentioned several in which the same thing happened with me, but there were a few others that I re-discovered on my own just going back through listening to the albums- in whole. I can't recall what my opinion was on them a decade or two ago anymore, but it wasn't strong enough for me to instant add them when Tool finally went digital last year. I'll be fixing this going forward.

12. Bottom. Tension was the word I used most to describe Undertow to this point. Sometimes it hit, sometimes it didn't, sometimes it released, and other times it remained wound up. Except in this song. All that tension built up on the first 3 tracks of the album, it's all released throughout the first 2 minutes of this 7 minute epic.  I hadn't noticed it before because I simply hadn't listened to Undertow front-to-back since...well, probably the 90's. Those ferocious 2 minutes though. What a way to follow up the first 15 minutes of the record. And that release made me appreciate that spoken word that much more. Because that tension needed to be rebuilt.

If I let you, you would make me destroy myself.
In order to survive you, I must first survive myself.
And I can sink no further, and I cannot forgive you.
There's no choice but to confront you, to engage you, to erase you.
I've gone to great lengths to expand my threshold of pain.
I'll use my mistakes against you.
There's no other choice.
Shameless now, nameless now, nothing now, no one now.
But my soul must be iron.
'Cause my fear is naked.
I'm naked and fearless.

(Then the release comes again)

 AND MY FEAR IS NAKEEEEEEEEED. 

But, no - it's coming around again. Jones starts spiraling you back up again throughout minute 6 then comes one more assault at 6:20. GUILT KEEPS ME ALIVE AT THE BOTTOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

Holy #### I am exhausted just writing this. I wouldn't have told you this in March, but this is their best effort from Undertow and it is not particularly close. This was always part of the rotation, but it's going to be a more frequent player in the future.

11. The Patient. Unlike 'Bottom' this never really stuck on my radar before. Sitting here writing I can't tell you why, but the first time through Lateralus earlier this month I wasn't really paying attention when this song came on. Then the layers began - and my attention began to stray. It came to an end and for the only time through this exercise I went back and listened to it again. Only this time I stopped what I was doing and wrapped myself around the music. Holy #### that was even better than I thought it was. So I went back - and listened to it again. And pulled up the lyrics this time. As I followed along the third time...this song's a journey. Each section more beautifully done than the one prior...then 4:30 happens...the song changes - and you think this thing is going to grind and crunch to then end when suddenly - Jones overlays I must keep reminding myself of this... and you attain euphoria. I've gotten chills during this section every time since then. With hind sight this song lays the foundation for 10,000 Days. He'd sung about his mom before, but...not like this.

I foresee a time I rank this song substantially higher than I do right now. It's just too new to me right now. What a spectacular piece of work I criminally ignored all these years.

And now onto the top 10...

 
5. Invincible - This one just keeps growing and growing on me. This is my #1 Chancellor performance (7empest is up there), his work is partly why I feel the last 6 minutes of this are better than 95% of any other metal band's songs. Adam Jones channeling his inner Joe Satriani.....man, I can almost hear Maynard's lyrics in his riff starting at 8:10. Carey's beat change at 10:42 into the final build up makes the hair on my arms stand up. If this was lyricaly as strong as most other TOOL songs it'd be 1-2. Once in a while when i'm home alone at night I put this on ym surround sound, get reeaaallly high, and sit in the middle of my couch with it as loud as the speakers will go...what a ride musically. 

4. 46&2 -  Speaking of lyrically deep songs, here we go.

I wanna know what I've been hiding in

My shadow.

My shadow.
Change is coming through my shadow.
My shadow's shedding skin
I've been picking
My scabs again.

Join in my
Join in my child
My shadow moves
Closer to meaning 

This song actually came up in a family member's therapy session. What are you carrying from your past? Have you dealt with it? The only way to evolve is to deal with your own past issues first. 

3. Aenima - This one has a special place for me because it was the song that turned my girlfriend (now wife) onto TOOL. Also, it's a pretty big emotional dump to sing this at a karaoke night  :lol:   Man, Maynard just basically torching any tiny little thing people can grab onto to feel a part of "the norm" or fit in. Also their worrying over silly ####, which is also apropos of whats going on now.   I hate to admit it, but I brought this song up, half jokingly,  recently in regards to CV19....."mom's comin round to put it back the way they ought to be". 

"Fret for your toilet paper" is the top youtube comment under this song now lol

 
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MAC_32 said:
And right here was when i realized it'd be H. Once Prison Sex went off the board #1 was either gonna be Pu#### or this. And yes it isn't going to be popular, but I don't think anyone's gonna disagree with you. Both are beautiful pieces of work. You did well.
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Love it. Good catch

 
MAC_32 said:
I'm gonna get hell for all of these

36 - Sober. I promise this ranking is not for shock and awe. And this isn't a bad song. You get a feel for Adam Jones' chops. Maynard too. And that opening bass is bone rattling. But the song itself. There's a reason it never got me to want to learn more about the band when I first heard it in the mid 90's. It's just too simple when stacked up against the rest of their catalog.

35 - Third Eye. It felt criminal continuing to slide this song further and further down the list. Beginning-to-end this was some of Jones' best early work. But there was one big problem I just could not overcome. This song does not keep me engaged. There are some attention grabbing moments, but they are just those - moments. Musically this is a great track and with hind sight gives us a glimpse of what's to come, but as Comfortably Numb kept saying throughout his rollout - this song just doesn't grab my attention.

34 - Invincible. Speaking of a musically great track...notably from 6:50-10:50. But it's here for the same reason why Descending and Fear are ranked as low as they are. And I know I'm in the minority on this one. It doesn't stand alone. I listen to this song multiple times every week, but it always has to be after Pneuma then be immediately followed by something later on the same album. It's a perfect fit on the album, but by itself it just doesn't do it for me like most of their catalog.

33 - Jimmy. Comfortably Numb was right. On a normal bands list this song would probably be top 10. But in Tool's? It's the weakest track on Aenima. It's because Aenima is the greatest album ever created (yes I went there), but there has to be a low point. I never thought I'd have this song this low, but - here we are.

32 - Jambi. The FFA wanting me to do to myself right now. I understand why this is so popular. The rhythm is pulsating. It's ferocious. Relentless. But the song...doesn't go anywhere. And in this catalog that matters. There is one thing about this track that made me second guess where I have this though. Would have I felt differently about this track had I heard it amidst Undertow? And I would. My expectations for their music were just vastly different at this stage of their career vs. the mid 90's. I expected layers and complexities in everything they do post Lateralus. And really anything that doesn't clear that bar falls short. It's an unfair bar, but they set it for themselves.

31 - Wings For Marie/10,000 Days. If y'all haven't murdered me by now then you will with this one. I mentioned the musical talent exuded from Third Eye and Invincible - this is a level up. I mentioned the need for complexities with Jambi - and fittingly the 17 minute epic immediately following it on the same album does just that. There may not be a more emotionally driven song by Maynard in their entire catalog. And that doesn't make the top 30?!?!?!? Nope - and it's the same reason Third Eye's in this tier. I don't stay engaged. And when you make songs at this length that's the difference between here and much...MUCH higher.
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Dam.

These all hurt...except slippin Jimmy

I get the thoughts on third eye. I think early on there were parts where I would skip 2-3 min at a time.

I can see the missing complexities angle on Jambi. One may even say this could almost be a normal "single" release track for a normal band.

 
huthut said:
Also, I am not going to give a write up of individual songs or trickle them out, don't @ me. I know #1 might be controversial and I disproportionately dislike Lateralus compared to others. I also separated it into 6 tiers where songs within the tier are more interchangable, delineated by bold/underlined songs. With that said, the rankings are still pretty loose, there are times when I would still feel like listening to 10,000 days over Flood or whatever.

  1. Cold and Ugly
  2. H
  3. Bottom
  4. Eulogy
  5. Opiate
  6. Undertow
  7. 46 & 2
  8. Jimmy
  9. Prison Sex
  10. Stink Fist
  11. Swamp Song
  12. Aenima
  13. Hooker with a Penis
  14. Flood
  15. The Pot
  16. Pu#### - Salival Version
  17. Pu#### - Aenima Version
  18. Jambi
  19. Intolerance
  20. Lateralus
  21. Part of Me
  22. Third Eye
  23. Maynard's ****
  24. Hush
  25. Jerk-Off
  26. Crawl Away
  27. Sweat
  28. Parabola
  29. 10,000 Days
  30. The Patient
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I'm not sure why I never gave salival a listen. Maybe I didn't have enough money or desire to buy it at the time? I was never a huge fan of a band where I HAD to have all their catalog and maybe seeing it was live stuff perhaps I just wrote it off...I've heard great things of the pu#### version but I think I wrote it off as....it can't possibly be any better.

I've heard it a few times but have to give it more play.

 
Pipes said:
Thanks for doing this CN.  This was a fund distraction and interesting to see other Tool fans opinions.  They have so much good content that everyone's top 10 is vastly different.  Hell with most band you ask for peoples favorite and a vast majority of the responses would be from a handful of songs.  Not Tool and that just shows how fantastic they are.  Will be posting my top 25 soon just to keep the discussion going.
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Yep. What amazes me is with such a small catalog how most people's top 10 can be so different. 

 
MAC_32 said:
The should be ranked higher tier

25 - Prison Sex. Maynard's best effort on this album, but where I veer from most with this track is I think the rest of the band is just there. It's simplicity rivals Sober, but Maynard carries it this much higher.

24 - Stinkfist. I'll never forget when I first heard this song. Unlike its predecessors it was just interesting enough for me to actually purchase this album during one of my weekly daily trips to the record store. The first 15 seconds wasn't like anything 'd heard before. A 'metal voice' like that of Maynard in that opening verse wasn't either. The range he displayed throughout kept me around just long enough to get to where this song hits its peak. Chancellor and Jones take this song to another level starting at about 2:30. And that minute plus of music into its finale is ultimately what led me to purchasing. Like that opening, it wasn't anything like I'd heard before. I needed to know more. But I don't think this song is a complete song. At least when stacked up against the rest of the catalog. It has several high points, but I see it as more of a stage setter than anything. And 'stage setter' is going to be a common theme at the bottom of this tier.

23 - The Grudge. I embrace the criticism that's about to come my way. I wear it like a crown of negativity. I had this song ranked similarly as high as most of you back when Lateralus was new. But since Tool re-entered my world over the last few years...this song's just not stuck like it did before. It's a stage setter. The opening...Carey's lead into the chorus...and especially the outro...but the rest? It's...okay. Perhaps I'm overly critical of the middle of this song. Perhaps it's being done with a purpose. To maximize the power of the last 90 seconds of the track. I just think (now) that more could have been done with this song. But it's here instead of the gonna get hell tier because of that final 90 seconds.

22 - Right In Two. Musically and lyrically a beautiful, thought provoking epic. If I'm being objective this is a top 5 Tool track. But this list isn't about objectivity. And the problem with this song is that while I never turn it off when it comes on...I recall times giving others the Seinfeld/Desperado treatment when I'm lost in it (especially the instrumental)...I just never seek it out on my own. And this catalog is so strong that allure is the difference between top 5 and outside the top 20.

21 - H. Is this really a unanimous favorite among Tool fans? For me this was a natural fit directly by Right In Two on my list. I've gone back-and-forth since my first rough draft about which to rank first because my assessment is exactly the same - musically and lyrically a beautiful, thought provoking epic that I just never seek out on my own. The difference? That chill that comes over my spine at that 4:46 I DON'T MIIIIIIIIIIIIND every. single. time.

20 - Ticks & Leashes. If the peanut gallery doesn't have my head in a noose already they will now. This may be a Danny Carey track, but above all else the one thing I still can't wrap my head around with this song is how Maynard is able to not only sustain those screams - but still have enough juice for...well, the entire 7th minute. If those last 2 minutes don't get you to want to run through a brick wall then nothing will.
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Yep, The Grudge, I don't wanna say didn't age well but I guess I would say this was a shooting star that lasted or awhile but faded a bit over time.

 
huthut said:
Also, some Puscifer songs that I like, I feel like Puscifer is significantly more Tool like than APC. A lot of their songs are kind of jokey and they have a lot of different versions (more re-imagining the song than a typical remix), I have not heard their latest stuff or re-listened to everything, but this is what I have on my playlist:

  1. Polar Bear
  2. Rev 20-22 (Dry Martini Mix)
  3. The Humbling River (either normal or duet mix)
  4. Conditions of my Parole
  5. Man Overboard
  6. The Mission (M for Milla Mix)
  7. Sour Grapes (and Legend of the Mix, Where is the Line Mix)
  8. Country Boner (Evil Joe Barresi Mix)
Also, thanks @comfortably numb for the thought exercise, I have listened to more Tool in the past week than I have for a long time.
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Thanks for this. 

I need to give this more play. Initial listens have tickled my emotions 

 
Pipes said:
1. 10,000 Days - Such a hauntingly beautiful song (lumping in Wings with it)

2. Pu#### - I have a tough time ranking the next 4 songs on a given day they flip

3. Eulogy

4. Vicarious

5. Schism 

6. Stinkfist - This song is what got me into Tool.  Easily my most listened to song

7. Prison Sex 

8. Descending - Favorite song off FI just love the build up

9. Right In Two - Not sure why this song just strikes a cord in me

10. 46&2

11. Parabola

12. Rosetta Stoned - To me easily their most underrated song.  It absolutely rocks

13. Invincible -Initially my favorite FI track. Such a great tune.

14. Lateralus

15. Pneuma - Just ok for me until I saw it live.  Such a great performance

16. Jambi - This, Aenima and H are lower than most not a knock just like others better

17. Aenima

18. 7empest -  A tad long otherwise may be a bit higher cant wait to see it live

19. H

20. Intolerence

21. Flood

22. The Grudge

23. Jimmy

24. Hooker with a penis

25. Fear Inoculum

So I listen to my top 15 all the time and on any given day any one of those songs could jump into my top 5.  The next tier through 25 are somewhat regular to occassional

listens.  Hits like The Pot and Sober are missing.  They'd be in the next tier just not as big fan of those songs.  So based on my rankings I'd rank the albums…

AEnima>10,000 Days>>>FI=Lateralus>>>>>>>>>>>Undertow>Opiate

I can't decide if I like FI or Lateralus better.  They are both fantastic albums.  Aenima is easily my favorite album of all time and 10,000 is close.  While I like some of 

Undertow and Opiate I just don't dig them nearly as much. 
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opinion on Pu#### salival version?

 
MAC_32 said:
Tool is all about your own personal journey. And that’s the motivation behind this tier – it’s personal. These songs elicit some sort of emotional response. They are a personal draw. Musically they may not belong being ranked over hits like Stinkfist and Prison Sex or anthems like The Grudge and Jambi or epics like Right in Two and Wings of Marie/10,000 Days or spine tingling tracks like H and Ticks & Leeches. But for me, personally – they do.

Tool's top 20 - when it gets personal (part one)

19 – Crawl Away. I criticized Sober and Prison Sex for its simplicity, but I’m ranking Crawl Away #19? Hypocritical, you betcha. Because this may be the only straight forward hard rock/metal track in the catalog. Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge/instrumental-chorus/outro. A tried and true formula for decades that this band never rarely conforms to. But in the rare instance they went to it they did it better than the rest. From the moment Danny Carey takes over the song at 3:27…through…

Get you in a stranglehold, baby...get up, get up, get up, AAAHHH

What you're trying to say
Is you don't wanna play
But what you want and what you need
Don't mean a #### to me
I can see your
Back is turning
If I could I’d
Stick a knife in

…until that final primal scream. This song just brings out a level of tension-release in me that most in their catalog doesn’t. And that’s saying something.

18 – Rosetta Stoned. As I said when Comfortably Numb ranked this in throwaway land, it’s a bizarre song. Musically, structurally, and especially lyrically.

And after calming me down
With some orange slices
And some fetal spooning
E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose
He said, "You are the chosen one
The one who will deliver the message
A message of hope for those who choose to hear it
And a warning for those who do not"
Me, the chosen one
They chose me
And I didn't even graduate from ####in' high school

I mean, seriously – what the #### is ^^^that! Drugs have never been my thing, so how does this thing personally influence me? The first 6 minutes of this journey has a purpose, but it’s the song’s 7th minute that really takes it to another level. Building…and building…and building…until that sudden change at 7:02. Carey and Chancellor take over then my jaw starts progressing towards the floor when Jones comes in at 7:19. And it stays there through the entire 70 second instrumental before they all slowly build together for a ferocious final 3 minutes. That tension-release I mentioned in Crawl Away? G.D. #### the bed.
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yep. Such an odd tune. I've loved this song and then been in the yard with it on and at some point I'll look over and say WTF am I listening to and tap out. Definitely not a song to listen to if people are around.  

 
MAC_32 said:
:goodposting:

Some of those I wrongfully ignored I found on my own digging over the last couple of weeks, but there were at least a few I paid special attention to because of what others have written. While Wings/10K isn't in my top 30 that was certainly one of them. I hadn't listened to that in more than a decade. Ticks & Leeches was another one. I don't remember the last time I listened to it before quarantine, but I was very quickly reminded why this was a staple back when CD's and itunes were a thing. The moment it was mentioned my first thought was - why haven't I been listening to this. But definitely Right In Two. I wonder if I did this a year from now if it would be substantially higher than it is today.
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Yep.

Now that tool streams i listen to undertow and opiate more.

I can just shuffle tool on Spotify...or the best thing in the world now as I walk into my kitchen...Alexa...play tool.....quickly followed by a groan from my wife.

When it was CDs I didn't have the desire to put in CDs for those 1 or 2 songs so if I made a mix, I'd just include them. Now while I still may skip some, I've listened to opiate and undertow more in the last 7 months than the last 20 years. I would probably start ranking some undertow and opiate a little higher as the attach themselves a bit more to me but I don't think I can ever get back to any sort of possible emotional connection. 

Right in two is one of those that upon further review would be 5-9 spots higher.

 
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Bluto Blutarsky said:
5. Invincible - This one just keeps growing and growing on me. This is my #1 Chancellor performance (7empest is up there), his work is partly why I feel the last 6 minutes of this are better than 95% of any other metal band's songs. Adam Jones channeling his inner Joe Satriani.....man, I can almost hear Maynard's lyrics in his riff starting at 8:10. Carey's beat change at 10:42 into the final build up makes the hair on my arms stand up. If this was lyricaly as strong as most other TOOL songs it'd be 1-2. Once in a while when i'm home alone at night I put this on ym surround sound, get reeaaallly high, and sit in the middle of my couch with it as loud as the speakers will go...what a ride musically. 

4. 46&2 -  Speaking of lyrically deep songs, here we go.

I wanna know what I've been hiding in

My shadow.

My shadow.
Change is coming through my shadow.
My shadow's shedding skin
I've been picking
My scabs again.

Join in my
Join in my child
My shadow moves
Closer to meaning 

This song actually came up in a family member's therapy session. What are you carrying from your past? Have you dealt with it? The only way to evolve is to deal with your own past issues first. 

3. Aenima - This one has a special place for me because it was the song that turned my girlfriend (now wife) onto TOOL. Also, it's a pretty big emotional dump to sing this at a karaoke night  :lol:   Man, Maynard just basically torching any tiny little thing people can grab onto to feel a part of "the norm" or fit in. Also their worrying over silly ####, which is also apropos of whats going on now.   I hate to admit it, but I brought this song up, half jokingly,  recently in regards to CV19....."mom's comin round to put it back the way they ought to be". 

"Fret for your toilet paper" is the top youtube comment under this song now lol
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Digging this grouping.

 
Trivia Time.

What are the top 5 songs Tool has performed live in their history?


 
Stinkfist 782

Schism 627

Aenima 617

46&2 568

Lateralus 513
Pretty cool site I stumbled upon with all the info needed for their touring history. 


 
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Well, was suppose to be show #'s 37 & 38 for me over the weekend. Was really looking forward to hearing Fear Inoculum & Pneuma live for the first time. Guess I'll need to wait until next year. With that being said, I really enjoyed your list and write-ups for the specific songs. As has been mentioned , not to many bands around that can have such a wide variety of songs in peoples top 10, let alone top 5. I combined "songs" that go together (Parabol/a, Disposition/Reflection/Triad, Wings for Marie/10k Days) as well as excluding all of Salival, segues and hidden tracks. 

I'll also do my own count of how many times I've seen them play each song in (X)

45. Intentsion (2)

44. Chocolate Chip Trip (1)

43 Hush (0) 

42. 4° (0)

41. Flood (6) 

really surprised I have this so low since it has one of my favorite lines off Undertow: "This ground is not the rock I, thought it to be"

40. Part of Me (1)

39. Culling Voices (0)

38. The Patient (11)

37. Jerk-off (1)

36. Sweat (1)

35. Descending (1, although remnants of this song have been played live for quite a few years now, most recently in the middle of Opiate during their 2016 Winter US tour)

34. Hooker with a Penis (4)

33. Sober (13)

32. Stinkfist (34)

31. Swamp Song (0)

30. Disposition/Reflection/Triad (18, triad -10x) 

29. Fear Inoculum (0)

28. Jambi (15)

27. Third Eye (1)

26. Jimmy (0)

25. Prison Sex (6)

24. Schism (33)

23. Cold and Ugly (1)

22. Intolerance (1)

21. Undertow (2)

20. Crawl Away (2)

19. The Pot (7)

18. Wings for Marie/10k Days (8)

17. Bottom (1)

16. Ænima (24)

15. Parabol/a (21, 2x without parabol)

14. H. (7)

13. 7emptest (0)

12. Vicarious (12)

11. Opiate (9)

10. Invincible (1) 

9. Rosetta Stoned (11) 

8. Ticks & Leeches (0)

7. The Grudge (19)

6. Forty-Six & 2 (27)

5. Eulogys (5)

4. Pneuma (0)

3. Right in Two (1)

2. Lateralus (31)

1. Push-it (Ænema version 9x, Salival version 4x)

 
comfortably numb said:
Trivia Time.

What are the top 5 songs Tool has performed live in their history?


  Reveal hidden contents
Stinkfist 782

Schism 627

Aenima 617

46&2 568

Lateralus 513
Pretty cool site I stumbled upon with all the info needed for their touring history. 
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Intolerance, Stinkfist, 46&2, Aenima, and Schism.

 
Top 10 - Bottom Tier, Anger Is A Gift

It wasn''t my intent going into this exercise, but the top 10 ended up split into very well defined tiers. The bottom of it being varying stages of anger. 

10. Vicarious. 10,000 Days may not have been a priority for 20something me when it came out, but it eventually entered my orbit and like many this song really connected me at that time. I had slowly developed a tuning out of all things media. Doing so had its pros and cons, but I was definitely a happier person conducting myself in that manner. 

Eye on the TV, 'cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavor it happens to be like
"Killed by the husband"
"Drowned by the ocean"
"Shot by his own son"
"She used a poison in his tea
Then kissed him goodbye"
That's my kind of story
It's no fun 'til someone dies
Don't look at me like I am a monster
Frown out your one face, but with the other
Stare like a junkie into the TV
Stare like a zombie while the mother holds her child
Watches him die
Hands to the sky cryin', "Why, oh why?"

Most first listens of new Tool is centered around the music. The lyrical content comes later. But there are exceptions to every rule. Unfortunately, none of that has changed.

9. 7empest. With how frequently I listen to peak Adam Jones this song really has no business being ranked this low. I think I mentioned it earlier in the rankings, but I was over whelmed going through Fear the first time. I wasn't clear about what I had been listening to, but then this final track began. I was twirling around with Jones and Carey, still lost, and then that riff a minute 20 in grabs you by the balls with an iron fist. And Jones does not let go until the song slowly begins to fade away. Every day I would look forward to popping my head phones in sometime after the kids went to bed so I could release that day's tension to this epic. Jones may not have been front-and-center for most of Fear, but that was clearly not the case here. 

That said, as time went on and I over consumed this song it's lost some of the power it had when it was new. So perhaps this ranking isn't a fair one and it will return to the top 5 after I give it a cooling off period.But on the other hand its lyrical content makes it appropriate to rank directly along side Vicarious - so maybe they should be connected at the hip.

8. Push-It. This song had a similar arc to that of Bottom (12) and The Patient (11) over the last few weeks. Songs that I clearly didn't appreciate when I was younger because I had criminally ignored them since Tool went digital. The first time through AEnima I was almost looking forward to this as an opportunity to breathe. It started off just as I remembered, but then around 3 minutes 30 seconds the song gets aggressive for the first time. Why I hadn't remembered this? Couldn't tell you. I didn't though. About then I stopped what I was doing and really focused on the song. As the self diagnosis stage has ended the track unwinds and meticulously rebuilds its power.

Push me somewhere I don't want to be...

By the time Jones then Maynard lead you through the final verse you're feeling the pain. It's raw. You almost sympathize with the villain.

Yeah, I'm staring down the hole again
Hands around my back again
Survival is my only friend
Terrified of what may come, yeah
Remember I'll always love you
As I claw your ####### throat away
It will end no other waaaaaaay

How the #### didn't this song stick before, you ####### moron? I should rank this higher.

 
Eulogys said:
Well, was suppose to be show #'s 37 & 38 for me over the weekend. Was really looking forward to hearing Fear Inoculum & Pneuma live for the first time. Guess I'll need to wait until next year. With that being said, I really enjoyed your list and write-ups for the specific songs. As has been mentioned , not to many bands around that can have such a wide variety of songs in peoples top 10, let alone top 5. I combined "songs" that go together (Parabol/a, Disposition/Reflection/Triad, Wings for Marie/10k Days) as well as excluding all of Salival, segues and hidden tracks. 

I'll also do my own count of how many times I've seen them play each song in (X)

45. Intentsion (2)

44. Chocolate Chip Trip (1)

43 Hush (0) 

42. 4° (0)

41. Flood (6) 

really surprised I have this so low since it has one of my favorite lines off Undertow: "This ground is not the rock I, thought it to be"

40. Part of Me (1)

39. Culling Voices (0)

38. The Patient (11)

37. Jerk-off (1)

36. Sweat (1)

35. Descending (1, although remnants of this song have been played live for quite a few years now, most recently in the middle of Opiate during their 2016 Winter US tour)

34. Hooker with a Penis (4)

33. Sober (13)

32. Stinkfist (34)

31. Swamp Song (0)

30. Disposition/Reflection/Triad (18, triad -10x) 

29. Fear Inoculum (0)

28. Jambi (15)

27. Third Eye (1)

26. Jimmy (0)

25. Prison Sex (6)

24. Schism (33)

23. Cold and Ugly (1)

22. Intolerance (1)

21. Undertow (2)

20. Crawl Away (2)

19. The Pot (7)

18. Wings for Marie/10k Days (8)

17. Bottom (1)

16. Ænima (24)

15. Parabol/a (21, 2x without parabol)

14. H. (7)

13. 7emptest (0)

12. Vicarious (12)

11. Opiate (9)

10. Invincible (1) 

9. Rosetta Stoned (11) 

8. Ticks & Leeches (0)

7. The Grudge (19)

6. Forty-Six & 2 (27)

5. Eulogys (5)

4. Pneuma (0)

3. Right in Two (1)

2. Lateralus (31)

1. Push-it (Ænema version 9x, Salival version 4x)
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:tebow:

 
comfortably numb said:
Yep, The Grudge, I don't wanna say didn't age well but I guess I would say this was a shooting star that lasted or awhile but faded a bit over time.
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I spent more time than I care to admit thinking about justifying splitting it off from Jambi. Assessing each track, I think there are a lot of similarities between them. I think they're great songs to have on when I'm doing something else, but they're not songs in which I stop what I'm doing and listen. And I think that's the difference between top 20 Tool - and not.

 
comfortably numb said:
I'm not sure why I never gave salival a listen. Maybe I didn't have enough money or desire to buy it at the time? I was never a huge fan of a band where I HAD to have all their catalog and maybe seeing it was live stuff perhaps I just wrote it off...I've heard great things of the pu#### version but I think I wrote it off as....it can't possibly be any better.

I've heard it a few times but have to give it more play.
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I have never listened to anything on Salival. I was bummed it wasn't part of the digital release because I wanted to give it a spin.

 
Top 10 - middle tier (Enlightenment)

There are many ranges to Tool, each one vastly different than others. From german rants about an edible/pastry recipe, to fist ####### (but not really), to anal sex (but not really), to embracing selling out, and the list goes on. But when they're at their best is when they self reflect. For some it's H. For others it's Right in Two. Or Wings. Among others. For me...it's these 4.

7. Pneuma. I didn't know what to think about this song the first time through Fear, but once my ears developed an expectation listen #2 got my attention #3 was jaw dropping and all subsequent ones move me in a way that nothing else in the catalog does.

We are spirit bound to this flesh
We go 'round, one foot nailed down
But bound to reach out and beyond this flesh
Become Pneuma

We as humans have the opportunity to be so much more than the physical beings we appear to be.

Wake up, remember
We are born of one breath, one word
We are all one spark, eyes full of wonder

But it's on each individual to make the most out of the little time that we have. Will you conform? or will you reach out - beyond? Then when our time expires we will go back to being one again - only bigger and more powerful, but only to that level at which we allowed ourselves. Whenever I am having a bad day I am sure to get this song into the mix somewhere to recalibrate. And as @Pipes said earlier - the live performance...an online clip, words, or even the Danny Carey video I linked to earlier. It doesn't do it justice. You have to see it...feel it...experience it to truly get it.

6. Parabol/Parabola. Others have said it, but this is one song. Parabol by itself is a throwaway and Parabola by itself is incomplete. You need Parabol to lead into the meat (Parabola). Kinda like how I think Vicarious and 7empest instinctively ended up next to each other, I think the same about this and Pneuma. Pneuma is the macro - and this, the micro. 

Twirling 'round with this familiar parable
Spinning, weaving 'round each new experience
Recognize this as a holy gift and
Celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing
A chance to be alive and breathing

This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality
Embrace this moment, remember
We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion

I stole this, but I'm stealing it because it most aptly put what I think about this song - 'each gift of life in this world is to be cherished, don't give in to the pain and strife you experience; learn from it, and remember that it (life) is fleeting.'

5. 46&2. The theme of this tier is rather obvious, huh? Pneuma and Parabol/Parabola represent identification - and this represents the resolution. Or at least the path towards that solution. It's about growth.

My shadow's shedding skin
I've been picking scabs again
I'm down, digging through
My old muscles, looking for a clue

But that you cannot attain that third level of evolution until you after digging into yourself - and cleanse. Everything about yourself that makes you uncomfortable. 

I choose to live and to grow
Take and give and to move
Learn and love and to cry
Kill and die and to be
Paranoid and to lie
Hate and fear and to do
What it takes to move through

You occupy your body. You control how it all works together. And every component must be working in conjuncture to successfully progress to that level. No matter how painful it is - and it will.

See my shadow changing
Stretching up and over me
Soften this old armor
Hoping I can clear the way by
Stepping through my shadow
Coming out the other side
Step into the shadow
Forty six and two are just ahead of me

That last line. That last line gets me. Every single time. Because no matter how deep I dig. I always feel like I'm not quite there. That it is perpetually just ahead of me...

#4 Lateralus. ...as this song makes me understand why. I reach out to embrace the random. I over think. I over analyze. Black then White are all I see. Red and Yellow then came to be. I lose myself between the sounds. I wither my intuition. I miss opportunities. I am just one spark. My eyes full of wonder. This body holding me. I embrace this moment. I see my shadow changing. Coming out the other side. Forty six and two. Are just ahead of me.

Spiral out.

 
10. Schism

 9. Jambi

 8. Pneuma

 7. Eulogy

 6. Parabol/Parabola

 5. Invincible

 4. 46&2

 3. Aenima

2. Right In Two - If you haven't seen this fan-made video, you must.

Pretty obvious lyrics imo, but the line that got me on my very first listen- "Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of its fleeting time here."  And we spend what little time we have here fighting over stupid ####e. I dig the slow build up in this one too, from the drum stick tap{bongos?) break in the middle, to the intense finish with some real plucky bass in the background. Also, this might be the least 'Carey' song in my top ten lol. 

1. Ticks and Leaches - This one grabbed me from the beginning and wouldn't let go. From the least Carey song to maybe the most Carey one out there, maybe. I can still picture my son in his car seat air drumming to this song. "are you ready for the drum song?" I'd ask, and he'd get excited and start flailing away. Even the chill in the eye of the musical storm here is perfect, a nice little break from the tenseness of the song.

My friend, bruised and borrowed
You thieving bastards
You have turned my blood cold and bitter
Beat my compassion black and blue

Hope this is what you wanted
Hope this is what you had in mind
'Cause this is what you're getting
I hope you're choking. I hope you choke on this

Taken all I can, taken all I can, ####in' take
Taken all you can, taken all you can ####in' take
Got nothing left to give to you
 

This is a drumming masterpiece and really was when I realized Carey was one of the best ever. As the song finishes and  you think there can't be another build up...there is....IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? IS THIS WHAT YOU HAD IN MIND??The last 1:30 of this always gets turnt' up a little more, what a finish. also, like @Eulogysi've never seen this one live. :kicksrock:

 
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MAC_32 said:
Top 10 - middle tier (Enlightenment)

There are many ranges to Tool, each one vastly different than others. From german rants about an edible/pastry recipe, to fist ####### (but not really), to anal sex (but not really), to embracing selling out, and the list goes on. But when they're at their best is when they self reflect. For some it's H. For others it's Right in Two. Or Wings. Among others. For me...it's these 4.

7. Pneuma. I didn't know what to think about this song the first time through Fear, but once my ears developed an expectation listen #2 got my attention #3 was jaw dropping and all subsequent ones move me in a way that nothing else in the catalog does.

We are spirit bound to this flesh
We go 'round, one foot nailed down
But bound to reach out and beyond this flesh
Become Pneuma

We as humans have the opportunity to be so much more than the physical beings we appear to be.

Wake up, remember
We are born of one breath, one word
We are all one spark, eyes full of wonder

But it's on each individual to make the most out of the little time that we have. Will you conform? or will you reach out - beyond? Then when our time expires we will go back to being one again - only bigger and more powerful, but only to that level at which we allowed ourselves. Whenever I am having a bad day I am sure to get this song into the mix somewhere to recalibrate. And as @Pipes said earlier - the live performance...an online clip, words, or even the Danny Carey video I linked to earlier. It doesn't do it justice. You have to see it...feel it...experience it to truly get it.

6. Parabol/Parabola. Others have said it, but this is one song. Parabol by itself is a throwaway and Parabola by itself is incomplete. You need Parabol to lead into the meat (Parabola). Kinda like how I think Vicarious and 7empest instinctively ended up next to each other, I think the same about this and Pneuma. Pneuma is the macro - and this, the micro. 

Twirling 'round with this familiar parable
Spinning, weaving 'round each new experience
Recognize this as a holy gift and
Celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing
A chance to be alive and breathing

This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality
Embrace this moment, remember
We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion

I stole this, but I'm stealing it because it most aptly put what I think about this song - 'each gift of life in this world is to be cherished, don't give in to the pain and strife you experience; learn from it, and remember that it (life) is fleeting.'

5. 46&2. The theme of this tier is rather obvious, huh? Pneuma and Parabol/Parabola represent identification - and this represents the resolution. Or at least the path towards that solution. It's about growth.

My shadow's shedding skin
I've been picking scabs again
I'm down, digging through
My old muscles, looking for a clue

But that you cannot attain that third level of evolution until you after digging into yourself - and cleanse. Everything about yourself that makes you uncomfortable. 

I choose to live and to grow
Take and give and to move
Learn and love and to cry
Kill and die and to be
Paranoid and to lie
Hate and fear and to do
What it takes to move through

You occupy your body. You control how it all works together. And every component must be working in conjuncture to successfully progress to that level. No matter how painful it is - and it will.

See my shadow changing
Stretching up and over me
Soften this old armor
Hoping I can clear the way by
Stepping through my shadow
Coming out the other side
Step into the shadow
Forty six and two are just ahead of me

That last line. That last line gets me. Every single time. Because no matter how deep I dig. I always feel like I'm not quite there. That it is perpetually just ahead of me...

#4 Lateralus. ...as this song makes me understand why. I reach out to embrace the random. I over think. I over analyze. Black then White are all I see. Red and Yellow then came to be. I lose myself between the sounds. I wither my intuition. I miss opportunities. I am just one spark. My eyes full of wonder. This body holding me. I embrace this moment. I see my shadow changing. Coming out the other side. Forty six and two. Are just ahead of me.

Spiral out.
Click to expand...
It is remarkable from a religious standpoint anyway...and i think that helped my connection with Tool...being in the cult reading so much scripture.

Despite Tool's seeming hatred for Christ/religion their lyrics were very deep and offered a strong spiritual connection

 
Top 10 - The Best of The Best

#3 Schism. Rather than write this up I'm just going to link to the best write up I've ever read of this song. It is objectively Tool's best song. As I've written before, this list isn't objective. So it's 3rd. Making the top 4 on this list was the only easy part about it.

#2 AEnima. This was the rock song of freshman year of high school. No matter if you were a dumb jock in the weight room, a trenchcoater plotting out the demise of the rest of us, whether you got the actual message of the song, or didn't, or anywhere in between - this song buzzed everywhere. AEnima the album had been out for months and many of us were already in tune with it, but it was wild seeing how this song seemed to connect in some way. With everyone. Still does to this day. Just turn on the - hey.hey.hey.hey.hey. - then look around at the people's faces within ear shot. Infectious. But not #1

#1 Eulogy. I bought AEnima because of Stinkfist. I didn't love Stinkfist; I just liked it. But it was interesting enough for me to want to learn more. So I did like I always did as a teenager when I bought a new album. I told my parents I was doing school work, went to my room, closed the door, plugged in my headphones, and turned the volume up to 11. The familiar song ended and now it was time to see what this band was all about. (Eulogy starts) The #### is this? And that goes on for more than 2 minutes. It was mesmerizing. I was hooked. I didn't know what I was hooked to. I just knew that I was. Little did I know what was to come.

So loooooong
We wish you well
You told us how you weren't afraid to die
Well, so looong
Don't cry-y
Or feel too down
Not all martyrs see divinity
But at least you tried

:eek:

What. Did. I. Get. Myself. Into.

But this g.d. epic was just beginning. The sound makes the hair on the hair on your chest stand up. But...Maynard.

Standing above the crowd
He had a voice that was strong and loud
We'll miss him
Ranting and pointing his finger
At everything but his heart

Holy ####### ####, Maynard. I was entranced. I recall just blankly staring out my 2nd floor window at my quiet cul-de-sac on that late fall evening, wondering how the final 3 minutes could top what I just heard.

Would you die for me?
Don't you ####### lie
Don't you step out of line
Don't you step out of line
Don't you step out of line
Don't you ####### lie

:jawdrop:

I don't remember anything else from this first listen. Anything I would write would be laced in hyperbole. It's some level of fantasy.

Come down
Get off your ####### cross
We need the ####### space
To nail the next fool martyr

I just know I lost my damn mind.

To ascend you must die
You must be crucified
For our sins and our lies
Good. BYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

And at that moment. The greatest artists of my lifetime got a fan for life.

Fin.

 
The First 4

40 Descending

39 Hush

38 Flood

37 Fear Inoculum

I'm Gonna Get hell For All Of Them

36 Sober

35 Third Eye

34 Invincible

33 Jimmy

32 Jambi

31 Wings For Marie/10,000 Days

None of them are as good as the last group, but I'm a sucker for a little OGT

30 Cold & Ugly

29 Undertow

28 Sweat

27 Swamp Song

26 Part Of Me

The should be ranked higher tier

25 Prison Sex

24 Stinkfist

23 The Grudge

22 Right In Two

21 H

20 Ticks & Leeches

When it gets personal

19 Crawl Away

18 Rosetta Stoned

17 Intolerance

16 The Pot

15 Opiate

14 Hooker With A Penis

13 Jerk-Off

12 Bottom

11 The Patient

Anger Is A Gift

10 Vicarious

9 7empest

8 Push-It

Enlightenment

7 Pneuma

6 Parabol/Parabola

5 46&2

4 Lateralus

The Best of the Best

3 Schism

2 AEnima

1 Eulogy

 
comfortably numb said:
It is remarkable from a religious standpoint anyway...and i think that helped my connection with Tool...being in the cult reading so much scripture.

Despite Tool's seeming hatred for Christ/religion their lyrics were very deep and offered a strong spiritual connection
Click to expand...
Yep. I appreciate their decision to not be direct about their motives, it's up to interpretation. They don't hide their opinions on organized religion, but they very clearly believe in...something spiritual. It's just up to you to identify your own unique spirit.

 
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