Tool (band)

Tool is an American rock band. Their music has been heavily influenced by King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Rush, among several others. Their overall sound has been described as "grinding, post-Jane's Addiction heavy metal" http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3r62mpb39ffo~T1 as well as "a primal sound as distinct as it is disturbing" http://www.rollingstone.com/artist/bio/_/id/213/tool?pageid=rs.Artistcage&pageregion=artistHeader ? most simplified categorizations of the band's genre are often dismissed (see: Arguments About Genre & Categorization).

History

The early days

(1990 - 1995)

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Tool was formed in 1990, when Danny Carey and guitarist/bassist Paul d'Amour met Adam Jones and Maynard James Keenan.

Related Topics:
Danny Carey - Paul d'Amour - Adam Jones - Maynard James Keenan

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:"I met Adam through Tom Morello of Rage (Against The Machine). And I was living beside Maynard. I never auditioned for them. I felt kind of sorry for them, because they would invite people over to play, and they wouldn't show up, so I'd fill in." (Danny Carey)

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Tool immediately received recognition for their first commercial release, Opiate, borrowing the name from Karl Marx's famous quote on religion. The six-song EP included the singles "Hush" and "Opiate" which quickly gained attention. A music video for "Hush" was created, but received little airplay due to the high amount of editing that was necessary to meet FCC standards to play the song.

Related Topics:
Opiate - Karl Marx - EP - Music video - FCC

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Tool was quick to release their first full-length album, Undertow, soon after Opiate. The band began touring with their fellows in the Rollins Band, Fishbone, and Rage Against The Machine. Eventually, they were hired to play the main stage at Lollapalooza in 1993, where they attracted great attention. This helped to boost the popularity of Undertow and the album eventually went gold.

Related Topics:
Undertow - Opiate - Rollins Band - Fishbone - Rage Against The Machine - Lollapalooza - 1993 - Gold

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The band would also receive negative publicity, however. With the release of the 1994 single "Prison Sex" and its respective music video, directed and created by Adam Jones, the Canadian branch of MuchMusic (now FUSE) called the band into question by deeming the video too graphic and offensive. In its most direct interpretation, the song's lyrics are about child abuse, and the video portrays this symbolically. Maynard James Keenan, who wrote the lyrics, has been quite clear about his antipathy towards his stepfather during early interviews about the song, and therefore, during a meeting with MuchMusic that was supposed to clarify the situation, the only subject covered was Keenan's past and childhood. MuchMusic Canada never spoke to Jones about the nature of the video.

Related Topics:
Canadian - MuchMusic - Child abuse - Symbolically

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Another incident took place at Scientology's Celebrity's Centre in May 1993:

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:"Tool performed at Scientology's Celebrity's Centre, apparently not knowing that this was the home of the cult. Once they found out, they did not take it nicely. Between songs, Keenan, staring first at the lush grounds paid for by devoted L. Ron followers and then into the eyes of his own audience, bayed into the mic like a sheep looking for his shepherd's gate. 'Baaaaa! Baaaaa!' the singer bleated." (BAM Magazine, November 1994).

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In September 1995, shortly after recording for their second album began, D'Amour left the band amicably. In November, he was replaced by Justin Chancellor, formerly a member of Peach, an English band with whom Tool had previously toured in Europe.

Related Topics:
D'Amour - Justin Chancellor - Peach - English

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Ænima, legal issues, A Perfect Circle, and Salival

(1996 - 2000)

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Some months later, in October 1996, Ænima was released. Once again one of the singles, "Stinkfist", had difficulty gaining airplay: the song was initially shortened for radio play and MTV America renamed the music video for the song to "Track #1" for its offensive connotations. Due to overwhelming fan response, most radio stations were compelled to play the track uncut. Ænima would be Tool's last studio album release for five years.

Related Topics:
Ænima - MTV America - Music video

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Ænima was dedicated to satirist Bill Hicks who died almost two years before the album was released. Some of Hick's performances are included on Ænima and Undertow, and include multiple bits about psychoactive drugs and a sample of a bleating sheep. Tool also derived the lyric "Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona Bay," (the chorus of the song "Ænema") from another popular Bill Hicks bit about his distaste for Los Angeles.

Related Topics:
Ænima - Satirist - Bill Hicks - Undertow

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In 1997 their label, Volcano Records, filed suit against Tool, because of contract violations. According to Volcano, Tool had been looking at offers from other record labels and were not allowed to. After Tool filed a counter suit and stated that Volcano had failed to use a renewal option in their contract, they settled out of court. They agreed to a new contract, a three-record deal. This legal battle produced a great strain on the band, delaying work on their next album. During this time, Keenan founded a side project, called A Perfect Circle, with long time Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel.

Related Topics:
Volcano Records - Counter suit - A Perfect Circle - Billy Howerdel

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Word of Tool's breaking up began to spread until the band decided to release the VHS/DVD/CD box set Salival in 2000, spelling an end to these rumors. The box set featured recordings of unique live tracks and B-sides, including a new version of "Pushit" that became extremely popular among fans and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter". Although this release did not technically produce any singles, the hidden track "Maynard's Dick" briefly found its way to FM radio when several DJs chose to sneak it onto air without permission.

Related Topics:
VHS - DVD - CD - Salival - 2000 - B-sides - Led Zeppelin - FM radio

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Lateralus and recent appearances

(2001 - 2005)

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In January 2001, the rumor mill surrounding the band gained new life when Tool announced their new album, Systema Encéphale. Only one month later, they revealed that it was actually titled Lateralus and that Systema had been a ruse, much to the dismay of music magazines and commercial websites who had committed headlong to the fake title. Lateralus features songs averaging six-and-a-half minutes in length, unwieldy even for most ambitious disc jockeys. The length of the music video for "Parabola" clocked in at an unheard of ten-and-a-half minutes, almost condemning it from being aired on mainstream music channels. Nevertheless, the album became a commercial success the world over.

Related Topics:
Lateralus - Parabola

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After extensive touring throughout 2001, including a 10-show mini-tour with King Crimson in August, their latest tour came to an end on November 24th, 2002 in Los Angeles, CA at Long Beach Arena.

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Although the end of the tour seemed to spell another dormancy for the band, they did not become completely inactive. While Keenan recorded and toured with A Perfect Circle, the other band members released an official interview conducted by (long-time toolband.com maintainer) Blair McKenzie Blake in which they answered many questions about the upcoming album, future DVD releases, and the new direction of their music. Members of the Tool Army were also given access to a recording of the three members jamming to some of their new material, sparking increased anticipation for the album to come.

Related Topics:
Dormancy - A Perfect Circle - Tool Army

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