James Maynard is a brilliant lyricist

[mfratt]

I've been listening to a bit more Tool lately and I've come to realize how amazing Maynard's lyrics are. Sometimes it seems like one needs about 10 hits of acid before they make sense, but even those songs have very powerful underlying meanings.

 

I'm not gonna compare "how good he is" against NEP (who remains my favorite lyricist) but I'd definitely put him right up in the same league.

 

 

QUOTE

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

 

 

QUOTE

Black then white are all i see in my infancy. red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. lets me see there is so much more and beckons me to look thru to these infinite possibilities. as below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn outside the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend. over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind. Withering my intuition leaving opportunities behind. 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 embrace my desire to 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 swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human.

 

QUOTE

Alive.... In this holy reality, in this holy experience. Choosing to be here in... This body. This body holding me. Be my reminder here that I am not alone in This body, this body holding me, feeling eternal all this pain is an illusion. Twirling 'round with this familiar parabol. 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.

[naturalsciences101]

That second one is based on a Fibonacci Formula. Son, that's a sequence of numbers where the first number of the sequence is 0, the second number is 1, and each number thereafter is equal to the sum of the previous two numbers in the sequence, yielding a pattern like thus: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. It produces a specific type of symmetry which can be found in nature, in like flowers and stuff.

 

 

And, I thought that the cat's name was Maynard James Keenan.

 

 

[thesweetscience]

QUOTE (mfratt @ Mar 14 2009, 12:49 PM)

I've been listening to a bit more Tool lately and I've come to realize how amazing Maynard's lyrics are. Sometimes it seems like one needs about 10 hits of acid before they make sense, but even those songs have very powerful underlying meanings. I'm not gonna compare "how good he is" against NEP (who remains my favorite lyricist) but I'd definitely put him right up in the same league. QUOTE Who are you to wave your finger? So full of it Eye balls deep in muddy waters f*ckin' hypocrite Liar, lawyer; mirror show me, what's the difference? Kangaroo done hung the guilty with the innocent Now you're weeping shades of cozened indigo Got lemon juice up in your eye, eye When you pissed all over my black kettle You must've been... So who are you to wave your finger? Who are you to wave your fatty fingers at me? You must have been out your mind     QUOTE Black then white are all i see in my infancy. red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. lets me see there is so much more and beckons me to look thru to these infinite possibilities. as below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn outside the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend. over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind. Withering my intuition leaving opportunities behind. 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 embrace my desire to 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 swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human.   QUOTE Alive.... In this holy reality, in this holy experience. Choosing to be here in... This body. This body holding me. Be my reminder here that I am not alone in This body, this body holding me, feeling eternal all this pain is an illusion. Twirling 'round with this familiar parabol. 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 don't know if better is the word I would use but I personally prefer Keenan's lyrics to Pratt's. I think Danny Carey is a better percussionist than Pratt as well. Of course these are just my opinion.

[metaldad]

i like TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown

[Gompers]

QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Mar 14 2009, 01:52 PM)

That second one is based on a Fibonacci Formula.  Son, that's a sequence of numbers where the first number of the sequence is 0, the second number is 1, and each number thereafter is equal to the sum of the previous two numbers in the sequence, yielding a pattern like thus: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc.  It produces a specific type of symmetry which can be found in nature, in like flowers and stuff. And, I thought that the cat's name was Maynard James Keenan.

Not to dis Maynard, but I think Danny Carey is the mastermind behind the number sequencing idea for the songs. "I know the pieces fit". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateralus

 

That aside, Maynard writes some very powerful lyrics and since he sings them, his emotion really comes through. Tool and APC are favorites of mine.

[H. P. L.]

Better on A perfect Circle than in Tool, IMHO. The Lyrics on 13th Step were a masterpiece.

 

 

[thesweetscience]

QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 11:24 AM)

i like TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown

Really?

 

I thought it was great.

 

 

[metaldad]

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Mar 16 2009, 11:51 AM)

QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 11:24 AM) i like TOOL  and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown Really?   I thought it was great. yeah, i don't know . it was one of those albums that i was really looking foward to and i listened to it a long time but . nothing for me. the tour was great and the new stuff did sound good but for me, the album not so much

[Gompers]

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Mar 16 2009, 12:51 PM)

QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 11:24 AM) i like TOOL  and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown Really?   I thought it was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

[metaldad]

now you guys have me wanting to grab that c.d agian and listen to it

[H. P. L.]

QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 07:10 PM)

now you guys have me wanting to grab that c.d agian and listen to it

I'm with ya. Never quite could get into it as I did with Lateralus. Except fo Wings for Marie, nothing much to grasp to...

[naturalsciences101]

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Mar 16 2009, 11:51 AM)

QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 11:24 AM) i like TOOL  and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown Really?   I thought it was great. There was a bunch of filler on the last two TOOL outings. Truth. So, what I've gone and done in the aim of extracting the filler and filling up the slots with max tunage, is that I've combined the very best from both titles and placed the resulting playlist on an 80 minute disc. I pass this lineup on to all ya'll because this way it's a much easier, more consistent listen than having to make your way through all that interludy and weak-asz stuff on the individual titles. 1:16:21 running time.     TOOL Lateralus/10,000 Days   1. Parabola 2. Vicarious 3. Schism 4. The Pot 5. The Patient 6. Lateralus 7. Right in Two 8. The Grudge 9. Jambi 10. Ticks & Leeches

[Gompers]

QUOTE (H. P. L. @ Mar 16 2009, 01:16 PM)

QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 07:10 PM) now you guys have me wanting to grab that c.d agian and listen to it I'm with ya. Never quite could get into it as I did with Lateralus. Except fo Wings for Marie, nothing much to grasp to... Oh come on. Jambi? The Pot? Vicarious? All powerful Prog Metal songs. Lyrically, I love 10,000 days (wings pt. 2). In particular: QUOTE You're the only one who can hold your head up high, Shake your fists at the gates saying: "I've come home now! Fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father. Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended. It's time now! My time now! Give me my, give me my wings!" I posted about those lyrics before in another thread. The emotion! Wow.

[Gompers]

QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Mar 16 2009, 01:22 PM)

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Mar 16 2009, 11:51 AM) QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 11:24 AM) i like TOOL  and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown Really?   I thought it was great. There was a bunch of filler on the last two TOOL outings. Truth. So, what I've gone and done in the aim of extracting the filler and filling up the slots with max tunage, is that I've combined the very best from both titles and placed the resulting playlist on an 80 minute disc. I pass this lineup on to all ya'll because this way it's a much easier, more consistent listen than having to make your way through all that interludy and weak-asz stuff on the individual titles. 1:16:21 running time.     TOOL Lateralus/10,000 Days   1. Parabola 2. Vicarious 3. Schism 4. The Pot 5. The Patient 6. Lateralus 7. Right in Two 8. The Grudge 9. Jambi 10. Ticks & Leeches I did this. It was pretty cool. http://spo0nman.blogspot.com/2006/05/more-on-10000-days.html   The "hidden" track.

[H. P. L.]

QUOTE (Gompers @ Mar 16 2009, 07:23 PM)

Oh come on. Jambi? The Pot? Vicarious? All powerful Prog Metal songs. Lyrically, I love 10,000 days (wings pt. 2).

Vicarious sounds quite boring, to me. Too much predictable for Tool. Now I don't want to sound like an anal progster, which I'm not. I can appreciate a straight power song, but Vicarious doesn't work for me, sorry.

 

Oh yes, Wings for Marie! That's the song I wanted to mention before. Great stuff!!!

[Steevo]

QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 17 2009, 04:24 AM)

i like TOOL  and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown

It was nowhere near as good as Lateralus musically, but I preferred it overall to something like Undertow. It was pretty average fare, a few gems, a few fillers. I have never liked APC, you cant really even compare them. MJK himself compared them to night and day. Nice visuals though.

[metaldad]

QUOTE (Steevo @ Mar 16 2009, 01:31 PM)

It was nowhere near as good as Lateralus musically

not even close in my book

[thesweetscience]

QUOTE (naturalsciences101 @ Mar 16 2009, 01:22 PM)

QUOTE (thesweetscience @ Mar 16 2009, 11:51 AM) QUOTE (metaldad @ Mar 16 2009, 11:24 AM) i like TOOL  and A PERFECT CIRCLE . the last TOOL album did nothing for me at all . big letdown Really?   I thought it was great. There was a bunch of filler on the last two TOOL outings. Truth. So, what I've gone and done in the aim of extracting the filler and filling up the slots with max tunage, is that I've combined the very best from both titles and placed the resulting playlist on an 80 minute disc. I pass this lineup on to all ya'll because this way it's a much easier, more consistent listen than having to make your way through all that interludy and weak-asz stuff on the individual titles. 1:16:21 running time.     TOOL Lateralus/10,000 Days   1. Parabola 2. Vicarious 3. Schism 4. The Pot 5. The Patient 6. Lateralus 7. Right in Two 8. The Grudge 9. Jambi 10. Ticks & Leeches I guess its all in what you like but there arent any tool songs that get skipped over for me.

[thesweetscience]

QUOTE (H. P. L. @ Mar 16 2009, 01:29 PM)

QUOTE (Gompers @ Mar 16 2009, 07:23 PM) Oh come on. Jambi? The Pot? Vicarious? All powerful Prog Metal songs. Lyrically, I love 10,000 days (wings pt. 2). Vicarious sounds quite boring, to me. Too much predictable for Tool. Now I don't want to sound like an anal progster, which I'm not. I can appreciate a straight power song, but Vicarious doesn't work for me, sorry.   Oh yes, Wings for Marie! That's the song I wanted to mention before. Great stuff!!! Boring? Wow....     To each his own I guess.

[Stormtron]

10,000 Days is okay. The first half of the album is way better than the second. Lateralus is all good.

[naturalsciences101]

WOW, I didn't know one could spend so much time syncin' up a few songs.

 

From the above given link:

 

"I didn't know if you people knew this. But, If you burn both Viginti Tres followed by Wings for marie .. Then, play that track as one with 10,000 days as another track and play both at the same time, Both Wings for Marie AND 10,000 days sync ! It is incredible ! It is like an 8 piece band but it all FLOWS ! It flows like one song.. It is the most unique and incredible thing I have ever heard in my life.. BadA$$ ! The vocals, drums, the guitar riffs, everything flows ! Both songs get heavy at the same point at 9 minutes and 14 seconds in, it is magical !"

 

*** ANYONE have a copy of the final product of all this linking up the tracks? I'd love to hear this.

 

I love this type of bozo-clown who thinks he's got TOOL and their entire fanbase all figured out:

 

"Why the hell is everyone so impressed when Tool does something like this? It may seem intelligent compared to the relative idiocy found on today's radio waves, but they are by no means smarter than the average bear. It really takes very little effort to do something like this. it takes less effort to pull off some of their other tricks. (I remember the whole double spiral thing.) Seriously, please stop addressing Tool as "genius." Really all they do is make stoners and pseudo-intellectuals feel superior for listening to them. That and play shitty music. Flame away. Or delete my post. Whatever... You can't fight reality.

 

PS: It is still extremely cool that you guys figured this out. Just not at all cool that it was done. Just another lame hidden gimic to make them seem like they actually have a deeper meaning. The kids will eat it up if it's packaged properly."

 

 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. LOL. Bonesmuggling poo handler that he is.

 

 

 

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

QUOTE (Storm Shadow @ Mar 16 2009, 04:13 PM)

10,000 Days is okay. The first half of the album is way better than the second. Lateralus is all good.

Agreed. Lateralus is perfect. "The Grudge" is genius. 10,000 Days is very good, but a little slow in spots. That piledriver riff in "Vicarious" is the shit.

[nappy2112]

QUOTE (Storm Shadow @ Mar 16 2009, 03:13 PM)

10,000 Days is okay. The first half of the album is way better than the second. Lateralus is all good.

That's what I think.

[Rushman14]

10,000 Days was ok, but "The Pot" is one of their best tunes.

[Grapes_under_pressure]

You cant have Parabola without Parabol! it,s just plain wrong. I liked the proper songs from 10,000 days- Jambi and Wings are brilliant.

 

Anyone who knows the band ISIS, new album May 5th 'Wavering Radiant'- Adam Jones is guest guitarist on a track or two!

 

Anyway, Tool is right up there with Rush. I listen to Tool more often than Rush but for different reasons... MJK is my favorite singer by far, thats is for sure.