On January 17 th I listened to Rush Rush, Tool Undertow and
The Mars Volta Noctourniquet. My favorite! Prog Rock day!
Time for a confession… I only like Rush’s radio stuff, with
few exceptions. I'm a poser.
I found it interesting that Rush’s opening track “Find My Way,”
sounds a hell of a lot like Led Zeppelin. Actually, much of this album has a
Led Zep twang.
Released in 1974, I only knew and liked “Working Man” off the
Rush debut. After this listen, I have a better appreciation of the Roots of
Canada’s finest! (My capitalization of roots, was a little wink to all my hoser
friends in the Great White North.)
“Sober” is a creepy, heavy, and dark giant. Same can be said
for Tool. I always loved the mystique of this band. The less you knew… the
better. Just sit in the dark, listen to their albums, and think dark thoughts.
In the Spring of 1993, Undertow was something special. It
stuck out. Grunge was dug in (Nirvana and Pearl Jam were about to drop
sophomore albums.), Alt Rock was finding its feet (Radiohead debuted and
Siamese Dream was right around the corner!), and Tool ain’t Metal.
Obviously not dripping in radio singles, Undertow managed to
bring something new to an already well set table.
One of the best shows I ever saw was Tool at the
Hammerstein Ballroom on May 20, 2001, right after Lateralus was released. David
Cross and Brian Posehn did a bit before the band took the stage and Brian
introduced the band by saying, “HERE’S TOOL, YOU FUCKING FAGGOTS!” The room
erupted. The show that followed was legendary!
Here’s a link to their whole intro. It’s in bad taste, not
just the “fucking faggots” line, but I thought it was funny. Skip to about 1:28
if you don’t wanna see the whole bit.
(Wanna hear something funny? That afternoon, I did a remote
for Y100/Philadelphia from The Go Go’s show at Six Flags in Jersey.)
I wouldn’t say I got sick of Tool, but I just didn’t love
10,000 Days. I felt it was just a repeat. Plus, Maynard gets a little tiresome
at times. With the exception of a scant few songs popping up here and there on
some MP3 player playlists, I’ve given them a long enough rest. This listen to
Undertow renewed my love Tool.
I gotta try and find a bootleg of that 2001 show.
I have nothing but respect for The Mars Volta, but I gotta admit
I haven’t given this band the time it takes to fully appreciate them.
They really make you work for those explosive nuggets of awesomeness.
I get it, but I’m not wired that way. Although, on Noctourniquet, I feel like
the hooks are flying everywhere.
Sadly, this is to be the band’s last album, they literally
broke up like yesterday. I really love “Aegis,” and the foreboding chorus, “And
they’re running away!” They sure did. “Empty Vessels Make The Loudest Sound”
was also a stone groove. Gimme the rest of the year to sift through the density of the rest of this one.
So, there you have it.
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