Tool - The Holy Gift (Lateralus alternate tracklist)

[Graham]

A mate sent me this yesterday, it's allegedly the original running order for Lateralus, but the band (for some reason) changed it before the album was released. 

God knows why they did that, this tracklisting makes so much more sense. I always thought Lateralus was a brilliant album, but it fell off a cliff after the title track, with this running order the whole album feels different and the intermission-like tracks fit really well into the flow of the record.

I wish they were on Spotify so I could put this into a playlist

6. Parabol 0:00 7. Parabola 3:04 5. Schism 9:01 8. Ticks & Leeches 15:44 4. Mantra* 23:48 9. Lateralus* 23:48 13. Faaip de Oiad 33:07 1. The Grudge 35:44 12. Triad 44:15 2. Eon Blue Apocalypse* 50:56 11. Reflection* 50:46 3. The Patient 61:02 10. Disposition 67:23

[bassist_lewis]

I forgot how much  love this album! and you're right, from the first track it makes so much more sense!

[Daz39]

Great album; barking mad self-indulgent progginess at its finest.

[thodrik]

I dunno, I prefer just playing the original album and just hitting stop after Lateralus, unless I'm really feeling in the mood to listen to the rest.

With the alternate track listing I would just be skipping through lots of tracks, after Lateralus I would skip to The Grudge, then to The Patient. Faaip de Oiad, Triad, Eon Blue Apocalypse, Reflection and Disposition are all skip-worthy for me, no matter where they sit in the track listing. 

I do like Tool, but have never been into the whole 'hidden meanings', Fibonacci sequences, rewording lyrics to find hidden messages etc. The band have a wicked sense of humour (being friends with Bill Hicks probably helped) and might be planting those ideas purely to see if people will waste their time and look for something that isn't actually there. 

[Daz39]

Yeah, i like the technicality of it, but the mysticism is just fluff to me.

they are the George RR Martin of prog metal: albums of real quality but almost not worth waiting for!

[Sibob]

12 minutes ago, thodrik said:

The band have a wicked sense of humour (being friends with Bill Hicks probably helped) and might be planting those ideas purely to see if people will waste their time and look for something that isn't actually there. 

I think this is the case most of the time, the famous one being the whole Maynard talking about Lachrymology thing. Was just a joke, but lots of people took it seriously.
One of my favourites being the lyric "finger deep within the borderline", 'the borderline' being a colloquialism for the female genitals. He's admitted (although can't find that video now) that he then just gets silly with it, later on referring to knuckle, elbow and then shoulder deep within the borderline. Not serious lyrics.
I think the only time he's being serious is when he's singing about his mother, everything else can be taken with a pretty big grain of salt.

Si

[TKenrick]

But wait, aren't they supposed to have a new record out really soon? 🤣

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Definitively one of my favourite bands but damn, they really drag their heels between albums.

[Sibob]

34 minutes ago, TKenrick said:

But wait, aren't they supposed to have a new record out really soon? 🤣

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Definitively one of my favourite bands but damn, they really drag their heels between albums.

It's been 12 years since 10,000 Days was released . To be fair though, it was 14 years between APC's eMotive & Eat The Elephant (15 years if you count Thirteenth Step as their last 'proper' album)
I reckon the new Tool album will drop mid-late 2019......and I think it will be the last one too.

Si

[Graham]

2 hours ago, thodrik said:

I dunno, I prefer just playing the original album and just hitting stop after Lateralus, unless I'm really feeling in the mood to listen to the rest.

With the alternate track listing I would just be skipping through lots of tracks, after Lateralus I would skip to The Grudge, then to The Patient. Faaip de Oiad, Triad, Eon Blue Apocalypse, Reflection and Disposition are all skip-worthy for me, no matter where they sit in the track listing. 

I do like Tool, but have never been into the whole 'hidden meanings', Fibonacci sequences, rewording lyrics to find hidden messages etc. The band have a wicked sense of humour (being friends with Bill Hicks probably helped) and might be planting those ideas purely to see if people will waste their time and look for something that isn't actually there. 

If I was going for specific songs, I'd probably put the CD on, but if I'm in a position to listen to the whole record I'll probably use this version as I do think it flows better.

[Graham]

34 minutes ago, Sibob said:

......and I think it will be the last one too.

I think you're probably right about that

[Skybone]

I appreciate the musicianship and the songwriting, but no matter how much I try, I just don't 'get' Tool.

[LegateNaarifin]

I do like this track listing, but something in my brain gets sad when Disposition isn't followed by Reflection, and then Triad. That for me is the best closing to an album I've heard (and yeah there's Faaip afterwards, but I consider that the 'after credits scene' of the album)

[Sibob]

33 minutes ago, Skybone said:

I appreciate the musicianship and the songwriting, but no matter how much I try, I just don't 'get' Tool.

Not sure what else there is to ‘get’ if you like the musicianship and the songwriting? Lol

Si

[Kamiel]

Playing along with this album has been a great way of improving my bassplaying skills, that's for sure. Did not know this tracklisting, it does have a more understandable flow to it!

[Skybone]

11 hours ago, Sibob said:

Not sure what else there is to ‘get’ if you like the musicianship and the songwriting? Lol

Si

I know, all of the elements are there, but I still don't "get" them, they leave me somewhat cold.

To be fair, I didn't say I "liked" the songwriting, but I appreciated it. Subtle difference, but difference nonetheless.  I appreciate the skill that it takes to write and play songs that move around, switches time signatures & tempo, but I still don't get them. Hey ho.  

[Graham]

If you've got a Tool shaped hole in your life, Soen are probably the closest thing to it, they have former Opeth drummer Martin Lopez and the first album has Steve DiGiorgio on bass

 

 

[Chris2112]

I've listened to Lateralus plenty over the years but I've never listened to it all the way through. Like any Tool album, it has it's share of dud tracks that I just wouldn't revisit.

I love Tool, it has to be said. But given their low work rate and the duff tracks on each album, I feel as though you could take the handful of amazing songs on each record and compile them all together into the ultimate Tool album. That would surely be one of the best rock albums of all time.