Ænima

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Ænima
Image:Aenima.jpg
Studio album by Tool
Released October 1, 1996
Recorded September 1995 – March 1996 at Ocean Way, Hollywood, California and The Hook, North Hollywood, California
Genre Progressive metal
Alternative metal
Rock
Length 77:23
Label Volcano Records
Producer David Bottrill
Professional reviews
Tool chronology
Undertow
(1993)		 Ænima
(1996)		 Salival
(2000)

Ænima is the second full-length studio album by the American rock band Tool. It was released on October 1 1996 in CD format and in vinyl format the week before. The album was recorded and cut at Ocean Way, Hollywood, California and The Hook, North Hollywood, California from 1995 to 1996. It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on March 4, 2003.[1]

Contents

[edit] Overview

The title Ænima (pronounced ʔɑnɪmə according to guitarist Adam Jones in a radio interview, which can be downloaded from the band's website) is a combination of the words 'anima' (Latin for 'soul' associated the ideas of "life force" and a term often used by psychologist Carl Jung) and 'enema' the medical procedure.

Music videos were made for "Stinkfist" and "Ænema". Promotional singles were issued for "H.", "Eulogy", and "Forty Six & 2".[2] "Ænema" won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1998.[3]

Several of the songs are short segues or interludes that connect to longer songs,[4] pushing the total duration of the CD towards the maximum of around 80 minutes. These segues are "Useful Idiot", "Message to Harry Manback", "Intermission", "Die Eier Von Satan", "Cesaro Summability", and "(-) Ions".

[edit] Track information

Demo versions of the songs "Pushit", "Stinkfist", "Ænema", and "Eulogy" were recorded with Paul D'Amour on bass, before he left the band. These appeared online in early 2007.

Speculation has surrounded the song "H." The "meaning" of this song has not been detailed by the band, as they do not regularly comment on such things, but it has been stated that it is not about heroin.[5] In the book, "Teachings of Don Jaun, a Yaqui Way of Knowledge", the author refers to a character named H. Keenan introduced this song in 1996 by referring to the shoulder angel and devil, and also said it's about a hurtful yet dependent relationship.[6] It is also of note that the song's working title was "Half Empty", as it was introduced during a mini-tour of California by the band in December 1995.

The segue "Die Eier von Satan" has a heavy industrial guitar played over a reversed drum beat with an unusual, irregular time signature (9/8 time, or possibly 9/4). The lyrical component of the song is in German, performed by Marko Fox, a member of ZAUM. He is backed by a sound that resembles a hydraulic press,[7] and crowd cheering and applause that increase in volume as the lyrics are read with increasing ferocity. These combined effects make the song sound like a militant[8] German rant[9] or Nazi rally.[10] While the sound and the word "Satan" in the title may suggest to listeners that the lyrics feature aggressive or even violent content, the speaker is merely reciting a cookie recipe,[10] possibly hashish or Mexican cookies.[4] The song was originally translated by Gudrun Fox. According to Blair McKenzie Blake, the maintainer of the official Tool website, "Die Eier von Satan" originally were cookies that "Marko Fox's grandmother used to bake for him as a child, without using eggs as an ingredient. The substitution for eggs is a magical incantation from the worm-eaten pages of some moldering grimoire."[11] This magical incantation ("sim salabim bam ba saladu saladim") is taken from the German children's song "Auf einem Baum ein Kuckuck saß".[12] According to the lyrics, the special ingredient besides this "incantation" is actually "a knife-tip of Turkish hashish". The title literally translates to "The Eggs of Satan"[8] or "The Balls of Satan," due to a German double entendre of "Eier", which means "eggs" and also serves as a slang word for "testicles". The experimentation in this song has been compared to that of Einstürzende Neubauten.[4][7][13]

The song "Third Eye" contains samples of comedian Bill Hicks.[14] The title may be a reference to Hicks' saying that psilocybe mushrooms were being used to "squeegee [his] third eye clean."[15]

[edit] Album artwork

North American pressings of the Ænima CD were packaged in a custom lenticular jewel case (called a "Multi-Image™ CD case" in the liner notes) for the cover and interior disc tray. The cover art and other images in the liner notes can be set behind the lenticular "lens" to create an effect of sequential animation. European pressings of the CD featured a standard case, and the insert contained the covers of fictional Tool releases. In addition, there are no lyrics in the liner notes.

The special images used for the lenticular effect are:

  • Cam de Leon's painting Smoke Box,[16] with animated smoke and encompassing eyes.
  • A touched-up version of Cam de Leon's painting Ocular Orifice,[17] with the pupil of the eye animated to rotate completely around.
  • A photo of a nude contortionist sitting on the floor performing self-copulation, with Alana Cain credited for this in the liner notes. [18] In the background is the band (left to right, Danny, Justin, Adam) seated on a couch, with a nude Maynard throwing a single rose to the ground in front of the contortionist. Another photo of the contortionist is also on the CD itself.
  • An image of California before and after a major earthquake is in the jewel case tray — a nod to the lyrics of "Ænema" and the Arizona Bay Bill Hicks sketch. Additionally, a painting of Bill Hicks is in the liner notes, with the caption "Another Dead Hero".

The Inlay image of the south-western US is missing Oklahoma's panhandle. It is unknown whether or not this was intentional.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Keenan/Jones/Chancellor/Carey, except where indicated. Although four songs were worked on before Paul D'Amour had left, he is not listed in the liner notes.[19]

  1. "Stinkfist" (Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 5:10
  2. "Eulogy" (Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 8:28
  3. "H." – 6:07
  4. "Useful Idiot" – 0:38
  5. "Forty Six & 2" – 6:04
  6. "Message to Harry Manback" – 1:53
  7. "Hooker With a Penis" – 4:33
  8. "Intermission" – 0:56
  9. "Jimmy" – 5:24
  10. "Die Eier von Satan" – 2:16
  11. "Pushit" (Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 9:56
  12. "Cesaro Summability" – 1:26
  13. "Ænema" (Keenan/Jones/Carey/D'Amour) – 6:40
  14. "(-) Ions" – 4:00
  15. "Third Eye" (Tool/Hicks) – 13:47 listen (help·info)

[edit] Band Members

[edit] Additional staff

  • David Bottrill – Keyboards, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
  • Alana Cain – Model (contortionist)
  • Cam de Leon – Artwork, Computer Illustration
  • Fabrico DiSanto – Photography, Photo Assistance
  • Gudrun Fox – Translation of "Die Eier von Satan"
  • Marko Fox - Vocals on "Die Eier von Satan"
  • Jeremy Glasgow – Assistant Percussionist
  • Concetta Halstead – Producer, Design
  • Bill Hicks – Guest vocals
  • Billy Howerdel - Guitar Tech, 'Pro Tools' technician
  • Joel Larson
  • Karen Mason
  • Jeff Novack – Photography
  • Chris Pitman – Synthesizer
  • Mark Rappaport – Effects Consultant
  • Eban Schletter – Organ
  • Keith Willis – Artwork
  • Kevin Willis – Producer, Art Direction, Paintings

[edit] Charting

[edit] Album

Year Chart Position
1996 Billboard 200 #2

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1996 "Stinkfist" Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) #17
1996 "Stinkfist" Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) #19
1997 "H." Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) #23
1997 "Ænema" Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) #25
1997 "Forty Six & 2" Mainstream Rock Tracks (U.S.) #22

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Theiner, Manny (September 28, 2006). Concert Review: Tool's prog pleases populace. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “...from its triple-platinum 1996 release, "Aenima."”
  2. ^ The Tool FAQ, G25.
  3. ^ 40th Annual Grammy Awards - 1998. Rock On The Net. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  4. ^ a b c Craig Joyce (1999-10-01). Rough Guides Music: TOOL. Rough Guides, KeepMedia. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. “...“Die Eier Von Satan” being an interesting attempt at Einstürzende Neubauten-type experimentation, and the lyrics being a recitation in German of a Mexican wedding cookie recipe.”
  5. ^ The Tool FAQ, G30.
  6. ^ The Tool FAQ, G31.
  7. ^ a b David Andrews (1996-10-25). Tool's Ænima: More songs about paranoia and death. The Daily Collegian. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. “...rhythms of "Die Eier Von Satan," which sounds like a hydraulic press. The song diverges briefly from the usual Tool sound, showing experimentation in an apparent homage to Einstürzende Neubauten, a German prototype to similarly revolutionary music.”
  8. ^ a b "Tool: A Trip to Rock's Darker Side" (fee required), The Columbian, 1998-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. "..."Die Eier Von Satan, or "The Egg of Satan," which sounds like A militant German speech." 
  9. ^ Mark Jenkins. "Tool Could Use Some Retooling" (fee required), The Washington Post, 1996-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. "...a German rant on "Die Eier von Satan," ..." 
  10. ^ a b "Tool of the devil or tuneful psychonauts?" (fee required), Anchorage Daily News, 2002-09-27. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. "Die Eier von Satan from 1996's Aenima sounds like a Nazi pep rally But is really a megaphone recitation of a cookie recipe in German..." 
  11. ^ Blair MacKenzie Blake. Tool Newsletter, September, 2005 e.v.. Tool. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
  12. ^ Frank Petersohn. Auf einem Baum ein Kuckuck saß (German). ingeb.org. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
  13. ^ "Aenima: Tool" (fee required), What Magazine, 1996-11-01. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. ""Die Eier Von Satan" and is as hokee lokee as any Tom Waits or Einsterzende Neubaten tip of the ice pick could ever be." 
  14. ^ Don Waller. "Pix Mix Hicks Licks", Los Angeles CityBeat, 2004-11-25. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. 
  15. ^ Bart Blasengame. Matthew McConaughey 1. Style.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
  16. ^ Cam de Leon. Smoke Box - digital composite. Happy Pencil. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
  17. ^ Cam de Leon. Ocular Orifice - Photoshop. Happy Pencil. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
  18. ^ The Tool FAQ G8
  19. ^ The Tool FAQ, G13.

[edit] References

  • Kabir Akhtar (2001-07-16). The Tool FAQ. The Tool Page. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
v • d • e
Tool
Maynard James Keenan · Adam Jones · Justin Chancellor · Danny Carey
Paul D'Amour
Studio albumsUndertow · Ænima · Lateralus · 10,000 Days
Extended playsTool · Opiate
Box setsSalival
Singles"Hush" · "Prison Sex" · "Sober" · "Stinkfist" · "Forty-Six & 2" · "Ænema" · "Schism" · "Parabola" · "Lateralus" · "Vicarious" · "The Pot" · "Jambi"
Related articlesDiscography · List of tours · Lobal Orning · Bill Hicks  · Alex Grey
Related bandsPuscifer · A Perfect Circle · Tapeworm · Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty · TexA.N.S. · Green Jellÿ · Pigmy Love Circus · Peach · ZAUM
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