the radio hack of this song

[skywarp94]

I wrote an email to WAAF here in Boston asking them not to play the radio edit of "Lateralus" but rather the real version, and here is the reply I got:

You are right, it's a time issue, and I also know that the band approved the radio edit, begrudgingly. thanks for listening and letting us know what you think
aaf

Interesting that he says the band approved the radio edit. I never would have believed it.

[paraflux]

Theres certain things you gotta do to get radio play. There are rules there that just will not be broken yet. At least on the commercial stations. If you want your message heard, you have to let it happen. And this edit had to happen. Selling out? Whatever, the guys just wanted the song heard for the message, not the cheap third dimensional rewards.

[Skunk]

It's edited for time, everything from about 4:47 to 7:17 is cut out. It goes from "...reaching out to embrace whatever may come" directly to the part that starts the "With my feet upon the ground..." bit. It still sounds like a complete song like that, but IMO the most beautiful part of the song is cut out. It also makes the song sound a little harder, because the soft bit in the middle is gone. It's really rather lame, but better to hear it on the radio edited than not at all I guess.

[Skunk]

Also, most radio stations edit out or talk over the intro, which is shitty.

[slyraje]

The first time I heard Lateralus on the radio, the dj said, "We've got 9 minutes of Tool on the way." They played the whole song and have done so everytime I have heard the song since...I was unaware there was a radio edit.

[Darkflame]

The radio edit sucks. Here in Tampa, they play about 8 seconds of the intro, then when it begins the softer part they cut to when it gets harder near the end. It sucks because the part where it gradually gets liuder and harder during "Swing on the spiral.." it totally cut out.

~D~

[jotun]

Originally posted by skywarp94

Interesting that he says the band approved the radio edit. I never would have believed it.

in the webcast maynard says something like this. they hate it when their songs are shortened down to radiolength but they really can't do anything about, it's allways the stations that does this...
he also says that we should do just what you did, complain to the stations so they sometime will understand that this music can't be shortened

[claytonious]

in the big scheme of things most of us have the albums in our cars/home/work anyway, if we want the full awesome experience for ourselves, all we do is hit play.
however, thoes who dont have that access (or excess as it may be) i see the bummer in hearing our fave band's intro being aired, getting all excited....... just to be dissapointed about the shareware version we get instead.
the world is now a place where music is just the stuff they play between commercials and if Tool robs the station of 10 ads that justin timberlake's manager allows for; then i guess, regretably, the lads get the chop.

stick to the lp's, avoid the frustration.

[ignore-reality]

exactly

[skywarp94]

Well yeah, I usually keep the CD handy, but sometimes I either forget the CD or just want to hear the radio. WAAF does play some pretty good stuff, so I like to hear what else is out there, but then they'll play Tool and I'll get all excited and then they hack up the song.

In my email, I had mentioned how I had heard songs like "...And Justice For All" or "One" by Metallica without edits, and those (the first in particular) run about the same time as "Lateralus" does.

[FlamingEye]

why the fuck is lateralus edited?? their is nothing bad in it. maynard doesnt even cuss in it. WHAT THE HELL. fuckin radio

[dork]

Originally posted by FlamingEye
why the fuck is lateralus edited?? their is nothing bad in it. maynard doesnt even cuss in it. WHAT THE HELL. fuckin radio
It's not about content, its about the length. It's just not very practical what with short attention spans, commitments to playing X number songs in an hoiur and also ad space... its just not practical when they could play other shorter songs, and pleasing everyone who isnt a tool fan i guess

[polarforsker]

The lesson is: Radio and tv sucks!